Methods and apparatus to detect mobile devices

• US 8,947,222 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2011
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: DeLuca, Michael Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Sonny
• Application Number:
  US13/634,817
• Publication Number:
  US 20130012123A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,440 Days
• Field of Search: 455/39, 455/41.2, 455/41.1, 455/41.3, 340/457, 340/5.61, 340/425.5, 340/686.1, 340/686.6
• US Class Current: 340/457
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 13/18 Devices to prevent theft or loss of purses, luggage or hand carried bags
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 15/00 Tags attached to, or associated with, an object, in order to enable detection of the object record carriers for use with machines having a detectable tag or marker G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6075 adapted for handsfree use in a vehicle H04M1/6058 takes precedence; arrangements for holding telephones in a vehicle B60R11/0241
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/04 including near field communication means, e.g. RFID
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Example methods and apparatus to detect mobile devices are disclosed. A disclosed example apparatus includes a processor and a memory in communication with the processor having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the processor to determine whether a first wireless transceiver is in communication range of a vehicle. The first wireless transceiver is to provide an identifier associated with a person. When the first wireless transceiver is not in communication range of the vehicle, a second wireless transceiver in the vehicle is transitioned from a first power transmission mode to a relatively lower power transmission mode.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory in communication with the processor having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the processor to;

determine whether a portable first wireless transceiver is in communication range of a vehicle, the portable first wireless transceiver configured to provide an identifier associated with a person; and

based on the portable first wireless transceiver not being in the communication range, transition a second wireless transceiver in the vehicle from a first power transmission mode to a relatively lower power transmission mode, the second wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly connect with a mobile device associated with the person.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the second wireless transceiver is of a second wireless technology type different from a first wireless technology type of the first wireless transceiver.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein the second wireless technology type is a Bluetooth®

technology.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the first wireless transceiver is embedded in at least one of a key for the vehicle or a key fob.

5. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory in communication with the processor having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the processor to;

determine whether a portable first wireless transceiver is in communication range of a vehicle, the portable first wireless transceiver configured to provide an identifier associated with a person;

based on the portable first wireless transceiver not being in the communication range, transition a second wireless transceiver in the vehicle from a first power transmission mode to a relatively lower power transmission mode, the second wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly connect with a mobile device associated with the person;

determine whether the second wireless transceiver is in communication with the mobile device when the second wireless transceiver is in the relatively lower power transmission mode; and

provide an alert when the mobile device is in communication with the second wireless transceiver while the second wireless transceiver is in the relatively lower power transmission mode.

6. An apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein the alert is indicative that the mobile device is in the vehicle when the person is outside of the vehicle.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a first interface to wirelessly connect with a mobile device, the first interface operable in a first power mode to connect with the mobile device when the mobile device is located within a first distance from the first interface, the first interface operable in a second power mode to communicate with the mobile device when the mobile device is located within a second distance from the first interface, the second distance shorter than the first distance;

a second interface to receive a user identifier from an identification tag via a wireless transmission; and

a processor to transition the first interface from the first power mode to the second power mode when the identification tag is not responsive to the second interface.

8. An apparatus as defined in claim 7, further comprising a notifier to cause emission of an audio alert when the mobile device is connected to the first interface while the first interface is operating in the second power mode.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the audio alert is indicative that a person associated with the user identifier has left the mobile device in a vehicle when the person is outside of the vehicle.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the audio alert is indicative that the mobile device is in a vehicle when the identification tag is outside of the vehicle.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the notifier is at least one of a vehicle alarm or a vehicle horn.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein the identification tag is embedded in at least one of a key for a vehicle or a key fob.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein the first interface is a Bluetooth®

interface.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein the second interface is a radio frequency identification (RFID) interface.

15. An apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein the first interface, the second interface, and the processor are located in a vehicle.

16. An automobile comprising:

a first interface to wirelessly connect a mobile device to the automobile, the first interface wirelessly connectable to the mobile device when the mobile device is located within a first distance relative to the automobile;

a second interface to determine whether a person is located within a second distance relative to the automobile;

a power mode arbiter to reduce a communication range of the first interface in response to the person not being located within the second distance relative to the automobile; and

a processor to initiate an alert perceivable beyond the second distance relative to the automobile in response to the second interface determining that the person is not located within the second distance relative to the automobile and that the first interface is connected to the mobile device in the reduced communication range.

17. An automobile as defined in claim 16, wherein the power mode arbiter is to reduce the communication range of the first interface by reducing a transmission power of the first interface to enable wireless communication between the mobile device and the automobile when the mobile device is located within the reduced communication range relative to the automobile but not located beyond the reduced communication range relative to the automobile.

18. An automobile as defined in claim 16, wherein the first interface is a first wireless communication interface and the second interface is a second wireless communication interface separate from the first wireless communication interface.

19. An automobile as defined in claim 16, wherein the first interface is a Bluetooth®

wireless interface to enable communication between the mobile device and the automobile and the second interface is a radio frequency identification (RFID) wireless interface to enable communication between the automobile and an identification tag carried by the person to determine whether the person is located within the second distance relative to the automobile.