Message transmitted automatically in response to imminent power source depletion of mobile station

• US 8,611,934 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2008
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Conversant Wireless Licensing S.à.r.l. (f/k/a Core Wireless Licensing S.a.r.l.) (MOSAID Technologies Inc. (f/k/a Conversant Intellectual Property Management))
• Original Assignee: Core Wiresless Licensing SARL (MOSAID Technologies Inc. (f/k/a Conversant Intellectual Property Management))
• Inventors: Kuulusa, Mika, Kuulusa, Juha
• Primary Examiner(s): Siddiqui, Kashif
• Application Number:
  US12/215,634
• Publication Number:
  US 20090325613A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,999 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455572-574, 455/414
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/371 with remote indication, e.g. on external chargers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

Described herein are a method, apparatus and computer program to automatically inform a second party to a call that a first party to the call has or will disconnect due to a power source, such as a battery, of a terminal used by the first party becoming depleted. The second party can be informed by the generation and transmission of any suitable type of message, including a SMS message, a MMS message and a IMS message.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

detecting, during a call, that a power source of a mobile station has or will soon become depleted;

generating a message indicating that a termination of the call is due to the power source of the mobile station becoming depleted; and

in response to termination of the call, automatically sending the message to another party to the call to inform the party that the call was terminated due to the power source becoming depleted.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising accessing information stored in the mobile station to determine a name of the other party to the call, and wherein the message comprises text including the name of the other party to the call.

3. The method of claim 1, where the message comprises text and where at least some of the text reflects a current context of the mobile station, the context based at least in part on information gathered from at least one sensor of the mobile station.

4. The method of claim 3, where the at least one sensor implements at least one of a GPS function or a velocity determining function.

5. The method of claim 1, where the message comprises at least one of a video or an image selected by a user of the mobile station.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising accessing information stored in the mobile station to determine an email address of the other party to the call, and wherein the message is sent to the other party via the email address.

7. A non-transitory computer readable memory medium that stores program instructions operable when executed to:

detect, during a call, that a power source of a mobile station has or will soon become depleted;

generate a message indicating that a termination of the call is due to the power source of the mobile station becoming depleted; and

in response to termination of the call, automatically send the message to another party to the call to inform the party that the call was terminated due to the power source becoming depleted.

8. The memory medium of claim 7, the program instruction further operable to access information stored in the mobile station to determine a name of the other party to the call, and wherein the message comprises text including the name of the other party to the call.

9. The memory medium of claim 7, where the message comprises text and where at least some of the text reflects a current context of the mobile station, the context based at least in part on information gathered from at least one sensor of the mobile station.

10. The memory medium of claim 9, where the at least one sensor implements at least one of a GPS function or a velocity determining function.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

means for sourcing power;

means for conducting a call with at least one other party via a wireless link;

means for detecting, during a call, that said power sourcing means will soon become depleted;

means for generating a message indicating that a termination of the call is due to the power source of the mobile station becoming depleted; and

means for automatically sending, in response to termination of the call, a message to the at least one other party to inform the at least one other party that the call was terminated due to the power sourcing means becoming depleted.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising means for accessing information stored in the mobile station to determine a name of the other party to the call, and wherein the message comprises text including the name of the other party to the call.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising means for determining a current context of the apparatus and wherein at least some of the text reflects the current context of the mobile station, the context based at least in part on information gathered from at least one sensor of the mobile station.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, where the at least one sensor implements at least one of a GPS function or a velocity determining function.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

a power source;

a radio frequency transceiver configured to conduct a call with at least one other party; and

a controller configured to generate a message indicating that a termination of the call is due to the power source of the mobile device becoming depleted, the controller further configured to respond to a termination of the call to automatically send the message to the at least one other party to inform the at least one other party that the call was terminated due to the power source becoming depleted.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to access information stored in the mobile station to determine a name of the other party to the call, and where the message comprises text including the name of the other party to the call.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said controller is further configured to respond to a current context of the apparatus to perform at least one of select or compose the message in accordance with the determined context, the context based at least in part on information gathered from at least one sensor.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, where the at least one sensor implements at least one of a GPS function or a velocity determining function.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, embodied at least partially in at least one integrated circuit.

20. A method, comprising:

receiving at a network element of a wireless communication system a first message from a mobile station involved in a call with at least one other party indicating that a termination of the call is due to a power source of the mobile station becoming depleted; and

in response to detection by the network element of termination of the call after the network element receives the first message, operating the network element of the wireless communication system to originate a second message indicating that the termination of the call is due to the power source becoming depleted and send the second message to the at least one other party to inform the at least one other party that the call was terminated due to the power source becoming depleted.

21. The method of claim 20, where the second message comprises a name of another party to the call.

22. The method of claim 21, where the second message comprises an image or video selected by a user of the mobile station.

23. A non-transitory computer readable memory medium that stores program instructions operable when executed to:

receive a first message from a mobile station involved in a call with at least one other party indicating that a termination of the call is due to a power source of the mobile station becoming depleted; and

in response to detection of termination of the call after receiving the first message, originating a second message indicating that the termination of the call is due to the power source becoming depleted and sending the second message to the at least one other party to inform the at least one other party that the call was terminated due to the power source becoming depleted.

24. The memory medium of claim 23, where the second message comprises at least one of an image or video selected by a user of the mobile station.

25. An apparatus, comprising:

a radio frequency receiver configured to receive a first message from a mobile station involved in a call with at least one other party indicating that a termination of the call is due to a power source of the mobile station becoming depleted; and

a controller configured, in response to detection of termination of the call after receiving the first message, to originate a second message indicating that the termination of the call is due to the power source becoming depleted and send the second message to the at least one other party via a transmitter to inform the at least one other party that the call was terminated due to the power source becoming depleted.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, where the message comprises at least one of an image or video selected by a user of the mobile station.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, embodied at least partially in at least one integrated circuit.