Computational systems and methods for locating a mobile device

• US 9,179,327 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2011
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Dyor, Matthew G., Mundie, Craig J., Bahl, Paramvir, Lord, Richard T., Wood, JR., Lowell L., Gates, William, Myhrvold, Nathan P., Burger, Douglas C., Lord, Robert W., Wood, Victoria Y. H., Holman, Pablos, Paek, Tim, Chandra, Ranveer, Malamud, Mark A., Zhong, Lin, Hyde, Roderick A., Rinaldo, Jr., John D., Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Tan, Desney S., Kare, Jordin T., Tegreene, Clarence T., Levien, Royce A., Whitmer, Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): AJIBADE AKONAI, OLUMIDE
• Application Number:
  US13/341,744
• Publication Number:
  US 20130165141A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,404 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-457, 455/566, 455/574, 455/127.1, 455/343.1, 455/343.5, 455/572, 455/573, 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/412.1, 455/418, 455/419, 340/539.1, 340/539.11, 340/539.13, 340/539.15, 340/572.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Systems and methods are described relating to accepting a query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device; and presenting an indication of location of the at least one mobile device at least partially based on the query response from the radio-frequency identification object associated with the at least one mobile device. Additionally, systems and methods are described relating to means for accepting a query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device; and means for presenting an indication of location of the at least one mobile device at least partially based on the query response from the radio-frequency identification object associated with the at least one mobile device.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

(i) an accepter module configured to accept a query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device, the accepter module including at least;

(A) a silent mode accepter module configured to accept a query regarding whether the at least one mobile device is in a silent mode; and

(ii) a presenter module configured to present an indication of location of the at least one mobile device at least partially based on a query response from the radio-frequency identification object associated with the at least one mobile device, the presenter module being configured to present at least position data indicating a location of the at least one mobile device to a second mobile device, wherein both the second mobile device and the at least one mobile device are associated at least with a particular individual; and

(iii) wherein at least one of the acceptor module or the presenter module is implemented at least in part with hardware.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the accepter module configured to accept a query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device comprises:

a location query accepter module.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the accepter module configured to accept a query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device comprises:

a battery level accepter module configured to accept a battery level query from the radio-frequency identification object associated with the at least one mobile device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the accepter module configured to accept a query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device comprises:

a signal accepter module.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the accepter module configured to accept a query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device comprises:

a mode query accepter module.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the accepter module configured to accept a query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device comprises:

a reader accepter module.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the reader accepter module comprises:

a mobile accepter module.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the accepter module configured to accept a query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device comprises:

an override accepter module, configured to accept a query from the radio-frequency identification object associated with the at least one mobile device to override a silent mode status of the at least one mobile device to bring the at least one mobile device out of a silent mode to emit an audible alarm indicative of a location of the at least one mobile device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the accepter module configured to accept a query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device comprises:

an RFID utilizer module.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the RFID utilizer module comprises:

an active utilizer module.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the RFID utilizer module comprises:

a passive utilizer module.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the RFID utilizer module comprises:

a battery-assisted utilizer module.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the RFID utilizer module comprises:

a receiver utilizer module.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the RFID utilizer module comprises:

a radio signal utilizer module.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the RFID utilizer module comprises:

a mirror utilizer module.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the accepter module configured to accept a query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device comprises:

a discriminator utilizer module.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the presenter module configured to present an indication of location of the at least one mobile device at least partially based on a query response from the radio-frequency identification object associated with the at least one mobile device comprises:

a transmitter module, configured to transmit one or more GPS coordinates indicating a location of the at least one mobile device to a website based at least in part on a query associated with the at least one mobile device from a radio-frequency transmitter.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the presenter module configured to present an indication of location of the at least one mobile device at least partially based on a query response from the radio-frequency identification object associated with the at least one mobile device comprises:

a sound presenter module.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the sound presenter module comprises:

a computer sound presenter module.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the computer sound presenter module comprises:

a voice presenter module.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the presenter module configured to present an indication of location of the at least one mobile device at least partially based on a query response from the radio-frequency identification object associated with the at least one mobile device comprises:

a vibration presenter module.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the presenter module configured to present an indication of location of the at least one mobile device at least partially based on a query response from the radio-frequency identification object associated with the at least one mobile device comprises:

an indication presenter module.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the indication presenter module comprises:

a light presenter module.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the presenter module configured to present an indication of location of the at least one mobile device at least partially based on a query response from the radio-frequency identification object associated with the at least one mobile device comprises:

a remote presenter module.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein the presenter module configured to present an indication of location of the at least one mobile device at least partially based on a query response from the radio-frequency identification object associated with the at least one mobile device comprises:

a GPS presenter module.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein the accepter module configured to accept a query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device comprises:

an accepter module configured to accept a query from a radio-frequency identification reader associated with at least one mobile device, wherein the system does not include the radio-frequency identification reader.

27. The system of claim 1, wherein the presenter module configured to present an indication of location of the at least one mobile device at least partially based on a query response from the radio-frequency identification object associated with the at least one mobile device comprises:

a presenter module configured to present an indication of location of the at least one mobile device at least partially based on a query response from a radio-frequency identification tag associated with the at least one mobile device.

28. The system of claim 1, wherein the presenter module configured to present an indication of location of the at least one mobile device at least partially based on a query response from the radio-frequency identification object associated with the at least one mobile device, the presenter module being configured to present at least position data indicating a location of the at least one mobile device to a second mobile device, wherein both the second mobile device and the at least one mobile device are associated at least with a particular individual comprises:

a presenter module configured to present at least one or more position coordinates (GPS) indicating a location of the at least one mobile device to a second mobile device, wherein both the second mobile device and the at least one mobile device are associated at least with a particular individual.

29. The system of claim 1, wherein the presenter module configured to present an indication of location of the at least one mobile device at least partially based on a query response from the radio-frequency identification object associated with the at least one mobile device comprises:

a second device presenter module.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the second device presenter module comprises:

a dedicated device presenter module.

31. A system comprising:

circuitry for accepting a query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device, the circuitry for accepting including at least circuitry for accepting a query regarding whether the at least one mobile device is in a silent mode; and

circuitry for presenting an indication of location of the at least one mobile device at least partially based on a query response from the radio-frequency identification object associated with the at least one mobile device, the circuitry for presenting configured to present at least position data indicating a location of the at least one mobile device to a second mobile device, wherein both the second mobile device and the at least one mobile device are associated at least with a particular individual.

32. A computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory signal-bearing medium bearing;

one or more instructions for accepting a query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device, the one or more instructions for accepting including at least one or more instructions for accepting a query regarding whether the at least one mobile device is in a silent mode; and

one or more instructions for presenting an indication of location of the at least one mobile device at least partially based on a query response from the radio-frequency identification object associated with the at least one mobile device, the one or more instructions for presenting configured to present at least position data indicating a location of the at least one mobile device to a second mobile device, wherein both the second mobile device and the at least one mobile device are associated at least with a particular individual.