Mobile device self-identification system

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a microphone of a mobile device, an oral statement of a user-specified query and a corresponding user-specified response phrase, wherein the user-specified response phrase includes a user name that assists the user in identifying the mobile device:

initiating a first operating mode at the mobile device, the first operating mode comprising a low power mode;

detecting, using the microphone of the mobile device, an ambient sound signal while the mobile device is in the first operating mode;

initiating a second operating mode at the mobile device in response to detecting that the ambient sound signal includes a trigger event, the second operating mode comprising an interactive mode;

determining, at the mobile device, that the ambient sound signal corresponds to the oral statement of the user-specified query; and

emitting the user-specified response phrase corresponding to the user-specified query from an audio speaker of the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the trigger event comprises detecting that the ambient sound signal includes the user-specified query.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first operating mode is a sleep mode.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first operating mode is one of a silent mode and a vibrate mode.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining that a source of the ambient sound signal is an authorized user of the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the steps of initiating the second operating mode and emitting the user-specified response phrase are performed only after determining that the source of the ambient sound signal is an authorized user of the mobile device.

7. A mobile device comprising:

a microphone;

an audio speaker;

one or more processors; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor among the one or more processors, causes the mobile device to perform operations comprising:

receiving first user input defining a user-specified query, wherein the first user input comprises an oral statement of the user-specified query detected by the microphone;

receiving second user input defining a user-specified response phrase corresponding to the user-specified query, wherein the second user input comprises an oral statement of the user-specified response phrase detected by the microphone, and wherein the user-specified response phrase includes a user name that assists the user in identifying the mobile device;

storing the user-specified query together with the corresponding user-specified response phrase;

initiating a first operating mode comprising a low power mode of the mobile device;

detecting by the microphone an ambient sound signal while the mobile device is in the first operating mode;

initiating a second operating mode in response to detecting that the ambient sound signal includes a trigger event, the second operating mode comprising an interactive mode of the mobile device;

determining that the ambient sound signal corresponds to the oral statement of the user-specified query; and

emitting the user-specified response phrase corresponding to the user-specified query from the audio speaker.

8. The mobile device of claim 7 , wherein the trigger event comprises detecting that the ambient sound signal includes the user-specified query.

9. The mobile device of claim 7 , wherein the first operating mode is a sleep mode.

10. The mobile device of claim 7 , wherein the first operating mode is one of a silent mode and a vibrate mode.

11. The mobile device of claim 7 , wherein the instructions cause the mobile device to perform operations further comprising: determining that a source of the ambient sound signal is an authorized user of the mobile device.

12. The mobile device of claim 11 , wherein the operations of initiating the second operating mode and emitting the user-specified response phrase are performed only after determining that the source of the ambient sound signal is an authorized user of the mobile device.

13. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having embodied thereon instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a mobile device, cause the mobile device to perform operations comprising:

receiving user input defining a user-specified query, wherein the user input comprises an oral statement of the user-specified query that is received by a microphone of the mobile device;

receiving a request to associate a user-specified response phrase with the user-specified query, wherein the request comprises an oral statement of the user-specified response phrase that is received by the microphone of the mobile device, and wherein the user-specified response phrase includes a user name that assists the user in identifying the mobile device;

storing the user-specified query together with the associated user-specified response phrase;

initiating a first operating mode at the mobile device, the first operating mode comprising a low power mode;

detecting, using the microphone of the mobile device, an ambient sound signal while the mobile device is in the first operating mode;

determining that a source of the ambient sound signal is an authorized user of the mobile device;

in response to determining that the source of the ambient sound signal is an authorized user of the mobile device:

initiating a second operating mode at the mobile device, the second operating mode comprising an interactive mode;

determining, at the mobile device, that the ambient sound signal corresponds to the oral statement of the user-specified query; and

emitting the user-specified response phrase associated with the user-specified query from an audio speaker of the mobile device.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the first operating mode is a sleep mode.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the first operating mode is a silent mode.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the first operating mode is a vibrate mode.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user-specified query and the corresponding user-specified response phrase are stored locally on the mobile device.

18. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving at the mobile device user input defining a second oral query, wherein the second oral query comprises at least one of a query regarding a current time of day, a query regarding current weather conditions, or a query regarding upcoming appointments; and

emitting an answer to the second oral query from the audio speaker of the mobile device.

19. The mobile device of claim 7 , wherein the instructions cause the mobile device to perform operations further comprising:

receiving third user input defining an oral query, wherein the oral query comprises at least one of a query regarding a current time of day, a query regarding current weather conditions, or a query regarding upcoming appointments; and

emitting an answer to the oral query from the audio speaker.

20. A method comprising:

receiving, at a microphone of a mobile device, an oral statement of a user-specified query and a corresponding user-specified response phrase, wherein the user-specified response phrase includes a user name that assists the user in identifying the mobile device;

initiating a first operating mode at the mobile device, the first operating mode comprising a low power mode;

detecting, using the microphone of the mobile device, an ambient sound signal while the mobile device is in the first operating mode;

initiating a second operating mode at the mobile device in response to detecting that-the ambient sound signal includes a trigger event, the second operating mode comprising an interactive mode;

determining, at the mobile device, that the ambient sound signal corresponds to the oral statement of the user-specified query;

emitting the user-specified response phrase corresponding to the user-specified query from an audio speaker of the mobile device;

receiving at the mobile device user input defining a second user-specified oral query comprising at least one of a query regarding a current time of day, a query regarding current weather conditions, or a query regarding upcoming appointments; and

emitting an answer to the second user-specified oral query from the audio speaker of the mobile device.