Methods And Apparatus For Increasing Voice Call Performance Through Controlled Interruption Of Data Transfer In A Relay Network

• US 20110294485A1
• Filed: 06/01/2010
• Published: 12/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research in Motion UK Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Slack, Phillip Edward
• Granted Patent: US 8,825,018 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/206 composed of PSTN and wireless network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/20 Manipulation of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for use by a mobile communication device (MCD) operating in a wireless communication network for increasing call performance through controlled temporary interruption of data transfer by the relay network outside of the wireless network. One illustrative method involves identifying a voice call request at the MCD operating in the wireless network and, in response to identifying the voice call request, performing the following actions of sending a pause data indicator to the relay network over the wireless communication network; sending a call confirm or setup voice call message to the wireless communication network for establishing the voice call; and maintaining the voice call at the mobile communication device. The pause data indicator is defined to pause data transfer for the MCD at the relay network. The method may further involve identifying a voice call termination request during the voice call and, in response to identifying the voice termination request, performing the following actions of sending a disconnect voice call message to the wireless communication network; and sending a resume data indicator to the relay network over the wireless communication network.

Claims

1. A method in a mobile communication device operating in a wireless communication network for increasing voice call performance through controlled temporary interruption of data transfer in a relay network which is connected outside of the wireless communication network, the method comprising the acts of:

identifying a voice call request at the mobile communication device operating in the wireless communication network;

in response to the voice call request;

sending a pause data indicator to the relay network over the wireless communication network;

sending a call confirm or setup voice call message to the wireless communication network for establishing the voice call; and

maintaining the voice call at the mobile communication device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a voice call termination request;

in response to the voice call termination request;

sending or receiving a disconnect voice call message to or from the wireless communication network for terminating the voice call; and

sending a resume data indicator to the relay network over the wireless communication network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the pause data indicator is defined to pause data transfer at the relay network.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying that mobile-originated data is being sent from the mobile communication device at the time the voice call request is identified; and

completing transmission of the mobile-originated data if a remainder of the mobile-originated data is less than a predetermined threshold at the time the voice call request is identified.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

ceasing transmission of the mobile-originated data if the remainder of the mobile-originated data is greater than the predetermined threshold at the time the voice call request is identified.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the resume data indicator is defined to resume data transfer at the relay network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein data transfer occurs in a data session and wherein the sending of the pause data indicator causes pausing of the data transfer while maintaining the data session.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user of the mobile communication device may manually configure the mobile communication device to send the pause data indicator upon establishing the voice call.

9. A mobile communication device operating in a wireless communication network, comprising:

one or more processors;

a wireless transceiver coupled to the one or more processors and being operative for communications in a wireless communication network;

a user interface coupled to the one or more processors;

the one or more processors being operative to;

identify a voice call request at the mobile communication device operating in the wireless communication network;

in response to the voice call request;

send a pause data indicator to the relay network over the wireless communication network;

send a call confirm or setup voice call message to the wireless communication network for establishing the voice call; and

maintain the voice call at the mobile communication device.

10. The mobile communication device of claim 9, the one or more processors being further operative to:

identify a voice call termination request;

in response to the voice call termination request;

send or receive a disconnect voice call message to or from the wireless communication network; and

send a resume data indicator to the relay network over the wireless communication network.

11. The mobile communication device of claim 9, wherein the pause data indicator is defined to pause data transfer at the relay network.

12. The mobile communication device of claim 9, the one or more processors being further operative to:

identify mobile-originated data being sent during the identifying of the voice call request at the mobile communication device; and

complete transmission of the mobile-originated data if a remainder of the mobile-originated data is less than a predetermined threshold at the time of the voice call request.

13. The mobile communication device of claim 12, the one or more processors being further operative to:

cease transmission of the mobile-originated data if the remainder of the mobile-originated data is less than the predetermined threshold at the time of the voice call request.

14. The mobile communication device of claim 10, wherein the resume data indicator is defined to resume data transfer at the relay network.

15. The mobile communication device of claim 9, wherein data transfer occurs in a data session, and wherein the sending of the pause data indicator causes pausing of the data transfer while maintaining the data session.

16. The mobile communication device of claim 9, which can be configured manually to send the pause data upon establishing the voice call request is identified.

17. A method in a relay network which is connected outside of a wireless communication network for increasing voice call performance through controlled temporary interruption of data transfer to a mobile communication device during a voice call, the method comprising the acts of:

receiving at the relay network a pause data indicator from the mobile communication device operating in the wireless communication network;

in response to receiving the pause data indicator;

updating, in a relay network database, the mobile communication device status to a pause data state;

pausing, at the relay network, transmission of data to the mobile communication device during the voice call; and

buffering the data in the relay network for future transmission to the mobile communication device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving a resume data indicator from the mobile communication device;

in response to receiving the resume data indicator;

updating the mobile communication device status in the relay network database to a resume data state; and

scheduling a transmission of the buffered data to the mobile communication device.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

scheduling a transmission of outstanding messages to the mobile communication device in the order of descending importance.

23. A server of a relay network which is outside of a wireless communication network within which a mobile communication device operates, the server being configured to serve a plurality of host servers in communication networks for delivering messages to mobile communication devices by being operative to:

receive, at the relay network, a pause data indicator from the mobile communication device operating in the wireless communication network;

in response to receiving the pause data indicator from the mobile communication device;

update, in a relay database, a mobile communication device status to a pause data state;

cease transmission of data to the mobile communication device during the voice call; and

buffer the data for future transmission to the mobile communication device.

19. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

permitting transmission of service-essential data to the mobile communication device during the voice call.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

permitting transmission of service-essential data comprising a remote data wipe command to the mobile communication device

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

permitting transmission of service-essential data comprising an IT policy update to the mobile communication device.

24. The server of claim 23, which is further operative to:

receive a resume data indicator from the mobile communication device;

in response to receiving the resume data indicator from the mobile communication device;

update, in the relay database, the mobile communication device status to a resume data state; and

resume transmission of the buffered data to the mobile communication device.

25. The server of claim 23, which is further configured to permit transmission of service-essential data to the mobile communication device during the voice call.

26. The server of claim 23, which is further configured to permit transmission of service-essential data comprising a remote data wipe command to the mobile communication device.

27. The server of claim 23, which is further configured to permit transmission of service-essential data comprising an IT policy update to the mobile communication device.