Methods for reconnecting to a network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9723557-B2
Application number	US-201514941768-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 16, 2015
Priority date	Nov 16, 2015
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

In a first embodiment, a method includes: entering a reduced communications performance environment, wherein a mobile device connected to a network loses connection to the network; attempting to reconnect to the network in the reduced performance environment without success; recording network connection attempt information; entering an improved performance environment, wherein the mobile device is reconnected to the network; and transmitting the network connection attempt information to a remote server. In a second embodiment, a method includes: consulting a network reconnection attempts profile previously sent from a cloud server to a mobile device; based on the network reconnections attempts profile, determining a network reconnection attempt schedule; and attempting to reconnect to the network according to the network reconnection attempt schedule until the mobile device is reconnected to the network.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
entering a reduced communications performance environment, wherein a mobile device connected to a network loses connection to the network;
attempting to reconnect to the network in the reduced performance environment without success;
recording network connection attempt information, including at least a geographic location of the mobile device;
entering an improved performance environment, wherein the mobile device is reconnected to the network; and
transmitting the network connection attempt information to a remote server, the network connection attempt information including a last known location of the mobile device before losing connection to the network and a duration of the lost connection.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein attempting to reconnect to the network comprises moving a processor in the mobile device from a sleep state to an active state and transmitting a request via a radio link, and wherein each attempt to reconnect to the network consumes energy from a battery of the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network connection attempt information further comprises at least one of radio frequency network conditions, a time-of-day, day-of-week, or date.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network connection attempt information further comprises at least one of radio frequency conditions in time, a number of attempts or failures from loss of connection to reconnection, a first known location at reconnection, a histogram of time for previous users in the reduced performance environment who have experienced an outage and have reconnected, or data of known network outage locations.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reduced performance environment comprises an environment outside a network coverage area of the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reduced performance environment comprises an environment where a voice or data link between the mobile device and network has been lost.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the remote server is a cloud server configured to receive network connection attempt information from a plurality of mobile devices and which generates a histogram of expected radio-link outage durations for mobile devices at all geo-locations of reported reduced radio frequency (RF) performance environments within the network, the histogram providing compiled data that is used to determine a network connection attempt schedule for electronics devices in a reduced performance environment.

8. A method comprising:
consulting a network reconnection attempts profile previously sent from a cloud server to a mobile device;
based on the network reconnections attempts profile, determining a network reconnection attempt schedule; and
attempting to reconnect to the network according to the network reconnection attempt schedule until the mobile device is reconnected to the network.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the network reconnection attempts profile comprises a plurality of user data derived from individual user data previously sent from individual mobile devices to the cloud server indicating outage locations and lost connection duration information.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the network reconnection attempt schedule comprises an estimate of times for attempting to reconnect to the network based on a median reconnection time determined from user data.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the network reconnection attempt schedule comprises a first predetermined number of attempts before the median reconnection time determined from user data and a second predetermined number of attempts after the median reconnection time determined from user data.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first predetermined number of attempts is less than the second predetermined number of attempts.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first predetermined number of attempts is at a lower frequency than the second predetermined number of attempts.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the network reconnection attempt schedule comprises an estimate of times for attempting to reconnect to the network based on histogram data for each outage location.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the mobile device determines its geographic location based on outage locations and last known location.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the mobile device accesses lost connection duration from the histogram data using its geographic location to determine the network reconnection attempt schedule.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the network connection attempt information comprises radio frequency conditions in time, a number of attempts or failures from loss of connection to reconnection, a first known location at reconnection, a histogram of time for previous users in a reduced performance environment who have experienced an outage and have reconnected, and data of known network outage locations.

18. The method of claim 8 , wherein the network connection attempts profile comprises a histogram of the plurality of user data.

19. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
transmitting the network reconnection attempt schedule to the remote server.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the network reconnection attempt schedule further comprises location and lost connection duration information for the mobile device in a reduced performance environment.

21. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
determining a duration in which the mobile device may likely be unable to reestablish a radio link by referring to stored user connection data compiled based on previous experiences of other mobile devices using the network, whereby the mobile device avoids continuously attempting to reestablish a data link connection throughout the duration.

22. The method of claim 8 , further comprising managing the network reconnection attempt schedule following a number of failed attempts by the mobile device to reconnect to the network.

23. The method of claim 8 , further comprising: identifying an average reacquisition time; making a few periodic reconnection attempts before the average reacquisition time; and making more frequent reconnection attempts at some time after the average reacquisition time.

Assignees

• Motorola Mobility Llc

Inventors

• Mclaughlin Michael David

Classifications

• H04W76/028

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W52/0216 Primary

  using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame · CPC title

• H04W76/027

  Electricity · mapped topic

• Y02D30/70

  in wireless communication networks · CPC title

• H04W76/19

  Connection re-establishment · CPC title