Method and devices for facilitating the location of a mobile electronic device

• US 9,307,367 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2014
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Vuori, Janne
• Primary Examiner(s): HTUN, SAN A
• Application Number:
  US14/190,288
• Publication Number:
  US 20140179349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 769 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 88/463 self-opening
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 1/1075 for counterbalancing
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 1/16 for sliding wings
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 5/003 for sliding wings Fasteners specially adapted for holding sliding wings open E05D13/04
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 5/027 with closing action
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/22 Locks
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/232 by automatically acting means
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/424 for the final opening movement
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/488 Traction springs
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2600/53 Snapping
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/11 Manual wing operation
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/20 for furnitures, e.g. cabinets
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/51 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/14 between corresponding nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

The invention relates to a user-portable electronic device and in particular one which is capable of establishing transmission connection with one or more mobile electronic devices. A user-portable electronic device comprising: transmission connection circuitry arranged to establish transmission connection between the user-portable electronic device and one or more mobile electronic devices; geographic-location determining circuitry arranged to determine a geographic location of the or each mobile electronic device associated with transmission connection of the user-portable electronic device and the or each mobile electronic device; and log circuitry arranged to allow storage of a geographic-location log including at least a last-known geographic location of the or each mobile electronic device.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following;

allow for one or more of storage and searching of a user-searchable geographic-location log to facilitate subsequent location of one or more mobile electronic devices by a user without connection to the one or more mobile electronic devices, the user-searchable geographic-location log including at least the name or other identifier of the one or more mobile electronic devices, an indication of a last-known geographic location of the one or more mobile electronic devices, the time and date of the last-known geographic location of the one or more mobile electronic devices, and the transmission connection media used at the time of the last-known geographic location of the one or more mobile electronic devices, the user-searchable geographic-location log configured to allow for display of a user-searched last-known geographic location of the one or more mobile electronic devices;

the last-known geographic location of the one or more mobile electronic devices determined based on disconnection or loss of transmission connection between a user-portable electronic device and the one or more mobile electronic devices.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to allow storage of the user-searchable geographic-location log including the last-known geographic location of the one or more mobile electronic devices determined based on the determined geographic location of the user-portable electronic device and a range of the transmission connection between the user-portable electronic device and the one or more mobile electronic devices.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises transmission connection circuitry configured to be able to establish transmission connection between the user-portable electronic device and the one or more mobile electronic devices.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to allow a user to access the user-searchable geographic-location log in order to facilitate location of the one or more mobile electronic devices.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to allow one or more of:

sorting of entries in the user-searchable geographic-location log; and

searching of entries in the user-searchable geographic-location log.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to allow storage of one or more of the following in the user-searchable geographic-location log:

the name or other identifier of the one or more mobile electronic devices;

an indication of the last-known geographic location of the one or more mobile electronic device

the time and date of the last-known geographic location of the one or more mobile electronic devices; and

the transmission connection media used at the time of the last-known geographic location of the one or more mobile electronic devices.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to allow storage of a history of geographic locations of the one or more mobile electronic devices in the user-searchable geographic-location log.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to allow storage of one or more times at which one or more geographic locations of the one or more mobile electronic device was determined in the user-searchable geographic-location log.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to allow for display of a user-searched last-known geographic location of the one or more mobile electronic devices obtained from the user-searchable geographic-location log.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to use user-searchable geographic-location data received from the one or more mobile electronic devices when said transmission connection is one or more of established and active.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user-searchable geographic-location log is stored at one or more of:

the user-portable electronic device;

a remote storage means located remotely from the user-portable electronic device; and

a removable storage means of the user-portable electronic device.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user-portable electronic device is a master device or a slave device and each of the one or more mobile electronic devices is a master device or a slave device.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to store the user-searchable geographic-location log of the one or more mobile electronic devices in a format allowing the last-known geographic location of the one or more mobile electronic devices to be indicated on a map.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to allow storage of the user-searchable geographic-location log including the determined geographic location of the one or more mobile electronic devices during:

transmission connection upon initiation by a user, and/or

automatic transmission connection.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is one or more of:

log circuitry;

the user-portable electronic device;

a module for the user-portable electronic device; and

network apparatus in communication with the user-portable electronic device.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the mobile electronic device is one or more of;

a vehicle with a built-in hands-free kit, a peripheral device, a headset, a Bluetooth headset, a hands-free kit, a device capable of determining its geographic location, a master device, and a slave device; and

wherein

the user portable electronic device is one or more of;

a mobile phone, a laptop, a personal digital assistant, a device capable of determining its geographic location, a master device, and a slave device.

16. A method comprising:

allowing for one or more of storage and searching of a user-searchable geographic-location log to facilitate subsequent location of one or more mobile electronic devices by a user without connection to the one or more mobile electronic devices, the user-searchable geographic-location log including at least the name or other identifier of the one or more mobile electronic devices, an indication of a last-known geographic location of the one or more mobile electronic devices, the time and date of the last-known geographic location of the one or more mobile electronic devices, and the transmission connection media used at the time of the last-known geographic location of the one or more mobile electronic devices, the user-searchable geographic-location log configured to allow for display of a user-searched last-known geographic location of the one or more mobile electronic devices;

the last-known geographic location of the one or more mobile electronic devices determined based on disconnection or loss of transmission connection between a user-portable electronic device and the one or more mobile electronic devices.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises:

determining the last-known geographic location of the one or more mobile electronic devices based on a range of transmission connection between the user-portable electronic device and the one or more mobile electronic devices.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer program code stored thereon, the computer readable medium and computer program code being configured to, when run on at least one processor, perform at least the following:

allowing for one or more of storage and searching of a user-searchable geographic-location log to facilitate subsequent location of one or more mobile electronic devices by a user without connection to the one or more mobile electronic devices, the user-searchable geographic-location log including at least the name or other identifier of the one or more mobile electronic devices, an indication of a last-known geographic location of the one or more mobile electronic devices, the time and date of the last-known geographic location of the one or more mobile electronic devices, and the transmission connection media used at the time of the last-known geographic location of the one or more mobile electronic devices, the user-searchable geographic-location log configured to allow for display of a user-searched last-known geographic location of the one or more mobile electronic devices;

the last-known geographic location of the one or more mobile electronic devices determined based on disconnection or loss of transmission connection between a user-portable electronic device and the one or more mobile electronic devices.

19. A system comprising:

an apparatus comprising;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following;

allowing for one or more of storage and searching of a user-searchable geographic-location log to facilitate subsequent location of one or more mobile electronic devices by a user without connection to the one or more mobile electronic devices, the user-searchable geographic-location log including at least the name or other identifier of the one or more mobile electronic devices, an indication of a last-known geographic location of the one or more mobile electronic devices, the time and date of the last-known geographic location of the one or more mobile electronic devices, and the transmission connection media used at the time of the last-known geographic location of the one or more mobile electronic devices, the user-searchable geographic-location log configured to allow for display of a user-searched last-known geographic location of the one or more mobile electronic devices, the last-known geographic location of the one or more mobile electronic devices determined based on disconnection or loss of transmission connection between a user-portable electronic device and the one or more mobile electronic devices;

transmission apparatus configured to establish transmission connection between the user-portable electronic device and the one or more mobile electronic devices; and

geographic-location determining apparatus configured to determine at least the last known geographic location of the one or more mobile electronic devices based on the disconnection or loss of transmission connection between the user-portable electronic device and the one or more mobile electronic devices.