Patent Application
20150127839
Wireless signal strength varies according to how far a wireless communication device is away from its access point. Including RF interfaces such as cellular or Wi-Fi, the quality of a wireless link may be impacted by radio noise and obstructions to line of sight. The strength of a wireless link's signal is measured when received by a wireless communication device or a base station. The received signal strength is correlated to the overall quality of a media session, but signal strength is not the only factor that determines session quality. A high quality session has few transmission failures, such as lost or late payload or retransmissions.
In various wireless communication devices such as mobile phones, signal strength is displayed bars. A displayed signal strength indicates the strength of the wireless link between the device and its access point. In various scenarios the signal strength of the connecting wireless link is insufficient to indicate the quality of a media session. The counter-party on the other side of the call may also be connected wirelessly, in which case the session quality may depend on conditions of two wireless networks. Congestion on a backhaul or backbone may also impact session quality.
Wireless communication systems may transfer communication status to a session icon that is displayed on a wireless communication device such as a smart phone, a tablet, a personal computer, a game console, a hand-held or wearable console, or other software processing device that has a wireless transceiver. A session quality server system obtains communication status data for a set of communication contacts. The session quality server system transfers the communication status data of the contact set over to the wireless communication device. Before a media session such as a voice call is established with a communication contact, the wireless communication device displays a session icon for that communication contact. The communication status of that contact is visually indicated in the session icon.
Session quality server system 150 delivers over link 180 the communication status data of the set of identifiable communication contacts. Data delivered over link 180 is received and remembered by wireless communication device 110. Later wireless communication device 110 receives a session request indicating that communication contact 160 may participate in a media session with the user. Examples of a session request for a media session include an alert for an incoming call from the given contact or the appearance of a button that can call the given contact.
In reaction to wireless communication device 110 receiving a session request indicating a communication contact, display 120 shows session icon 130 in a way that visually indicates the communication status for a possible media session to be conducted on link 190. When the user activates session icon 130, perhaps by pressing it, the media session is established. For example the session icon may be the button that answers an incoming call. The incoming call may be a voice call to be carried on link 190.
Session quality server system 250 also obtains communication status data about wireless communication device 210, which is delivered over links 221 and 290 and wireless access network 220. Session quality server system 250 considers the raw communication status data regarding contact 260 and device 210 and determines a visual representation that summarizes the communication status to indicate session quality. The visual representation is the communication status data that session quality server system eventually delivers over links 290 and 221, to wireless communication device 210. Wireless communication device 210 receives and remembers the last communication status data it receives for each communication contact. If for example the party at communication contact 260 attempts to originate a voice call, wireless communication device 210 receives on link 221 a control page indicating an incoming call. Wireless communication device 210 considers the received control page as announcing a session request. Device 210 reacts to the session request by displaying session icon 214, which may be an answer button. Session icon 214 visually indicates the communication status data that device 210 earlier received regarding contact 260.
User 310 prepares (361) to call contact 350, perhaps by viewing in a contacts manager the contacts information of the party reachable at contact 350. Device 320 reacts to this by displaying (364) the session icon, which in this example is a button to call contact 350. Implementations may differ on how to visualize the communication status data in the session icon. For example the communication status data may include the color gray to indicate poor session quality. As such gray would appear on the session icon in such a way as to be meaningful to user 310. Even though the call quality is poor, user 310 attempts (365) to originate the call by pressing the session icon. The media session for the voice call is established (366) when the party reached at contact 350 accepts the call.
Communication status data can be visualized without color. For example
The visual indications included in the communication status data need not be numeric as fill level is. The communication status data may include flags such as a high definition (HD) voice indicator. The HD flag shown in session icon 630 might for example be included when both communication devices that would participate in a media session support HD voice and the involved networks can carry HD voice. The two parties of a media session may be connected to different access networks. The type of access network of the counter party contact may be included in the communication status data, such that a party may be shown a session icon that visually indicates the access network type of the counter party contact. A visual indication of access network type may be included in communication status data as a pictorial icon. For example session icon 620 shows that a communication contact is connected to a Wi-Fi access network. Session icon 621 shows that a communication contact is connected to a cellular network. Session icon 622 shows that a communication contact is connected by a land line.
Each of session icons 730-32 regards a separate communication contact and so visually indicates separate communication status data. If the session quality is encoded as shading data in the communication status data, then the dark shading of session icon 732 may suggest that activating session icon 732 would originate a higher quality call than would the activation of session icon 730 or 731. The communication status data of session icons 730-31 visually indicate a lower call quality, perhaps because device 700 can only reach the communication contacts of these session icons by connecting to a cellular access network of lower call quality. Whereas session icon 732 might be darker because device 700 can reach the communication contact of session icon 732 by connecting to a Wi-Fi access network of higher call quality. Those are examples of the access network of device 700 affecting the communication status data that is processed by the session quality server system.
However a communication contact may also connect to an access network that affects communication status data. The communication status data given to wireless communication device 700 is an integration of communication status data of device 700 and the communication status data of the communication contact of session icon 732. As such it is possible that session icon 730 or 731 is lightly shaded because of communication status data of the corresponding communication contact.
Communication interfaces 910 comprises RF communication circuitry and an antenna. The RF communication circuitry typically includes an amplifier, filter, RF modulator, and signal processing circuitry. Communication interfaces 910 may also include a memory device, software, processing circuitry, or some other communication device. Communication interfaces 910 use various protocols, such as CDMA, EVDO, WIMAX, GSM, LTE, Wi-Fi, HSPA, Bluetooth, 1xRTT or some other wireless communication format.
User interface 920 comprises components that interact with a user to receive user inputs and to present media and/or information. User interface 920 includes display 930 and may also include a speaker, microphone, buttons, lights, touch screen, touch pad, scroll wheel, communication port, or some other user input/output apparatus—including combinations thereof.
Processing circuitry 950 comprises microprocessor and other circuitry that retrieves and executes operating software 970 from storage system 960. Storage system 960 comprises a non-transitory storage medium, such as a disk drive, flash drive, data storage circuitry, or some other memory apparatus. Processing circuitry 950 is typically mounted on a circuit board that may also hold storage system 960 and portions of communication interfaces 910 and user interface 920. Operating software 970 comprises computer programs, firmware, or some other form of machine-readable processing instructions. Operating software 970 may include an operating system, applications, drivers, and session status logic tailored according to desired features. Operating software 970 may also include utilities or some other type of software. When executed by processing circuitry 950, operating software 970 directs processing system 940 to operate wireless communication device 900 as described herein.
The session status logic of wireless communication device 900 may comprise an aggregation of software modules such as the following. Communication module 982 may drive communication interfaces 910 to send and receive communication status data. Display module 986 may render session icons for delivery to display 930 and handle user interactions. Session status module 984 may send and receive communication data through communication interfaces 910. Session status module 984 may also remember the most recently received communication status data for each communication contact known to wireless communication device 900. Implementations of the session status logic of wireless communication device 900 have flexibility as to how many software modules are present and how responsibilities are distributed amongst the modules.
The above description and associated figures teach the best mode of the invention. The following claims specify the scope of the invention. Note that some aspects of the best mode may not fall within the scope of the invention as specified by the claims. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the features described above can be combined in various ways to form multiple variations of the invention. As a result, the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, but only by the following claims and their equivalents.
