Mobile communication device with interrogator to interact with tags
View Patent ↗A mobile communication device interrogates a tag on nearby communication-type equipment and in cooperation with a remote server causes a communication to be forwarded to the equipment. The mobile communication device may also interrogate a nearby tag and receive information from a remote server concerning a nearby object or activity.
1. A mobile communication device comprising:
a controller;
user inputs connected to said controller; and
an interrogator connected to said controller for reading information from a local tag relating to a nearby piece of equipment, wherein the read information is transmitted to a remote service and wherein in response to the read information relating to the nearby niece of equipment being received by the remote service and in response to receiving a user input, a communication accessible at said mobile communication device is routed to the nearby piece of equipment.
2. The device of claim 1 , wherein said interrogator is a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag scanner.
3. The device of claim 1 , wherein said mobile communication device is a cellular telephone.
4. The device of claim 3 , wherein said interrogator is activated to read information from a local tag when a user presses a button on said cellular telephone.
5. A method of transferring a communication from a mobile communication device to a fixed communication device comprising:
receiving a communication at the mobile communication device from a remote service;
activating an interrogator of the mobile communication device;
reading a code from a tag in the local environment;
transmitting the code to the remote service; and
based on the code received at the remote service, transferring the communication from the remote service to the fixed communication device.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein said activating step includes pressing a button on the mobile communication device.
7. The method of claim 5 , wherein said step of reading a tag includes receiving a radio frequency identification (RFID) from an RFID tag.
8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the remote service is a service provider of cellular telephone services.
9. The method of claim 5 , wherein the remote service is a server of a business and the fixed communication device is a printer or land line phone of the business.
10. The method of claim 5 including sending at least one selectable option to the mobile communication device based on the code received at the remote service and wherein transferring the communication comprises transferring the communication in response to a selection of the selectable option.
11. A mobile communication device comprising:
a controller;
user inputs connected to said controller; and
an interrogator connected to said controller for reading information from a local tag relating to a nearby niece of equipment, wherein the read information is transmitted to a remote service and wherein in response to receiving a user input, a communication accessible at said mobile communication device is routed to the nearby piece of equipment;
wherein the communication is an ongoing telephone conversation.
12. A mobile communication device comprising:
a controller;
user inputs connected to said controller; and
an interrogator connected to said controller for reading information from a local tag relating to a nearby niece of equipment, wherein the read information is transmitted to a remote service and wherein in response to receiving a user input, a communication accessible at said mobile communication device is routed to the nearby piece of equipment;
wherein the communication is a text message.
13. A mobile communication device comprising:
a controller;
user inputs connected to said controller; and
an interrogator connected to said controller for reading information from a local tag identifying a piece of equipment associated with the local tag, wherein the controller causes the read information to be transmitted to a remote service, and wherein the remote service transfers a communication accessible at said mobile terminal to the piece of equipment associated with the local tag based on the tag information.
14. The device of claim 13 , wherein said interrogator is a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag scanner.
15. The device of claim 13 , wherein said mobile communication device is a cellular telephone.
16. The device of claim 13 wherein the piece of equipment is a telephone.
17. The device of claim 13 wherein the piece of equipment is a printer.
18. A method of transferring a communication from a mobile communication device to a fixed communication device comprising:
providing a fixed communication device;
providing a tag storing a code and being associated with the fixed communication device;
receiving a communication at the mobile communication device from a remote service;
activating an interrogator of the mobile communication device to read the code from the tag;
transmitting the code to the remote service; and
based on the code received at the remote service, transferring the communication from the remote service to the fixed communication device associated with the tag having the code.
19. The method of claim 18 wherein said received communication comprises a telephone call and said fixed communication device comprises a telephone.
20. The method of claim 18 including requiring a user input at the mobile communication device after transmitting the code to the remote service and before transferring the communication from the remote service to the fixed communication device.