Mobile device mode enablement responsive to a proximity criterion
AssigneeTelcom Ventures, LLC
InventorsPeter D. Karabinis, Rajendra Singh
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system (10) and method (30) comprises a detector that is configured to enable a mode of a first device (14) and/or to enable a mode of a second device (15) responsive to a detection that a proximity criterion is satisfied between the first device and an entity (Entity 1) and responsive to at least one of a position, velocity and a Time-of-Day and where the second device is not the entity and is not associated with the entity, and where the entity is not involved in providing a communications service to the first and/or second device.
Claims8
A method of operating a smartphone, the method comprising:
- detecting by the smartphone that a proximity condition is satisfied between the smartphone and an entity within a store;
- establishing, using a first air interface, a wireless short-range communications link between the smartphone and the entity, in response to the proximity condition having been satisfied between the smartphone and the entity;
- receiving, using the first air interface, a short-range signal from the entity within the store;
- performing by the smartphone a transaction to pay for one or more items within the store, after receiving the short-range signal from the entity;
- and
- receiving by the smartphone a communications service from a wireless network, using a second air interface that differs from the first air interface,
- wherein the wireless short-range communications link used by the first air interface is based upon unlicensed frequencies, and
- wherein the second air interface uses a wireless communications link that is based upon licensed frequencies.
A smartphone that is configured to perform operations comprising:
- detecting by the smartphone that a proximity condition is satisfied between the smartphone and an entity within a store;
- establishing, using a first air interface, a wireless short-range communications link between the smartphone and the entity, in response to the proximity condition having been satisfied between the smartphone and the entity;
- receiving, using the first air interface, a short-range signal from the entity within the store;
- performing by the smartphone a transaction to pay for one or more items within the store, after receiving the short-range signal from the entity;
- and
- receiving by the smartphone a communications service from a wireless network, using a second air interface that differs from the first air interface,
- wherein the wireless short-range communications link used by the first air interface is based upon unlicensed frequencies, and
- wherein the second air interface uses a wireless communications link that is based upon licensed frequencies.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.