Multi-device call notification silencing

• US 9,826,089 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2016
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Rauenbuehler, Keith W., Fraioli, Nicholas M., Linn, Christopher S., Iarocci, John J., Stattenfield, Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisner, Ronald
• Application Number:
  US15/170,805
• Publication Number:
  US 20160360031A1
• Time in Patent Office: 538 Days
• Field of Search: 455401, 455400
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2094 Proximity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42127 Systems providing several special services or facilities from groups H04M3/42008 - H04M3/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42263 where the same subscriber uses different terminals, i.e. nomadism
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/465 Arrangements for simultaneously calling a number of substations until an answer is obtained
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/543 Call deflection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/005 Transmission of information for alerting of incoming communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/02 Arrangements for increasing efficiency of notification or paging channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• 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 connection manager manages connections for associated user devices by determining whether an incoming connection has been answered at a user device, and if so then generating and transmitting silencing commands to associated user devices using first and second wireless communication modes, with one mode being faster. Connections can comprise phone calls, and modes can comprise push and Bluetooth® messaging. The connection manager can instruct device outputs to provide connection alerts, limited to visual alerts when an associated user device is active, listen for associated user device communications, and instruct device outputs to stop providing alerts when a silencing command is received. Further, a connection manager can receive a signal regarding a headset status, route an outside connection from a phone to the headset when the headset is active or to another device when the headset is not active, detect a change in headset status, and reroute the connection accordingly.

Claims

1. A method for managing connections performed by a processor on a user device, the method comprising:

at the user device;

generating a silencing command when an incoming connection has been answered at the user device, wherein each of the user device and one or more associated user devices is adapted to answer the incoming connection;

transmitting the silencing command using a first mode of communication to the one or more associated user devices; and

transmitting the silencing command using a second mode of communication to the one or more associated user devices,

wherein the second mode of communication differs from the first mode of communication such that the silencing command transmitted using the second mode of communication incurs less delay than the silencing command transmitted using the first mode of communication.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the incoming connection is a voice call.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first mode of communication defines an indirect communication path from the user device to the one or more associated user devices, and the second mode of communication defines a direct communication path from the user device to the one or more associated user devices.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first mode of communication comprises a wirelessly transmitted push message that communicates via a network based server before reaching the one or more associated user devices, and the second mode of communication comprises a wirelessly transmitted Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) advertisement.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a transmittal time using the second mode of communication is less than 200 milliseconds.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

at the user device before generating the silencing command;

receiving a notification indicating the incoming connection;

instructing one or more output components of the user device to provide an alert indicating the incoming connection; and

listening for communications from the one or more associated user devices using both the first mode of communication and the second mode of communication.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

at the user device;

receiving an incoming silencing command from one of the one or more associated user devices using the first mode of communication, the second mode of communication, or both; and

instructing the one or more output components to stop providing the alert indicating the incoming connection after receiving the incoming silencing command.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the user device receives the incoming silencing command in response to the incoming connection being answered at one of the one or more associated user devices.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

at the user device;

determining whether any of the one or more associated user devices is currently active; and

limiting the alert to visual alerts when one of the one or more associated user devices is currently active.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the user device answers the incoming connection.

11. A user device configured to manage outside connections, the user device comprising:

a processor configured to implement a connection manager that is configured to;

determine whether the user device answers an incoming outside connection, wherein each of the user device and one or more associated user devices is adapted to answer the incoming outside connection;

generate a silencing command when the incoming outside connection has been answered at the user device;

transmit the silencing command using a first mode of communication to the one or more associated user devices; and

transmit the silencing command using a second mode of communication to the one or more associated user devices,

wherein the second mode of communication differs from the first mode of communication such that the silencing command transmitted using the second mode of communication incurs less delay than the silencing command transmitted using the first mode of communication.

12. The user device of claim 11, wherein the incoming outside connection is a voice call.

13. The user device of claim 11, wherein the first mode of communication defines an indirect communication path from the user device to the one or more associated user devices, and the second mode of communication defines a direct communication path from the user device to the one or more associated user devices.

14. The user device of claim 13, wherein the first mode of communication comprises a wirelessly transmitted push message that communicates via a network based server before reaching the one or more associated user devices, and the second mode of communication comprises a wirelessly transmitted Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) advertisement.

15. The user device of claim 11, wherein a transmittal time using the second mode of communication is less than 200 milliseconds.

16. The user device of claim 11, wherein the connection manager is further configured to:

before generating the silencing command;

receive a notification indicating the incoming outside connection;

instruct one or more output components of the user device to provide an alert indicating the incoming outside connection; and

listen for communications from the one or more associated user devices using both the first mode of communication and the second mode of communication.

17. The user device of claim 16, wherein the connection manager is further configured to:

while listening for communications;

receive an incoming silencing command from one of the one or more associated user devices using the first mode of communication, the second mode of communication, or both; and

instruct the one or more output components to stop providing the alert indicating the incoming connection after receiving the incoming silencing command.

18. The user device of claim 16, wherein the connection manager is further configured to:

determine whether any of the one or more associated user devices is currently active; and

limit the alert to visual alerts when one of the one or more associated user devices is currently active.

19. The user device of claim 11, wherein each of the user device and the one or more associated user devices is selected from a group consisting of:

a smart phone, a tablet device, a wearable device, a portable media player, a laptop computer, and a desktop computer.