SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PERFORMING AN ABBREVIATED POWER-UP SEQUENCE ON A WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE

• US 20100004035A1
• Filed: 10/24/2008
• Published: 01/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ray, Amar Nath, Morrill, Robert J., Coppage, Carl M., Greene, Lynn T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,521,121 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/572
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0296 switching to a backup power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A system and method for powering-up a wireless communications device may include (i) powering-up the wireless communications device using a standard power-up sequence in response to a request for a standard power-up sequence by a user, and (ii) powering-up the wireless communications device using an abbreviated power-up sequence in response to a request for an emergency message to be communicated by the user.

Claims

1. A wireless communications device, comprising:

electronics components;

a power-on button;

an emergency message button;

a standard power-up sequence module that, in response to a user activating a power-on button while the wireless communications device is in a power-off mode, causes the wireless communications device to perform a standard power-up sequence to turn on said electronics components; and

an abbreviated power-up sequence module that, in response to the user activating an emergency message button while the wireless communications device is in a power-off mode, causes the wireless communications device to perform an abbreviated power-up sequence to turn on at least a portion of said electronics components.

2. The wireless communications device according to claim 1, wherein said abbreviated power-up sequence module turns on electronic components of the wireless communications device faster than said standard power-up sequence module.

3. The wireless communications device according to claim 1, wherein said abbreviated power-up sequence module turns on fewer electronic components of the wireless communications device than said standard power-up sequence module.

4. The wireless communications device according to claim 1, wherein said abbreviated power-up sequence module causes the wireless communications device to communicate with a communications network faster than said standard power-up sequence module.

5. The wireless communications device according to claim 1, wherein said emergency message button is a hard-button independent of a power-on button.

6. The wireless communications device according to claim 1, wherein said emergency message button is a hard-button that shares a hard-button with another function.

7. The wireless communications device according to claim 6, wherein said emergency message button shares a hard-button with a power-on function.

8. The wireless communications device according to claim 1, further comprising an identify emergency message request module that identifies when the user activates said emergency message using a pre-determined sequence.

9. The wireless communications device according to claim 1, further comprising an electronic display, and wherein said emergency power-up sequence module does not turn on said electronic display.

10. The wireless communications device according to claim 1, further comprising an illumination device, and wherein said emergency power-up sequence module is configured to illuminate said illumination device in response to an emergency message being communicated to a communications network.

11. A method for powering-up a wireless communications device, said method comprising:

powering-up the wireless communications device using a standard power-up sequence in response to a request for a standard power-up sequence by a user; and

powering-up the wireless communications device using an abbreviated power-up sequence in response to a request for an emergency message to be communicated by the user.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein powering-up the wireless communications device using the abbreviated power-up sequence powers up the wireless communications device faster than using the standard power-up sequence.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein powering-up the wireless communications device using the abbreviated power-up sequence powers up fewer electronics devices than using the standard power-up sequence.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein powering-up the wireless communications device using the abbreviated power-up sequence causes the wireless communications device to communicate with a communications network faster than using the standard communications device.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein powering-up the wireless communications device using an abbreviated power-up sequence is in response to a user selecting a hard-button.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising determining that the user activated the hard-button using a pre-determined sequence.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein determining that the user activated the hard-button using a pre-determined sequence three times within one second.

18. The method according to claim 11, further comprising illuminating an illumination device in response to an emergency message being communicated to a communications network.

19. The method according to claim 11, wherein powering-up the wireless communications device using an abbreviated power-up sequence includes:

generating an emergency message to be communicated to a PSAP; and

communicating the emergency message to the PSAP.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein generating an emergency message includes generating an emergency text message.