USER EXPERIENCES DURING CALL HANDOVERS ON A HYBRID TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORK

• US 20150289168A1
• Filed: 04/07/2014
• Published: 10/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Jafry, Mansoor, Nelson, Jason, Fong, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 9,363,711 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/165 for reducing network power consumption H04W36/18 - H04W36/22 take precedence

Abstract

A mobile device capable of connecting to a hybrid telecommunications network using different connection types is configured to implement various mitigations to audio disruptions that may occur during the performance of a call handover between connections. Negligible audio disruptions that do not impact the conversation between parties to the call are not mitigated at all, while relatively short audio disruptions are mitigated in a passive manner by playing background white noise or comfort sounds on the mobile device. Relatively longer duration disruptions are dealt with using more active mitigations in which audio tones are played and the mobile device'"'"'s graphical user interface (GUI) is configured to indicate to the user that a handover is in progress. Audio disruptions which are irrecoverable are handled by disconnecting the call and providing options through the GUI to either call the other party back, send a message, or set a callback reminder.

Claims

1. A method performed on a mobile device for managing mitigations to an audio disruption occurring during a call handover between different connections to a hybrid telecommunications network, the method comprising:

determining a type of the audio disruption, the type being based on a time duration of the audio disruption;

responsively to the determined type of audio disruption, performing one of i) implementing no mitigation on the mobile device, ii) implementing a passive mitigation to the audio disruption including playing background white noise or comfort sounds on the mobile device, or iii) implementing an active mitigation to the audio disruption including playing one or more audio tones on the mobile device; and

discontinuing any passive mitigation or active mitigation being implemented on the mobile device when the handover is completed and audio is restored.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the audio disruption type is one of negligible, short, long, or irrecoverable, each type of audio disruption having a successively relatively longer associated time duration when the types are in an order of negligible, short, long, irrecoverable.

3. The method of claim 1 in which the active mitigation further comprises displaying an indicator on a graphical user interface (GUI) supported on the mobile device, the indicator usable to inform a user of the mobile device that a handover is in progress.

4. The method of claim 3 in which the indicator comprises one of text only, one or more graphic objects only, or text in combination with one or more graphic objects.

5. The method of claim 3 in which the active mitigation further comprises disabling portions of the GUI so that selected functions of the mobile phone are not capable of invocation by the user.

6. The method of claim 1 further including discontinuing any passive mitigation or active mitigation being implemented on the mobile device when a handover attempt is abandoned and disconnecting the call.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising providing post-call options on the GUI upon disconnecting the call, the post-call options including one of placing a callback, sending a message, or setting a reminder.

8. A mobile device having connectivity to a hybrid telecommunications network using different types of connections, comprising:

one or more processors;

a display that supports a graphical user interface (GUI) for conveying information to a user of the mobile device; and

a memory device storing computer-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, perform a method comprising the steps of;

monitoring for audio disruptions occurring in a call carried on the hybrid telecommunications network,

determining a time duration of the audio disruption,

playing an audio tone on an audio endpoint of the mobile device when the time duration exceeds a first predetermined threshold, the audio tone providing an audio indication to the user that a handover between different connections to the hybrid telecommunications network is in progress, and

displaying a message on the GUI of the mobile device when the time duration exceeds a second predetermined threshold, the message providing a visual indication to the user that the handover between different connections to the hybrid telecommunications network is in progress.

9. The mobile device of claim 8 in which the message includes text and one or more graphic objects.

10. The mobile device of claim 9 further including animating either the text or the one or more graphic objects on the GUI.

11. The mobile device of claim 8 further including graying out portions of the GUI when user controls for features of the mobile device associated with the grayed out GUI portions are disabled.

12. The mobile device of claim 8 in which the hybrid telecommunications network comprises loosely coupled network portions, the network portions including at least a mobile operator network portion using cellular and a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) network portion using Wi-Fi and in which one connection type is Wi-Fi and another connection type is cellular.

13. The mobile device of claim 8 in which the audio endpoint is an internal speaker disposed in the mobile device or an external audio device including one of wired or wireless headset, earbud, or earphone.

14. The mobile device of claim 8 in which the first predetermined threshold is approximately 0.5 seconds and the second predetermined threshold is approximately 3 seconds.

15. A method of operating a hybrid network comprising loosely coupled network portions including at least a mobile operator network portion and a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) network portion, the method comprising:

monitoring a call on the hybrid network for audio disruptions that occur during a call handover from an original connection to the hybrid network to a new connection to the hybrid network, the call handover involving a mobile device used by a local party to the call; and

implementing a mitigation to the audio disruption for a remote party to the call, the mitigation including providing an audio announcement for playing on user equipment used by the remote party.

16. The method of claim 15 further including determining an audio disruption type, the type being based on a duration of the audio disruption and implementing different mitigations depending on the determined type.

17. The method of claim 15 further including providing audio tones for playing on the user equipment used by the remote party.

18. The method of claim 15 further including providing the audio announcement in a repeating loop for playing on the user equipment of the remote party.

19. The method of claim 15 further including disconnecting the local party from the call when a duration of an audio disruption exceeds a threshold and in which the announcement comprises an audio menu that solicits an input from the remote party, the audio menu providing an option to reconnect to the local party or an option to leave a voicemail for the local party.

20. The method of claim 19 further including receiving an input from the remote party in response to the audio menu, the response utilizing DTMF (Dual Tone Multi-Frequency) signaling.