Mobile electrical device

• US 8,618,939 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2011
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Hiramoto, Toshikazu, Nabata, Toshihisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Terrell, Emily C
• Application Number:
  US13/014,350
• Publication Number:
  US 20110181421A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,070 Days
• Field of Search: 600529-534
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 47/00 Smokers' requisites not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10

Abstract

A mobile electronic device comprising an odor sensor and methods of operation are disclosed. An odor is detected using an odor sensor coupled to the mobile electronic device, and a predetermined process is performed if the odor is a predefined odor.

Claims

1. A mobile electronic device comprising:

a microphone operable to receive a user voice input;

a user interface for alerting a user of an incoming call;

an odor sensor located adjacent to the microphone, and operable to detect at least one predefined odor of the user voice input when the microphone is receiving the user voice input; and

a control module electrically coupled to the user interface, the microphone and the odor sensor, the control module operable to initiate a fake incoming call alert on the user interface when a communication is not actually received by the mobile electronic device, the control module further operable to cause the odor sensor to operate when the microphone is receiving the user voice input in response to the fake incoming call alert, and to perform a predetermined process if the at least one predefined odor is detected.

2. The mobile electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the control module is further operable to cause prompting the user to perform the user voice input at one or more previously set date and time.

3. The mobile electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the prompting comprises at least one prompt selected from a group of:

audio and an image.

4. The mobile electronic device according to claim 3, further comprising an audio module, wherein the control module is further operable to cause the audio module to generate audio informing of an effect, if the odor sensor detects the predefined odor.

5. The mobile electronic device according to claim 3, further comprising an audio module, wherein the control module is further operable to cause the audio module to generate audio informing of not performing the user voice input, if the user does not perform the user voice input despite the at least one prompt.

6. The mobile electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the one or more previously set date and time comprises a first time on a weekday and a second time on a weekend day, wherein the first time and the second time are different.

7. The mobile electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a communication module, wherein the control module is further operable to cause the odor sensor to start operating in response to an incoming phone call received through a communication network.

8. The mobile electronic device according to claim 7, wherein the communication comprises a voice communication, an email communication and an internet communication.

9. The mobile electronic device according to claim 7, wherein the control module is further operable to cause the communication module to send a response communication indicating a detection of the predefined odor to a predefined communication receiver of the communication network, if the predefined odor is detected.

10. The mobile electronic device according to claim 7, wherein the control module is further operable to cause the communication module to send a response communication over the communication network indicating a non-response from the user despite a prompt.

11. The mobile electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the control module is further operable to count time starting at a predetermined time until the predefined odor is detected.

12. The mobile electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the predefined odor comprises at least one odor selected from the group consisting of:

cigarette odor, nicotine odor, tar odor, food odor, perfume odor, alcohol odor, drug odor, and oral malodor odor.

13. A method for operating a mobile electronic device, the method comprising:

a controller of the mobile electronic device initiating a fake incoming call alert on a user interface when a communication is not actually received by the mobile electronic device;

in response to the fake incoming call alert, receiving a user voice input into a microphone located adjacent to an odor sensor;

detecting an odor of the user voice input using the odor sensor when the user voice input is received into the microphone; and

performing a predetermined process, if the odor is a predefined odor.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising determining if the odor is the predefined odor.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the predefined odor comprises at least one odor selected from the group consisting of:

cigarette odor, nicotine odor, tar odor, food odor, perfume odor, alcohol odor, drug odor, and oral malodor odor.

16. The method according to claim 13, further comprising a scheduler mode prompting the user to speak into the microphone.

17. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

sending a response communication through a communication network if the predefined odor is detected.

18. A mobile electronic device comprising:

a control module operable to initiate a fake incoming call alert when a communication is not actually received by the mobile electronic device;

a microphone operable to receive a user voice input in response to the fake incoming call alert;

an odor sensor located adjacent to the microphone, and operable to detect at least one predefined odor of the user voice input when the microphone is receiving the user voice input;

a communication module operable to perform a communication with a different electronic device; and

the control module operable to perform a predetermined process if the at least one predefined odor is detected.

19. The mobile electronic device of claim 18, wherein the control module causes the communication module to send a result of the odor sensor to the different electronic device.