| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20080311889 | PORTABLE COMMUNICATION DEVICE AND METHOD FOR SHARING A USER PERSONALITY - A portable communication device is equipped with a personality profile application that facilitates creation and sharing of a user personality profile that is based on user activities and user preferences involving the portable communication device. The personality profile may be shared with third parties, thereby allowing a third party to experience their portable communication device though the “lens” of the personality creator. | 12-18-2008 |
| 20090125389 | System and Method for Opportunistically Distributing Promotional Objects - User devices are used to opportunistically distribute promotional objects for advertisers and producers. A promotional object is received by a user device from a source device, which may comprise a distribution system or another user device. The user device adds address information to the promotional object and stores the promotional object in memory. The user device may subsequently transfer the promotional object along with the address information to a target device, which may comprise another user device or a data collection system. | 05-14-2009 |
| 20090231413 | ENHANCED VIDEO TELEPHONY THROUGH AUGMENTED REALITY - A method for enhancing video telephony that includes initiating a video telephone call from a first device to a second device, displaying a live video view by the first device, transferring video from the second device to the first device during the video telephone call, and overlaying the transferred video over the live video view displayed at the first device. The first device and the second device may be mobile devices. A portion of the transferred video may be selected and the selected portion displayed over the displayed live video view at the first device. The transferred video may be video taken from a camera on the second device. The transferred video may also be displayed over the live video view on a third device attached to the first device. | 09-17-2009 |
| 20090248300 | Methods and Apparatus for Viewing Previously-Recorded Multimedia Content from Original Perspective - Methods and apparatus for processing multimedia content are disclosed. In an exemplary method, such as might be implemented a portable multimedia device, stored media data pre-associated with a current location of the multimedia device is retrieved. The retrieved media data is mixed with real-time sensor input collected by the multimedia device to obtain mixed media data, and the mixed media data is rendered at the multimedia device, using, for example, a display device and/or speaker devices. The retrieved media data or the real-time sensor input, or both, may comprise digital audio data, digital video data, or both. | 10-01-2009 |
| 20090262946 | AUGMENTED REALITY ENHANCED AUDIO - A device and method for providing augmented reality enhanced audio. The device is portable and may include a location processing module capable of receiving location information and determining a location of the device in an environment, an orientation processing module capable of determining an orientation of the device at the location, a processor capable of modifying audio content based on the location of the device in the environment and the orientation of the device at the location, and an audio output device capable of outputting the modified audio content. The orientation of the device includes an azimuth and an elevation of the device. | 10-22-2009 |
| 20090305721 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONVEYING LOCATION OF LOST OR MOTIONLESS MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICES - Movement of a mobile communication device is monitored during any of its powered modes. Upon sensing lack of movement, the location of the device is identified. If no movement has been sensed during a predetermined time period, determination is made as to whether the location of the device has changed. If not, a call is initiated to a remote address to convey the location of the device. | 12-10-2009 |
| 20090324025 | Physical Access Control Using Dynamic Inputs from a Portable Communications Device - Methods and apparatus for controlling access to a secure facility are disclosed, wherein a determination of whether access is permitted is based at least in part on a digital image of one or more predetermined features of the secure facility. In an exemplary method, an image of a predetermined feature of the secure facility is captured by a user device and compared to stored security data corresponding to the secure facility. A determination of whether access to the secure facility is permitted is made, based on the results of the comparison. The predetermined feature may be a security mechanism attached to the secure facility, for example, or may be textual information, a graphical image, or a machine-readable code posted at the security facility. | 12-31-2009 |
| 20100068997 | WLAN CONNECTION FACILITATED VIA NEAR FIELD COMMUNICATION - A near field communication (NFC) device is utilized in a mobile communications device to facilitate sensing the presence of and connecting to a wireless local area network (WLAN). A user can position the mobile communications device in close proximity to a designated location of a WLAN establishment at which an NFC device is situated. Near field communication is then detected and WLAN data can then be communicated by near field communication to the NFC reader in the mobile communications device. The NFC reader is coupled to a controller of the mobile communications device to input data received by the NFC device to the controller for processing. The data are utilized to facilitate connection to the WLAN. | 03-18-2010 |
| 20100090960 | Methods, Systems and Computer Program Products for Shared Input Key Functions Between Mobile Devices - Methods, systems, mobile devices and computer program products for sharing input keys between mobile devices are provided. A communication link is established between at least two mobile devices. Each of the at least two mobile devices includes available input keys that are mapped to corresponding input functions in a first configuration. An application is selected for operation on at least one of the mobile devices. The application includes a plurality of input functions. A set of input keys is identified from the available keys on the at least two mobile devices based on the plurality of input functions of the application. The set of input keys are remapped on the at least two mobile devices in a second configuration in which the plurality of input functions of the application are mapped to the set of input keys. User input is accepted from the set of input keys on the at least two mobile devices to thereby operate the selected application. | 04-15-2010 |
| 20100093277 | NEAR FIELD COMMUNICATION SEARCH FOR MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICES - A method and apparatus are disclosed for aiding shoppers. A shopper enters a product search query into a hand-held device and, via Near-Field Communication (NFC) technology, transfers the query to a terminal at a shopping establishment. The terminal forwards the search query to a search engine over a network and the search engine, after consulting a database, returns results meeting the criteria of the search query to the terminal for presentation on a display at the terminal. The shopper is then offered the option of transferring the results data, via NFC devices located in the hand-held device and the terminal, from the terminal to a memory in the hand-held device. | 04-15-2010 |
| 20100095251 | LINKAGE BETWEEN MOTION SENSING AND POSITION APPLICATIONS IN A PORTABLE COMMUNICATION DEVICE - Criteria for movement of a mobile communication device that can be initiated by the user are defined. A criterion can be stored as a data characteristic in device memory. Motion of the device can be sensed to determine, by the device controller, whether sensed motion meets the defined criterion. The sensed motion may be derived from an accelerometer, or equivalent means, in the device. If the sensed motion is determined by the controller to match stored criterion data, the controller triggers activation of an application that is dependent on location of the device. A stored application associated with the matched data characteristic is accessed from one or more stored applications respectively associated in memory with stored data characteristics. | 04-15-2010 |
| 20100146460 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MODIFYING A PLURALITY OF KEY INPUT REGIONS BASED ON DETECTED TILT AND/OR RATE OF TILT OF AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE - A system, method and computer program that utilizes motion detection circuitry to dynamically update displayed labels on one or more key input regions. In one aspect of the invention, the number of key input regions is substantially less than the number of keys on a conventional QWERTY keypad and the labels on the key input regions dynamically change based on the detected motion of the motion detection circuitry. | 06-10-2010 |
| 20100166170 | Method and Apparatus for Relaying Calls - A dual mode user terminal for a calling party can make calls over both a conventional cellular network and a packet data network using VoIP protocols. If the called party is not available to receive a VoIP call over the packet data network, the user terminal for the calling party can request a third party user terminal available on the packet data network to relay the call between the calling party and the called party. | 07-01-2010 |
| 20110086711 | Game Environment to Interact with Telephony Modem - A combination telephony and game device comprises a telephony modem for communicating with remote devices over a telephony network; and an application processor operatively connected to said telephony modem. The application processor is configured to execute a game application to play a game; receive a telephony event notification from said telephony modem while the game is being played; and represent, while the game is being played, the telephony event in a virtual reality environment provided by the game application. | 04-14-2011 |