System and method for maintaining communication channels through coverage gaps
First Claim
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1. A method for restoring communications through breaks in wireless coverage, comprising:
- identifying a coverage gap in a wireless coverage area;
notifying system users of the existence of a coverage gap;
requesting a callee from among the system users to hold during the coverage gap;
offering the callee access to a voicemail of a caller from among the system users when the callee is unwilling to hold during the coverage gap; and
reconnecting parties upon exiting the coverage gap;
wherein the step of identifying a coverage gap includes;
observing, by an infrastructure of a communication system to which the caller is subscribed, patterns of movement over time by the caller; and
making predictions, by the infrastructure, of a route of travel of a current trip by the caller based on file observed patterns of movement over time;
wherein the step of identifying a coverage gap further includes;
recording a time and a base station from which a cell phone off the caller loses coverage;
recording a time and a base station to which the cell phone of the caller resumes coverage;
repeating said recording steps with respect to a plurality of different base stations;
calculating a range of gap lengths based on the plurality of different base stations;
averaging the gap lengths in the range of gap lengths; and
specifying to the callee an average gap length based on a result of said averaging step.
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Abstract
A system and method for restoring communications through breaks in wireless coverage includes identifying a coverage gap in a wireless coverage area and notifying system users of the existence of the coverage gap. Connection information is distributed to other base stations to automatically reconnect parties upon exiting the coverage gap.
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Citations
35 Claims
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1. A method for restoring communications through breaks in wireless coverage, comprising:
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identifying a coverage gap in a wireless coverage area; notifying system users of the existence of a coverage gap; requesting a callee from among the system users to hold during the coverage gap; offering the callee access to a voicemail of a caller from among the system users when the callee is unwilling to hold during the coverage gap; and reconnecting parties upon exiting the coverage gap; wherein the step of identifying a coverage gap includes; observing, by an infrastructure of a communication system to which the caller is subscribed, patterns of movement over time by the caller; and making predictions, by the infrastructure, of a route of travel of a current trip by the caller based on file observed patterns of movement over time; wherein the step of identifying a coverage gap further includes; recording a time and a base station from which a cell phone off the caller loses coverage; recording a time and a base station to which the cell phone of the caller resumes coverage; repeating said recording steps with respect to a plurality of different base stations; calculating a range of gap lengths based on the plurality of different base stations; averaging the gap lengths in the range of gap lengths; and specifying to the callee an average gap length based on a result of said averaging step. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for restoring communications through breaks in wireless coverage, comprising:
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detecting a coverage gap in a wireless coverage area; notifying system users of the existence of the coverage gap prior to entering the coverage gap; prompting system users entering the coverage gap to select an option for handling a current communication in view of the coverage gap; distributing connection information to possible next cell stations; and automatically reconnecting the communication based on the connection information distributed to the next cell stations upon exiting the coverage gap, wherein the option includes requesting a callee from among the system users to hold during the coverage gap and offering the callee access to a voicemail of a caller from among the system users when the callee is unwilling to hold during the coverage gap; and wherein the step of detecting a coverage gap includes; observing, by an infrastructure of a communication system to which the caller is subscribed, patterns of movement over time by the caller; and making predictions, by the infrastructure, of a route of travel of a current trip by the caller based on file observed patterns of movement over time; wherein the step of detecting a coverage gap further includes; recording a time and a base station from which a cell phone off the caller loses coverage; recording a time and a base station to which the cell phone of the caller resumes coverage; repeating said recording steps with respect to a plurality of different base stations; calculating a range of gap lengths based on the plurality of different base stations; averaging the gap lengths in the range of gap lengths; and specifying to the callee an average gap length based on a result of said averaging step. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A system for restoring communications through breaks in wireless coverage, comprising:
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a location module, which determines a position of a user relative to a coverage gap region and provides notification that a coverage gap is approaching; a selection mechanism, which records a user option and triggers an action upon notification of the existence office approaching coverage area gap; a distribution mechanism, which distributes connection information to candidate cells such that when the user exits the coverage gap communications interfered with by entering the coverage gap region are reestablished; and means for observing patterns of movement over time by the caller; and means for making predictions of a route of travel of a current trip by the caller based on the observed patterns of movement over time, means for recording a time and a base station from which a cell phone off the caller loses coverage; means for recording a time and a base station to which the cell phone of the caller resumes coverage; means for repeating said recording steps with respect to a plurality of different base stations; means for calculating a range of gap lengths based on the plurality of different base stations; means for averaging the gap lengths in the range of gap lengths; and means for specifying to the callee an average gap length based on a result of said averaging step; wherein the user option includes requesting a callee from among the system users to hold during file coverage gap and offering the callee access to a voicemail of the user when the callee is unwilling to hold during the coverage gap and wherein the means for observing and the means for making predictions are included in an infrastructure of a communication system to which the caller is subscribed. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A method for communicating breaks in wireless coverage, comprising:
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identifying a coverage gap in a wireless coverage area; notifying system users of the existence of a coverage gap; requesting a callee from among the system users to hold during the coverage gap; and offering the callee access to a voicemail of a caller from among the system users when the callee is unwilling to hold during the coverage gap, and wherein the step of identifying a coverage gap includes; observing, by an infrastructure of a communication system to which the caller is subscribed, patterns of movement over time by the caller; and making predictions, by the infrastructure, of a route of travel of a current trip by the caller based on the observed patterns of movement over time; wherein the step of identifying a coverage gap further includes; recording a time and a base station from which a cell phone off the caller loses coverage; recording a time and a base station to which the cell phone of the caller resumes coverage; repeating said recording steps with respect to a plurality of different base stations; calculating a range of gap lengths based on the plurality of different base stations; averaging the gap lengths in the range of gap lengths; and specifying to the callee an average gap length based on a result of said averaging step.
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Specification