Abstract:
The present disclosure relates to a system and method for preventing loss of an electrical device. In some arrangements, the system and method involve determination of whether the electrical device and the holster are within a predetermined distance of each other, and activating an alarm when it is determined that the electrical device and the holster are not within the predetermined distance of each other.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present disclosure relates to a system and method for preventing loss of an electrical device. More particularly, the disclosure relates to a mobile telephone and holster combination with which the user can be alerted that he or she is about to leave the mobile telephone behind.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Mobile telephone users often carry their telephones on their person so that they can make and answer calls as they travel from place to place. Many such mobile telephones are sold along with holsters that the user can attach to the user&#39;s clothing to facilitate easy carrying of the telephone.  
           [0003]    When the user sets the mobile telephone down, it can be easy to forget to pick it back up before the user leaves the place at which the telephone was removed from its holster. This is particularly true with today&#39;s lightweight, compact mobile telephones. In such circumstances, the user may walk away, leaving the mobile telephone without realizing it is not in its holster. Due to the popularity of and demand for mobile telephones, particularly higher-end telephones, it is unlikely that the user will be able to reclaim the telephone once the user ultimately realizes he or she left it behind.  
           [0004]    Accordingly, it can be appreciated that it would be desirable to have a system and method for preventing loss of a mobile telephone so that loss can be avoided before it occurs.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    The present disclosure generally relates to a system and method for preventing loss of an electrical device. In some arrangements, the method comprises the steps of determining whether the electrical device and the holster are within a predetermined distance of each other, and activating an alarm when it is determined that the electrical device and the holster are not within the predetermined distance of each other.  
           [0006]    In some arrangements, the holster can comprise control circuitry, a power source electrically configured to provide power to the control circuitry, a receiver electrically connected to the control circuitry and adapted to receive radio frequency communications from the electrical device, and an alarm device that is activated by the control circuitry if signals are not received from the electrical device to alert the user that the electrical device is out of a predetermined range of the holster.  
           [0007]    Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]    The invention can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present invention.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating use of a system for preventing loss of a mobile telephone.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a mobile telephone and holster combination implementing the inventive system.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the architecture of the mobile telephone and holster shown in FIG. 2.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 4 is a flow diagram that illustrates a first method for preventing loss of a mobile telephone.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 5 is a flow diagram that illustrates a second method for preventing loss of a mobile telephone. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0014]    Disclosed herein is a system and method for preventing loss of an electrical device, such as a mobile telephone. To facilitate description of the invention, an example mobile telephone and holster combination is described with reference to the figures. Although the telephone and holster are described with particularity, it will be appreciated that this description is provided for purposes of illustration only and that various modifications are feasible without departing from the inventive concept. After the mobile telephone and holster are described, examples of operation of the system are provided to explain the manners in which loss can be prevented.  
         [0015]    Referring now to the figures in which like numerals indicate corresponding components, FIG. 1 illustrates the general operation of the system for preventing loss of an electrical device. As indicated in this figure, the system can be implemented with a mobile telephone  100  and a holster  102  that is adapted to receive the telephone. The holster  102  is further adapted for attachment to the clothes of a user  104 . For instance, the holster  102  can be adapted to attach to the user&#39;s clothes at the waist with a clip (not shown) provided on the reverse side of the holster.  
         [0016]    Where the mobile telephone  100  is mislaid and the user begins to walk away from the mobile telephone, thereby leaving it behind, the holster  102  can sense this condition and, for instance, sound an alarm or otherwise alert the user that he or she has forgotten to pick up his or her mobile telephone. Although, as indicated in FIG. 1, it is the holster  102  that alerts the user as to this condition, it will be appreciated from the discussion that follows that the mobile telephone  100  can, alternatively or in addition, alert the user.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 2 illustrates the mobile telephone  100  and its accompanying holster  102  in greater detail. As indicated in this figure, the holster  102  can be configured so as to form a cavity  200  that is adapted for receipt of the mobile telephone  100 . By way of example, this cavity  200  can be formed by a front surface  202  of a body  204  of the holster  102 , opposed side walls  206  that extend outwardly from the body, and a base  208  that also extends outwardly from the body. The side walls  206  and base  208  can be provided with inwardly extending tabs  210  that are adapted to grip the mobile telephone  100  when it is disposed within the cavity  200  between the side walls  206 .  
         [0018]    As is further identified in FIG. 2, the holster  102  can include a sensor element  212  that, for instance, comprises an outwardly biased button that is provided on the front surface  202  of the holster body  204 . For purposes described below, the sensor element  212  is adapted to sense when the mobile telephone  100  has been removed from the holster  102  so that the user can be alerted not to leave the telephone behind. Also provided on the holster body  204  is a speaker  214  and one or more lights  216 . As described below, these components are used to alert the user.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 3 is a schematic view illustrating example architectures for the mobile telephone  100  and the holster  102 . Beginning with the mobile telephone  100 , the architecture can include a processing device  300 , user interface devices  302 , a microphone  304 , a speaker  306 , a power source  308 , memory  310 , an activation switch  312 , telephony circuitry  314 , and a transceiver  316 . The processing device  300  is adapted to execute commands stored in memory  310  and can comprise a general-purpose processor, a microprocessor, one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), a plurality of suitably configured digital logic gates, and other well known electrical configurations comprised of discrete elements both individually and in various combinations to coordinate the overall operation of the mobile telephone  100 .  
         [0020]    The user interface devices  302  comprise those components with which the user can interact with the mobile telephone  100  to place calls, receive calls, and perform various other tasks with the telephone. As known in the art, these components typically comprise a plurality of alphanumeric buttons and various other buttons that control the operation of the telephone  100 . The user interface devices  302  also typically include a display, for example a liquid crystal display (LCD), with which various information is communicated to the user such as numbers and digits entered by the user, signal strength, battery power, etc. The microphone  304  is provided to capture the user&#39;s voice during phone calls while the speaker  306  is adapted to emit sounds received by the telephone  100  so that the user can hear callers&#39; voices and listen to voice mail messages. In addition, the speaker  306  can be used to emit an audible alarm where, as described below, the mobile telephone  100  is configured to alert the user that he or she is about to leave the telephone behind.  
         [0021]    The power source  308  provides power to the mobile telephone  100  and typically comprises a rechargeable battery that is disposed within the telephone. The memory  310  typically includes any one of a combination of volatile memory elements (e.g., random access memory (RAM, such as DRAM, SRAM, etc.)) and is configured to store various information such as telephone numbers, telephone settings, etc. Where provided, the activation switch  312  is configured to enable or disable communications with the holster  102  when the system for preventing mobile telephone loss is used. By way of example, the activation switch  312  is linked to a sensor element (not shown) of the mobile telephone  100  that trips the switch when the mobile telephone is removed from the holster  102 . The telephony circuitry  314  comprises the electrical circuits and other electrical components that facilitate the placing and receiving of telephone calls. In particular, the telephony circuitry  314  operates in conjunction with the transceiver  316  to transmit and receive radio frequency (RF) signals so that audio data can be sent and received with the telephone  100 . In addition, as is described below, the telephony circuitry  314  and the transceiver  316  are configured to transmit, and in some embodiments receive, low power, low frequency radio transmissions to prevent the user from unintentionally leaving the telephone  100  behind.  
         [0022]    Turning to the holster  102 , the architecture typically includes control circuitry  318  that is configured to control operation of the holster when the mobile telephone  100  is removed from the holster cavity  200 . The holster  102  also includes a receiver  320  and, in some embodiments, a transmitter  322 , both of which are adapted for low power, short range RF communications. Where the holster  102  is configured to receive RF transmissions, the receiver  320  and the transmitter  322  can, optionally, be combined to form a transceiver (not indicated). Further included with the holster  102  is an activation switch  324  that is linked to the sensor element  212  shown in FIG. 2 such that the switch activates the control circuitry  318  when the mobile telephone  100  is removed from the cavity  200 .  
         [0023]    The holster  102  can also comprise a shut-off switch  326  that, as is discussed below, can be manipulated by the user to enable or disable the control circuitry  318  and any associated alarms that it generates. Powering the control circuitry  318  is a power source  328  that typically comprises an internal battery. As indicated in FIG. 3, the power source  328  can be is electrically connected to the control circuitry  318  via the activation switch  324  such that, when the switch is open, i.e. when the mobile telephone  100  is disposed within the cavity  200 , power is not provided to the control circuitry. Audible alarms can be emitted from the holster  102  with the one or more speakers  214 . In addition or in exception, the one more lights  216  (e.g., light emitting diodes (LEDs)) can also be used to alert the user that the user may be about to leave the mobile telephone  100  behind.  
         [0024]    An example mobile telephone  100  and holster  102  having been described above, operation of the system for preventing loss of a mobile telephone will now be discussed. In the discussion that follows, flow diagrams are provided. It is to be understood that although particular example steps are described, alternative implementations are feasible. Moreover, steps may be executed out of order from that shown or discussed, including substantially concurrently or in reverse order, depending on the functionality involved.  
         [0025]    As identified above, the system can be used to alert the user when the user is about to leave the mobile telephone  100  behind. More particularly, the system is configured to alert the user when the mobile telephone  100  is separated from the holster  102  more than a predetermined distance, indicating that the user potentially as mislaid the telephone. In a first example embodiment, the mobile telephone  100  is configured to emit low power, low frequency signals that are received by the holster  102  when the telephone is within a predetermined distance of the holster. The power of the signals emitted from the mobile telephone  100  such that the predetermined distance ranges from approximately ten to twenty feet. When the separation of the mobile telephone  100  and the holster  102  exceeds the predetermined distance, the signals expected by the holster  102  are not received, identifying to the holster  102  that the telephone is out of range. At this point, the holster  102  alerts the user as to this condition with one or more alarms (audible and/or visual) so that the user can avoid unintentionally leaving the mobile telephone  100  behind.  
         [0026]    Referring now to FIG. 4, and example of operation in the first embodiment is provided. Beginning with block  400 , the mobile telephone  100  is first removed from the holster  102 . Once the telephone  100  is removed, the sensor element  212  is released and the activation switch  324  is closed, as indicated in block  402 , thereby providing power to the control circuitry  318 . Once power is provided to the control circuitry  318 , the holster  102  awaits low frequency RF signals (i.e., pings) that are emitted by the mobile telephone  100  as confirmation that the telephone is within the predetermined distance of the holster. Where the mobile telephone  100  is also provided with a sensor element (not shown) and the activation switch  312 , the telephone can likewise sense when it is removed from the holster  102  so that these signals are only transmitted by the telephone when needed.  
         [0027]    By way of example, the signals can be transmitted by the mobile telephone  100  intermittently with a periodicity of a few seconds. Due to the periodic nature of these signals, and since the signals are relatively weak, the transmission of the signals normally requires little power from the power source  310  of the telephone  100 , thereby avoiding undue power consumption. To provide greater control to the user over the transmission of the signals, signal transmission from the telephone  100  can be disabled, e.g., via the user interface devices  302 , such that no transmissions occur. Such functionality is particularly useful where the user is in a controlled environment (e.g., the home) and the user is not concerned about losing the telephone  100 . In a preferred arrangement, the signal transmissions, when enabled, occur irrespective of whether the mobile telephone  100  is “on” or “off” such that the user can be alerted even when the telephone is not powered-up for use.  
         [0028]    The intermittent signals are transmitted by the mobile telephone  100  and, assuming the telephone is within range of the holster  102 , received by the holster, as indicated in block  404 . With reference to decision element  406 , this exchange continues as long as the mobile telephone  100  and holster  102  are within the predetermined distance of each other. However, if the mobile telephone  100  and holster  102  are separated by more than the predetermined distance, the holster  102  will not receive the signals transmitted by the mobile telephone  100 , as indicated in block  408 , and the holster will therefore sense that the telephone is out of range, as indicated in block  410 . In that the signals are intermittent, the holster  102  can be configured to only sense this condition when a signal has not been received for greater than a predetermined amount of time (e.g., three times the typical signal periodicity).  
         [0029]    Once the out of range condition is sensed, the holster  102  reacts by activating one or more alarms for the user, as indicated in block  412 . As noted above, these alarms can comprise an alarm sound that is emitted from the one or more speakers  214  and/or light signals emitted by the one or more lights  216 . The alarm(s) will continue for the user until the user either manually shuts it/them off by tripping the shut-off switch  326  or until the mobile telephone  100  and holster  102  are again within range of each other. Alternatively, the holster  102  can be configured to activate the alarm(s) for a given length of time (e.g., a few seconds).  
         [0030]    In a second example embodiment, the holster  102  is also configured to emit low power, low frequency call signals to the mobile telephone  100  to request confirmation, in the form of a confirmation signal, that the telephone is within range. In this embodiment, when the separation between the mobile telephone  100  and the holster  102  exceeds the predetermined distance, the call signals transmitted by the holster  102  and/or the confirmation signals transmitted by the telephone are not received, thereby prompting to the holster  102  to alert the user as to this condition.  
         [0031]    With reference to FIG. 5, an example of operation with the second embodiment is provided. Beginning with block  500 , the mobile telephone  100  is first removed from the holster  102 . Again, the sensor element  212  of the holster  102  is released, closing the activation switch  324 , as indicated in block  502 , thereby providing power to the holster control circuitry  318 . Once power is provided to the control circuitry  318 , the holster  102  begins transmitting intermittent, low frequency RF call signals that are received by the mobile telephone  100 , as indicated in block  504 , which request confirmation that the telephone is still within range. As before, the signals can be transmitted periodically in increments of a few seconds without undue drain on the power source  328 .  
         [0032]    Referring to block  506 , the mobile telephone  100  responds to the received call signals with confirmation signals that are transmitted to the holster  102 . With reference to decision element  508 , these communications continue as long as the mobile telephone  100  and holster  102  are within the predetermined distance of each other. However, if the mobile telephone  100  and holster  102  are separated by more than the predetermined distance, the mobile telephone  100  will not receive the call signals transmitted by the holster  102  and/or the holster will not receive the confirmation signals transmitted by the telephone. In either case, the holster  102  senses that the telephone  100  is out of range, as indicated in block  510 . Once the out of range condition is sensed, the holster  102  reacts by activating one or more alarms for the user, as indicated in block  512 , in the manner described above. Again, the alarm(s) will continue for the user until the user either manually shuts it/them off by tripping the shut-off switch  326  or until the mobile telephone  100  and holster  102  are again within range of each other.  
         [0033]    While particular embodiments of the invention have been disclosed in detail in the foregoing description and drawings for purposes of example, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that variations and modifications thereof can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims. For instance, although the alarms have been described as being emitted from the holster  102 , persons having skill in the art will appreciate that in addition or exception, the mobile telephone  100  can be configured for alarm activation. In such an embodiment, communications between the mobile telephone  100  and the holster  102  are reversed from those described above in either embodiment. In addition, although the alarms have been described as comprising audible and visual alarms, it is to be appreciated that other types of alarms (e.g., vibratory) could be used, if desired. Furthermore, although the system and method have been described as being specifically implemented with a mobile telephone and holster, it will be understood that the concepts disclosed herein also apply to apply to pagers and pager holsters as well as to substantially any other portable device adapted for carrying with a holster.