Systems and methods for locating a mobile communication device

• US 9,179,247 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: First Principals, Inc.
• Original Assignee: First Principals, Inc.
• Inventors: Raniere, Keith A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Georgewill, Opiribo
• Application Number:
  US13/841,310
• Publication Number:
  US 20140274121A1
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.2, 455/456.3, 455/418, 455/456.2, 455/411
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/16 Anti-theft; Abduction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/042 with variable loudness of the ringing tone, e.g. variable envelope or amplitude of ring signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/14 with services dependent on location where the service is an information service H04M2242/15; services independent of location H04M3/42229
• 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 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0296 switching to a backup power supply
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Systems and methods for communications systems and more particularly to systems and methods for locating a mobile communication device are disclosed. When attempting to locate a misplaced, lost or stolen mobile communication device, if the mobile communication device may be in the possession of another party, the mobile communication device may be remotely controlled such that remote operations are independent of the normal mobile communication device operations.

Claims

1. A method for locating a mobile device comprising:

activating a management application such that an owner is enabled to remotely control an operational mode of the mobile device, the operational mode of the mobile device being a ring volume so that the owner can control the ring volume of the mobile device to increase a chance of locating and retrieving the mobile device by hearing a ring of the mobile device in a location of the mobile device when the mobile device receives a verified call from the owner of the mobile device;

if the mobile device is not located or retrieved in the location, then remotely re-activating the management application to determine whether at least one of a primary power source and a reserve power source is operational to activate a location application on the mobile device independent of a normal operation of the mobile device;

if at least one of the primary source and the reserve power source is operational, then remotely activating at least one of the primary power source and the reserve power, and activating a location application on the mobile device, after a verification process is performed to determine if the owner of the mobile device is activating the location application;

obtaining a location of the mobile device with the location application; and

transmitting the location of the mobile device to the owner for retrieval of the mobile device by the owner.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

independently transmitting the location of the mobile device to the owner such that a person operating the mobile device would be unaware that the location application had transmitted the mobile device location.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

transmitting the location at a specific time interval.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the specific time interval is selected from the group comprising:

less than a minute, every minute, five minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes or more than 15 minutes.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically, transmitting the mobile device location independently of a normal operation mode in such a manner that a party using mobile device is completely unaware that the mobile device location was being transmitted.