Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/560,127, filed on Dec. 4, 2014, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/911,822, filed on Dec. 4, 2013, both incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to mobile networks and, in particular, to means and methods of providing mobile connection in specified areas, as well as collecting statistics and identifying data of mobile network subscribers located in the area. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART 
     The present invention relates mainly to mobile communication technologies. The existing mobile networks (2G/3G/4G) are also known as “cellular networks” because of their structure. A network comprises several functional entities with functions and interfaces that can be specified individually. For example, a GSM-network consists of 3 main parts: a Mobile Station, a Base Station Subsystem, which maintains a radio frequency connection with the Mobile Station, and a Network Subsystem. The core of the Network Subsystem is the Mobile Services Switching Center, or the Switching Center, which not only switches subscribers&#39; communication channels, but also controls mobile services. An Operations and Maintenance Center verifies validity of network operations and prepares new networks for operations. The subsystems of the Mobile Station and Base Station are connected via a UM-interface, which is also known as “air interface” or “radio link”. The Base Station Subsystem is connected to the Switching Center via an A-interface. Base stations and their controllers primarily use wired connections, but can also be connected by means of wireless interfaces or satellites. 
     Each base station has its “capacity”, which is the maximum number of subscribers that can be connected to a station. Consequently, the capacity of an area is the total capacity of all base stations situated in that area. In order to expand capacity of the network, additional base stations have to be built, or existing equipment has to be replaced or upgraded to provide extra radio channels. However, this method has its drawbacks from financial point of view: peak traffic in an area can exceed the maximum capacity of the base stations area, e.g., during some event, but after the event is over, such traffic will not be achieved again for a long time, thus leaving expanded capacity unused. For such situations, major mobile communications providers employ mobile base stations—usually trucks with a mast antenna for a BTS (base transmitting station). It receives subscribers&#39; signals, converts them (to satellite signals, for instance) and then transmits them to the provider&#39;s network (e.g., to a base station controller). 
     Such a conventional approach can be used to expand capacity in the specified area quickly and cheaply, but in order to work well, several limitations exist on the conventional approach, such as: the area must be passable for base-station-carrying vehicles, there should be alternative data transmitting channels to external networks, to the provider&#39;s network, and so on 
     The invention described below allows to avoid some of the limitations posed by geographical conditions of an area and availability of alternative means of communication. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention consists of two independent parts: an aircraft and a connection spot, which can function in different modes according to the tasks and objectives it is used for, as well as a videocamera and directional antenna(s). 
     An unpiloted aircraft (UAV) may be used, such as: a helicopter, a balloon, a blimp, a dirigible balloon, an air drone (including quadracopter-type aircraft with any number of engines), an unmanned aircraft, a GPS-controlled aircraft, a plane, etc. The invention places no particular limits on the aircraft&#39;s aerodynamic parameters, its power and traction, or type of fuel it uses. The aircraft can be controlled via the same link (channel) as the connection spot, or it can have a separate control link. For example, the aircraft can be controlled via one of the wireless channels (and video can be downloaded from the aircraft using a wireless channels), or separate channels can be used. 
     A connection spot can be a base station (virtual BTS) conforming to one or more connection standards (2G/3G/4G), or a software-defined radio. The range of functions it can perform depends on the working mode. The available modes are:
         subscriber identification mode (in a specified area)   subscriber search mode (in a specified area)   subscriber connection mode (to their provider&#39;s network)   isolated network mode       

     These modes have the following uses:
         Subscriber identification mode can be used for security breach checks in large areas, such as mountains, deserts, industrial zones, squares. In this mode, the connection spot collects identifying data of neighboring mobile stations and terminals (IMSIs and/or IMEIs) extracting them from the GSM/3G/LTE traffic, since during authorization, IMSI is transmitted, and IMEI can be transmitted as well, therefore, passive monitoring of the radio channel can provide this information. Optionally, the system can cut off subscribers, which are on the black list or not on the white list, from network. The data thus collected can be promptly transmitted to a remote server or control device, and also be stored in local memory. A directional antenna can be used, with the gain profile corresponding to the field of view of the video camera, which permits matching the images from the camera with identifiers of the mobile devices collected by the BTS.   Subscriber search mode can be used during law enforcement searches or rescue operations. The system can be used either in sparsely populated areas (forests/deserts/mountains) or, with some convenience and efficiency issues, in densely populated areas (cities/living or working districts/transport hubs/etc.). In this mode, the system can look for specific subscribers, or for all available subscribers. An available subscriber, in this case, should be connected to a mobile terminal or station operating using one of connection standards provided by the connection spot. When a (specific) subscriber is found, the system tries to connect to their mobile device, thus enabling to find them by a sound signal. Also, the connection device can be used to transmit urgent messages. Another method of looking for mobile devices is possible due to the mobility of the BTS by measuring the strength of the signal received from the phone from various locations and with various antenna orientations. This permits more precise determination of location of the mobile device, without the mobile device user being aware of it.   Subscriber connection mode allows to employ the connection spot as a mobile BTS—a part of the network infrastructure. This mode is convenient for providing connection in areas, that are difficult to access or possess landscape features (mountains, ravines, crevices), which requires a BTS to be positioned fairly high to provide good coverage. In this mode, the connection spot can imitate a BTS, or BTS+BSC as well—which will determine the node in the network structure to be used for connection to the provider.   Isolated network mode allows to deploy an independent network in the specified area, in addition to or in parallel with existing providers and their zones of coverage. The system can operate using any available standard; it allows to link mobile devices and mobile terminals connected to the connection spot. Such a connection bypasses providers&#39; billing systems and is thus free of charge for subscribers (an independent billing system can also be set up). External connections can be made via VoIP services and SMS-gateways. The system can be used as an alternative to a walkie-talkie network for a group of people as it doesn&#39;t require any special equipment.       

     Below is the description of preferred embodiments of the invention to implement its functions. A software-defined radio (SDR) can be used to imitate either a single node of the existing network or a substantial part of the entire network structure by means of software modules. Software-defined radio (SDR) is a radio communication system where components that have been typically implemented in hardware (e.g. mixers, filters, amplifiers, modulators/demodulators, detectors, etc.) are instead implemented by means of software on a personal computer or embedded system. The system is connected to the mobile station via a mobile communications standard (GSM/CDMA/LTE) through a Um-interface (i.e., the interface between the mobile device and the base station) and supports all the functions of these protocols. All data sent and received may be stored either locally and remotely, and be transmitted to a control device as well. 
     Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description that follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings. 
     It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ATTACHED FIGURES 
       The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
       In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an algorithm for identifying subscriber channels and intelligent channel jamming, in accordance with the exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram of an exemplary mobile device that can be used in the invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram of an exemplary implementation of the mobile device. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates an exemplary system utilizing the ideas described herein. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates another aspect of the exemplary system utilizing the ideas described herein. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates an exemplary computer system that may be used in the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
     While the use of drone aircraft has been increasing in recent years, these drones are primarily concerned with providing of photo, video and geolocation data, depending on the purpose of the flight. Such systems, however, do not provide an ability to track and focus on a specific person, except possibly through the use of image recognition techniques, which are not always reliable and not always practical. The present invention provides for an ability to identify individuals that are within camera view (and within a directional sensitivity of an antenna) based on unique identifiers of mobile phones used by the people in question. 
     Although the use of airborne Wi-Fi access points is known, such an approach is only marginally successful for identifying individuals, because:
         Not all mobile phones have their Wi-Fi chip turned on   Not all phones permit identification using the MAC address, and some phones randomize the MAC address when searching for a network.       

     When using GSM/3G/4G type networks, a number of things have to be done to successfully identify users of the phones. For example, the frequency needs to be dynamically changed, to avoid mutual jamming of the frequency by a BTS that is nearby. 
     A subscriber is identified using a following procedure: 
     a) when a subscriber enters the area covered by a directive gain antenna, they are re-connected to a connection device located on the aircraft; 
     b) a camera located on the aircraft takes picture or video footage of the subscriber (or a group of people containing the subscriber); 
     c) a mobile device sends its identifying data (IMSI and IMEI) to the connection device; 
     d) these identifying data is used to find the subscriber in the mobile communications provider&#39;s database; 
     e) full data are then sent to the provider and stored in local memory. 
     A system of intelligent connection jamming is used to cut off the subscriber from the provider&#39;s network. In order to explain how it works, the structure of a physical (e.g. GSM) channel should be described. Each base station has at least 2 physical channels: an UpLink channel to receive signals from mobile stations and a DownLink channel to send signals to mobile stations. The bandwidth of each channel is 0.2 MHz. Each pair of channels is linked to a certain channel number, or ARFCN. In order to jam connections in a specified area, the whole frequency range corresponding to the GSM-standard is usually jammed. If such an approach is used, it is difficult to re-connect a mobile phone to a connection spot, because in that case the spot should have high capacity. The access point needs to transmit at a relatively high power, at a minimum, higher than the noise level. The present invention uses intelligent jamming, which jams only a busy ARFCN, thus enabling to create a connection spot from any free ARFCN without any significant capacity requirements. Thus, only those channels ARFCN channels are jammed that are used by the mobile network operator, while the subscribers using those channels experience a dropped connection. 
     Another method for making the mobile devices switch to the airborne mobile BTS is by emulation of the base station of an operator with better priority parameters (e.g., C1 and C2 in the GSM standard, similar parameters in other standards). The use of a movable (airborne) base station gives that advantage that it is possible to assess the radio environment prior to launch and operation of the airborne BTS. With accumulation of a large amount of data regarding which channels are in use, it is possible to select the best channel and transmit the best parameters, compared to a stationary BTS. Thus, subscribers will be more likely to switch to airborne BTS. 
     The system also employs directed gain antennas, which focus the entire power of the transmitter in a narrow angular range, in order for intelligent jamming to work even in the vicinity of real base stations. Also, such an antenna provides for rather precise location of subscribers and taking pictures or video footage of them. 
     After the connection spot occupies a free physical ARFCN-channel, it starts to imitate a logical BCCH (broadcast) channel, which is used to transmit identifying data of a base station. Operator identification data (MCC, MNC, LAC, CELLID) is translated, and priority coefficients of the base station that are responsible for the phone selecting the base station (C1 and C2) are increased, even if another, more powerful base station is available. In general, it is only required that a base station with the given identifying data (country and provider number codes) is not prohibited. In some cases, it could be necessary that the connection device in the aircraft imitate a base station of a local provider. The present invention provides two solutions for that problem: a) there are identifying data of non-existent network and country, which are transmitted via the logical BCCH-channel, so that the mobile station, being unable to perceive any real base stations, considers itself to be in roaming and tries to connect to the connection spot; b) the identifying data correspond to a real local provider, but are changed, thus forcing the mobile station to re-connect. Providing that geographical conditions are good, the system returns an IMSI—a unique SIM-card ID (which can also yield additional data about its owner, as it is necessary to present personal data when buying a SIM-card in some countries), an IMEI—a unique mobile device ID (which can help to track the history of owners and SIM-cards), and a picture of a subscriber. This data can be sufficient to fully identify a subscriber. Also, video footage (e.g., from a camera mounted on the aircraft) could be downloaded to the base station or to a server and used to register illegal activities. 
     When it is necessary to find a subscriber and/or his mobile device, the following is performed: 
     1. An approximate location is determined using the video camera and the directional antenna. This permits only a rough estimate of the location, however, an important aspect is that it can be done fairly rapidly. With the airborne BTS having an antenna whose gain profile matches the field of view of the camera, when new data is received by the antenna regarding identification of the mobile device, an image or video is taken by the video camera, and the image/video is tied to the identification data received by the antenna. Using a high gain antenna (e.g., with a high gain in a 10 degree field of view) permits increasing the accuracy of the determination, as long as the subscriber is not too far, e.g., within a mile or two. 
     2. An RRLP request is sent. Radio resource location services protocol (RRLP) applies to GSM and UMTS Cellular Networks. It is used to exchange messages between a handset and an SMLC in order to provide geolocation information; e.g., in the case of emergency calls. The protocol was developed in order to fulfil the Wireless Enhanced 911 requirements in the United States. However, since the protocol does not use require any authentication, and it can be used outside a voice call or SMS transfer, its use is not restricted to emergency calls and can be used by law enforcement to pinpoint the exact geolocation of the target&#39;s mobile phone. The use of this protocol permits receiving GPS/GLONASS coordinates of the mobile device remotely, although only if the GPS signal is available to be received. 
     3. Using a voice call, with a subsequent search using an audio signal, people trapped under fallen buildings and landslides can be found, particularly when the subscriber is unable to manually respond. 
     4. Triangulation can also be used, when the airborne BTS establishes a hidden connection, i.e., the mobile device does not show the call, but the GSM chip in the phone still is used to identify the coordinates and transmit them to the BTS. The aircraft, using the antenna and measurements of the signal taken from different locations can triangulate on the location of the subscriber. Then, depending on weather conditions and other factors, a photo or video of the location can be taken, to match the coordinates determined by triangulation. Multiple aircraft BTSs can be used, to accelerate the process. The server aggregates and processes the information, including the video/image data, the antenna direction data, the identification data, the aircraft location data, the received signal power data, and so on. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the following steps are performed: 
     1. Scanning of all ARFCNs in the given GSM standard is performed in step  102 . 
     2. Ranking of ARFCNs according to the capacity of their DownLink channel is performed in step  104 . 
     3. Is the signal power higher than N dbm? (step  106 .) 
     4. The ARFCN channel is listed as busy (step  108 .) 
     5. Was the BCCH channel successfully found? (step  110 .) 
     6. Recording the identifying data (MCC and MNC), which have been extracted from the channel (step  112 .) 
     7. Looking for a free ARFCN channel (step  114 .) 
     8. Switching on intelligent jamming of all channels listed as busy (step  116 .) 
     9. Is the roaming imitation mode on? (step  118 .) 
     10. (yes) Choosing non-existent MNC and MCC (step  120 .) 
     11. (no) Varying MNCs (Mobile Network Code) and MCCs (Mobile Country Code) listed as busy (step  124 .) 
     12. Collecting identifying data of a mobile device (step  122 .) 
       FIG. 4  illustrates an exemplary system utilizing the ideas described herein. The subscriber terminals  59  can connect to the mobile network (stationary or mobile BTS). The BTS has to support the relevant standards expected by the mobile devices  59 . 
     A duplexer  402  is used to mix the receiving and transmitting channel. The use of the duplexer improves the quality of the received signal and permits using the same antenna for both sending and receiving. 
     Software Defined Radio (SDR)  403  is a technology that permits using software to dynamically change the frequencies, modulation, power and other parameters of the radio signal. The processing of the signal is done on the computer  404 . The use of the SDR platform also permits easy determination of the signal powers at various frequencies. 
     The computer  404  processes the signals and emulates the behavior of a BTS. The computer  404  also stores a database of subscribers. The software on the computer  404  defines the standards used by the BTS to communicate with the subscribers. The computer  440  also runs algorithms for determining the location of the subscriber using triangulation, and receives the images/video from the camera  406 . 
     The external server  405  receives the data, such as coordinates of the aircraft, its orientation in 3-D space, identification data of the subscribers, activity on the radio channels, photo and/or video files from the aircraft and any other cameras. By comparing the data (optionally, from multiple aircraft), the server can determine the location of the subscribers based on their signal strength and other data. All the aircraft have their clocks synchronized. The server can produce reports, generate statistics and analyze the images to match them to mobile device identifiers. The server can also connect remotely to the airborne BTSs to configure them. 
     The camera  406  with zoom is used to capture images that match an antenna&#39;s gain profile. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates another aspect of the exemplary system utilizing the ideas described herein. In  FIG. 5, 501  is the aircraft, such as a helicopter, a blimp, a drone, a quadracopter, etc. The aircraft needs sufficient lifting power to carry an airborne BTS, the antenna(s) and the camera  506 . The aircraft is controlled remotely, either using the same channels as those utilized by the BTS, or a separate dedicated channel. In some cases, using a spooled wire to control the aircraft may be possible, to increase on-station time. 
       502  is the BTS, further described above.  503  is the antenna, with various gain profiles, which permits efficiently locating the subscribers. Both highly directive and diffuse gain profiles can be used (highly directive for location, diffuse for mobile connections). 
       406  is the camera with zoom, as described above. 
     The aircraft may have one or more of the subsystems discussed below, which permit improving some of the parameters of the aircraft. 
     1. A protective airbag in case of a crash of the unmanned aerial vehicle. The airbag may be inflated either using pyrobolts or using the on-board engine or turbine of the UAV itself. This is more effective than a parachute, since the size and weight of such an airbag are much less, and is generally safer for the public. The airbag(s) is mounted on the surface of the UAV, generally on the bottom-facing surface. Anywhere from 1 to 2-8 such airbags may be used. 
     The airbag activation system can have a power supply that is separate from the rest of the UAV, and can deploy either automatically or manually. For example, it can deploy during severe vibration or acceleration overloads, critical control system errors, when a fall is detected, or upon manual instruction from the pilot. 
     2. A heating system for electronics can be installed on the UAV, depending on weather conditions and geographic region where the UAV is used. Sensors for the temperature conditions are also mounted inside the UAV, in proximity to the on-board electronics, in order to know when to activate the heating system. The on-board electronics is generally housed in a thermally protected compartment of the UAV, and circuit boards can be covered with a water-resistant coating, such as silica gel. 
     The battery compartment is also protected from water and moisture damage, and can have its own heating elements. The power wiring uses low-resistance high-cross-section conductors. When the UAV is started, the first thing to activate is usually the heating system (at a minimum, to check if heating is needed). Then, once proper temperature is reached, the on-board electronics can start, and the engine can being operation. The heating system is responsible for maintaining proper temperature of the batteries and the electronics throughout the flight. 
     3. The BTS uses an antenna with a highly directional profile of its directional diagram, generally with the peak of the gain being in the downward direction. As a further option, the antenna can be mounted on a suspension with one or two degrees of rotational freedom, and rotated using a motor, in order to better determine the direction towards the transmitter (subscriber&#39;s mobile device), and/or to optimize the orientation of the antenna so as to avoid interfering with the radio commands to the UAV. The motor is controlled using the on-board electronics+ 
     4. The antenna(s) are mounted so as to improve electromagnetic compatibility characteristics. In the case of separate antennas that receive and transmit, these antennas should be as far as possible from each other. Satellite receiving antennas, if any, should preferably be located on separate mounting brackets. Ground shielding can be used between the antenna(s) and the rest of the electronics. 
     5. As another option, the antennas may be placed in plasma volumes, where the plasma is excited so as to permit transmission of the relevant frequencies and filtering of other frequencies, including filtering of electromagnetic effects of the various components of the UAV on each other. 
     6. The on-board electronics provides for both remotely piloted mode and for autonomous mode using pre-programmed flight patterns, based on GPS signals or inertial navigation systems or both. The on-board processor can generate its own flight pattern based on specific task parameters and the UAV/BTS/antenna characteristics and the expected area that needs to be covered. 
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram of an exemplary mobile device  59  on which the invention can be implemented. The mobile device  59  can be, for example, a personal digital assistant, a cellular telephone, a network appliance, a camera, a smart phone, an enhanced general packet radio service (EGPRS) mobile phone, a network base station, a media player, a navigation device, an email device, a game console, or a combination of any two or more of these data processing devices or other data processing devices. 
     In some implementations, the mobile device  59  includes a touch-sensitive display  73 . The touch-sensitive display  73  can implement liquid crystal display (LCD) technology, light emitting polymer display (LPD) technology, or some other display technology. The touch-sensitive display  73  can be sensitive to haptic and/or tactile contact with a user. 
     In some implementations, the touch-sensitive display  73  can comprise a multi-touch-sensitive display  73 . A multi-touch-sensitive display  73  can, for example, process multiple simultaneous touch points, including processing data related to the pressure, degree and/or position of each touch point. Such processing facilitates gestures and interactions with multiple fingers, chording, and other interactions. Other touch-sensitive display technologies can also be used, e.g., a display in which contact is made using a stylus or other pointing device. 
     In some implementations, the mobile device  59  can display one or more graphical user interfaces on the touch-sensitive display  73  for providing the user access to various system objects and for conveying information to the user. In some implementations, the graphical user interface can include one or more display objects  74 ,  76 . In the example shown, the display objects  74 ,  76 , are graphic representations of system objects. Some examples of system objects include device functions, applications, windows, files, alerts, events, or other identifiable system objects. 
     In some implementations, the mobile device  59  can implement multiple device functionalities, such as a telephony device, as indicated by a phone object  91 ; an e-mail device, as indicated by the e-mail object  92 ; a network data communication device, as indicated by the Web object  93 ; a Wi-Fi base station device (not shown); and a media processing device, as indicated by the media player object  94 . In some implementations, particular display objects  74 , e.g., the phone object  91 , the e-mail object  92 , the Web object  93 , and the media player object  94 , can be displayed in a menu bar  95 . In some implementations, device functionalities can be accessed from a top-level graphical user interface, such as the graphical user interface illustrated in the figure. Touching one of the objects  91 ,  92 ,  93  or  94  can, for example, invoke corresponding functionality. 
     In some implementations, the mobile device  59  can implement network distribution functionality. For example, the functionality can enable the user to take the mobile device  59  and its associated network while traveling. In particular, the mobile device  59  can extend Internet access (e.g., Wi-Fi) to other wireless devices in the vicinity. For example, mobile device  59  can be configured as a base station for one or more devices. As such, mobile device  59  can grant or deny network access to other wireless devices. 
     In some implementations, upon invocation of device functionality, the graphical user interface of the mobile device  59  changes, or is augmented or replaced with another user interface or user interface elements, to facilitate user access to particular functions associated with the corresponding device functionality. For example, in response to a user touching the phone object  91 , the graphical user interface of the touch-sensitive display  73  may present display objects related to various phone functions; likewise, touching of the email object  92  may cause the graphical user interface to present display objects related to various e-mail functions; touching the Web object  93  may cause the graphical user interface to present display objects related to various Web-surfing functions; and touching the media player object  94  may cause the graphical user interface to present display objects related to various media processing functions. 
     In some implementations, the top-level graphical user interface environment or state can be restored by pressing a button  96  located near the bottom of the mobile device  59 . In some implementations, each corresponding device functionality may have corresponding “home” display objects displayed on the touch-sensitive display  73 , and the graphical user interface environment can be restored by pressing the “home” display object. 
     In some implementations, the top-level graphical user interface can include additional display objects  76 , such as a short messaging service (SMS) object, a calendar object, a photos object, a camera object, a calculator object, a stocks object, a weather object, a maps object, a notes object, a clock object, an address book object, a settings object, and an app store object  97 . Touching the SMS display object can, for example, invoke an SMS messaging environment and supporting functionality; likewise, each selection of a display object can invoke a corresponding object environment and functionality. 
     Additional and/or different display objects can also be displayed in the graphical user interface. For example, if the device  59  is functioning as a base station for other devices, one or more “connection” objects may appear in the graphical user interface to indicate the connection. In some implementations, the display objects  76  can be configured by a user, e.g., a user may specify which display objects  76  are displayed, and/or may download additional applications or other software that provides other functionalities and corresponding display objects. 
     In some implementations, the mobile device  59  can include one or more input/output (I/O) devices and/or sensor devices. For example, a speaker  60  and a microphone  62  can be included to facilitate voice-enabled functionalities, such as phone and voice mail functions. In some implementations, an up/down button  84  for volume control of the speaker  60  and the microphone  62  can be included. The mobile device  59  can also include an on/off button  82  for a ring indicator of incoming phone calls. In some implementations, a loud speaker  64  can be included to facilitate hands-free voice functionalities, such as speaker phone functions. An audio jack  66  can also be included for use of headphones and/or a microphone. 
     In some implementations, a proximity sensor  68  can be included to facilitate the detection of the user positioning the mobile device  59  proximate to the user&#39;s ear and, in response, to disengage the touch-sensitive display  73  to prevent accidental function invocations. In some implementations, the touch-sensitive display  73  can be turned off to conserve additional power when the mobile device  59  is proximate to the user&#39;s ear. 
     Other sensors can also be used. For example, in some implementations, an ambient light sensor  70  can be utilized to facilitate adjusting the brightness of the touch-sensitive display  73 . In some implementations, an accelerometer  72  can be utilized to detect movement of the mobile device  59 , as indicated by the directional arrows. Accordingly, display objects and/or media can be presented according to a detected orientation, e.g., portrait or landscape. In some implementations, the mobile device  59  may include circuitry and sensors for supporting a location determining capability, such as that provided by the global positioning system (GPS) or other positioning systems (e.g., systems using Wi-Fi access points, television signals, cellular grids, Uniform Resource Locators (URLs)). In some implementations, a positioning system (e.g., a GPS receiver) can be integrated into the mobile device  59  or provided as a separate device that can be coupled to the mobile device  59  through an interface (e.g., port device  90 ) to provide access to location-based services. 
     The mobile device  59  can also include a camera lens and sensor  80 . In some implementations, the camera lens and sensor  80  can be located on the back surface of the mobile device  59 . The camera can capture still images and/or video. 
     The mobile device  59  can also include one or more wireless communication subsystems, such as an 802.11b/g communication device  86 , and/or a BLUETOOTH communication device  88 . Other communication protocols can also be supported, including other 802.x communication protocols (e.g., WiMax, Wi-Fi, 3G, LTE), code division multiple access (CDMA), global system for mobile communications (GSM), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), etc. 
     In some implementations, the port device  90 , e.g., a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, or a docking port, or some other wired port connection, is included. The port device  90  can, for example, be utilized to establish a wired connection to other computing devices, such as other communication devices  59 , network access devices, a personal computer, a printer, or other processing devices capable of receiving and/or transmitting data. In some implementations, the port device  90  allows the mobile device  59  to synchronize with a host device using one or more protocols, such as, for example, the TCP/IP, HTTP, UDP and any other known protocol. In some implementations, a TCP/IP over USB protocol can be used. 
       FIG. 3  is a block diagram  2200  of an example implementation of the mobile device  59 . The mobile device  59  can include a memory interface  2202 , one or more data processors, image processors and/or central processing units  2204 , and a peripherals interface  2206 . The memory interface  2202 , the one or more processors  2204  and/or the peripherals interface  2206  can be separate components or can be integrated in one or more integrated circuits. The various components in the mobile device  59  can be coupled by one or more communication buses or signal lines. 
     Sensors, devices and subsystems can be coupled to the peripherals interface  2206  to facilitate multiple functionalities. For example, a motion sensor  2210 , a light sensor  2212 , and a proximity sensor  2214  can be coupled to the peripherals interface  2206  to facilitate the orientation, lighting and proximity functions described above. Other sensors  2216  can also be connected to the peripherals interface  2206 , such as a positioning system (e.g., GPS receiver), a temperature sensor, a biometric sensor, or other sensing device, to facilitate related functionalities. 
     A camera subsystem  2220  and an optical sensor  2222 , e.g., a charged coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) optical sensor, can be utilized to facilitate camera functions, such as recording photographs and video clips. 
     Communication functions can be facilitated through one or more wireless communication subsystems  2224 , which can include radio frequency receivers and transmitters and/or optical (e.g., infrared) receivers and transmitters. The specific design and implementation of the communication subsystem  2224  can depend on the communication network(s) over which the mobile device  59  is intended to operate. For example, a mobile device  59  may include communication subsystems  2224  designed to operate over a GSM network, a GPRS network, an EDGE network, a Wi-Fi or WiMax network, and a BLUETOOTH network. In particular, the wireless communication subsystems  2224  may include hosting protocols such that the device  59  may be configured as a base station for other wireless devices. 
     An audio subsystem  2226  can be coupled to a speaker  2228  and a microphone  2230  to facilitate voice-enabled functions, such as voice recognition, voice replication, digital recording, and telephony functions. 
     The I/O subsystem  2240  can include a touch screen controller  2242  and/or other input controller(s)  2244 . The touch-screen controller  2242  can be coupled to a touch screen  2246 . The touch screen  2246  and touch screen controller  2242  can, for example, detect contact and movement or break thereof using any of multiple touch sensitivity technologies, including but not limited to capacitive, resistive, infrared, and surface acoustic wave technologies, as well as other proximity sensor arrays or other elements for determining one or more points of contact with the touch screen  2246 . 
     The other input controller(s)  2244  can be coupled to other input/control devices  2248 , such as one or more buttons, rocker switches, thumb-wheel, infrared port, USB port, and/or a pointer device such as a stylus. The one or more buttons (not shown) can include an up/down button for volume control of the speaker  2228  and/or the microphone  2230 . 
     In one implementation, a pressing of the button for a first duration may disengage a lock of the touch screen  2246 ; and a pressing of the button for a second duration that is longer than the first duration may turn power to the mobile device  59  on or off. The user may be able to customize a functionality of one or more of the buttons. The touch screen  2246  can, for example, also be used to implement virtual or soft buttons and/or a keyboard. 
     In some implementations, the mobile device  59  can present recorded audio and/or video files, such as MP3, AAC, and MPEG files. In some implementations, the mobile device  59  can include the functionality of an MP3 player. The mobile device  59  may, therefore, include a 32-pin connector that is compatible with the MP3 player. Other input/output and control devices can also be used. 
     The memory interface  2202  can be coupled to memory  2250 . The memory  2250  can include high-speed random access memory and/or non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, one or more optical storage devices, and/or flash memory (e.g., NAND, NOR). The memory  2250  can store an operating system  2252 , such as Darwin, RTXC, LINUX, UNIX, OS X, ANDROID, IOS, WINDOWS, or an embedded operating system such as VxWorks. The operating system  2252  may include instructions for handling basic system services and for performing hardware dependent tasks. In some implementations, the operating system  2252  can be a kernel (e.g., UNIX kernel). 
     The memory  2250  may also store communication instructions  2254  to facilitate communicating with one or more additional devices, one or more computers and/or one or more servers. The memory  2250  may include graphical user interface instructions  2256  to facilitate graphic user interface processing including presentation, navigation, and selection within an application store; sensor processing instructions  2258  to facilitate sensor-related processing and functions; phone instructions  2260  to facilitate phone-related processes and functions; electronic messaging instructions  2262  to facilitate electronic-messaging related processes and functions; web browsing instructions  2264  to facilitate web browsing-related processes and functions; media processing instructions  2266  to facilitate media processing-related processes and functions; GPS/Navigation instructions  2268  to facilitate GPS and navigation-related processes and instructions; camera instructions  2270  to facilitate camera-related processes and functions; and/or other software instructions  2272  to facilitate other processes and functions. 
     Each of the above identified instructions and applications can correspond to a set of instructions for performing one or more functions described above. These instructions need not be implemented as separate software programs, procedures or modules. The memory  2250  can include additional instructions or fewer instructions. Furthermore, various functions of the mobile device  59  may be implemented in hardware and/or in software, including in one or more signal processing and/or application specific integrated circuits. 
     With reference to  FIG. 6 , an exemplary system for implementing the invention includes a general purpose computing device in the form of a personal computer or server  404  or the like, including a processing unit  21 , a system memory  22 , and a system bus  23  that couples various system components including the system memory to the processing unit  21 . The system bus  23  may be any of several types of bus structures including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any variety of bus architectures. The system memory includes read-only memory (ROM)  24  and random access memory (RAM)  25 . A basic input/output system  26  (BIOS), containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the personal computer  404 , such as during start-up, is stored in ROM  24 . 
     The personal computer  404  may further include a hard disk drive  27  for reading from and writing to a hard disk, not shown in the figure, a magnetic disk drive  28  for reading from or writing to a removable magnetic disk  29 , and an optical disk drive  30  for reading from or writing to a removable optical disk  31  such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or other optical media. The hard disk drive  27 , magnetic disk drive  28 , and optical disk drive  30  are connected to the system bus  23  by a hard disk drive interface  32 , a magnetic disk drive interface  33 , and an optical drive interface  34 , respectively. 
     The drives and their associated computer-readable media provide a non-volatile storage of computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules/subroutines, such that may be used to implement the steps of the method described herein, and other data for the personal computer  404 . 
     Although the exemplary environment described herein employs a hard disk, a removable magnetic disk  29  and a removable optical disk  31 , it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other types of computer readable media that can store data accessible by a computer, such as magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards, digital video disks, Bernoulli cartridges, random access memories (RAMs), read-only memories (ROMs) and the like may also be used in the exemplary operating environment. 
     A number of program modules may be stored on the hard disk, magnetic disk  29 , optical disk  31 , ROM  24  or RAM  25 , including an operating system  35  (e.g., Windows™ 2000). The computer  404  includes a file system  36  associated with or included within the operating system  35 , such as the Windows NT™ File System (NTFS), one or more application programs  37 , other program modules  38  and program data  39 . A user may enter commands and information into the personal computer  404  through input devices such as a keyboard  40  and pointing device  42 . 
     Other input devices (not shown) may include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner or the like. These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit  21  through a serial port interface  46  that is coupled to the system bus, but may be connected by other interfaces, such as a parallel port, game port or universal serial bus (USB). A monitor  47  or other type of display device is also connected to the system bus  23  via an interface, such as a video adapter  48 . In addition to the monitor  47 , personal computers typically include other peripheral output devices, such as speakers and printers. 
     The personal computer  404  may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers  49 . The remote computer (or computers)  49  may be represented by a personal computer, a server, a router, a network PC, a peer device or other common network node, and it normally includes many or all of the elements described above relative to the personal computer  404 , although only a memory storage device  50  is illustrated. The logical connections include a local area network (LAN)  51  and a wide area network (WAN)  52 . Such networking environments are commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, Intranets and the Internet. 
     When used in a LAN networking environment, the personal computer  404  is connected to the local network  51  through a network interface or adapter  53 . When used in a WAN networking environment, the personal computer  404  typically includes a modem  54  or other means for establishing communications over the wide area network  52 , such as the Internet. The modem  54 , which may be internal or external, is connected to the system bus  23  via the serial port interface  46 . 
     In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to the personal computer  404 , or portions thereof, may be stored in the remote memory storage device. It will be appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers may be used. Such computers as described above can be used in conventional networks, e.g. the Internet, local area networks, regional networks, wide area networks, and so forth. These networks can link various resources, such as user computers, servers, Internet service providers, telephones connected to the network and so on. 
     Having thus described a preferred embodiment, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that certain advantages of the described method and apparatus have been achieved. 
     It should also be appreciated that various modifications, adaptations and alternative embodiments thereof may be made within the scope and spirit of the present invention. The invention is further defined by the following claims.

Technology Category: 5