GB2391746A

GB2391746A - Remote alert for a personal communication device

Info

Publication number: GB2391746A
Application number: GB0213359A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Uwe Peters; David Ambaye
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-06-12
Filing date: 2002-06-12
Publication date: 2004-02-11
Anticipated expiration: 2022-06-12
Also published as: GB0213359D0; GB2391746B

Abstract

A personal communication device, such as a mobile phone, pager, palm computer is provided with a facility for transmitting a signal to a remote alerting device, such that silent alerting can take place without the need to carry the communication device. The device 1 is associated with remote alarm (not shown) which may be detachably mounted on the device 1. This senses a silent alert on the device 1 and relays a coded ID signal to a remote alerting device via a radio, optical or infrared link. The remote alert may be incorporated in a wearable accessory, such as glasses, watch, ring or other jewellery. The alert device may be able to transmit back to the communication device 1 to control the call or the remote alarm.

Description

PERSONAL COMMUNICATION DEVICE

The present invention relates to personal communication devices and in particular to such devices in which the existence of a message can be notified to the user of the s device in a discreet manner.

The use of personal communication devices such as personal cellular telephones, pagers and palm computers has become widespread. This can however bring problems, for example, when a group of people is gathered in a place, for instance a 10 hotel lobby, a waiting lounge at an airport, at a train station, or in a train and a mobile phone starts ringing, everybody is immediately checking if it is his/her phone. Even if people have selected specific ring tones, somebody else could have selected the same tone. The noise is also irritating for other people.

15 In another instance, people may be attending a meeting, or are in a place like a theatre or an opera where the ringing of mobile phones is either not wanted or embarrassing but they want to be notified of an important call.

There are many other occasions, when people want to get notified about an incoming 20 call on a mobile phone, or an alert for meetings, appointments or other events from a palm computer in a discrete way - without disturbing anybody else.

It has been proposed to provide mobile phones with a vibration capacity. However even when a mobile phone has the capability of a vibration alert, sometimes the user cannot 2s feel the vibration. This can be either because the phone is located in a pocket of a coat, or placed in a handbag.

The present invention provides a discrete mechanism to alert the owner of personal communication device such as a mobile phone, palm computer, a pager or other device 30 to inform only the owner of that device about an incoming call or alert but very importantly nobody else is informed.

Remote methods of directly registering and switching off a unique alarm signal from a personal communication device have not been available. Various suggestions have been made all of which have distinct drawbacks.

5 One proposal includes locating the personal communication device close to the body so that the user can hear or feel the alarm and then act upon it quickly. This has the disadvantage that the personal communication device has to be within very close reach and in the case of audio alarm other parties could have a similar sounding alarm signal.

tO Another proposal includes the use of a control button on an umbilical cable connected to particular ports of a personal communication device. Like the first method discussed above the disadvantage of this method is that the device needs to be located fairly close to the user, usually less than a metro.

Is A third proposal includes the use of a remote sensing unit located on the body of the user such that when a generic incoming or outgoing communications signal is detected an alarm signal is triggered. The alarm signal to the user can be flashing lights or vibration. There are a number of disadvantages of such a solution. Firstly the signals detected by such systems are not targeted to a particular personal communications do device. This means that if there are other individuals with a personal communications device nearby with similar remote sensing systems they too will be notified of the alarm condition. This will lead to everyone scrambling to determine whether the alarm is from their personal communications device. Moreover, such systems are limited in their range being limited to about a metre or two at most. Thirdly, the systems tend to pick up 25 any nearby communication signal including, incoming signals, outgoing signals and network registration signals. This means that they are likely to give false alarms, which can be annoying.

The present invention overcomes these problems.

The present invention therefore provides a remote communication system for use with a personal communication device comprising a remote alarm device and a personal alert device, the remote alarm device is associated with the personal communication device in a manner whereby it is activated when the personal communication device receives a

signal, the remote alarm device then issues a unique personal signal which is transmitted to the personal alert device which is carried by the user and is activated by the unique personal signal to inform the user of the receipt of a signal by the personal communication device.

In a preferred embodiment the remote alarm device can be detachably attached to the personal communication device and in a more preferred embodiment attachment of the remote alarm device switches off the normal signal of the personal communication device. The remote alarm device therefore senses close proximity of audio or vibration alarm indicating receipt of a signal by a personal communication device and translates this to a silent unique encoded signal which is transmitted to the personal alert device. The signal may be a radio signal or an optical signal such as infra red transmission. There is 15 therefore a unique coded channel of communication between the remote alarm device and the personal alert device such that other remote alarm devices and personal alert devices are not able to intercept or interfere with this communication, unless deliberately enabled to do so.

20 The personal alert device can be a stand alone device for the user which can be attached to clothing or be located at a convenient close location. Alternatively and as is preferred the personal alert device can be built into any number and types of personal items device such as an earring, wristwatch, pens, key ring, key fob, spectacles or sun glasses, or other similar devices.

The power supplied to the remote alarm can be a battery which may be rechargeable or not. In the former case, it may be enabled either through an umbilical connection (soft drop-out line) to the power supply of a personal communication device battery pack, from the standard power input of the power supply of a personal communication device 30 or an auxiliary power output port on a battery pack or personal communication device.

Alternatively the device may be powered by the battery system of the personal communication device itself.

( The personal item equipped with a personal alert device is powered either by a non-

reusable battery supply or personal communication device by a rechargeable battery. In the latter case, it can be connected for recharging either directly to a charging port on the personal communication device or on the remote alarm device.

s The remote alarm device can be designed in several different ways, such as being either an integral part of a mobile phone, palm computer, etc which transmits a signal to optional accessories to the phone, palm computer or other device. Alternatively it can be an add-on component to the device, which may be connected and attached to the lo personal communication devise as an option. It may be available either through the manufacturer of the personal communication device or may be obtained separately.

The personal alert device can also be designed in different ways. However the preferred design is to provide a microelectronic circuit to receive a personal signal from the remote 15 alarm device and convert it into a mechanical, optical or other very discrete alert signal.

Alternatively it may be an audio or voice signal. Design examples include a vibrating cheque-card, vibrating ring or other jewellery or a vibrating car key, flashing lights may also be used.

20 The personal alert device may be designed to receive signals from multiple devices for example from a mobile phone, a palm computer and/or a pager. In this case the personal alert device is preferably equipped to issue different alert mechanisms according to the source of the signal. For example different vibration speeds may be used or different light signals may be activated. For example, red for mobile phone, 25 green for palm computer, and yellow for other devices may be employed.

The signal routing from the remote alarm device to the personal alert device can be carried out in different ways: infrared, microwave, bluetooth, wireless LAN, and radio signals may be used. A low power radio communications signal being preferred.

The personal alert device may be used either as a 'passive receiver' or as an 'active receiver'. The term passive receiver indicates that there is unidirectional interaction between the personal communication device and the personal alert device. The term active receiver incorporates the additional functionality whereby the alarm condition on

the personal communication device can be enabled or disabled from the personal alert device. In the passive scenario the personal alert device has to be activated all the time in order to reduce or exclude difficulties in switching it on and off etc. The design also preferably takes in consideration that the signal does not influence any other electronic s components like for example pacemakers and other medical devices.

When the personal alert device is in the passive mode the design of the remote alarm device does not require any direct connection to the alarm circuitry of the personal communication device. Instead it may be connected piggyback externally to the host to personal communication device. In this situation the remote alarm device is equipped with audio or vibration sensing circuitry which can externally determine whether the host device is in an activated alarm state. Attachment can be either through adhesives or detachable attachment.

15 Battery charging of the remote alarm device may be accomplished noninvasively by connection to the battery terminals, either at the charging interface for the host device, or I the charging interface for the battery of the host device. i In active mode the design of the remote alarm device requires connection to the alarm 20 circuitry of the host device, in addition to the passive features described above.

The personal alert device can have an aesthetic design to reach from single low-cost plastics designs (i.e., plastic-rings) up to luxury jewellery in gold or silver. Also for the mid-range single, reliable functional designs might be appropriate such as those derived 2s from stainless steel. The device may be incorporated into other fashion accessories, for example a number of different models of brooches, pins, tie clips, etc can be produced.

The invention is particularly useful with mobile telephones since the transmission signals of this design do not depend on the mobile phone network (different GSM bands, WAR, 30 GPRS, UMTS, 1-Mode and future technologies), the product can be used with literally every mobile phone it can interface to. The same is valid for palm computers.

The present invention therefore provides a convenient, lightweight, easy to use accessory system which may be used with any form of personal communication device s

( to alert the user of that the personal communication device has been alerted in a discrete, personal and unobtrusive manner.

The invention is illustrated by reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 s illustrates how a mobile phone (1) may be the personal communication device and how a personal alert device (2) may be attached to the mobile phone (1). Figure 2 shows how a remote alarm device (3) may be attached to a wrist watch (4) or a pair of sunglasses (5). Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of how the signal for the personal alert device on the mobile phone (1) can be communicated to the remote alarm device to mounted on the personal accessory which may then be activated to alert the user to the incoming call on the personal communication device. The alert may be a vibration, a light, certain sound or a voice.

Claims

1. A remote communication system for use with a personal communication device comprising a remote alarm device and a personal alert device, the remote alarm s device being associated with the personal communication device in a manner whereby it is activated when the personal communication device receives a signal and issues a unique personal signal which is transmitted to the personal alert device which is carried by the user and is activated by the unique personal signal to inform the user of the receipt of a signal by the personal communication lo device. 2. A system according to Claim 1 in which the remote alarm device is detachably

attached to the personal communication device.

' 15 3. A system according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 in which activation of the remote alarm system deactivates the normal signal of the personal communication device...CLME: A system according to any of the preceding Claims in which the personal alert device is incorporated into a personal item.

5. A system according to Claim 4 in which the personal item is an earring, a wrist watch, a pen, a key ring, a key, spectacles or sun glasses.

6. A system according to any of the preceding Claims in which the unique personal 25 signal is a radio signal.

7. A system according to any of Claims 1 to 5 in which the unique personal signal is an optical signal.

30 8. A system according to Claim 7 in which the optical signal is an infra red signal.

9 A system according to any of the preceding Claims in which the personal communication device is a mobile phone.

( 10. A system according to any of Claims 1 to 8 in which the personal communication device is a palm computer.

11. A system according to any of Claims 1 to 8 in which the personal communication s device is a pager.

12. A system according to any of the preceding Claims in which the personal alert device can respond to two or more remote alarm devices and can issue different signals according to the source of the remote alarm.

13. A system according to any of the preceding Claims in which the personal alert device has the ability to transmit signals to the personal communication device.

14. A system according to Claim 13 in which the personal alert device has the ability 15 to switch on or off the remote alarm device.

15. A system according to Claim 13 or Claim 14 in which the personal alert device has the ability to switch on or off the personal communication device.

20 16. A system according to any of the preceding claims in which the remote alarm device is battery powered and the battery can be charged by directly contacting a charging part on the personal communication device.

17. A system according to any of the preceding claims in which the personal alert 2s device is battery powered and the battery can be charged by directly contacting a charging part on the personal communication device.

18. A personal communication system comprising a personal communication device, a remote alarm device able to be activated upon receipt of a signal by the 30 personal communication device to produce a non-audible personal signal, a personal alert device able to receive the non-audible personal signal from the remote alarm device and issue a signal to alert the user of the personal communication device of the receipt of the signal by the personal communication device. 3s