Signal strength annunciators for multi-mode wireless communication devices

• US 7,761,119 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2006
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Patel, Mehul B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pérez-Gutiérrez; Rafael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Arevalo; Joseph
• Application Number:
  US11/428,737
• Publication Number:
  US 20080009324A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,476 Days
• Field of Search: 455/134, 455/234.1, 455/101, 455/277.2, 455/236.1, 455/422.1, 455/115.3, 455/226.4, 455/67.7, 455/157, 455/115.4, 455/334, 455/226.2, 455/450, 455/226.3, 715/700, 715/762, 715/764, 370/331, 370/328, 370/329, 370/538, 370/498, 370/522, 370/537, 709/233
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/23 Indication means, e.g. displays, alarms, audible means
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A system and method for indicating signal strength of a multi-mode wireless communication device is disclosed. The wireless communications device simultaneously displays signal strength indicators of multiple radio access technologies on the multi-mode wireless communication device. In an exemplary method, the multi-mode wireless device determines a first signal strength of a first radio access technology and displays the signal strength in a designated annunciator area of a display of the device. The device then determines availability and signal strength for a second radio access technology and further displays a second signal strength indicator in the annunciator area corresponding to the second determined signal strength of the second radio access technology.

Claims

1. A method for indicating signal strength of a multi-mode wireless communications device, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting a first signal strength of a first wireless technology on the multi-mode wireless communication device;

detecting a second signal strength of a second wireless technology on the multimode wireless communication device, wherein the step of detecting the second signal strength of the second wireless technology further comprises conducting a user-controlled periodic search for the second wireless technology;

periodically searching for at least one alternate signal strength of an alternate wireless technology;

displaying a single annunciator signal strength display that includes a first signal strength display area adjacent to a second signal strength display area, wherein the first signal strength display area indicates an active mode signal and the second signal strength display area indicates an inactive mode signal;

displaying a first signal strength indicator in the first signal strength display area on the multi-mode wireless communication device, the first signal strength indicator corresponding to the detected first signal strength of the first wireless technology when the first wireless technology provides the active mode signal;

simultaneously displaying a second signal strength indicator in the second signal strength display area on the multi-mode wireless communication device if the second wireless technology is detected, the second signal strength indicator corresponding to the detected second signal strength of the second wireless technology when the second wireless technology provides the inactive mode signal;

simultaneously displaying the at least one alternate signal strength indicator on the multi-mode wireless communication device if the at least one alternate wireless technology is detected in the periodic search, the at least one alternate signal strength indicator corresponding to the detected at least one signal strength of the alternate wireless technology;

switching the inactive mode from a first active mode having a first active mode signal strength to a next active mode having a next active mode signal strength; and

displaying a next active mode signal strength indicator corresponding to the next active mode signal strength.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first wireless technology is an active mode of the multi-mode wireless communications device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first wireless technology and the second wireless technology is Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first wireless technology and the second wireless technology is a wireless local area network (WLAN).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first wireless technology and the second wireless technology is wireless fidelity (WIFI).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first signal strength indicator and the second signal strength indicator is at least one bar of a plurality of signal strength graduated bars.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first signal strength indicator and the second signal strength indicator is at least one bar of a plurality of same-sized bars, wherein a number of bars of the plurality of same-sized bars is indicative of the signal strength.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

displaying a text description of at least one of the first wireless technology and the second wireless technology on the multi-mode wireless communication device.

9. A method for displaying signal strength indicators on a multi-mode wireless device, the method comprising the steps of:

displaying a single annunciator signal strength display that includes a first signal strength display area adjacent to a second signal strength display area and an alternate signal strength display area, wherein the first signal strength display area indicates an active mode signal, the second signal strength display area indicates an inactive mode signal, and the alternate signal strength display area indicates at least one alternate inactive mode signal;

detecting the active mode signal strength of a first wireless technology on the multi-mode wireless device;

displaying a first signal strength indicator in the first signal strength display area, the first signal strength indicator corresponding to the detected active mode signal strength; and

detecting a second signal strength of a second wireless technology on the multimode wireless device, wherein the step of detecting the second signal strength of the second wireless technology further comprises conducting a user-controlled periodic search for the second wireless technology;

periodically searching for at least one alternate signal strength of an alternate wireless technology;

simultaneously displaying a second signal strength indicator in the second signal strength display area when the second wireless technology provides the inactive mode signal, the second signal strength indicator corresponding to the detected second signal strength of the second wireless technology;

simultaneously displaying the at least one alternate signal strength indicator on the multi-mode wireless communication device if the at least one alternate wireless technology is detected in the periodic search, the at least one alternate signal strength indicator corresponding to the detected at least one signal strength of the alternate wireless technology;

switching the inactive mode from a first active mode having a first active mode signal strength to a next active mode having a next active mode signal strength; and

displaying a next active mode signal strength indicator corresponding to the next active mode signal strength.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the first wireless technology and the second wireless technology is Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), and the other of the first wireless technology and the second wireless technology is a wireless local area network (WLAN).

11. A multi-mode wireless device comprising:

a signal strength detector for detecting a first signal strength of a first wireless technology and for detecting a second signal strength of a second wireless technology and for detecting at least one alternate signal strength of an alternate wireless technology, wherein the detector performs a user-controlled periodic search for the second wireless technology and performs a periodic search for at least one alternate wireless technology;

a processor connected to the signal strength detector, the processor for selecting one of the first wireless technology, the second wireless technology, and the at least one alternate wireless technology as an active mode, and for selecting the other of the first wireless technology, the second wireless technology, and the at least one alternate wireless technology, if the at least one alternate wireless technology is detected in the periodic search, as alternate modes;

a display connected to the processor, the display comprising;

a single annunciator signal strength display that includes an active display area adjacent to an alternate display area;

the active mode display area for displaying an active mode indicator corresponding to an active mode signal strength of the selected active mode; and

the alternate mode display area for simultaneously displaying alternate mode indicators corresponding to alternate mode signal strengths of the alternate modes;

a user interface for selecting an alternate mode;

the processor for switching the alternate mode from a first active mode having a first active mode signal strength to a next active mode having a next active mode signal strength; and

displaying a next active mode signal strength indicator corresponding to the next active mode signal strength.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein at least one of the first wireless technology and the second wireless technology is Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), and the other of the first wireless technology and the second wireless technology is a wireless local area network (WLAN).

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the active mode indicator and the alternate mode indicator are visually distinguishable bar-type indicators.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein at least one of the active mode indicator and the alternate mode indicator is at least one bar of a plurality of same-sized bars, wherein a number of bars of the plurality of same-sized bars is indicative of the signal strength.

15. The device of claim 11, wherein the display further comprises:

a text description of at least one of the first wireless technology and the second wireless technology displayed in the alternate mode area.