JP2004248277A - Device for use with mobile telephone in wireless communications network - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a personal identification device for use with a mobile telephone in a wireless communications network. <P>SOLUTION: The device includes a connector mated to a connector of the mobile telephone normally used for a hands-free kit or a data port. In a typical application, a user of the mobile telephone calls a server. The server sends a first telephone signal to the personal identification device. The device responds with a second telephone signal, designated to simulate voice or data activity, depending on the type of connector that is used. The simulated voice activity is structured in such a way as to cause the radio signal transmitted by the mobile telephone to go on and off in response to the simulated voice activity. A nearby receiver detects the on/off pattern. The on/off pattern is designed to transmit a unique identification code. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates generally to wireless communication systems, and more particularly, to locating and identifying mobile phones.

  Mobile phones are widely used because they can communicate at various locations. FIG. 1 shows a typical prior art mobile telephone communication system 100. The system includes a mobile telephone 110, which transmits an uplink radio signal 111 to a base station 120. Base station 120 transmits a downlink radio signal 112 to the mobile telephone. The base station 120 is also connected to a telephone device 130 through a connection 122. Telephone equipment 130 is typically part of the public switched telephone network (PSTN). Telephone equipment 130 may include a modem connected to another telephone, an answering machine or a computer, and a server 410. System 100 provides a point-to-point two-way connection between mobile telephone 110 and telephone equipment 130.

  A frequently used accessory for mobile phones is a hands-free kit (HFK). FIG. 2 illustrates a typical prior art HFK 200 used with a mobile telephone 110. The kit includes a male jack 210 that couples to a female jack 220 mounted on the housing of the mobile phone 110. HFK 200 further includes cable 230 and earphone 240. Earphone 240 is coupled to cable 230 and is adapted to generate an audible sound signal in response to an electrical signal received from mobile telephone 110 through male jack 210 and female jack 220 and cable 230.

  The HFK 200 further includes a microphone 250. A microphone 250 is also coupled to the cable 230 and generates an electrical signal in response to the detected sound signal. The signal generated by microphone 250 travels to mobile telephone 110 through cable 230 and male jack 220 and female jack 210. As an advantage, the user of the mobile phone can wear the HFK 200 and release his hands to perform other tasks.

  As described in the related application (US patent application Ser. No. 10 / 277,709), mobile telephone 110 can use simulated voice activity to wirelessly communicate with a receiver that detects the envelope of wireless transmission. it can. It is an advantage to generate such simulated voice activity without modifying existing mobile phones. A typical application of this communication technique is to locate, identify, or authenticate a mobile telephone.

  This application is typically realized through a connection to an authentication server 410 connected to the telephone device 130. It would also be advantageous to provide such a connection without requiring changes to existing mobile telephones, wireless networks, and wireless communication air interface standards.

  It would be desirable to provide an external device for a mobile phone that would provide the above functionality to the mobile phone without requiring changes to the mobile phone.

  The present invention provides a device that can be plugged into a mobile telephone jack, similar to a hands-free kit. The device receives a first telephone signal from the mobile telephone via the jack. However, instead of producing a sound with earphones as in the case of a conventional hands-free kit, the device according to the invention extracts the first message encoded in the first telephone signal.

  Based on the content of the encoded message, the device generates a second telephone signal that travels through the jack in the same manner as a conventional hands-free kit sends a signal obtained from a microphone. Supplied to the telephone. The device of the present invention is called a personal identification device.

  When the device is connected to the mobile phone, the mobile phone can be used as a wireless personal identifier by sending a second message to the receiver using the simulated phone activity. The second message is similarly encoded in a second wireless signal transmitted by the mobile phone in response to the simulated phone activity. The receiver detects the envelope of the wireless transmission from the mobile phone.

  In a typical application, a mobile phone user inserts a personal identification device into a jack on a conventional mobile phone. The mobile telephone user then places a telephone call to the server. In response, the server responds with a first message encoded as a first telephone signal. The personal identification device detects the first message and generates a second telephone signal that encodes the second message according to the simulated telephone activity. The personal identification device provides a second telephone signal to the mobile telephone through the jack. The simulated phone activity causes the mobile phone to transmit a radio signal having a pattern corresponding to the simulated phone activity. An envelope detector located near the mobile phone detects the radio signal pattern, thereby detecting the presence of the mobile phone and the identity of the mobile phone user encoded in the second message.

Device Configuration FIG. 3 shows a personal identification device (PID) 300 according to the present invention. The PID 300 includes a male jack 310, an audio telephone signal detector 320, an audio telephone signal generator 330, and an audio telephone signal processor 340. The input to the detector and the output from the generator are connected to jacks, and the processor is connected between the detector and the generator.

  Optionally, PID 300 may include earphone 240 and microphone 250 to allow a mobile telephone user to switch between hands-free kit operation and personal identification device operation described below. An optional switch 301 is available to select between the two modes of operation, or to otherwise control the operation of the device.

Device Operation In operation, PID 300 is connected to female jack 220 of conventional mobile telephone 110. Audio telephone signal detector 320 is adapted to receive a first audio telephone signal for earphone 240, generated by a mobile telephone. Audio telephone signal generator 330 is adapted to generate a second audio telephone signal having a similar intensity and spectrum to the electrical signal generated by microphone 250. The detected and generated telephone signals are similar to the audio signals normally processed by the mobile telephone 110.

  In a simple embodiment, the audio signal processor may be omitted so that the detected signal is passed directly to the signal generator 330 without any changes. Alternatively, audio signal processor 340 is adapted to provide signal level adjustment, analog signal processing, digital signal processing or other advanced features for personal identification device 300.

  As shown in FIG. 4 as a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a user of mobile telephone 110 makes a telephone call to telephone equipment 130 including server 410. The server 410 can generate an audio telephone signal including the first message. The first message can be encoded into the audio telephone signal by any of a variety of techniques known in the art. For example, the telephone signal may be a series of dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) codes (also known as touch tones) commonly used to dial telephone numbers.

  Alternatively, the message may be encoded by frequency modulating the audio carrier by a technique known as frequency shift keying (FSK). The audio signal is transmitted to the mobile telephone 110 via a downlink radio signal 112 where it is made available through a female jack 220.

  Audio telephone signal detector 320 receives the audio telephone signal from the jack and conditions it for signal processor 340. The signal processor 340 extracts the first encoded message from the audio telephone signal and generates a second telephone signal using simulated voice activity encoding the second message. The second telephone signal is passed to audio signal generator 330, which converts it into an audio telephone signal of appropriate amplitude and impedance and moves as if the telephone signal was generated by microphone 250. Causes telephone 110 to accept telephone signals.

  In a simple embodiment, the audio signal detector may be an attenuator or may be omitted. Similarly, the audio signal generator may also be an attenuator or may be omitted. In fact, in the simplest implementation, the full functionality of the personal identification device 300 may be a simple pass-through, perhaps using only an impedance adapter. In such an embodiment, server 410 generates an audio signal that already includes simulated voice activity. In this case, the signal is simply transferred from the output of female jack 220 to the input of the same jack, in order to cause mobile phone 110 to transmit the simulated voice activity generated by the server.

  The simulated voice activity in the telephone signal generated by the audio signal generator causes mobile telephone 110 to generate a corresponding transmitted radio signal. The envelope changes in a pattern according to the simulated voice activity. The pattern may simply be a radio signal on / off for encoding the second message. The primary function of the audio signal processor is to generate such patterns that can be detected by a suitable receiver. However, the audio signal processor may prepare a third audio telephone signal for the server 410. For example, the third signal may include a confirmation that the simulated voice activity has occurred successfully. The third audio signal reaches the server 410 by the uplink radio signal 111.

  To increase security, audio signal processor 340 may include an encryption module (K) 341 as known in the art. Further, the personal identification device 300 may communicate a unique device identification number to the server 410 to achieve accurate identification of the device. The identity of the user can be further confirmed by requiring the user to enter a personal identification number using the mobile telephone keypad. Keypad activity can be detected by the DTMF code in a known manner, by the audio signal processor 340, or by the server 410, or both. Voice recognition techniques can also be used. To further help identify the user, "caller ID" information provided by the telephone network may be made available to the server.

  Mobile communication system 400 may include a mobile telephone identifier (MTI) 420 with a receiving antenna 430. The MTI detects a reverse link radio signal 111 from the mobile phone 110, and further detects a pattern of an envelope change in radio transmission. The envelope change can be implemented by on / off keying of the telephone signal.

  FIG. 5 illustrates the steps of a method for identifying a mobile telephone user according to the present invention. The steps are grouped in four columns corresponding to the functions performed by server 410, mobile phone 110, personal identification device 300, and mobile phone identifier 420.

  In step 1, a user of mobile phone 110 inserts male jack 310 of personal identification device 300 into female jack 220 of mobile phone 110.

  In step 2, a user places a wireless voice telephone call to server 410.

  In step 3, server 410 receives the incoming telephone call and obtains "caller ID" information provided by the telephone service provider. The server processes the "caller ID" information for the purpose of identifying the user of the mobile telephone 110.

  In step 4, after identifying the caller, the server responds to the incoming telephone call and generates a first audio telephone signal including a first message in a format usable by personal identification device 300.

  In step 5, the personal identification device 300 receives the first audio telephone signal and detects the first message.

  In an optional step 6, the personal identification device processes the first message by any of various digital or analog techniques known in the art. If useful for additional security or other purposes, the personal identification device may collect additional information from the mobile phone user by detecting a DTMF signal generated by the keypad or through voice recognition. it can. Further, the personal identification device 300 can communicate with the server 410 via a third audio telephone signal to provide information to the server or to request additional information from the server.

  At step 7, the personal identification device generates a second audio telephone signal in response to the first message. The second audio telephone signal includes a second message encoded as simulated voice activity. The second message conveys the identity of the mobile phone user as determined by server 410.

  In step 8, the mobile telephone receives the second audio telephone signal through the female audio jack 220. The mobile telephone accepts the second audio telephone signal as if it was generated by microphone 250.

  In step 9, due to the simulated voice activity included in the second audio telephone signal, the mobile phone 110 transmits the uplink radio signal 111 in a pattern of an envelope change according to the simulated voice activity. The pattern may be a radio signal on / off keying pattern.

  At step 10, the mobile phone identifier 420 receives the uplink radio signal 111 and decodes the associated second message by detecting the envelope pattern. From the content of the second message, the mobile phone identifier knows the identity of the mobile phone user. This message can then be used to authorize the transaction.

Integrated Personal Identification Device and Method FIG. 6 shows a personal identification device 620 integrated into a mobile telephone 600. Device 620 includes detector 320, generator 330, and processor 340. Device 620 is coupled to a standard mobile telephone circuit 610. Circuit 610 is connected to female jack 220 in a standard manner.

  In this implementation, device 620 may be in the form of a subscriber information module (SIM), also known as a smart card. SIM 620 is connected to circuit 610 through pin 611.

  The use of a SIM is a feature of the GSM air interface standard. The SIM is inserted into the mobile phone and controls its functions as described above. The SIM holds all of the subscriber's personal information and phone settings. Essentially, a SIM is a permit for a subscriber to use a network. The SIM also holds telephone numbers, personal security keys, and other data needed for the mobile phone to function. The SIM can be inserted into any mobile telephone, causing a particular telephone to receive all calls to the subscriber's number. It is well known in the art how software within a SIM can be accomplished to achieve a desired result. In this case, the SIM firmware implements detector 320, processor 340, and generator 330.

  In addition, some or all of the functions of the personal identification device 300 can be incorporated in the mobile telephone circuit 610. This can be achieved by various techniques well known in the art. For example, mobile telephone circuit 610 may include all of the hardware and software of an exemplary embodiment of personal identification device 300. Alternatively, the functions of personal identification device 300 may be implemented exclusively through software included in mobile telephone circuit 610.

Personal Identification Device for Wireless Data Communication The above embodiments explicitly assume that a mobile telephone user will make a voice telephone call. However, similar steps and similar results can be obtained for data telephone calls. In that case, the PID couples to the data port of the telephone, and the simulated telephone activity becomes data or packet activity.

  FIG. 7 shows an embodiment of a data PID 700 with a data connector 710 that plugs into a data port 715 of a mobile telephone 110. Data PID 700 includes functional blocks similar to audio PID 300. In particular, data PID 700 includes data telephone signal detector 720, data telephone signal processor 740, and data telephone signal generator 730. Each of these three blocks may be a simple pass-through function. Like the audio PID 300, the data PID 700 may optionally include an encryption module 341 and a switch 301 for controlling operation. For example, a switch may be used to disable the function of the PID so that all data is passed to the optional data port 750 without change.

  As with the audio PID 300, the data telephone signal processor generates a data telephone signal and the message is conveyed by a pattern of activity. For example, the message may be conveyed by a pattern of packet transmission. The pattern may include packet size and packet timing.

  In such an embodiment, the present invention is also applicable to data-only wireless terminals that do not have voice capabilities. That is, the message is encoded into a data signal. For example, the PID function may be implemented by a software module in a portable computing device with a wireless communicator.

  If the functionality of the PID is integrated into the mobile telephone, it is optionally possible to use various types of telephone signals instead of the audio signals used in the preferred embodiment. For example, it is well known in the art how a server in a wireless network can communicate a digital message to a SIM. For example, the server can change the subscriber information in the SIM with such a digital message. It is also well known how SIMs can generate activities that result in patterns of wireless transmission by mobile phones. For example, the SIM can generate subscriber registration activities that result in discrete patterns of wireless envelope transmission.

  Of course, in an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the communication between the PID and the server 410 may be by means other than audio telephone signals, and the simulated telephone activity may be based on the transmitted wireless envelope pattern. May be any kind of simulated mobile phone activity.

  Different wireless phone models have different types of connectors other than female jacks for hands-free kits. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art how to replace the jack with a different type of connector while maintaining the functionality of the present invention.

  Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, it goes without saying that the above and other various adaptations and modifications can be made within the spirit and scope of the present invention. It is therefore the object of the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications that fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

1 is a block diagram of a conventional mobile communication network using a device according to the present invention. It is a block diagram of the hands-free kit of a prior art. 1 is a block diagram of a personal identification device according to the present invention using a voice telephone signal. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a mobile communication system using the device of FIG. 3. 5 is a flowchart of the operation of the system in FIG. 4. FIG. 2 is a block diagram in which a personal identification device according to the present invention is integrated into a mobile telephone. 1 is a block diagram of a personal identification device according to the present invention using data telephone signals.

Claims (13)

An apparatus for use with a mobile phone in a wireless communication network, the apparatus comprising:
A connector configured to be connected to a bayonet connector of the mobile phone;
A first message in a first telephone signal received by the mobile telephone coupled to the connector is received and a second message in a second telephone signal for the mobile telephone is received in response to the first message. And a telephone signal processor configured to generate.
The apparatus wherein the first and second messages are simulated telephone activities that modulate an envelope of a transmitted wireless signal in response to the simulated telephone activity.   The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said telephone signal is a voice telephone signal and said connector is a voice jack.   The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said telephone signal is a data telephone signal and said connector is a data jack.   The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a detector coupled between the connector and an input of the telephone signal processor, the detector configured to detect the first telephone signal.   The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a telephone signal generator coupled between an output of the telephone signal processor and the connector and configured to generate the simulated telephone activity.   The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising an earphone connected to an output of the audio signal detector.   The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a microphone connected to an input of the audio signal generator.   The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a server configured to generate the first message in response to a telephone call received from the mobile telephone over the wireless communication network.   The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said telephone signal processor is a pass-through module. The audio signal processor comprises:
Means for decrypting the first message;
The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: means for encrypting the second message.   The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising means for authenticating a user of the mobile phone.   The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a mobile phone identifier configured to receive the second message over an uplink radio signal of the wireless communication network.   13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the mobile phone identifier authorizes a commerce initiated from the mobile phone.

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