Potential Call Drop Indicator

• US 20170013119A1
• Filed: 09/22/2016
• Published: 01/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Awad, Mina
• Granted Patent: US 9,912,805 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2227 Quality of service monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0245 according to signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/04 multi-step notification using statistical or historical mobility data
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Mobile device user notifications of highly likely call drops or service losses are provided. A wireless network can determine from the location history of a mobile device if that mobile device is likely to lose connectivity to the wireless network or to a particular wireless service and issue an alert to the user. The form of the alert can be through one of various types of mobile device messages, or through an application on the mobile device. The mobile device'"'"'s location can be determined using the global positioning system. Alternative directions can be provided to the user so that the user can travel without losing connectivity. The user may provide a destination before beginning travel, and receive a suggested course of travel that keeps the user within a higher quality coverage area.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

predicting a course of a mobile device based on at least a location of the mobile device;

obtaining course network statistics for a service type on network coverage areas surrounding the course;

predicting that the course will traverse an area in which a rate of loss of the service type exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

before the mobile device arrives at a portion of the course in the area, providing an indication of a predicted loss of a service of the service type, based on the course traversing the area.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that the mobile device is using the service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the service type comprises a voice service type, a data service type, a paging service type, or a network connectivity type.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an alternate course traversing a second area in which a second rate of loss of the service type is less than the rate of loss; and

causing a user of the mobile device to receive an indication of the alternate course.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the indication of the alternate course comprises at least one of turn-by-turn directions, a cardinal direction, or an ordinal direction.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein predicting the course comprises:

maintaining a location history of the mobile device;

obtaining a current location of the mobile device; and

predicting the course based on the location history and the current location.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication comprises a time estimate of an occurrence of the predicted loss.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an alternate course traversing a second area having a second probability of loss that is less than the probability of loss; and

wherein the alert comprises an indication of the alternate course.

8. A method comprising:

predicting a course of a mobile device based on at least a location of the mobile device;

obtaining course network statistics on network coverage areas surrounding the course;

predicting that the course will traverse an area in which a probability of loss exceeds a predetermined threshold based on the course network statistics; and

before the mobile device arrives at a portion of the course in the area, in response to the predicting that the course will traverse the area, performing at least one of;

changing an operating setting of the mobile device or causing an alert to be provided to a user of the mobile device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the probability of loss comprises a probability of connectivity loss.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the probability of loss comprises a probability of loss of a service.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the service comprises at least one of a voice service, a data service, or a paging service.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the probability of loss is based on a loss rate.

14. A mobile device comprising:

a processor; and

memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising executable instructions that cause the processor to effectuate operations comprising;

predicting a course of the mobile device based on at least a location of the mobile device;

predicting that the course will traverse an area in which a rate of loss of a service type exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

providing, to a user of the mobile device, before the mobile device arrives at a portion of the course in the area, an indication of a predicted loss of a service based on the course traversing the area, wherein the service is of the service type.

15. The mobile device of claim 14, wherein predicting that the course will traverse the area in which the rate of loss of the service type exceeds the predetermined threshold comprises:

obtaining course network statistics for the service type on network coverage areas surrounding the course.

16. The mobile device of claim 14, wherein the indication comprises an alternate course.

17. The mobile device of claim 14, further comprising a display in communication with the processor, wherein providing the indication comprises causing the display to display the indication.

18. The mobile device of claim 14, the operations further comprising determining a destination location, wherein predicting the course is further based on the destination location.

19. The mobile device of claim 14, wherein the service type is one of a voice service type, a data service type, or a paging service type.

20. The mobile device of claim 14, the operations further comprising reducing power consumption of the mobile device responsive to predicting that the course will traverse the area.