Mobile device control with external device

• US 9,344,860 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2010
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maximilian Leroux
• Original Assignee: Maximilian Leroux
• Inventors: Leroux, Maximilian
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Wesley
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHAKRABORTY, RAJARSHI
• Application Number:
  US13/884,659
• Publication Number:
  US 20130231055A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,013 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724098 Interfacing with an on-board device of a vehicle for hands-free speaking in vehicles H04M1/6075
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services

Abstract

A mobile arrangement (102), such as a mobile communication device, including a user interface (UI) configured to receive user input, a wireless data transfer interface configured to receive a command, such as a PTT (Push-to-Talk) command, sent by an RSM (Remote Speaker Microphone) device (104a, 104b) or other accessory, such as an in-car device or a headset, wirelessly connected to the mobile arrangement, and an interfacing logic (114) configured to map the received command to a predetermined command locally providable via the user interface to a communication application (112) running on the mobile arrangement and capable of receiving user input via the user interface so as to enable utilization of the communication application through the RSM or other accessory. Corresponding method and computer program product are presented.

Claims

1. A mobile arrangement including at least a mobile communication-enabled device, comprising:

a user interface (UI) configured to receive user input;

a wireless data transfer interface configured to receive at least Push-to-Talk (PTT) command sent by a remote speaker microphone (RSM) device that is wirelessly connected to the mobile arrangement; and

an interfacing logic (114) configured to map the received command to a predetermined command locally provided via the user interface to a communication application running on the mobile arrangement and capable of receiving user input via the user interface so as to enable utilization of said communication application through the RSM,

wherein the interfacing logic incorporates a middleware component configured to virtually operate controls of the UI in response to the command sent by the RSM responsive to a user action carried out by a user upon the RSM.

2. The mobile arrangement of claim 1, wherein mappings used by the interfacing logic to map the received command to a predetermined command locally is at least partially controllable by the user.

3. The mobile arrangement of claim 1, wherein, in order to create a mapping, a component is provided that prompts the user, via the UI, to operate an UI feature (110) of the RSM to trigger transmission and reception of the associated command to be associated with a user input command.

4. The mobile arrangement of claim 1, wherein, in order to create a mapping, a component is provided that prompts the user, via the UI, to provide a user input command and to associate the user input command, as said predetermined command, with the received command.

5. The mobile arrangement of claim 1, wherein the communication application utilized through the RSM is PoC (Push-to-Talk over Cellular) and/or VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) application.

6. The mobile arrangement of claim 1, configured to host a plurality of mappings, each mapping associating at least one received command with at least one communication application.

7. The mobile arrangement of claim 1, configured to host a plurality of mappings, each mapping associating at least one received command with at least one communication application, wherein at least one mapping relates to a first RSM and at least one other mapping relates to a second RSM.

8. A system, comprising an accessory (104a, 104b), and a mobile arrangement (102) according to claim 1.

9. The mobile arrangement of claim 3, wherein the UI feature (110) is a button.

12. The mobile arrangement of claim 1, comprising means to interpret predetermined signal/data as a command, to be transmitted to the mobile device, for the detection by the device, the received command being mapped to an activation of an associated button or other local UI feature of the mobile device by causing the receipt of the first command to locally generate, in the mobile device, a second command which can also be triggered by the direct local input via the UI.

13. The mobile arrangement of claim 12, whereby the mobile device includes a data storage component that stored related mapping information enabling the generation of at least one local command based on the received remote command.

14. The mobile arrangement of claim 12, wherein the RSM communicates with the interfacing logic by way of a proprietary protocol not supported by the communication application running on the mobile arrangement.

10. A method for a mobile device comprising:

at the mobile device, receiving a Push-to-Talk (PTT) command (306), wirelessly sent by a remote speaker microphone (RSM) device that is wirelessly connected to the mobile device; and

at the mobile device, causing, responsive to the received command, an actuation of a corresponding control of a user interface of the device in order to actuate a predetermined command of a communication application (308, 310), operable on the device, that receives user input via the user interface of the device, thereby to operate the communication application by way of the RSM,

wherein the processor-readable coded instructions incorporate a middleware component that virtually operates controls of the user interface of the device in response to user actions carried out by a user upon the RSM.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium having recorded thereon a computer program comprising processor-readable coded instructions that, upon execution by a processor of a mobile device, causes the mobile device to execute steps of:

receiving, at the mobile device, a Push-to-Talk (PTT) command (306) wirelessly sent by remote speaker microphone (RSM) device that is wirelessly connected to the mobile device; and

causing, responsive to the received command, an actuation of a corresponding control of a user interface of the device in order to actuate a predetermined command of a communication application (308, 310), executed on the device, that receives user input via the user interface of the device, thereby to operate the communication application by way of the RSM,

wherein the processor-readable coded instructions incorporate a middleware component that virtually operates controls of the user interface of the device in response to user actions carried out by a user upon the RSM.