Managing communication events

• US 10,075,588 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2015
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Chandrasekaran, Vijay, Cordrey, Nicholas Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Steven H D
• Application Number:
  US14/884,455
• Publication Number:
  US 20170111496A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1095 Inter-network session transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8016 based on quality of service [QoS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8214 Data or packet based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/85 characterised by the type of condition triggering a notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/853 Calculate maximum communication time or volume
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/88 Provision for limiting connection, or expenditure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4228 in networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/54 Arrangements for diverting calls for one subscriber to another predetermined subscriber based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; to voice mail H04M3/53308
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0057 Services where the data services network provides a telephone service in addition or as an alternative, e.g. for backup purposes, to the telephone service provided by the telephone services network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42

Abstract

A user terminal, the user terminal comprising a communication client application for managing communications with at least one further user terminal over a first network, the communication client application being configured to: determine with respect to at least one outgoing call the first network is a lower bandwidth data network; generate an interrupt message to be displayed; determine a user input in response to the interrupt message; and manage a placement of the communications with the at least one further user terminal over the first network based on the user input.

Claims

1. A user terminal, the user terminal comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium configured to maintain instructions that, when executed at the user terminal, implement a communication client application, the communication client application configured to manage communications with at least one further user terminal over a first network, and the communication client application configured to:

determine whether a first bandwidth of the first network meets a bandwidth criterion;

determine, with respect to at least one outgoing call, that the first network is a lower bandwidth data network based on the first bandwidth meeting the criterion and that no network with a bandwidth higher than the first network is available for the outgoing call;

responsive to the determining that the first network is the lower bandwidth data network and that there is no network with a bandwidth higher than the first network available for the outgoing call, generate an interrupt message to be displayed;

determine a user input in response to the interrupt message; and

manage a placement of the communications with the at least one further user terminal over the first network based on the user input.

2. The user terminal according to claim 1, wherein the lower bandwidth data network is a cellular data network.

3. The user terminal according to claim 1, wherein the user input is an ok input and wherein the communication client application is configured to manage the placement of the communications with the at least one further user terminal over the first network based on the user input, and is configured to place the outgoing call to enable the communications with the at least one further user terminal.

4. The user terminal according to claim 1, wherein the user input is a cancel input and wherein the communication client application is configured to manage the placement of the communications with the at least one further user terminal over the first network based on the user input, and is configured to cancel the outgoing call to stop or prevent the communications with the at least one further user terminal.

5. The user terminal according to claim 1, wherein the user input is a postpone input and wherein the communication client application is configured to manage the placement of the communications with the at least one further user terminal over the first network based on the user input, and is configured to delay placement of the outgoing call until the communication client application determines a further network for the at least one outgoing call is available.

6. The user terminal according to claim 5, wherein the communication client application is further configured to delay placement of the outgoing call until a WiFi network is available for the outgoing call.

7. The user terminal according to claim 1, wherein the communication client application is further configured to:

generate a first network request for determining an identity of the first network, the first network request configured to generate a first network response in real-time or near real-time from a network interface of the user terminal;

receive the first network response identifying that the first network is the lower bandwidth data network.

8. The user terminal according to claim 1, wherein the communication client application is further configured to:

generate a first network cache request for determining an identity of the first network from a cache;

receive a first network cache response identifying that the first network is the lower bandwidth data network from the cache.

9. The user terminal according to claim 8 wherein the cache is configured to store an identity of the first network when the user terminal determines the first network has been changed or handed over.

10. The user terminal according to claim 8, wherein the communication client application is further configured to:

receive a timestamp associated with the first network cache response identifying the first network is the lower bandwidth data network from the cache;

compare the timestamp with a current timestamp to determine the first network cache response is reliable.

11. An apparatus comprising:

at least one hardware processor; and

a memory comprising communication client application code that, responsive to execution by the at least one processor, causes the apparatus to;

determine whether a first bandwidth of the first network meets a bandwidth criterion;

determine, with respect to at least one an outgoing call, that a first network is a lower bandwidth data network based on the first bandwidth meeting the criterion and that no network with a bandwidth higher than the first network is available for the outgoing call;

responsive to the determining that the first network is the lower bandwidth data network and that there is no network with a bandwidth higher than the first network available for the outgoing call, generate an interrupt message to be displayed;

determine a user input in response to the interrupt message; and

manage a placement of the communications with the at least one further apparatus over the first network based on the user input.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the lower bandwidth data network is a cellular data network.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the user input is an ok input and wherein the apparatus manages the placement of the communications with the at least one further apparatus over the first network based on the user input by placing the outgoing call to enable the communications with the at least one further apparatus.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the user input is a cancel input and wherein the apparatus manages the placement of the communications with the at least one further user terminal over the first network based on the user input by cancelling the outgoing call to stop or prevent the communications with the at least one further apparatus.

15. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the user input is a postpone input and wherein the apparatus manages the placement of the communications with the at least one further user terminal over the first network based on the user input by waiting to place the outgoing call until the apparatus determines a Wi-Fi network for the at least one outgoing call is available.

16. A method for managing communications with at least one apparatus over a first network, the method comprising:

determining whether a first bandwidth of the first network meets a bandwidth criterion;

determining, with respect to at least one an outgoing call, that the first network is a lower bandwidth data network based on the first bandwidth meeting the criterion and that no network with a bandwidth higher than the first network is available for the outgoing call;

responsive to the determining that the first network is the lower bandwidth data network and that there is no network with a bandwidth higher than the first network available for the outgoing call, generating an interrupt message to be displayed;

determining a user input in response to the interrupt message; and

managing a placement of the communications with the at least one further apparatus over the first network based on the user input.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the lower bandwidth data network is a cellular data network.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the user input is an ok input and wherein the managing the placement of the communications with the at least one further apparatus over the first network based on the user input comprises placing the outgoing call to enable the communications with the at least one further apparatus.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein the user input is a cancel input and wherein the managing the placement of the communications with the at least one further user terminal over the first network based on the user input further comprises cancelling the outgoing call to stop or prevent the communications with the at least one further apparatus.

20. The method according to claim 16, wherein the user input is a postpone input and wherein the managing the placement of the communications with the at least one further user terminal over the first network based on the user input further comprises waiting to place the outgoing call until a further network for the at least one outgoing call is determined to be available.

21. A computing device comprising:

at least one hardware processor; and

a memory comprising instructions stored thereon that, responsive execution by the at least one processor, implement a communication client application, the communication client application configured to;

receive a request to initiate a communication session with an additional computing device;

determine that a first network which was previously active and available is not currently active and available for the communication session;

determine that a second network is currently active and available for the communication session;

compare one or more characteristics of the first network with corresponding characteristics of the second network to determine the second network is associated with a lower quality than the first network;

prior to initiating the communication session with the additional device and responsive to the first network no longer being active and the second network being determined to provide a lower quality than the first network, generate an interrupt message requesting user input to confirm use of the second network for the communication session;

receive the user input in response to the interrupt message; and

initiate the communication session with the additional device using the second network in response to user input confirming use of the second network.

22. The computing device of claim 21, wherein the communication client application determines that the first network is not currently active and available based on a network interface of the computing device being unable to access the first network.

23. The computing device of claim 21, wherein the communication client application determines that the first network is not currently active and available in real-time.

24. The computing device of claim 21, wherein the communication session comprises a call.

25. The computing device of claim 24, wherein the communication client application is configured to cancel the call if the user input requests cancellation of the call.

26. The computing device of claim 21, wherein the first network is a higher bandwidth network and the second network is a lower bandwidth data network.

27. The computing device of claim 21, wherein the first network is a WiFi network and the second network is a cellular data network.

28. The computing device of claim 21, wherein the interrupt message is generated for display at the computing device.

29. The computing device of claim 21, wherein the interrupt message comprises an audible message.