Apple concept would warn iPhone users ahead of dropped calls
A pair of Apple patent filings discovered by AppleInsider this week show the company is exploring ways to leverage the iPhone's wireless technologies to alert users when they are about to lose a WiFi or cellular signal, and also help them find tiny accessories that may have been misplaced.
The first filing describes methods of providing iPhone or iPod touch users with an "out of range" warning that includes an estimate of the amount of time remaining until the devices are out of range of a WiFi network, thus presenting the users with an opportunity to take corrective measures if they so desire.
Apple said such warnings can take many forms, such as a vibratory warning, audible warning, or visual warning. More interesting, however, is that in the context of iPhone on a cellular network, the concept would aim to warn users when it appears as if a call is likely to be dropped and allow them reposition themselves to prevent a disconnection.
" If the estimated amount of time until the wireless device projected to be out of range is less than [a] threshold, a tangible warning is issued to that effect," Apple said. "In this way, warnings are only issued for those situations where the loss of signal would affect the user in the here and now and thereby prevent unnecessary (and potentially annoying) warnings being issued."
What's more, the Cupertino-based electronics maker said its concept would also allow a warning to be wirelessly transmitted to any other person currently in communication with the user of the wireless device indicating that the call may be dropped.
"The invention is also well suited to be incorporated with mobile devices that are equipped with guidance systems (GPS, accelerometers, etc.) thereby providing an accurate value of the location, velocity, acceleration, elevation, etc. of the wireless mobile device that can be used to give a more precise value of the time remaining until the out of boundary condition is reached," Apple added.
Meanwhile, a second filing by the company describes a method and system for locating objects using Bluetooth, such as the tiny Bluetooth Headset it sells for iPhone that almost everyone has lost in the crease of their couch or car seat one time or another.
Similar to the discovery feature of traditional cordless phones, the concept would allow iPhone users to ping paired Bluetooth devices, which could then emit a high pitched sound or light.
Again, however, Apple takes the concept a bit further by suggesting that it could also sell and market a tiny Bluetooth device that could be attached to almost anything, from a set of keys to a household pet, that would similarly aid in locating those objects in the event they become lost. An interface on the iPhone (master device) could manage several of those devices (slaves) at once, according to the filing.
"The distance between the devices can be calculated by comparing the amount of time delay between the transmission of the signal sent from the master device to the slave device and the reception of the return signal from the slave device," Apple said. "With a precise timing system, the master device can be capable of performing such measurements. Since the speed of the radio waves is known, the distance can be calculated using the time information".
Once this distance is calculated, it can be displayed to the user through the interface on the iPhone. This information can also affect an auditory or visual signal emitted by the slave device, Apple added. For example, a beeping alarm might change in pitch, rate of beeping, or volume as a user approaches a second device. In that instance, the beeping could get faster as the user gets closer to the missing device, or the sound could get louder as the user gets closer.
An alternative method would use directional antennas to determine the direction towards a slave device from the master device. In this case, directional information would be presented to a user through a the iPhone interface to direct the user to the missing slave device.
"Calculating the slave device's location can [also] involve using multiple transmitters or receivers to triangulate the position of the missing device," Apple added. "In order to triangulate position, a system can determine the distances from a device to at least three other known locations. A Global Positioning System, for example, could be used to triangulate a device's location in accordance with the principles of the present invention."
The first filing describes methods of providing iPhone or iPod touch users with an "out of range" warning that includes an estimate of the amount of time remaining until the devices are out of range of a WiFi network, thus presenting the users with an opportunity to take corrective measures if they so desire.
Apple said such warnings can take many forms, such as a vibratory warning, audible warning, or visual warning. More interesting, however, is that in the context of iPhone on a cellular network, the concept would aim to warn users when it appears as if a call is likely to be dropped and allow them reposition themselves to prevent a disconnection.
" If the estimated amount of time until the wireless device projected to be out of range is less than [a] threshold, a tangible warning is issued to that effect," Apple said. "In this way, warnings are only issued for those situations where the loss of signal would affect the user in the here and now and thereby prevent unnecessary (and potentially annoying) warnings being issued."
What's more, the Cupertino-based electronics maker said its concept would also allow a warning to be wirelessly transmitted to any other person currently in communication with the user of the wireless device indicating that the call may be dropped.
"The invention is also well suited to be incorporated with mobile devices that are equipped with guidance systems (GPS, accelerometers, etc.) thereby providing an accurate value of the location, velocity, acceleration, elevation, etc. of the wireless mobile device that can be used to give a more precise value of the time remaining until the out of boundary condition is reached," Apple added.
Meanwhile, a second filing by the company describes a method and system for locating objects using Bluetooth, such as the tiny Bluetooth Headset it sells for iPhone that almost everyone has lost in the crease of their couch or car seat one time or another.
Similar to the discovery feature of traditional cordless phones, the concept would allow iPhone users to ping paired Bluetooth devices, which could then emit a high pitched sound or light.
Again, however, Apple takes the concept a bit further by suggesting that it could also sell and market a tiny Bluetooth device that could be attached to almost anything, from a set of keys to a household pet, that would similarly aid in locating those objects in the event they become lost. An interface on the iPhone (master device) could manage several of those devices (slaves) at once, according to the filing.
"The distance between the devices can be calculated by comparing the amount of time delay between the transmission of the signal sent from the master device to the slave device and the reception of the return signal from the slave device," Apple said. "With a precise timing system, the master device can be capable of performing such measurements. Since the speed of the radio waves is known, the distance can be calculated using the time information".
Once this distance is calculated, it can be displayed to the user through the interface on the iPhone. This information can also affect an auditory or visual signal emitted by the slave device, Apple added. For example, a beeping alarm might change in pitch, rate of beeping, or volume as a user approaches a second device. In that instance, the beeping could get faster as the user gets closer to the missing device, or the sound could get louder as the user gets closer.
An alternative method would use directional antennas to determine the direction towards a slave device from the master device. In this case, directional information would be presented to a user through a the iPhone interface to direct the user to the missing slave device.
"Calculating the slave device's location can [also] involve using multiple transmitters or receivers to triangulate the position of the missing device," Apple added. "In order to triangulate position, a system can determine the distances from a device to at least three other known locations. A Global Positioning System, for example, could be used to triangulate a device's location in accordance with the principles of the present invention."
Comments
So what do you do when you lose your iPhone?
Call it from another phone?
As to "what do you do if you lose your iPhone": Seems to me you'd go to any PC you can get your hands on and login to .Mac. You'd then have a secure connection that would let Apple know who you are and let you activate "find my iPhone" feature. They'll check where the iPhone was last seen--which cell tower or WiFi access point. Triangulating, they can probably tell you within a few meters, so you'll know if it fell out in your friend's car, you left it at work, or at least that it's somewhere in your house. Life is good.
I'm already trademarking the name for this new app: iFoundit?
This is like Steve Wozniak's Wheels of Zeuss concept. Wireless or RFID connectivity for virtually everything.
I'm on my 6th Apple bluetooth Headset . I keep losing them .. usually at nightclubs etc.
I really like the idea of turning your iPhone into a Bluetooth "radar" for other Bluetooth enabled devices. It would be great if the iPhone also had a radar screen interface to show you getting closer to the sought after object.
Could a third party developer already do this for BT without any additional HW or firmware updates to the accessory device?
Forget the phone. Anything the can find my keys for me is worth $500.
Here Here!
hmm...
Forget the phone. Anything the can find my keys for me is worth $500.
Next time you lose your keys send me a private message. I'll get right on it.
Could a third party developer already do this for BT without any additional HW or firmware updates to the accessory device?
Since I'm not a programmer, I'd be happy to receive a credit and 3% royalty on all sales.
Since I'm not a programmer, I'd be happy to receive a credit and 3% royalty on all sales.
I wish you the best of luck.
Seriously, I checked the rules of the 6th SDK beat. It looks like BT is still off limits to 3rd parties.
I hope these ideas see the light of day, as they're going to be immensely useful. To know 10 seconds in advance that I'm about to lose the call, that gives me time to say "Hey, I'm about to lose service. I'll call you back in a few." Or at least say "Goodbye." Much more civilized.
As to "what do you do if you lose your iPhone": Seems to me you'd go to any PC you can get your hands on and login to .Mac. You'd then have a secure connection that would let Apple know who you are and let you activate "find my iPhone" feature. They'll check where the iPhone was last seen--which cell tower or WiFi access point. Triangulating, they can probably tell you within a few meters, so you'll know if it fell out in your friend's car, you left it at work, or at least that it's somewhere in your house. Life is good.
Finding a lost iPhone could be very simple with the right software. Just like the phones that parents can buy their children which transmit their GPS information to a service which provides a map interface for the parent, a software application running on the iphone could transmit it's GPS location (or even the rough WiFi/cell tower positioning) to a central server regularly --- and if lost, you access a map showing where it is.
I don't have enough cellphone network experience to know if you can arbitrarily contact your iPhone directly from the internet at any time, like if your phone has a constant internet IP address. If so, then it would be trivial to directly contact your iPhone when it is lost, and a software app could send back it's GPS coordinates. Another way to do this would be to have a software app maintain a watch on your iPhone's email, and if a message comes in with a special subject, then it could email back it's GPS coordinates in that way. Basically, there are all kinds of options...
I hope these ideas see the light of day, as they're going to be immensely useful. To know 10 seconds in advance that I'm about to lose the call, that gives me time to say "Hey, I'm about to lose service. I'll call you back in a few." Or at least say "Goodbye." Much more civilized.
As to "what do you do if you lose your iPhone": Seems to me you'd go to any PC you can get your hands on and login to .Mac. You'd then have a secure connection that would let Apple know who you are and let you activate "find my iPhone" feature. They'll check where the iPhone was last seen--which cell tower or WiFi access point. Triangulating, they can probably tell you within a few meters, so you'll know if it fell out in your friend's car, you left it at work, or at least that it's somewhere in your house. Life is good.
All cell phones currently have the feature to warn you that you are about to lose signal.. it's called the signal bars. Go to a phone that is not the iphone.. turn on the phone. On most phone, the connection bars at the the upper right corner of the phone. Some phones have 5 bars, etc. the less bars, the less reception.
When you have 1 bar, it is a pretty good indication you are about to be out of range.
I'm on my 6th Apple bluetooth Headset . I keep losing them .. usually at nightclubs etc.
You must be a rich dude.. can i hang with you and you buy my drinks?.. those devices are not cheap!!