Advisory alert of low signal strength for cell phone user
The invention provides an advisory alert indicating conditions are such that an ongoing telephone call involving a cellular telephone may be dropped due to insufficient signal strength. A decrease in signal strength over time that exceeds a specified percentage decrease provides the primary basis for triggering the advisory alert. This advisory alert warns one or more participants of the call of the possibility of the call ending due to low signal strength. The advisory alert provides for conclusion of the call before the call is lost, and/or lowers the frustration level associated with a call lost for an unknown reason. In operation, signal strength is assessed during a series of time intervals. Signal strength of consecutive time intervals is compared. If the percentage drop in signal strength exceeds a specified percentage, an advisory alert is effectuated. The criteria that trigger an advisory alert may be non-programmable, or is modifiable in programmable embodiments.
1. In a cellular telephone having a keypad, a method of alerting a user to possible loss of a call due to low signal strength comprising:
a. measuring incoming signal strength as the power between the cellular telephone and one or more nearby cell sites;
b. calculating a percentage change between measured incoming signal strength during a second interval and measured incoming signal strength in a first interval preceding the second interval;
c. comparing the calculated percentage change in measured incoming signal strength to a pre-determined percentage;
d. providing an advisory alert to said user that indicates the possible loss of a call due to low signal strength if the calculated percentage change represents a reduction in signal strength of at least the pre-determined percentage from the value of the measured incoming signal strength during the first time interval; and
e. selecting recipients of the advisory alert from a group consisting of the user, a party participating in the call with the user, and both the user and the party.
2. The method of claim 1 and including the step of inputting the pre-determined percentage by a user of the cellular telephone.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of selecting the pre-determined percentage comprises pressing by strokes a sequence of keys on the keypad.
4. In a cellular telephone having a keypad, a method of alerting a user to possible loss of a call due to low signal strength comprising:
a. measuring incoming signal strength;
b. calculating a percentage change between measured incoming signal strength during a second interval and measured incoming signal strength in a first interval preceding the second interval;
c. comparing the calculated percentage change in incoming signal strength to a designated percentage;
d. providing an advisory alert to said user that indicates the possible loss of a call due to low signal strength if the calculated percentage change represents a reduction in signal strength of at least the designated percentage,
wherein the designated percentage is determined as a continuous function of the incoming signal strength at the beginning of the designated time interval; and
e. selecting recipients of the advisory alert from a grow consisting of the user, a party participating in the call with the user, and both the user and the party.
5. The method of claim 4 and including the step of selecting the continuous function.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of selecting the continuous function comprises pressing by strokes a sequence of keys on the keypad.
7. The method of claim 4 and including the step of selecting the designated time interval.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of selecting the designated time interval comprises pressing by strokes a sequence of keys on the keypad.
9. The method of claim 4 and including the step of selecting a type of advisory alert output selected from the group consisting of a sound signal, a vibrational signal, and a light signal.
10. The method of claim 4 wherein the step of providing comprises sending an electronic signal to generate an audible sound at an earpiece speaker of the cellular telephone.
11. In a cellular telephone having a keypad, a method of alerting a user to possible loss of a call due to low signal strength comprising:
a. measuring incoming signal strength;
b. calculating a percentage change between measured incoming signal strength during a second interval and measured incoming signal strength in a first interval preceding the second interval;
c. comparing the calculated percentage change in incoming signal strength to a designated percentage;
d. providing an advisory alert to said user that indicates the possible loss of a call due to low signal strength if the calculated percentage change represents a reduction in signal strength of at least the designated percentage,
wherein the step of providing comprises sending an electronic signal to generate an audible sound at a speaker of the cellular telephone that provides a low battery strength alert if a battery that powers the cellular telephone has low battery strength; and
e. selecting recipients of the advisory alert from a group consisting of the user, a party participating in the call with the user, and both the user and the party.
12. A system for providing an advisory alert that a telephone call involving a cellular telephone may be dropped due to low signal strength, comprising:
a. a measurement component adapted to measure signal strength as the power between the cellular telephone and one or more nearby cell sites for each of a specified series of time intervals;
b. a calculation component adapted to calculate a percentage change in signal strength as the power between the cellular telephone and the one or more nearby cell sites between two or more of said time intervals; and
c. a comparison component adapted to compare said percentage change to a pre-determined percentage change criterion, operatively linked to an advisory alert generator to provide an advisory alert if said percentage change exceeds said pre-determined percentage change criterion, and wherein recipients of the advisory alert are selected from a group consisting of a user, a party participating in the telephone call with the user, and both the user and the party.
13. The system of claim 12 additionally comprising a data storage component.
14. A system for providing an advisory alert that a telephone call involving a cellular telephone may be dropped due to low signal strength, comprising:
a. a means for measuring signal strength for each of a specified series of time intervals as the power between the cellular telephone and one or more nearby cell sites;
b. a means for calculating a percentage change in signal strength as the power between the cellular telephone and the one or more nearby cell sites between two or more of said time intervals; and
c. a means for comparing said percentage change to a pre-determined percentage change criterion, operatively linked to an advisory alert generator to provide an advisory alert if said percentage change exceeds said pre-determined percentage change criterion; and
e. a means for selecting recipients of the advisory alert from a group consisting of a user, a party participating in the telephone call with the user, and both the user and the party.
15. The system of claim 14 additionally comprising data storage.
16. A cellular telephone comprising an advisory alert system for potential lost calls due to low signal strength, comprising:
a. a receiver comprising an earpiece, an earpiece speech processor, an earpiece demodulator, a filter, and a duplexer and an antenna shared with a transmitter;
b. said transmitter comprising a mouthpiece, a mouthpiece speech processor, a mouthpiece modulator, an amplifier, and said duplexer and said antenna;
c. a user control interface comprising a display and a keyboard comprising a number of separate keys;
d. a battery; and
e. a central processing unit comprising means for measuring signal strength for each of a specified series of time intervals as the power between the cellular telephone and one or more nearby cell sites, means for calculating a percentage change between measured incoming signal strength during a second interval and measured incoming signal strength in a first interval preceding the second interval, means for comparing said calculated percentage change to a pre-determined percentage change criterion, operatively linked to an advisory alert generator to provide an advisory alert if the calculated percentage change represents a reduction in signal strength greater than the pre-determined percentage, and means for selecting recipients of the advisory alert from a group consisting of a user, a party participating in a call with the user, and both the user and the party.
17. The telephone of claim 16 additionally comprising a data storage component.
18. In a cellular telephone having a keypad, a method of alerting a user to possible loss of a call due to low signal strength comprising:
a. measuring incoming signal strength;
b. calculating a percentage change between measured incoming signal strength during a second interval and measured incoming signal strength in a first interval preceding the second interval;
c. comparing the calculated percentage change in incoming signal strength to a designated percentage;
d. providing an advisory alert to said user that indicates the possible loss of a call due to low signal strength if the calculated percentage change represents a reduction in signal strength of at least the designated percentage, wherein the designated percentage is determined as a continuous function of the incoming signal strength at the beginning of the designated time interval; and
e. selecting the continuous function, wherein the step of selecting the continuous function comprises pressing by strokes a sequence of keys on the keypad.
19. In a cellular telephone having a keypad, a method of alerting a user to possible loss of a call due to low signal strength comprising:
a. measuring incoming signal strength;
b. calculating a percentage change between measured incoming signal strength during a second interval and measured incoming signal strength in a first interval preceding the second interval;
c. comparing the calculated percentage change in incoming signal strength to a designated percentage;
d. providing an advisory alert to said user that indicates the possible loss of a call due to low signal strength if the calculated percentage change represents a reduction in signal strength of at least the designated percentage, wherein the designated percentage is determined as a continuous function of the incoming signal strength at the beginning of the designated time interval; and
e. selecting the designated time interval.
20. In a cellular telephone having a keypad, a method of alerting a user to possible loss of a call due to low signal strength comprising:
a. measuring incoming signal strength;
b. calculating a percentage change between measured incoming signal strength during a second interval and measured incoming signal strength in a first interval preceding the second interval;
c. comparing the calculated percentage change in incoming signal strength to a designated percentage;
d. providing an advisory alert to said user that indicates the possible loss of a call due to low signal strength if the calculated percentage change represents a reduction in signal strength of at least the designated percentage, wherein the designated percentage is determined as a continuous function of the incoming signal strength at the beginning of the designated time interval; and
e. selecting the designated time interval, wherein the step of selecting the designated time interval comprises pressing by strokes a sequence of keys on the keypad.