Handling impaired wireless connection in a communication system

• US 9,578,495 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2012
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Xiang, Pei, Huang, Hesu, Cai, Lukai, El-Maleh, Khaled Helmi
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M
• Application Number:
  US13/665,621
• Publication Number:
  US 20130159552A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,574 Days
• Field of Search: 709200-203, 709217-227, 709/246, 455/412.2, 455/421, 455/422.1, 455/439, 455/440
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/30 Network data restoration; Network data reliability; Network data fault tolerance

Abstract

A wireless communication system and related techniques and apparatuses are disclosed that predict future disconnections or other connection impairments with end-user portable devices in advance so that service interruptions can be handled more gracefully. The system can predict the loss of service based on user-usage information associated with the portable device, such as the current GPS location of the device, its direction and velocity of travel, a user calendar, user habits and other information, such as the time of day, weather conditions, or wireless network coverage maps. An impairment handling method is selected that alters the content presented by the portable device. The impairment handling method is executed by the system upon detecting the impairment of the wireless connection so that the content is altered during occurrence of the impairment. The alteration of the content is done to mitigate the user-perceived effect of the impairment.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a portable device configured to present content to a user, the content being delivered to the portable device over a wireless connection; and

at least one processor configured to;

predict, based on user usage of the portable device, a future temporary impairment of the wireless connection;

determine a severity of the temporary impairment, wherein determination of the severity includes predicting a start time and a period of the temporary impairment;

select one or more impairment handling techniques from a plurality of impairment handling techniques based on the severity of the temporary impairment; and

execute the one or more impairment techniques such that altered content is presented by the portable device for the period of the temporary impairment to mitigate the effects of the temporary impairment on user experience during the period of the temporary impairment.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a cloud service configured to store a plurality of location tags uploaded into the cloud from a user community, where each of the location tags identifies a location in a wireless communication system that has poor signal reception;

wherein the processor predicts the future temporary impairment based on the location tags.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

a server configured to periodically push at least some of the location tags onto the portable device.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein each of the location tags is weighted according to the number of community users reporting the location as having poor signal reception.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to estimate a duration of the impairment.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein, in one impairment technique, the content is altered by time warping the content such that the time axis of the content is stretched or shrunk to align the content with the period of the temporary impairment.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein, in one impairment technique, the content is altered by substituting alternative content similar to the original content during the impairment.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the alternative content is pushed onto the portable device from an external data source as a result of the processor predicting the impairment.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the alternative content is pre-loaded onto the portable device.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the alternative content is broadcasted to the portable device over a second wireless connection by an alternative source selected by the processor.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein, in one impairment technique, the content is altered by muting the content during the impairment.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to provide a user alert prior to the occurrence of the impairment.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor predicts the future impairment based on data selected from the group consisting of GPS coordinates giving the location of the portable device, a speed and direction of travel calculated for the portable device based on GPS coordinates, a carrier network coverage map, time of day, local weather conditions, local traffic conditions, a user calendar, detected signal strength of a wireless connection to the portable device, and any suitable combination of the foregoing data.

14. A method of handling a temporarily impaired wireless connection to a portable device operating in a wireless communication system, comprising:

presenting content at the portable device, the content being delivered to the portable device over the wireless connection;

predicting, by the wireless communication system and based on user usage of the portable device, a future temporary impairment of the wireless connection;

determining a severity of the temporary impairment, wherein determination of the severity includes predicting a start time and a period of the temporary impairment;

selecting one or more impairment handling techniques from a plurality of impairment handling techniques based on the severity of the temporary impairment; and

executing the one or more impairment techniques such that altered content is presented by the portable device during the impairment to mitigate the effects of the temporary impairment on user experience during the period of the temporary impairment.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving a plurality of location tags from a cloud service, the location tags being uploaded into the cloud by a user community, where each of the location tags identifies a location in a wireless communication system that has poor signal reception; and

predicting the future temporary impairment based on the location tags and user usage of the portable device.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

periodically pushing at least some of the location tags onto the portable device.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

weighting each of the location tags according to the number of community users reporting the location as having poor signal reception.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

estimating a duration of the impairment.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein executing includes time warping the content such that the time axis of the content is stretched or shrunk to align the content with the period of the temporary impairment.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein executing includes presenting alternative content by the portable device during the impairment.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

pushing the alternative content onto the portable device from an external data source as a result of predicting the impairment.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

pre-loading the alternative content onto the portable device.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

broadcasting the alternative content to the portable device over a second wireless connection by an alternative source selected by the processor.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein executing includes muting the content during the impairment.

25. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

providing a user alert by the portable device prior to the occurrence of the impairment.

26. The method of claim 14, wherein predicting the future impairment is based on data selected from the group consisting of GPS coordinates giving the location of the portable device, a speed and direction of travel calculated for the portable device based on GPS coordinates, a carrier network coverage map, time of day, local weather conditions, local traffic conditions, a user calendar, detected signal strength of a wireless connection to the portable device, and any suitable combination of the foregoing data.

27. A system, comprising:

means for presenting content at a portable device operating in a wireless communication system, the content being delivered to the portable device over a wireless connection;

means for predicting, based on user usage of the portable device, a future temporary impairment of the wireless connection;

means for determining a severity of the temporary impairment, wherein determination of the severity includes predicting a start time and a period of the temporary impairment;

means for selecting one or more impairment handling techniques from a plurality of impairment handling techniques based on the severity of the temporary impairment; and

means for executing the one or more impairment techniques such that altered content is presented by the portable device for the period of the temporary impairment to mitigate the effects of the temporary impairment on user experience during the period of the temporary impairment.

28. The system of claim 27, further comprising:

means for receiving a plurality of location tags from a cloud service, the location tags being uploaded into the cloud by a user community, where each of the location tags identifies a location in a wireless communication system that has poor signal reception; and

means for predicting the future temporary impairment based on the location tags and user usage of the portable device.

29. The system of claim 28, further comprising:

means for periodically pushing at least some of the location tags onto the portable device.

30. The system of claim 28, further comprising:

means for weighting each of the location tags according to the number of community users reporting the location as having poor signal reception.

31. The system of claim 27, further comprising:

means for estimating a duration of the impairment.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the executing means includes means for time warping the content such that the time axis of the content is stretched or shrunk to align the content with the period of the temporary impairment.

33. The system of claim 27, wherein the executing means includes means for presenting alternative content by the portable device during the impairment.

34. The system of claim 33, further comprising:

means for pushing the alternative content onto the portable device from an external data source as a result of predicting the impairment.

35. The system of claim 33, further comprising:

means for pre-loading the alternative content onto the portable device.

36. The system of claim 33, further comprising:

means for broadcasting the alternative content to the portable device over a second wireless connection by an alternative source selected by the processor.

37. The system of claim 27, further comprising means for muting the content during the impairment.

38. The system of claim 27, further comprising:

means for providing a user alert by the portable device prior to the occurrence of the impairment.

39. The system of claim 27, wherein predicting the future impairment is based on data selected from the group consisting of GPS coordinates giving the location of the portable device, a speed and direction of travel calculated for the portable device based on GPS coordinates, a carrier network coverage map, time of day, local weather conditions, local traffic conditions, a user calendar, detected signal strength of a wireless connection to the portable device, and any suitable combination of the foregoing data.

40. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying a set of instructions executable by one or more processors, comprising:

code for presenting content at a portable device operating in a wireless communication system, the content being delivered to the portable device over a wireless connection;

code for predicting, based on user usage of the portable device, a future temporary impairment of the wireless connection;

code for determining a severity of the temporary impairment, wherein determination of the severity includes predicting a start time and a period of the temporary impairment;

code for selecting one or more impairment handling techniques from a plurality of impairment handling techniques based on the severity of the temporary impairment; and

code for executing the one or more impairment techniques such that altered content is presented by the portable device for the period of the temporary impairment to mitigate the effects of the temporary impairment on user experience during the period of the temporary impairment.

41. The computer-readable medium of claim 40, further comprising:

code for receiving a plurality of location tags from a cloud service, the location tags being uploaded into the cloud by a user community, where each of the location tags identifies a location in a wireless communication system that has poor signal reception; and

code for predicting the future temporary impairment based on the location tags and user usage of the portable device.

42. The computer-readable medium of claim 41, further comprising:

code for periodically pushing at least some of the location tags onto the portable device.

43. The computer-readable medium of claim 41, further comprising:

code for weighting each of the location tags according to the number of community users reporting the location as having poor signal reception.

44. The computer-readable medium of claim 40, further comprising:

code for estimating a duration of the impairment.

45. The computer-readable medium of claim 44, further comprising code for time warping the content such that the time axis of the content is stretched or shrunk to align the content with the period of the temporary impairment.

46. The computer-readable medium of claim 40, further comprising code for presenting alternative content by the portable device during the impairment.

47. The computer-readable medium of claim 46, further comprising:

code for pushing the alternative content onto the portable device from an external data source as a result of predicting the impairment.

48. The computer-readable medium of claim 46, further comprising:

code for pre-loading the alternative content onto the portable device.

49. The computer-readable medium of claim 46, further comprising:

code for broadcasting the alternative content to the portable device over a second wireless connection by an alternative source selected by the processor.

50. The computer-readable medium of claim 40, further comprising code for muting the content during the impairment.

51. The computer-readable medium of claim 40, further comprising:

code for providing a user alert by the portable device prior to the occurrence of the impairment.

52. The computer-readable medium of claim 40, wherein predicting the future impairment is based on data selected from the group consisting of GPS coordinates giving the location of the portable device, a speed and direction of travel calculated for the portable device based on GPS coordinates, a carrier network coverage map, time of day, local weather conditions, local traffic conditions, a user calendar, detected signal strength of a wireless connection to the portable device, and any suitable combination of the foregoing data.