METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR USE IN CONTROLLING A SCAN RATE FOR SCANNING OPERATIONS IN A MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICE

• US 20080132296A1
• Filed: 12/05/2006
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Willey, William Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 8,032,547 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/573
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0241 where no transmission is received, e.g. out of range of the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for use in controlling scanning operations or a scan rate based on call appointments or reminders are disclosed. In one illustrative example, one or more processors of a mobile communication device are operative to identify whether a call appointment or reminder for a communication session to be established during a current time period is stored in the memory, and determine a scan rate for scanning operations of the wireless transceiver which varies based on whether the call appointment or reminder for the communication session to be established is identified. If the call appointment or reminder for the communication session to be established is identified, then the scan rate may be determined to be a first scan rate; otherwise the scan rate may be determined to be a second scan rate that is less than the first rate. The scan rate may further be determined to vary based on a duration of time over which repeated scanning operations fail to identify a suitable wireless communication network; for communication (e.g. as the duration of time increases, the scan rate decreases). Thus, scanning operations and/or the scan rate is preferably determined based on different items which include any stored upcoming appointments requiring wireless service, previous call attempts or call reminders, as well as the time period over which scanning has been unsuccessful. In a simpler embodiment, a scanning operation is triggered based on identifying an imminent appointment or reminder regardless of the existing scan rate which is otherwise left unchanged. Advantageously, scanning procedures are performed so as to reduce power consumption in the mobile communication device without compromising calling ability.

Claims

1. A method for use in controlling scanning operations in a mobile communication device, the method comprising the acts of:

identifying whether a call appointment or reminder for a communication session to be established during a current time period is stored in memory; and

determining a scan rate for the scanning operations which varies based on whether the call appointment or reminder for the communication session to be established during the current time period is identified.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of determining the scan rate comprises the further acts of:

determining a scan delay value that varies based on whether the call appointment or reminder for the communication session to be established during the current time period is identified; and

each time the scanning operation fails to identify a suitable wireless communication network for communication;

setting a scan delay timer with the scan delay value, running the scan delay timer, and repeating the act of performing the scanning operation upon expiration of the scan delay timer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of determining the scan rate comprises the further acts of:

if the call appointment or reminder for the communication session to be established during the current time period is identified;

determining that the scan rate is a first scan rate; and

if no call appointment or reminder for the communication session to be established during the current time period is identified;

determining that the scan rate is a second scan rate that is less than the first scan rate.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein die act of determining comprises the further acts of:

determining a scan delay value that varies based on whether the call appointment or reminder for the communication session to be established during the current time period is identified, by;

if the call appointment or reminder for the communication session to be established during the current time period is identified;

determining that the scan delay value is a first scan delay value;

if no call appointment or reminder for the communication session to be established during the current time period is identified;

determining that the scan delay value is a second scan delay value that is greater than the first scan delay value; and

each time the scanning operation fails to identify a suitable wireless communication network for communication;

setting a scan delay timer with the scan delay value, running the scan delay timer, and repeating the act of performing the scanning operation upon expiration of the scan delay timer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of determining the scan rate comprises the further act of determining a scan rate that further varies based on a number of call appointments or reminders for voice calls to be established during the current time period.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of determining the scan rate comprises the further act of determining a scan rate that varies based on a predefined relationship with a number of call appointments or reminders for voice calls to be established during the current time period, the predefined relationship being such that, as the number of call appointments or reminders increases, the scan rate increases.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of determining the scan rate comprises the further act of:

determining a scan rate that further varies based on a duration of time over which repeated scanning operations fail to identify a suitable wireless communication network for communication.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of determining the scan rate comprises the further act of determining a scan rate that varies based on a predefined relationship with a duration of time over which repeated scanning operations fail to identify a suitable wireless communication network for communication, the predefined relationship being such that, as the duration of time increases, the scan rate decreases.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of identifying whether a call appointment or reminder is stored in memory comprises the further act of identifying whether a call appointment is stored in memory, and wherein the call appointment is established by:

receiving and storing calendar information for the calendar appointment in a calendar application of the mobile communication device, the calendar information being associated with a date and time of the calendar appointment.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of identifying whether a call appointment or reminder is stored in memory comprises the further act of identifying whether a call reminder is stored in memory, and wherein the call reminder is established by:

receiving a voice call request through a user interface of the mobile communication device;

in response to receiving the voice call request when an out-of-coverage condition between the mobile communication device and a wireless communication network is identified by the mobile communication device;

causing a call reminder setup prompt for the voice call request to be displayed in the visual display; and

storing the call reminder for the voice call request in response to receiving an acceptance of the call reminder setup prompt through the user interface.

11. The method of claim 1, which is embodied in a computer program product which includes a computer readable medium and computer instructions stored in the computer readable medium which are executable to perform the method.

12. A mobile communication device, comprising:

one or more processors;

memory accessible by the one or more processors;

a wireless transceiver coupled to the one or more processors;

the one or more processors being operative to;

identify whether a call appointment or reminder for a communication session to be established during a current time period is stored in the memory; and

determine a scan rate for scanning operations of the wireless transceiver which varies based on whether the call appointment or reminder for the communication session to be established during the current time period is identified.

13. The mobile communication device of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are operative to determine the scan rate by:

determining a scan delay value that varies based on whether the call appointment or reminder for the communication session to be established during the current time period is identified; and

each time the scanning operation fails to identify a suitable wireless communication network for communication;

setting a scan delay timer with the scan delay value, running the scan delay timer, and repeating the act of performing the scanning operation upon expiration of the scan delay timer.

14. The mobile communication device of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are operative to determine the scan rate by:

if the call appointment or reminder for the communication session to be established during the current time period is identified;

determining that the scan rate is a first scan rate; and

if no call appointment or reminder for the communication session to be established during the current time period is identified;

determining that the scan rate is a second scan rate that is less than the first scan rate.

15. The mobile communication device of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are operative to determine the scan rate by:

determining a scan delay value that varies based on whether the call appointment or reminder for the communication session to be established during the current time period is identified, by;

if the call appointment or reminder for the communication session to be established during the current time period is identified;

determining that the scan delay value is a first scan delay value;

if no call appointment or reminder for the communication session to be established during the current time period is identified;

determining that the scan delay value is a second scan delay value that is greater than the first scan delay value; and

each time the scanning operation fails to identify a suitable wireless communication network for communication;

setting a scan delay timer with the scan delay value, running the scan delay timer, and repeating the act of performing the scanning operation upon expiration of the scan delay timer.

16. The mobile communication device of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are operative to determine the scan rate by determining a scan rate that further varies based on a number of call appointments or reminders for voice calls to be established during the current time period.

17. The mobile communication device of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are operative to determine the scan rate by determining a scan rate that varies based on a predefined relationship with a number of call appointments or reminders for voice calls to be established during the current time period, the predefined relationship being such that, as the number of call appointments or reminders increases, the scan rate increases.

18. The mobile communication device of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are operative to determine the scan rate by determining a scan rate that further varies based on a duration of time over which repeated scanning operations fail to identify a suitable wireless communication network for communication.

19. The mobile communication device of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are operative to determine the scan rate by determining a scan rate that varies based on a predefined relationship with a duration of time over which repeated scanning operations fail to identify a suitable wireless communication network for communication, the predefined relationship being such that, as the duration of time increases, the scan rate decreases.

20. The mobile communication device of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are operative to identify whether a call appointment or reminder is stored in memory by identifying whether a call appointment is stored in memory, and wherein the call, appointment is established by:

receiving and storing calendar information for the calendar appointment in a calendar application of the mobile communication device, the calendar information being associated with a date and time of the calendar appointment.

21. The mobile communication device of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are operative to identify whether a call appointment or reminder is stored in memory by identifying whether a call reminder is stored in memory, and wherein the call reminder is established by:

receiving a voice call request through a user interface of the mobile communication device;

in response to receiving the voice call request when an out-of-coverage condition between the mobile communication device and a wireless communication network is identified by the mobile communication device;

causing a call reminder setup prompt for the voice call request to be displayed in the visual display; and

storing the call reminder for the communication session request in response to receiving an acceptance of the call reminder setup prompt through the user interface.

22. A communication system, comprising:

one or more wireless communication networks;

a mobile communication device operative in the one or more wireless communication networks;

the mobile communication device including;

one or more processors;

memory accessible by the one or more processors;

a wireless transceiver coupled to the one or more processors;

the one or more processors being operative to;

identify whether a call appointment or reminder for a communication session to be established during a current time period is stored in the memory; and

determine a scan rate for scanning operations of the wireless transceiver which varies based on whether the call appointment or reminder for the communication session to be established during the current time period is identified.

23. The communication system of claim 22, wherein the one or more processors of the mobile communication device are operative to determine the scan rate by:

determining a scan delay value that, varies based on whether the call appointment or reminder for the communication session to be established during the current time period is identified; and

each time the scanning operation fails to identify a suitable wireless communication network for communication;

setting a scan delay timer with the scan delay value, running the scan delay timer, and repeating the act of performing the scanning operation upon expiration of the scan delay timer.

24. The communication system of claim 22, wherein the one or more processors of the mobile communication device are operative to determine the scan rate by:

if the call appointment or reminder for the communication session to be established during the current time period is identified;

determining that the scan rate is a first scan rate; and

if no call appointment or reminder for the communication session to be established during the current time period is identified;

determining that the scan rate is a second scan rate that is less than the first scan rate.

25. The communication system of claim 22, wherein the one or more processors of the mobile communication device are operative to determine the scan rate by:

determining a scan delay value that varies based on whether the call appointment or reminder for the communication session to be established during the current time period is identified, by;

if the call appointment or reminder for the communication session to be established during the current time period is identified;

determining that the scan delay value is a first scan delay value;

if no call appointment or reminder for the communication session to be established during the current time period is identified;

determining that the scan delay value is a second scan delay value that is greater than the first scan delay value; and

each time the scanning operation fails to identify a suitable wireless communication network for communication;

setting a scan delay timer with the scan delay value, running the scan delay timer, and repeating the act of performing the scanning operation upon expiration of the scan delay timer.

26. The communication system of claim 22, wherein the one or more processors of the mobile communication device are operative to determine the scan rate by determining a scan rate that further varies based on a number of call appointments or reminders for voice calls to be established during the current time period.

27. The communication system of claim 22, wherein the one or more processors of the mobile communication device are operative to determine the scan rate by determining a scan rate that varies based on a predefined relationship with a number of call appointments or reminders for voice calls to be established during the current time period, the predefined relationship being such that, as the number of call appointments or reminders increases, the scan rate increases.

28. The communication system of claim 22, wherein the one or more processors of the mobile communication device are operative to determine the scan rate by determining a scan rate that further varies based on a duration of time over which repeated scanning operations fail to identify a suitable wireless communication network for communication.

29. The communication system of claim 22, wherein the one or more processors of the mobile communication device are operative to determine the scan rate by determining a scan rate that varies based on a predefined relationship with a duration of time over which repeated scanning operations fail to identify a suitable wireless communication network for communication, the predefined relationship being such that, as the duration of time increases, the scan rate decreases.

30. The communication system of claim 22, wherein the one or more processors of the mobile communication device are operative to identify whether a call appointment or reminder is stored in memory by identifying whether a call appointment is stored in memory, and wherein the call appointment is established by:

receiving and storing calendar information for the calendar appointment in a calendar application of the mobile communication device, the calendar information being associated with a date and time of the calendar appointment.

31. The communication system of claim 22, wherein the one or more processors of the mobile communication device are operative to identify whether a call appointment or reminder is stored in memory by identifying whether a call reminder is stored in memory, and wherein the call reminder is established by:

receiving a voice call request through a user interface of the mobile communication device;

in response to receiving the voice call request when an out-of-coverage condition between the mobile communication device and a wireless communication network is identified by the mobile communication device;

causing a call reminder setup prompt for the voice call request to be displayed in the visual display; and

storing the call reminder for the voice call request in response to receiving an acceptance of the call reminder setup prompt through the user interface.

32. A method for use in controlling scanning operations in a mobile communication device, the method comprising the acts of:

identifying whether a call appointment or reminder for a communication session to be established during a current time period is stored in memory; and

causing a scanning operation to be performed in response to identifying the call appointment or reminder for the communication session to be established during the current time period.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the act of identifying whether a call appointment or reminder is stored in memory comprises the further act of identifying whether a call appointment is stored in memory, and wherein the call appointment is established by:

receiving and storing calendar information for the calendar appointment in a calendar application of the mobile communication device, the calendar information being associated with a date and time of the calendar appointment.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the act of identifying whether a call appointment or reminder is stored in memory comprises the further act of identifying whether a call reminder is stored in memory, and wherein the call reminder is established by:

receiving a voice call request through a user interface of the mobile communication device;

in response to receiving the voice call request when an out-of-coverage condition between the mobile communication device and a wireless communication network is identified by the mobile communication device;

causing a call reminder setup prompt for the voice call request to be displayed in the visual display; and

storing the call reminder for the voice call request in response to receiving an acceptance of the call reminder setup prompt through the user interface.

35. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

determining a scan rate for scanning operations of the mobile station based on a predefined relationship with a duration of time over which repeated scanning operations tail to identify a suitable wireless communication network for communication, the predefined relationship being such that, as the duration of time increases, the scan rate decreases.

36. The method of claim 32, which is embodied in a computer program product which includes a computer readable medium and computer instructions stored in the computer readable medium which are executable to perform the method.