A transient virtual chatroom is implemented by which unknown drivers can temporarily engage in conversation while driving. The chatrooms are dynamically generated among two or more drivers based on a variety of factors, including the distance between the drivers, the direction in which cars are driving, the roads on which the cars are on, the speed of vehicles, and typical scenarios that indicate a desire for two or more drivers to engage in conversation. Such transient chatrooms can increase safety by enabling drivers to understand other drivers' intentions. For example, drivers can directly tell someone who can go first at a stop sign, which direction the driver is trying to go in, whether there is an emergency (e.g., personal or with their vehicle), whether a driver is changing lanes, notify a user of merging from an on-ramp, etc.

Provided are apparatuses and associated methods for video communications and related features. In one embodiment, a big-screen video communications apparatus is provided that includes a projector and speaker for projecting received images and sounds and includes a camera and microphone for capturing images and sounds for transmission.

Provided are apparatuses and associated methods for video communications and related features. In one embodiment, a big-screen video communications apparatus is provided that includes a projector and speaker for projecting received images and sounds and includes a camera and microphone for capturing images and sounds for transmission.

Systems and methods for an On-Demand Autonomy (ODA) service. The system includes a set of functional modules enabled for ODA service activities disposed in a follower vehicle (Fv) in communication with an ODA server that includes a user request module configured to receive request information from the Fv from the ODA server, and to process and communicate the request information to the schedule module; the schedule module configured to coordinate an arrival time information with the ODA server for pickup of the Fv based on the request information, and communicate the arrival time information to the schedule execution module; the schedule execution module configured to direct the Fv to a pickup point based on the arrival time information, and communicate the pickup point to the indication module; and the indication module configured to provide alerts to vehicles in the vicinity of the pickup of the Fv via the ODA service.

A system and method for providing active golf ball location tracking according to the present invention is a hand-held device having a memory having instructions stored thereon, a display device, and a processor configured to execute the instructions on the memory to cause the hand-held device to establish a connection with a first golf ball among the plurality of golf balls, load a data buffer containing a unique ID into the first golf ball, periodically determine a current position of the first golf ball until the current position begins to change, receive cellular network tower signals associate with the first golf ball, periodically triangulate a moving position of the first golf ball using the cellular network tower signals, when the moving position of the first golf ball stops changing, determine a range and direction of the first golf ball from the hand-held device; and display the range and direction of the first golf ball on the display device.

A system and method for providing active golf ball location tracking according to the present invention is a hand-held device having a memory having instructions stored thereon, a display device, and a processor configured to execute the instructions on the memory to cause the hand-held device to establish a connection with a first golf ball among the plurality of golf balls, load a data buffer containing a unique ID into the first golf ball, periodically determine a current position of the first golf ball until the current position begins to change, receive cellular network tower signals associate with the first golf ball, periodically triangulate a moving position of the first golf ball using the cellular network tower signals, when the moving position of the first golf ball stops changing, determine a range and direction of the first golf ball from the hand-held device; and display the range and direction of the first golf ball on the display device.

A smart sound appliance which has a noise producing device such as a compressor that is controlled by a controller. The controller receives information from a user indicative of whether the user is in a location to receive those sounds. When the user is in the location to receive those sounds, the controller can take an action to reduce those sounds by either turning off the compressor, or reducing the sound of the appliance in some other way.

A technique for processing Bluetooth Mesh packets that comprise erroneous cyclic redundancy check (CRC) values. The disclosed mesh node receives packets, each of which comprising a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) and a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) field. The PDU comprises an AD Data field with multiple octets; the AD Data field itself comprises a Network Identifier (NID) field. After determining the value of the CRC field in a first packet to be invalid, and subject to further checks, the mesh node selects a selected set of one or more NID values, based on the validity of the value of the NID field in the first packet. The mesh node then processes at least some of the multiple octets in the AD Data field in the first packet in accordance with a set of network keys that hash to the one or more NID values in the selected set.

A technique for processing Bluetooth Mesh packets that comprise erroneous cyclic redundancy check (CRC) values. The disclosed mesh node receives packets, each of which comprising a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) and a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) field. The PDU comprises an AD Data field with multiple octets; the AD Data field itself comprises a Network Identifier (NID) field. After determining the value of the CRC field in a first packet to be invalid, and subject to further checks, the mesh node selects a selected set of one or more NID values, based on the validity of the value of the NID field in the first packet. The mesh node then processes at least some of the multiple octets in the AD Data field in the first packet in accordance with a set of network keys that hash to the one or more NID values in the selected set.

A method to provision a node network including provisioning a first generation of nodes by a root node; and provisioning a second generation of nodes by the first generation of nodes. Wherein at least one node from the first generation of nodes or the second generation of nodes is provisioned simultaneously with at least one other node from the first generation of nodes or the second generation of nodes.