MOBILE DEVICE MODE ENABLEMENT RESPONSIVE TO A PROXIMITY CRITERION

• US 20100113013A1
• Filed: 11/04/2008
• Published: 05/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telcom Ventures LLC
• Original Assignee: Telcom Ventures LLC
• Inventors: Singh, Rajendra, KARABINIS, PETER D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,462,411 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/426.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A system (10) and method (30) comprises a detector that is configured to enable a mode of a first device (14) and/or to enable a mode of a second device (15) responsive to a detection that a proximity criterion is satisfied between the first device and an entity (Entity 1) and responsive to at least one of a position, velocity and a Time-of-Day and where the second device is not the entity and is not associated with the entity, and where the entity is not involved in providing a communications service to the first and/or second device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting that a proximity criterion is satisfied between a first device and an entity; and

enabling a mode of the first device and/or a mode of a second device responsive to the detecting and responsive to at least one of a position, velocity and a Time-of-Day;

wherein the second device is not the entity and is not associated with the entity, and wherein the entity is not involved in providing a communications service to the first and/or second device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the detecting is performed by the first device, by the second device, by a device that is associated with the entity and/or by a system that is associated with the first and/or second devices.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the enabling is performed by the first device, by the second device, by a device that is associated with the entity and/or by a system that is associated with the first and/or second devices.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first device comprises a wireless communications device and/or the second device comprises a wireless communications device.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the system comprises a wireless communications system.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein detecting comprises:

using position information associated with the first device;

using position information associated with the second device;

detecting a signal that is being radiated by the first device;

detecting a signal that is being radiated by the second device; and

/or

detecting a signal that is being radiated by a device that is associated with the entity.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein using position information comprises:

evaluating a distance between the position information and one or more position values; and

determining whether the distance is less than or equal to a threshold.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the one or more position values are predetermined.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising performing a function responsive to the enabling.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the function comprises a financial transaction, receiving data and/or transmitting data.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein receiving data comprises receiving data selectively from a first unit and wherein transmitting data comprises transmitting data selectively to a second unit.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the first and second units are the same unit.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the first and second units are different units.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the first and/or second units are predetermined.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the first unit comprises a wireless communications device and/or the second unit comprises a wireless communications device.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the first unit is associated with an Internet Protocol (IP) address and/or the second unit is associated with an IP address.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein receiving data comprises receiving a position, a request and/or an acknowledgement and wherein transmitting data comprises transmitting a position, an authorization and/or an acknowledgement.

18. The method according to claim 10, wherein the financial transaction comprises providing payment associated with a toll and/or providing payment associated with a purchase of one or more items.

19. The method according to claim 10, wherein receiving data comprises receiving data once or repeatedly and wherein transmitting data comprises transmitting data once or repeatedly.

20. The method according to claim 1, wherein the entity comprises a person, an animal, a building, a motor vehicle, a shopping cart, a product, a check-out counter, a geographic position, a geographic area and/or one or more locations in time and/or space.

21. The method according to claim 1, wherein enabling a mode comprises:

selectively enabling a first communications mode comprising a first air interface protocol that uses a first set of frequencies to transmit/receive information based upon Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) and/or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA).

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the first air interface protocol is further based upon Time Division Duplex (TDD) operation wherein the first set of frequencies are used to transmit information over a first time interval and are also used to receive information over a second time interval.

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein the first set of frequencies comprises licensed and/or un-licensed frequencies.

24. The method according to claim 21, further comprising:

selectively disabling a second communications mode comprising a second air interface protocol that uses a second set of frequencies to transmit/receive information.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the second air interface differs from the first air interface and/or the second set of frequencies differs, in at least one frequency, from the first set of frequencies.

26. A system comprising:

a detector that is configured to enable a mode of a first device and/or to enable a mode of a second device responsive to a detection that a proximity criterion is satisfied between the first device and an entity and responsive to at least one of a position, velocity and a Time-of-Day;

wherein the second device is not the entity and is not associated with the entity, and wherein the entity is not involved in providing a communications service to the first and/or second device.

27. The system according to claim 26, wherein the detection is performed by the first device, by the second device, by a device that is associated with the entity and/or by a system that is associated with the first and/or second devices.

28. The system according to claim 26, wherein the mode is enabled by the first device, by the second device, by a device that is associated with the entity and/or by a system that is associated with the first and/or second devices.

29. The system according to claim 26, wherein the first device comprises a wireless communications device and/or the second device comprises a wireless communications device.

30. The system according to claim 27, wherein the system comprises a wireless communications system.

31. The system according to claim 28, wherein the system comprises a wireless communications system.

32. The system according to claim 26, wherein the detection comprises:

use of position information associated with the first device;

use of position information associated with the second device;

a detection of a signal that is being radiated by the first device;

a detection of a signal that is being radiated by the second device; and

/or

a detection of a signal that is being radiated by a device that is associated with the entity.

33. The system according to claim 32, wherein use of position information comprises:

an evaluation of a distance between the position information and one or more position values; and

a determination of whether the distance is less than or equal to a threshold.

34. The system according to claim 33, wherein the one or more position values are predetermined.

35. The system according to claim 26, wherein the first device and/or the second device is/are configured to perform a function responsive to the mode having been enabled by the detector.

36. The system according to claim 35, wherein the function comprises a financial transaction, reception of data and/or transmission of data.

37. The system according to claim 36, wherein reception of data comprises reception of data selectively from a first unit and wherein transmission of data comprises transmission of data selectively to a second unit.

38. The system according to claim 37, wherein the first and second units are the same unit.

39. The system according to claim 37, wherein the first and second units are different units.

40. The system according to claim 37, wherein the first and/or second units are predetermined.

41. The system according to claim 37, wherein the first unit comprises a wireless communications device and/or the second unit comprises a wireless communications device.

42. The system according to claim 37, wherein the first unit is associated with an Internet Protocol (IP) address and/or the second unit is associated with an IP address.

43. The system according to claim 36, wherein receiving data comprises receiving a position, a request and/or an acknowledgement and wherein transmitting data comprises transmitting a position, an authorization and/or an acknowledgement.

44. The system according to claim 36, wherein the financial transaction comprises a payment of a toll and/or a payment associated with a purchase of one or more items.

45. The system according to claim 37, wherein the reception of data comprises reception of data once or repeatedly and wherein the transmission of data comprises transmission of data once or repeatedly.

46. The system according to claim 26, wherein the entity comprises a person, an animal, a building, a motor vehicle, a shopping cart, a product that is on sale, a check-out counter, a geographic position, a geographic area and/or one or more locations in time and/or space.

47. The system according to claim 27, further comprising the first device, the second device, the entity, the device that is associated with the entity and/or the system that is associated with the first and/or second devices.

48. The system according to claim 26, wherein the detector is further configured to selectively enable a first communications mode comprising a first air interface protocol that uses a first set of frequencies to transmit/receive information based upon Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) and/or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA).

49. The system according to claim 48, wherein the first air interface protocol is further based upon Time Division Duplex (TDD) operation wherein the first set of frequencies are used to transmit information over a first time interval and are also used to receive information over a second time interval.

50. The system according to claim 48, wherein the first set of frequencies comprises licensed and/or unlicensed frequencies.

51. The system according to claim 48, wherein the detector is further configured to selectively disable a second communications mode comprising a second air interface protocol that uses a second set of frequencies to transmit/receive information.

52. The system according to claim 51, wherein the second air interface differs from the first air interface and/or the second set of frequencies differs, in at least one frequency, from the first set of frequencies.

53. A method comprising:

detecting that a proximity criterion is satisfied between a first device and an entity; and

enabling a mode of the first device or a mode of a second device responsive to detecting satisfaction of the proximity criterion and while the proximity criterion is satisfied, wherein the first device and the second device form a part of a communication system providing communications service to the first device and the second device;

wherein the second device is independent of the entity and wherein the entity is independent of the communications service provided to the first and second device.

54. A system comprising:

a mobile subscriber device;

a detector coupled to the mobile subscriber device wherein the detector is configured to enable a function of the mobile subscriber device responsive to a detection that a proximity criterion is satisfied between the mobile subscriber device and an entity defined by a person, an animal, a building, a motor vehicle, a shopping cart, a product on sale, a check-out counter, a geographic position, a geographic area, or a geographic area or geographic position combined with a predetermined time frame, wherein the mobile subscriber device and a second mobile subscriber device form a part of a communication system providing communications service to the mobile subscriber device and the second mobile subscriber device;

wherein the second mobile subscriber device is independent of the entity and wherein the entity is independent of the communications service provided to the mobile subscriber device and second mobile subscriber device.