Caller feedback in mobile devices

• US 9,071,945 B1
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Huang, Wei, Rubin, Andy
• Primary Examiner(s): Arevalo, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US13/617,424
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/412.2, 455/415, 455/458, 455/567, 455/422.2, 455/456.1, 455/88, 455/413, 455/418, 455/561, 379/88.18, 379/373.01, 348/148, 348/158
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6041 Portable telephones adapted for handsfree use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/642 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72513 On hold, intercom or transfer communication modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4283 Call holding circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

Caller feedback in mobile devices, in which, upon receiving a telephone call from a caller, a user selection of a control is detected, and a message associated with the selected control is determined and automatically transmitted to the caller.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a mobile device and while the mobile device is at a first location, user input indicating that a telephone call received by the mobile device should be placed in a hold state;

in response to receiving the user input indicating that the telephone call should be placed in the hold state;

muting a speaker of the mobile device;

recording, by the mobile device, a voice message while the speaker of the mobile device is muted;

transmitting, to a device associated with the caller, the audio message recorded by the mobile device; and

placing, by the mobile device, the telephone call into a hold state;

detecting, by the mobile device, that the mobile device is moving;

determining, by the mobile device, that the mobile device has stopped moving and that the mobile device has arrived at a particular location, wherein the particular location is different from the first location; and

automatically removing, by the mobile device, the telephone call from the hold state in response to determining that the mobile device has stopped moving and has arrived at the particular location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the mobile device has stopped moving and has arrived at the particular location comprises detecting a velocity of the mobile device using a navigation module of the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein placing the telephone call into a hold state comprises muting a microphone of the mobile device;

and

wherein removing the telephone call from the hold state comprises un-muting the microphone.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein removing the telephone call from the hold state comprises placing the telephone call in a state in which a caller and a called party may converse normally.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the mobile device has stopped moving and has arrived at the particular location comprises detecting the location of the mobile device while the telephone call is in the hold state.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the user input indicating that the telephone call should be placed in the hold state comprises detecting, based on accelerometer data generated by the mobile device, that a user of the mobile device is shaking or jerking the mobile device;

and

wherein muting the speaker, recording the voice message, transmitting the voice message, and placing the telephone call into the hold state are performed in response to detecting, based on accelerometer data generated by the mobile device, that the user of the mobile device is shaking or jerking the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein detecting, based on the accelerometer data generated by the mobile device, that the user of the mobile device is shaking or jerking the mobile device comprises detecting that the user of the mobile device is shaking or jerking the mobile device while the mobile device is ringing to indicate that the telephone call is incoming;

and

wherein the method further comprises accepting, by the mobile device, the telephone call based on detecting that the user of the mobile device is shaking or jerking the mobile device while the mobile device is ringing to indicate that the telephone call is incoming.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving, by the mobile device and while the mobile device is at the first location, the user input indicating that the telephone call received by the mobile device should be placed in the hold state comprises receiving the user input while the mobile device is ringing to indicate that the telephone call is incoming;

and

wherein the method further comprises accepting, by the mobile device, the telephone call based on the user input received while the mobile device is ringing to indicate that the telephone call is incoming.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving, by the mobile device and while the mobile device is at the first location, the user input indicating that the telephone call received by the mobile device should be placed in the hold state comprises detecting, at a touch screen of the mobile device, a user selection of one of a plurality of controls corresponding to different message options.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, by the mobile device and to the device associated with the caller, a text message in response to receiving the user input in addition to transmitting the voice message.

11. A device comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one machine-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving, while the device is at a first location, user input indicating that a telephone call received by the device should be placed in a hold state;

in response to receiving the user input indicating that the telephone call should be placed in the hold state;

muting a speaker of the device;

recording, by the device, a voice message while the speaker of the device is muted;

transmitting, to a device associated with the caller, the audio message recorded by the device; and

placing the telephone call into a hold state;

detecting that the device is moving;

determining that the device has stopped moving and that the device has arrived at a particular location, wherein the particular location is different from the first location; and

automatically removing the telephone call from the hold state in response to determining that the device has stopped moving and that the device has arrived at the particular location.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein determining that the device has stopped moving and has arrived at the particular location comprises detecting a velocity of the device using a navigation module of the device.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein placing the telephone call into a hold state comprises muting a microphone of the device;

and

wherein removing the telephone call from the hold state comprises un-muting the microphone.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein removing the telephone call from the hold state comprises placing the telephone call in a state in which a caller and a called party may converse normally.

15. The device of claim 11, wherein determining that the device has stopped moving and has arrived at the particular location comprises detecting the location of the device while the telephone call is in the hold state.

16. A data storage device storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by a device and while the device is at a first location, user input indicating that a telephone call received by the device should be placed in a hold state;

in response to receiving the user input indicating that the telephone call should be placed in the hold state;

muting a speaker of the device;

recording, by the device, a voice message while the speaker of the device is muted;

transmitting, to a device associated with the caller, the audio message recorded by the device; and

placing the telephone call into a hold state;

detecting that the device is moving;

determining that the device has stopped moving and that the device has arrived at a particular location, wherein the particular location is different from the first location; and

automatically removing the telephone call from the hold state in response to determining that the device has stopped moving and that the device has arrived at the particular location.

17. The data storage device of claim 16, wherein determining the device has stopped moving and has arrived at the particular location comprises detecting a velocity of the mobile device using a navigation module of the device.

18. The data storage device of claim 16, wherein placing the telephone call into a hold state comprises muting a microphone of the device;

and

wherein removing the telephone call from the hold state comprises un-muting the microphone.

19. The data storage device of claim 16, wherein removing the telephone call from the hold state comprises placing the telephone call in a state in which a caller and a called party may converse normally.

20. The data storage device of claim 16, wherein determining the device has stopped moving and has arrived at the particular location comprises detecting the location of the device while the telephone call is in the hold state.