SYSTEM, METHOD AND MOBILE DEVICE FOR MANAGEMENT OF WIRELESS CONNECTIONS

• US 20080113665A1
• Filed: 01/23/2007
• Published: 05/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: FOMITCHEV, Mikhail V., LA, Giang Manh, PAAS, Julian, SCOTT, Sherryl Lee Lorraine, STEELE, Joel, SOMANI, Zaheen
• Granted Patent: US 8,483,764 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/426.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/06 including a wireless LAN interface

Abstract

Embodiments relate generally to mobile devices comprising a processor, a display responsive to the processor, a plurality of wireless communication subsystems responsive to the processor and a memory. The memory stores program code executable by the processor for executing a connection manager application. The connection manager application is configured to monitor and control a wireless connection status of each of the plurality of wireless communication subsystems. The wireless connection status may be one of “off”, “on but not connected” and “on and connected”.

Claims

1. A method of managing wireless connections supported by a mobile device, comprising:

providing a user-selectable icon on a display of the mobile device;

receiving selection input in relation to the icon; and

executing a connections manager application in response to the selection input, the connections manager application being configured to monitor and control a wireless connection status of each of a plurality of wireless communication subsystems of the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the executing comprises displaying a connections manager application window on the display.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a visual indication of a wireless connection status of each of a plurality of wireless connection types.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising determining a wireless connection status of each of the plurality of wireless connection types, wherein the wireless connection status is one of “

off”

, “

on but not connected” and

“

on and connected”

.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising displaying in an application window on the display a description of each wireless connection type and a symbolic indication of the wireless connection status of each wireless connection type, each symbolic indication being visually associated with the corresponding description of the wireless communication type on the display.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the symbolic indication comprises a color indication.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the color indication is one of:

a first color corresponding to the “

off”

connection status, a second color corresponding to the “

on but not connected”

connection status and a third color corresponding to the “

on and connected”

connection status.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first color is red, the second color is yellow and the third color is green.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the symbolic indication comprises a symbol graphically overlaid on the color indication.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the symbol is one of:

negative symbol for the “

off”

connection status, a neutral symbol for the “

on but not connected”

connection status and a positive symbol for the “

on and connected”

connection status.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the negative symbol is a cross, the neutral symbol is a dash and the positive symbol is a check mark.

12. The method of claim 3, further comprising establishing a monitoring process on the mobile device for each wireless connection type to determine the occurrence of a change in connection status of the respective wireless connection type;

and for each wireless connection type, repeating the displaying of the visual indication in response to determination that a change in connection status has occurred.

13. The method of claim 3, wherein each wireless connection type is a different one of the group consisting of:

a cellular connection, a wireless local area network connection, a wireless device connection and a global positioning system connection.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the icon is a connections manager application icon displayed in a main application icon list on a home screen of the mobile device.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the icon is a wireless connection-related icon displayed on a home screen of the mobile device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the wireless connection-related icon is displayed in a banner area of the home screen.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the wireless connection-related icon is one of a plurality of different wireless connection-related icons displayed in the banner area.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the mobile device comprises a two-dimensional scrolling component and the wireless connection-related icon is accessed using the two-dimensional scrolling component.

19. The method of claim 2, further comprising displaying in the connection manager application window a user-selectable master switching option;

and

changing the wireless connection status of at least one of the wireless communication subsystems in response to selection of the master switching option.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the master switching option is one of a plurality of master switching options, and wherein the master switching option displayed in the connections manager application window depends on the wireless connection status of each of the wireless communication subsystems.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein if at least one of the wireless communication subsystems is on, the displayed master switching option is a “

turn all connections off”

option.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein, when the “

turn all connections off”

option is selected, the method further comprises;

storing connection information associated with each wireless communication subsystem that is on and connected; and

turning off each wireless communication subsystem that was on prior to selection of the “

turn all connections off”

option.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising displaying a “

restore connections”

option as the master switching option in response to the turning off.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein, when the “

restore connections”

option is selected, the method further comprises;

accessing the stored connection information; and

turning on each wireless communication subsystem for which connection information was stored and attempting to establish a connection with an external system based on the connection information.

25. The method of claim 5, further comprising, for each wireless connection type, displaying a user-selectable connection type switching option;

and changing the wireless connection status of the wireless communication subsystem corresponding to the wireless connection type in response to selection of the respective connection type switching option.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein each connection type switching option comprises a toggling icon.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein each connection type switching option comprises a toggling description of the connection type switching option.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the connection type switching option, the description and the symbolic indication for all wireless connection types are displayed together in a portion of the connections manager application window.

29. The method of claim 19, wherein the master switching option is displayed at a top portion of the connections manager application window.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the top portion comprises a symbolic indication corresponding to the displayed master switching option.

31. A mobile device comprising:

a processor;

a display responsive to the processor and comprising a user-selectable icon;

a plurality of wireless communication subsystems responsive to the processor; and

a memory storing program code executable by the processor for executing a connection manager application in response to selection of the icon, wherein the connection manager application is configured to monitor and control a wireless connection status of each of the plurality of wireless communication subsystems.

32. The mobile device of claim 31, wherein the wireless connection status is one of “

off”

, “

on but not connected” and

“

on and connected”

.

33. The mobile device of claim 31, wherein the memory further comprises program code executable by the processor for executing a user interface module, and wherein the connection manager application, when executed by the processor, is configured to cooperate with the user interface module to cause the display to display in an application window a description of a wireless connection type of each wireless communication subsystem and a symbolic indication of the wireless connection status of each wireless communication subsystem, each symbolic indication being visually associated with the corresponding description of the wireless communication type on the display.

34. The device of claim 33, wherein the symbolic indication comprises a color indication.

35. The device of claim 34, wherein the color indication is one of:

a first color corresponding to the “

off”

connection status, a second color corresponding to the “

on but not connected”

connection status and a third color corresponding to the “

on and connected”

connection status.

36. The device of claim 35, wherein the first color is red, the second color is yellow and the third color is green.

37. The device of claim 34, wherein the symbolic indication comprises a symbol graphically overlaid on the color indication.

38. The device of claim 37, wherein the symbol is one of:

a negative symbol for the “

off”

connection status, a neutral symbol for the “

on but not connected”

connection status and a positive symbol for the “

on and connected”

connection status.

39. The device of claim 38, wherein the negative symbol is a cross, the neutral symbol is a dash and the positive symbol is a check mark.

40. The device of claim 33, wherein each wireless connection type is a different one of the group consisting of:

a cellular connection, a wireless local area network connection, a wireless device connection and a global positioning system connection.

41. The mobile device of claim 31, wherein the icon is a connections manager application icon displayed in a main application icon list on a home screen of the mobile device.

42. The mobile device of claim 31, wherein the icon is a wireless connection-related icon displayed on a home screen of the mobile device.

43. The mobile device of claim 42, wherein the wireless connection-related icon is displayed in a banner area of the home screen.

44. The mobile device of claim 43, wherein the wireless connection-related icon is one of a plurality of different wireless connection-related icons displayed in the banner area.

45. The mobile device of claim 44, wherein the mobile device comprises a two-dimensional scrolling component and the wireless connection-related icon is accessed using the two-dimensional scrolling component.

46. The mobile device of claim 33, wherein the connection manager application is further configured to cooperate with the user interface module to display in the application window a user-selectable master switching option, and wherein the connection manager application is further configured to change the wireless connection status of at least one of the wireless communication subsystems in response to selection of the master switching option.

47. The mobile device of claim 46, wherein the master switching option is one of a plurality of master switching options, and wherein the master switching option displayed in the connections manager application window depends on the wireless connection status of each of the wireless communication subsystems.

48. The mobile device of claim 47, wherein if at least one of the wireless communication subsystems is on, the displayed master switching option is a “

turn all connections off”

option.

49. The mobile device of claim 48, wherein, in response to selection of the “

turn all connections off”

option, the connection manager application is further configured to store connection information associated with each wireless communication subsystem that is on and connected and to turn off each wireless communication subsystem that was on prior to selection of the “

turn all connections off”

option.

50. The mobile device of claim 49, wherein the connection manager application is further configured to cooperate with the user interface module to display a “

restore connections”

option as the master switching option in response to all wireless subsystems being turned off.

51. The mobile device of claim 50, wherein, in response to selection of the “

restore connections”

option, the connection manager application is further configured to access the stored connection information, to turn on each wireless communication subsystem for which connection information was stored and to attempt to establish a connection with an external system based on the connection information.

52. The mobile device of claim 33, wherein the connection manager application is further configured to cooperate with the user interface module to display a user selectable connection type switching option for each wireless connection type and to change the wireless connection status of the wireless communication subsystem corresponding to the wireless connection type in response to selection of the respective connection type switching option.

53. The mobile device of claim 52, wherein each connection type switching option comprises a toggling icon.

54. The mobile device of claim 52, wherein each connection type switching option comprises a toggling description of the connection type switching option.

55. The mobile device of claim 52, wherein the connection manager application is further configured to cooperate with the user interface module to display the connection type switching option, the description and the symbolic indication for all wireless connection types together in a portion of the application window.

56. The mobile device of claim 46, wherein the master switching option is displayed at a top portion of the application window.

57. The mobile device of claim 56, wherein the top portion comprises a symbolic indication corresponding to the displayed master switching option.

58. Computer readable storage storing program instructions which, when executed by a processor of a mobile device, cause the processor to perform a method comprising the steps:

providing a user-selectable icon on a display of the mobile device;

receiving a selection input in relation to the icon; and

executing a connections manager application in response to the selection input, the connections manager application being configured to monitor and control a wireless connection status of each of a plurality of wireless communication subsystems of the mobile device.