System and method to track and log mobile communication device call status when the device is not in possession

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9253317-B2
Application number	US-201314017106-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 3, 2013
Priority date	Sep 3, 2013
Publication date	Feb 2, 2016
Grant date	Feb 2, 2016

Abstract

A mobile device logging and tracking system permits a communicative association between a mobile device and a receiving device. When the mobile device communicates data including an indication of an unanswered call to the receiving device, the receiving device is configured to store the data in a memory. The memory may be local or remote from the receiving device. The receiving device may then communicate information associated with the unanswered call to a first electronic device, which may be an appliance, a gaming system, another mobile communication device, or some other device having computing capability.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method to log calls to a mobile device, comprising:
communicatively associating the mobile device with a receiving device;
receiving data with the receiving device from the mobile device, the data including an indication that a call to the mobile device was not answered;
storing the data in a memory associated with the receiving device; and
communicating information associated with the data from the receiving device via a local area network to a smart appliance, the smart appliance being one of a refrigerator, a freezer, a cooking appliance, and a cleaning appliance.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the act of receiving data is conditioned on the mobile device being inactive during a time that an indication of the call to the mobile device was available on the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the communicative associating, the receiving, and the storing acts are performed when the receiving device appears to be in a powered off mode, a sleep mode, or a standby mode.

4. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
communicating information associated with the data to a second electronic device.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the second electronic device is a display.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the memory is a network accessible memory arranged for access via a networked computing device.

7. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
communicating information associated with the data to a first electronic device via a wide area network.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein a communicative association between the mobile device and the receiving device is initiated and terminated by the mobile device.

9. A receiving device, comprising:
a first transceiver configured to be communicatively coupled to at least one mobile device;
a second transceiver configured to communicate data to a smart appliance, the smart appliance being one of a refrigerator, a freezer, a cooking appliance, and a cleaning appliance, the data indicating that a call to the at least one mobile device is unanswered;
a processing unit configured to direct the receiving device to:
accept a communication request from the at least one mobile device via the first transceiver;
accept information from the at least one mobile device via the first transceiver, the information associated with the call to the at least one mobile device that is unanswered; and
transmit an indication of the unanswered call to the smart appliance via the second transceiver.

10. The receiving device of claim 9 wherein the processing unit is configured to further direct the receiving device to:
operate as a pass-thru device wherein the call to the at least one mobile device that is unanswered is answered by a second mobile device and data is communicated between the at least one mobile device and the second mobile device through the receiving device.

11. The receiving device of claim 9 wherein the processing unit is configured to further direct the receiving device to:
communicate the indication of the unanswered call to a remote computing storage device.

12. The receiving device of claim 9 wherein the first transceiver is configured for communicative coupling via a personal area network.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium arranged to store software instructions, the software instructions, when executed by a processor of a mobile device, arranged to direct the mobile device to perform acts comprising:
storing a communication profile, the communication profile defining an association with a receiving device, the profile further defining communication of information associated with the mobile device to a smart appliance associated with the receiving device, the receiving device configured to perform functions of a television programming set-top box;
identifying a current period of inactivity;
identifying a current period of non-motion;
receiving an indication of an incoming call during the current period of inactivity and the current period of non-motion;
communicatively recognizing that the mobile device is in close proximity to the receiving device;
initiating a communicative link to the receiving device according to the communication profile and based on the received indication of the incoming call; and
communicating information associated with the incoming call to the receiving device via the communicative link according to the stored communication profile, the information including an indication that the incoming call is an unanswered call.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 wherein the software instructions, when executed by the processor of the mobile device, are further arranged to direct the mobile device to perform acts comprising:
terminating the communicative link to the receiving device after communicating the information associated with the incoming call to the receiving device.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 wherein the software instructions, when executed by the processor of the mobile device, are further arranged to direct the mobile device to perform acts comprising:
programmatically storing a first value, the first value setting a time threshold to establish the current period of inactivity; and
programmatically storing a second value, the second value setting a time threshold to establish the current period of non-motion.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 wherein the software instructions, when executed by the processor of the mobile device, are further arranged to direct the mobile device to perform the act of initiating the communicative link to the receiving device only after the incoming call is identified as a missed call.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 wherein the software instructions, when executed by the processor of the mobile device, are further arranged to direct the mobile device to perform the act of communicating information associated with the incoming call to include a time stamp, a source identifier of the incoming call, and an image associated with the source identifier of the incoming call.

Assignees

• Echostar Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Nguyen Phuc H
• Bruhn Christopher William

Classifications

• H04M1/57

  Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set (at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20) · CPC title

• H04N21/41407

  embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop (constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57) · CPC title

• H04N21/43637

  involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth®, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] (arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114) · CPC title

• H04N21/00

  Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD] (real-time bi-directional transmission of motion video data H04N7/14 {; broadcast or conference over packet switching networks H04L12/18}) · CPC title

• H04N21/4882

  for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders (arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895) · CPC title