Mobile phone manufacturers are continually creating new technologies in one of the most innovative industries in history.

Some of the inventions result in patents and it is very interesting to see just what the engineers at the likes of Nokia have been working on behind closed doors.

Making Music

A patent awarded to Magix discusses a method for multiple mobile phone users to collaborate and make music together in a kind of virtual orchestra.

There is provided herein a system and method for generating music on multiple cell phones or other mobile computing devices, wherein two or more users (to include a user and a computer) acting together may create a joint musical work. The instant methods enable multiple users to create music in a synchronized fashion by using their cell phones or other portable electronic devices as musical instruments. The instant invention has been made possible because of the enhanced processor power within mobile electronic devices and has the potential to create added value in such devices by assisting users in exploiting multimedia features of their cell phones.

Music phone patent

Optical controls

Nokia has been granted a patent for controlling an electronic device using an optical interface in much the same way that an optical computer mouse works. The patent discusses how the optical interface scans and authenticates the users finger before tracking its movement and translating it to a cursor on the screen.

Love detection

Officially called an Apparatus and methods for detecting emotions in the human voice the patent awarded to Liberman involves technology that can detect whether the pretty girl in your office would like to go for a drink after work.

From the abstract:

The apparatus comprises a voice analyzer operative to input speech specimens, comprising an analog to digital converter operative to perform a digitization process of analog audio vocal segments, and a general emotion reporter, operative to produce an indication of any kind for the monitored general emotions. According to preferred embodiment of the present invention, the speech specimens are provided over the telephone to the voice analyzer and the report of the subject’s emotional state includes a “love detection” report based on the individual’s sub-conscious emotional state.

Gambling by mobile phone

Applied for by Nokia patent 7,163,459 discusses a method for playing a scratch card style lottery over a mobile phone network. The user would be able to request a ticket and then perform some kind of interaction to reveal a hidden win or lose message transmitted from a central database.

The user is notified of win or loss (or the value “underneath” the scratch-off block in near real time. The wireless station transmits minimal amounts of data, typically a lottery ticket identifier and description of the users actions to the betting service provider and receives a value to display from the betting service provider.

Business card scanning

How many times have you been to a trade show and come home with hundreds of business cards with no time to enter them into your address book? Samsung have applied for a patent to cover a mobile phone that can take a picture of a business card and store a digital version in a special directory with full search and phone book features. No doubt the contact details could then be synchronised with Outlook and other such programs.

Control your PC remotely

Toshiba have applied for an interesting patent involving a mobile phone that can operate a remote device such as a PC using an internet connection. The diagram shows how the phone would transmit cursor movements over a central server which would then transmit to the PC.
Mobile phone control