Dropped call warning and prevention methods

• US 10,033,847 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2014
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Osman, Steven, Suba Miura, Victor Octav
• Primary Examiner(s): Bataille, Frantz
• Application Number:
  US14/170,423
• Publication Number:
  US 20150094054A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,635 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72516 with means for out-of-range alerting
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/32 by location or mobility data, e.g. speed data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/00 Connection management

Abstract

The disclosure provides methods and systems for warning users of mobile terminals during active phone calls or active data transfer that they approach certain geographical areas known as areas where active phone calls or active data transfer may be interrupted. In one embodiment, a method includes obtaining, by a processor, location information associated with a mobile terminal, determining, by the processor, that the mobile terminal approaches a particular geographical area, the particular geographical area being associated with previous dropped calls based at least in part on historical data, and, based on the determination, sending, by the processor, a warning signal to the mobile terminal for informing a user of the mobile terminal that the mobile terminal is about to enter the particular geographical area.

Claims

1. A method for a dropped call warning, the method comprising:

obtaining, by a processor;

location information associated with a mobile terminal, or

model and make information of the mobile terminal;

determining, by the processor, that the mobile terminal approaches a particular geographical area, the particular geographical area being associated with previous dropped calls, the particular geographical area being further associated with a degradation of signal;

anticipating, by the processor;

a distance between a current location of the mobile terminal and the particular geographical area, or

a time period before the mobile terminal enters the particular geographical area;

based on the determination and the anticipation, sending, by the processor, a warning signal to the mobile terminal indicating that the mobile terminal is about to enter the particular geographical area and that the particular geographical area is associated with the previous dropped calls and the degradation of the signal, the warning signal triggering at least one of an audio indicator and a visual indicator, the warning signal sent to the mobile terminal when;

the distance is smaller than a threshold distance value associated with the model and make information of the mobile terminal, or

the time period is smaller than a threshold time value associated with the model and make information of the mobile terminal; and

performing, by the processor, a transfer of data needed for the particular geographical area, the transfer of data associated with a navigation service provided by the mobile terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising anticipating, by the processor, a distance between the current location of the mobile terminal and the particular geographical area, wherein the warning signal is sent to the mobile terminal when the distance is smaller than the threshold distance value.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising anticipating, by the processor, the time period before the mobile terminal enters the particular geographical area, wherein the warning signal is sent to the mobile terminal when the time period is smaller than the threshold time value.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the warning signal includes an audio message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the warning signal includes a displayable message.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending, by the processor, the warning signal to at least one third party mobile terminal engaged in a call.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular geographical area is associated with an area not being served by a communications network associated with the mobile terminal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the data includes aggregated data from multiple sources associated with further users of a communications network associated with the mobile terminal, the further users associated with dropped calls within the particular geographical area.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising facilitating, by the processor, a handoff procedure to another communications network in response to the determination that the mobile terminal approaches the particular geographical area associated with the previous dropped calls.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the processor, that the mobile terminal is within the particular geographical area and a connection with a communications network associated with the mobile terminal is lost;

recording, by the processor, speech of a user while the mobile terminal is within the particular geographical area;

determining, by the processor, that the mobile terminal is outside the particular geographical area and the connection with the communications network is restored; and

sending, by the processor, the speech of the user recorded to at least one third party mobile terminal engaged in the call.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating, by the processor, the data if a call is dropped within the particular geographical area.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the communications network includes a cellular network.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the communications network includes a wireless local area network based on one or more IEEE 802.11 standards.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor is associated with the mobile terminal.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor is associated with communications network infrastructure not associated with the mobile terminal.

16. A phone call drop prevention method, the method comprising:

obtaining, by a processor;

location information of a mobile terminal, or

model and make information of the mobile terminal;

determining, by the processor, that the mobile terminal approaches a particular geographical area not served by a first communications network, the particular geographical area being further associated with a degradation of signal;

anticipating, by the processor;

a distance between a current location of the mobile terminal and the particular geographical area, or

a time period before the mobile terminal enters the particular geographical area;

based on the determination and the anticipation, sending, by the processor, a warning signal to the mobile terminal indicating that the mobile terminal is about to enter the particular geographical area not served by the first communications network, the warning signal triggering at least one of an audio indicator and a visual indicator, the warning signal sent to the mobile terminal when;

the distance is smaller than a threshold distance value associated with the model and make information of the mobile terminal, or

the time period is smaller than a threshold time value associated with model and make information of the mobile terminal;

based on the determination and the anticipation, facilitating, by the processor, a handoff procedure of the mobile terminal from the first communications network to a second communications network; and

performing, by the processor, a transfer of data needed for that particular geographical area, the transfer of data associated with a navigation service provided by the mobile terminal.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first communication network is based on a first communication standard, the second communication network is based on a second communication standard, and the first communication standard differs from the second communication standard.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a processor to perform a call drop prevention method, the method comprising:

obtaining, by a processor;

location information of a mobile terminal, or

model and make information of the mobile terminal;

anticipating, by the processor;

a distance between a current location of the mobile terminal and a particular geographical area, or

a time period before the mobile terminal enters the particular geographical area;

determining, by the processor, that the particular geographical area is associated with historical data associated with dropped calls, the particular geographical area being further associated with a degradation of signal;

based on the determination and the anticipation, sending, by the processor, a warning signal to the mobile terminal indicating that the mobile terminal is about to enter the particular geographical area and that the particular geographical area is associated with previous dropped calls and a degradation of signal, the warning signal triggering at least one of an audio indicator and a visual indicator, the warning signal sent to the mobile terminal when;

the distance is smaller than a threshold distance value associated with the model and make information of the mobile terminal, or

the time period is smaller than a threshold time value associated with the model and make information of the mobile terminal;

based on the determination and the anticipation, facilitating, by the processor, a handoff procedure of the mobile terminal from a first communications network to a second communications network; and

based on the determination and the anticipation, performing, by the processor, a transfer of data needed for that particular geographical area, the transfer of data associated with a navigation service provided by the mobile terminal.