1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to portable electronic devices for facilitating wireless communications and more particularly, to such devices having global positioning system capabilities.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable electronic devices are ubiquitous in today's society. A large number of these devices rely on communications networks to permit a user of such a device to engage in a conversation or to receive and transmit data. Virtually all large urban areas are well-served by such networks. Notably, however, the range of these networks is limited, and many rural areas have little or no communications reception. As a result, it is common that users of portable electronic devices find themselves in an area that is not served by their wireless carrier.
While some users may be content without having any available service for brief or even extended periods of time, some individuals may need to reestablish communications quickly. As an example, a user who is attempting to conduct important business or financial transactions or who is faced with an emergency may have to urgently reacquire a signal. To do so, however, a user must remember how to traverse back to the area where he had a sufficient signal. Alternatively, the user may walk or drive in an uncoordinated manner until he relocates a cell.
The present invention concerns a method of directing a user to coverage. The method includes the steps of detecting when a signal strength parameter of a mobile unit falls below a predetermined threshold, acquiring positional information about the mobile unit and directing a user of the mobile unit to a reestablishing coverage area that has a signal strength that would cause the signal strength parameter to meet the predetermined threshold. In one arrangement, the method can further include the step of calculating positional parameters between the mobile unit and the reestablishing coverage area. As an example, the reestablishing coverage area can be a coverage area that is geographically closest to the mobile unit in comparison to other coverage areas.
In another arrangement, the method can include the steps of repeating the step of acquiring positional information about the mobile unit and modifying the directing step based on new positional information acquired about the mobile unit. The method can also include the step of directing the user of the mobile unit to a new reestablishing coverage area if the new reestablishing coverage area is geographically closer to the previous reestablishing coverage area based on the new positional information acquired about the mobile unit.
In one embodiment of the invention, the acquiring step further includes acquiring positional information about the mobile unit after the detecting step. Also, the invention can include the step of acquiring positional information about at least one of a first coverage area and neighboring coverage areas when the mobile unit enters the first coverage area. Moreover, when the signal strength parameter of the mobile unit falls below the predetermined threshold, the method can include the step of sorting a list that at least includes the first coverage area and the neighboring coverage areas. As an example, the reestablishing coverage area can be at least one of the first coverage area and the neighboring coverage areas. The list can be resorted if it is determined that a new reestablishing coverage area must be used. The new reestablishing coverage area can be at least one of the first coverage area and the neighboring coverage areas.
In another embodiment of the invention, the directing step can further include directing the user of the mobile unit to a reestablishing coverage area that has a signal strength that would cause the signal strength parameter to meet the predetermined threshold by providing directions to the user through a display and/or a speaker. As an option, the method can include the step of displaying a recovery map to provide the directions to the user through at least one of the display and the speaker. In one particular arrangement, the recovery map can be downloaded from a communications network, and the range of the recovery map can depend on the terrain in which the mobile unit is located.
The present invention also concerns a mobile unit for directing users to coverage. The mobile unit includes a processor in which the processor is programmed to detect when a signal strength parameter falls below a predetermined threshold, a global positioning system element in which the global positioning system element acquires positional information about the mobile unit and a user interface. The processor is programmed to receive the positional information from the global positioning system element and to direct a user of the mobile unit through the user interface to a reestablishing coverage area that has a signal strength that would cause the signal strength parameter to meet the predetermined threshold. The mobile unit can also include suitable software and/or circuitry to carry out the processes described above.
The features of the present invention, which are believed to be novel, are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in the several figures of which like reference numerals identify like elements, and in which:
While the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the following description in conjunction with the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals are carried forward.
As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandable description of the invention.
The terms a or an, as used herein, are defined as one or more than one. The term plurality, as used herein, is defined as two or more than two. The term another, as used herein, is defined as at least a second or more. The terms including and/or having, as used herein, are defined as comprising (i.e., open language). The term coupled, as used herein, is defined as connected, although not necessarily directly, and not necessarily mechanically. The terms program, software application, and the like as used herein, are defined as a sequence of instructions designed for execution on a computer system. A program, computer program, or software application may include a subroutine, a function, a procedure, an object method, an object implementation, an executable application, an applet, a servlet, a source code, an object code, a shared library/dynamic load library and/or other sequence of instructions designed for execution on a computer system.
Referring to
The coverage areas 110 may be situated in a wide variety of locations, including urban and rural areas. As is known in the art, as the mobile unit 112 enters a coverage area 110, the network equipment (not shown) can provide the mobile unit 112 with information about neighboring coverage areas 110. For example, if the mobile unit 112 is currently located in the coverage area 110 designated with the reference letter A, the network equipment can provide information concerning neighboring coverage areas 110, such as the coverage areas 110 designated by the reference letters B, C, D, E, F and G. Upon receipt, the mobile unit 112 can store the information concerning the neighboring coverage areas 110, and the coverage areas 110 listed above are given priority, at least in this particular example. Information can also be provided about the coverage areas 110 designated by the reference letters Dx, Ex Fx and Gx. These coverage areas 110, however, typically may not be given as high a priority as the coverage areas recited above. As appreciated by those of skill in the art, this process described above facilitates the ability of the mobile unit 112 to move from one coverage area 110 to another.
Eventually, a user of the mobile unit 112 may exceed the range or reside outside the range of all coverage areas 110. As such, the mobile unit 112 may not be able to receive a signal that is strong enough to permit the mobile unit 112 to transmit or receive. This concept of losing reception generally occurs when a user of the mobile unit 112 is leaving a populated region and moving into a rural area, although it may happen in other areas. In accordance with an embodiment of the inventive arrangements, the mobile unit 112 can direct the user of the mobile unit 112 to a position that has sufficient signal strength to permit the user to make or receive wireless communications. Examples of this process and a suitable mobile unit 112 will be presented below.
Referring to
As is known in the art, the transceiver 116, at the request of the processor 114, can permit the mobile unit 112 to transmit and receive voice or data over a wireless communications network. The memory 120 can be any suitable memory for storing data and executable instructions that the processor 114 can utilize. Moreover, the GPS element 118 can acquire positional information about the mobile unit 112 and can provide this information to the processor 114. The GPS element 118 can be any suitable combination of discrete and/or integrated components and software useful for determining positional information about the mobile unit 112 using any suitable technique. For example, the GPS element 118, as is also known in the art, can determine the latitude and longitude of the mobile unit 112.
The display driver 124 can be used to cause images to be displayed on the display 126, examples of which will be described later. Similarly, the audio driver 128 can be used to cause sound to be broadcast from the speaker 130. The user input interface 132 can receive input from a user of the mobile unit 112 and can transmit this input to the processor 114. As an example, the user input interface 132 can be a keypad, buttons, a microphone or any other component that a user can use to provide input to the mobile unit 112.
Referring to
For example, referring back to
This positional information can be the latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates of, for example, the base station that serves a particular coverage area 110. This positional information can also include the range of the coverage area 110. It is understood, however, that the positional information can be any other information suitable for determining the location of a coverage area 110 and its suitability for enabling a mobile unit 112 to reacquire a signal. In another arrangement, this positional information can be broadcast to the mobile unit 112 over an auxiliary channel, such as a Broadcast Common Control Channel (BCCH), although the information can be broadcast to the mobile unit 112 over any other suitable channel. The processor 114 of the mobile unit 112 can receive the positional information from the transceiver 116, and in response, the processor 114 can transfer this information to the memory 120.
Referring back to the method 300 of
The GPS element 118 of the mobile unit 112 can acquire positional information about the mobile unit 112. As an example, the positional information can be the latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates of the mobile unit 112, although the positional information can be any other suitable data for determining the geographic location of the mobile unit 112. In one embodiment of the invention, the processor 114 can instruct the GPS element 118 to acquire the positional information about the mobile unit 112 after the processor 114 detects that the signal strength parameter has dropped below the predetermined threshold. In another arrangement, the processor 114 can instruct the GPS element 118 to acquire the positional information after the detecting step described above but only after a user of the mobile unit 112 attempts to perform some function through the user input interface 132, such as pressing a keypad button. In still yet another alternative, the GPS element 118 can continuously acquire positional information about the mobile unit 112, even before a user of the mobile unit 112 ventures into an area with no signal coverage.
Referring back to the method 300 of
For example, referring back to
The phrases “geographically closer coverage area” or “geographically closest coverage area” can refer to a coverage area 110 that has a range that is physically closest to the mobile unit 112 in comparison to the other coverage areas 110. Additionally, these phrases can also refer to the coverage area 110 that has latitudinal or longitudinal coordinates that are physically closest to the mobile unit 112 in comparison to other coverage areas 110. Although a coverage area 110 may have latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates that are closer to the mobile unit 112, another coverage area 110 may be geographically closest to the mobile unit 112 because its range is closer to the mobile unit 112 than that of the coverage area 110 with the closer coordinates.
As an example, if the user of the mobile unit 112 leaves the lower part of the G coverage area 110 and moves into a location with no coverage, the processor 114 can sort a list that includes the G coverage area 110 and its neighboring coverage areas 110. An example of such a list is shown in
The positioning of a coverage area 110 on the list 400 can correspond to the geographic proximity that the coverage area 110 has with the mobile unit 112. Thus, those coverage areas 110 near the lower part of the list 400 can be farther away from the mobile unit 112 than those listed near the top. As also shown in
In addition, more than one list 400 may be sorted during this process, each having coverage areas 110 arranged according to their proximity to the mobile unit 112. The first coverage area 110, however, can be different for each of the lists 400. For example, a list 400 can be sorted in which the F coverage area 110 is listed first, followed by neighboring coverage areas 110 being listed based on proximity. As will be explained later, this process can be useful if the user of the mobile unit 112, while in the area with no reception, moves closer to a coverage area 110 that is different from the one that the user initially left.
In one arrangement of the invention, one of the coverage areas 110 can be referred to as a reestablishing coverage area 110. A reestablishing coverage area 110 can be the coverage area 110 intended to provide the mobile unit 112 with a signal strong enough to cause the signal strength parameter to at least meet the predetermined threshold mentioned above. As an example, the reestablishing coverage area 110 can be either the first coverage area 110 (G coverage area 110, in this example) or a neighboring coverage area 110 (F, A, Ex, B, E, and Dx, in this example). As noted earlier, the reestablishing coverage area 110 can be the coverage area 110 that is geographically closest to the mobile unit 112 in comparison to other coverage areas 110. In this example, the G coverage area 110 can be the reestablishing coverage area 110 because its range and latitude and longitude coordinates are closer to the mobile unit 112 than those of the other coverage areas 110 (those designated by the reference letters F, A, Ex, B, E, and Dx). It is understood, however, that the invention is not so limited, as any other suitable coverage area 110 can serve as the reestablishing coverage area 110.
The processor 114 can then calculate positional parameters between the mobile unit 112 and the reestablishing coverage area 110. For example, the positional parameters can be a distance from the mobile unit 112 to the reestablishing coverage area 110 and a corresponding direction or bearing. This distance can be measured from, for example, the outside range of the coverage area 110, the center of the coverage area 110 or any other suitable point inside the coverage area 110. It is understood, however, that other suitable parameters, in addition to or in lieu of the above examples, can be calculated during this process.
It must be noted that it is not necessary to obtain positional information about neighboring coverage areas 110 and to construct or sort a list in which the reestablishing coverage area 110 is listed first followed by suitable neighboring coverage areas 110. In particular, the mobile unit 112 can acquire positional information about the current coverage area 110 in which it is situated. If the mobile unit 112 moves out of the range of the coverage area 110, then merely this previous coverage area 110 can serve as the reestablishing coverage area 110.
Referring back to
In one arrangement and referring once again to
Alternatively, the processor 114 can cause a recovery map to be displayed on the display 126. An example of a recovery map 600 is shown in
In one arrangement, the range of the recovery map 600 can be determined based on the type of terrain in which the coverage area 110 or the mobile unit 112 is located. That is, if a communications network is providing a recovery map 600 to the mobile unit 112, the range of this recovery map 600 can be based on the terrain in which the coverage area 110 is situated. Similarly, if the mobile unit 112 is accessing a recovery map 600 from its own memory 120, the range of this recovery map 600 can be based on the terrain in which the mobile unit 112 currently resides.
For example, if the terrain in which the coverage area 110 or the mobile unit 112 resides is primarily an urban setting, the range of the recovery map 600 can be kept to a relatively lower value because the chances of quickly finding a reestablishing coverage area 110 are higher. Conversely, if the terrain in which the coverage area 110 sits is primarily rural, the range of the recovery map 600 can be higher because the number of possible reestablishing coverage areas 110 may be lower. If no information is available concerning the type of terrain in which the mobile unit 112 or the coverage area 110 sits, a default range can be selected, e.g., a range of fifty miles.
Referring back to the method 300, in
In view of any new positional information that it receives, the processor 114 can modify or update the instructions or directions that it is currently providing to the user of the mobile unit 112. For example, the distance between the mobile unit 112 and the reestablishing coverage area 110 may have decreased. As a result, the processor 114 can cause the updated distance to be displayed on the display 126 and/or broadcast on the speaker 130. In addition, the processor 114 can also cause to be displayed and/or broadcast a change in the direction or bearing that the user may take to reach the reestablishing coverage area 110. Additionally, if a recovery map 600 (see
There may be certain instances where the user of the mobile unit 112 may move in such a manner that another coverage area 110 may become closer to the mobile unit 112 than the initial reestablishing coverage area 110. Again, a coverage area 110 becoming closer can mean, for example, the range or latitude/longitude coordinates of the coverage area 110 becoming closer to the mobile unit 112. Referring back to the method 300 of
For example, referring once again to
The processor 114 can resort the list to indicate the change, an example of which is shown in
It is understood, however, that this process of updating the reestablishing coverage area 110 is not necessary to practice the invention. Specifically, if desired, the initial reestablishing coverage area 110 can remain the reestablishing coverage area 110, even if the user moves closer to another coverage area 110.
Referring back to the method 300 of
While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be clear that the invention is not so limited. Numerous modifications, changes, variations, substitutions and equivalents will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.