Mobile device and method for selectively allowing radio frequency resource sharing between stacks

Abstract

A method performed by a mobile device for selectively allowing sharing of radio frequency (RF) resources between multiple subscriptions associated with multiple subscriber identity modules (SIMs) in the mobile device, the method comprising: transferring access to RF resources from a first subscription among the multiple subscriptions to a second subscription among the multiple subscriptions during ongoing service through the first subscription based on the occurrence of a condition; evaluating one or more network parameters related to communication through the first subscription; and enabling the first subscription and the second subscription to share access to the RF resources for a first defined time period based on the evaluation, such that message communication through the second subscription is enabled without disconnecting the first subscription from the ongoing service.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority from Indian Patent Application No. 201941027504 filed on July 9, 2019, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] Some example embodiments of the inventive concepts relate to telecommunications, and in particular, to radio-frequency sharing with respect to mobile devices. Background Art

[0004] A multi-SIM wireless communication device is known that holds two or more Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards, thereby enabling the device to present two or more different Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Numbers (MSISDNs) and allowing simultaneous or contemporaneous access to different services using the MSISDNs.

[0005] Dual SIM Dual Standby (DSDS) / Multi-SIM UEs include a single transmitter and one or more receivers. In such devices, one SIM can use RF resources to transmit and / or receive signals at a time. In other words, while the device is actively sending and / or receiving communications from a service associated with one MSISDN, the other service / MSISDN is in a standby state. For example, when a voice call is established on SIM1, SIM1 occupies the RF resources, while SIM2 remains in a suspended state.

[0006] In an example operation of a multi-SIM / DSDS device, while a Voice over Long Term Evolution (LTE) (VoLTE) call is in progress on SIM1 (e.g., the primary SIM), SIM2 (e.g., the second SIM in a dual / multi-SIM device) is suspended or in standby mode. During a typical scenario where a user wants to send and / or receive Short Message Service (SMS) / Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) data and / or codes, etc., from SIM2, the suspension / standby mode of SIM2 causes inconvenience to the user (e.g., excessive delay and / or resource consumption).

[0007] In such Figure 1In the example scenario shown, when a user attempts to perform a VoLTE call on SIM1, SIM2 / another SIM is in a suspended state. During the VoLTE call on SIM1, the user or a third party may be performing a banking transaction (e.g., a payment transaction) and may expect to receive a one-time password (OTP) (e.g., for banking transactions / online payments) message from the registered number (e.g., SIM2). Because SIM2 is suspended, the user may miss receiving the OTP message because SIM1 is unable to receive the message communication. As a result, the user is forced to disconnect the call on SIM1 to resume the suspended SIM2 / another SIM in order to receive the SMS and complete the payment transaction in a timely manner.

[0008] Likewise, in Figure 2 In another scenario, during an ongoing VoLTE call on SIM1, the user wants to send an SMS message to a service provider (e.g., a direct-to-home (DTH) operator) via SIM2 (e.g., to determine balance and / or activate and / or deactivate certain TV broadcast channels). However, as long as SIM1 is on a VoLTE call, the user is unable to send SMS messages. Therefore, the user is again forced to disconnect the call on SIM1 in order to resume the suspended SIM2 / other SIM, which is the registered and / or authorized SIM to send SMS messages to the DTH operator.

[0009] While wireless devices based on Dual SIM Dual Active (DSDA) can serve as an alternative to DSDS devices, DSDA devices have their own drawbacks. DSDA devices include two transceivers and two SIM cards, allowing them to actively send and / or receive communications from services associated with two MSISDNs simultaneously, unlike DSDS solutions. However, this facility is achieved through the use of duplicate / additional hardware (e.g., a second transceiver), resulting in the additional cost of the duplicate / additional hardware.

[0010] It is desirable to facilitate efficient sharing of RF resources during a VoLTE call on the primary stack (eg, SIM1) in a DSDS device.

[0011] It is desired to resume the peer stack (eg, resume the suspended SIM2 / other SIM) to trigger SMS origination and / or reception during the VoLTE call on the primary stack (eg, SIM1) in the DSDS device. Summary of the Invention

[0012] This summary is provided to introduce some concepts in a simplified format that are further described in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0013] The present subject matter at least illustrates a method, performed by a mobile device, for selectively enabling sharing of radio frequency (RF) resources between multiple subscriptions associated with multiple subscriber identity modules (SIMs) in the mobile device. The method includes, based on the occurrence of a condition, transferring access to RF resources from a first subscription of the multiple subscriptions to a second subscription of the multiple subscriptions during ongoing service via the first subscription, evaluating one or more network parameters related to communication via the first subscription, and enabling the first subscription and the second subscription to share access to the RF resources for a first defined period of time based on the evaluation, such that message communication via the second subscription is enabled without disconnecting the first subscription from the ongoing service.

[0014] Based on the evaluation of the parameters, radio frequency resources are allowed to be shared between the first subscription and the second subscription for a specified time period, thereby allowing message communication via the second subscription during such time period while keeping the ongoing service on the first subscription active. Such time period can be calculated in real time.

[0015] In a further implementation, the present subject matter at least illustrates a system for selectively enabling sharing of radio frequency (RF) resources between multiple subscriptions associated with multiple subscriber identity modules (SIMs) in a mobile device. The mobile device includes at least one processor configured to execute computer-readable instructions to, based on the occurrence of a condition, transfer access to RF resources from a first subscription of the multiple subscriptions to a second subscription of the multiple subscriptions during ongoing service through the first subscription, evaluate one or more network parameters related to communication through the first subscription, and enable the first subscription and the second subscription to share RF resources for a first defined period of time based on the one or more network parameters to enable message communication through the second subscription without disconnecting the first subscription from the ongoing service.

[0016] To further illustrate the advantages and features of some exemplary embodiments of the present invention, a more detailed description of the present invention will be presented with reference to specific embodiments of the present invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the present invention and are not to be construed as limiting its scope. The present invention will be described and illustrated with additional specificity and detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present inventive concept will be better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like characters represent like parts throughout, and in which:

[0018] Figure 1 A prior art operation in a computing device is shown;

[0019] Figure 2 Another prior art operation in a computing device is shown;

[0020] Figure 3 Methods according to some example embodiments of the present inventive concept are shown;

[0021] Figure 4 Shown are systems according to some example embodiments of the present inventive concept;

[0022] Figure 5 shows the conventional procedure followed by a user equipment (UE) in an LTE network to check a radio link;

[0023] Figure 6 Some example embodiments of the present invention are shown. Figure 3 An example implementation of the method, wherein when a defined time period expires or a messaging event occurs, the ongoing service is resumed through the first subscription;

[0024] Figure 7 Some example embodiments of the present invention are shown. Figure 3 Another example implementation of the method, wherein when a defined time period expires without an occurrence of a messaging event, synchronizing the first subscription and the second subscription based on a determined duty cycle-based RF resource sharing procedure;

[0025] Figure 8 Some example embodiments of the present invention are shown. Figure 3 Another example implementation of the method of , wherein network parameters of the first subscription are re-evaluated and RF resources are reallocated to the second subscription;

[0026] Figure 9 Some example embodiments of the present invention are shown. Figure 3 An example implementation of the method of , wherein an indication of an incoming message is received from a user interface;

[0027] Figure 10 Some example embodiments of the present invention are shown. Figure 3 Example representations of the results of the method; and

[0028] Figure 11 The following are some example embodiments according to the present subject matter. Figure 4An example implementation of the illustrated system is based on a computing device.

[0029] Furthermore, the skilled artisan will appreciate that the elements in the drawings are illustrated for simplicity and may not necessarily be drawn to scale. For example, a flow chart illustrates the method in terms of the most salient operations involved to help enhance understanding of various aspects of the present inventive concept. Furthermore, with respect to the configuration of the device, one or more components of the device may be represented in the drawings by conventional symbols, and the drawings may show only those specific details relevant to understanding some example embodiments of the present inventive concept so as not to obscure the drawings with details that would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] To promote an understanding of the principles of the inventive concept, reference will now be made to certain exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will be understood, however, that the inventive concept is not limited in scope and that such changes and further modifications in the illustrated systems, and such further applications of the principles of the inventive concept as described herein, are considered to be common occurrences for those skilled in the art to which the inventive concept relates.

[0031] Those skilled in the art will understand that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are illustrative of the inventive concept and are not restrictive of the same.

[0032] Reference throughout this specification to "one aspect," "another aspect," or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present inventive concept. Thus, appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment," "in some example embodiments," and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.

[0033] The terms "comprises," "includes," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion such that a process or method that includes a list of operations includes not only those operations but may also include other operations not expressly listed or inherent to such process or method. Similarly, without further limitation, one or more devices or subsystems or elements or structures or components followed by "comprises..." does not preclude the presence of other devices or other subsystems or other elements or other structures or other components or additional devices or additional subsystems or additional elements or additional structures or additional components.

[0034] Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this inventive concept belongs.The systems, methods, and embodiments provided herein are illustrative only and not limiting.

[0035] Some example embodiments of the inventive concept will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0036] Now refer to Figure 3 This topic describes a method for selectively allowing radio frequency (RF) resource sharing between stacks in a mobile device operating on multiple subscriber identity modules (SIMs). In an example, the method presents a solution by identifying critical SMS message initiation and / or reception, and evaluating the conditions for resuming a peer stack during a VoLTE call on the primary stack, thereby facilitating efficient RF sharing.

[0037] The method includes running (operation 302) a message communication-based service through a second subscription during an ongoing service through a first subscription based on the occurrence of a condition. In some example embodiments, the mobile device can transfer access to RF resources from a first subscription (e.g., a first SIM / stack) to a second subscription (e.g., a second SIM / stack). In an example, each of the first subscription and the second subscription can be at least one of LTE, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), and / or CDMA. The ongoing service on the first subscription can correspond to at least one of: a VoLTE call, a communication on a packet-switched network, and / or a communication on a circuit-switched network. Such first and second subscriptions can operate on a radio access technology and / or mobile communication standard defined by at least one of fourth generation (4G) (e.g., 4G-LTE), third generation (3G), and / or second generation (2G).

[0038] The condition may be associated with enabling messaging communications via the second subscription. For example, the condition may be a user request received via a user interface (e.g., a user interface of a mobile device) during ongoing service of the first subscription to facilitate messaging communications via the second subscription. In another example, the condition may be a defined setting to allow messaging communications via the second subscription during ongoing service of the first subscription. The condition associated with messaging communications via the second subscription may be defined by at least one of: sending an SMS message, receiving an SMS message, sending and / or receiving packet-switched messaging communications, and / or sending and / or receiving messages via an internet browsing session.

[0039] Furthermore, one or more network parameters related to the first subscription can be evaluated (operation 304) (e.g., by the mobile device), the network parameters related to at least one of: signal strength, block error rate (BLER), and / or real-time transport protocol (RTP) control protocol (RTCP) timer. Such evaluation of network parameters corresponds to an evaluation of the likelihood (e.g., determining a probability and / or likelihood) of SMS message initiation and / or receipt via the second subscription.

[0040] Based on the evaluation of the network parameters, sharing of radio frequency (RF) resources (also herein in the singular, e.g., "RF resources") between the first subscription and the second subscription may be enabled (operation 306) (e.g., by the mobile device) for a defined time period, thereby enabling message communication via the second subscription during the time period while maintaining ongoing services on the first subscription active. The time period may be calculated in real time. For example, in some example embodiments, the sharing of the RF resources includes the mobile device enabling the first subscription (e.g., the first SIM / stack) and the second subscription (e.g., the second SIM / stack) to share access to the RF resources based on the evaluation of operation 304 for a defined time period, thereby enabling message communication via the second subscription without disconnecting the first subscription from the ongoing services.

[0041] When the first subscription is communicating with the ongoing service via 4G-LTE, the time period defined (e.g., by the mobile device) may be calculated based on one or more of N310, T310, and / or RTCP timers. When the first subscription is communicating with the ongoing service via 3G-Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS), the time period may be based on N313, T313, T314, and / or T315. When the first subscription is communicating with the ongoing service via 2G-Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), the time period may be based on a Slow Associated Control Channel (SACCH) count.

[0042] In one example, sharing RF resources between the first subscription and the second subscription includes maintaining an ongoing service on hold (e.g., pausing communications without disconnecting from the ongoing service) on the first subscription while allowing message communications through the second subscription for a defined time period. For example, in some example embodiments, the mobile device may cause an ongoing service on the first subscription to be placed on hold while allowing message communications through the second subscription during a defined time period. Upon expiration of the defined time period and / or upon the occurrence of a messaging event through the second subscription, the ongoing service may be resumed through the first subscription. For example, in some example embodiments, the mobile device may cause an ongoing service to be resumed through the first subscription upon the occurrence of a messaging event through the second subscription. Figure 6 Such an example of RF sharing is further schematically illustrated in .

[0043] In another example, sharing RF resources between a first subscription and a second subscription includes maintaining the ongoing service on the first subscription suspended while allowing message communication through the second subscription during a defined time period. If there are no messaging events (e.g., mobile originated (MO) or mobile terminated (MT) based messaging events) through the second subscription until the defined time period expires, the first subscription and the second subscription may be synchronized based on a determined duty cycle based RF resource sharing process defined by the suspend and resume mode. For example, in some example embodiments, the mobile device may synchronize the first subscription and the second subscription based on a determined duty cycle based RF resource sharing process defined by the suspend and resume mode, the synchronization being performed based on the absence of mobile originated or mobile terminated messaging events sent through the second subscription within a first defined time period. The ongoing service is resumed through the first subscription when the messaging event occurs through the second subscription a) during the defined time period or b) during the synchronization between the first subscription and the second subscription. Figure 7 Such an example of RF sharing is further schematically illustrated in .

[0044] In yet another example, sharing RF resources between a first subscription and a second subscription includes maintaining suspension of ongoing services on the first subscription while allowing message communication through the second subscription during a defined time period. If there are no messaging events (e.g., MO or MT-based messaging events) through the second subscription until the defined time period expires, the first subscription and the second subscription may be synchronized based on a determined duty cycle-based RF resource sharing process defined by the pause and resume mode. Network parameters related to the first subscription may be re-evaluated (e.g., repeating operation 304) (e.g., by the mobile device), and based on this, RF resources may be reallocated (e.g., by the mobile device) to the second subscription for another defined time period (e.g., a second defined time period). Finally, during at least one of a) the defined time period, b) synchronization between the first subscription and the second subscription, and / or c) other defined time periods, when a messaging event occurs through the second subscription. Figure 8 Such an example of RF sharing is further schematically illustrated in .

[0045] In example operations, identification of SMS message reception may be performed based on detecting whether a user (e.g., a user of a mobile device) wishes to receive incoming SMS messages on a peer SIM (e.g., a SIM associated with a second subscription) during an ongoing VoLTE call (e.g., an ongoing service associated with a first subscription). In some example embodiments, the user may send an indication from a user interface (UI) (e.g., a user interface of a mobile device) to a SIM connection point (CP). Upon receipt of such a user indication, the VoLTE call may be held on HOLD and the peer SIM may be resumed (e.g., the peer SIM may be allowed access to RF resources). For initiating (e.g., MO) SMS messages, from a user interface (UI) perspective, the user is allowed to share SMS messages to be sent using the peer SIM during the ongoing VoLTE call. For example, the user interface of the mobile device may enable the user to enter a message to be sent via SMS and / or a destination for the SMS message. Upon detecting a MO SMS trigger from the user (e.g., when the user types a message and triggers it to be sent), the VoLTE call is held on HOLD and the peer SIM is resumed. Figure 9 Such an example of RF sharing is further schematically illustrated in .

[0046] Figure 4 4 shows a detailed internal structure of a system 400 for telecommunication devices according to some example embodiments of the present inventive concept. According to some example embodiments, the system 400 may be a mobile device (e.g., a Figure 3 The system 400 may include a communication module 402 configured to perform operation 302, an evaluation module 404 configured to perform operation 304, and / or an RF sharing module 406 configured to perform operation 306. Similarly, a miscellaneous module 408 may be present within the system 400, which is configured to facilitate operational interconnection between the communication module 402, the evaluation module 404, and / or the RF sharing module 406, and may be configured to perform other auxiliary functions. Figure 11 The communication module 402, the evaluation module 404, the RF sharing module 406, the miscellaneous module 408 and / or the mobile device are described in further detail.

[0047] Figure 5 A conventional procedure performed by a user equipment (UE) in an LTE network to check whether a radio link of the UE is synchronized is shown.

[0048] The UE may monitor a reference signal (RS) in the downlink of the radio link. Based on the signal strength of the RS, e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), the UE may determine whether the UE is able to decode the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) of the radio link based on a specific set of defined parameters provided in the 4G-LTE standard. Different UEs may have different RSRP thresholds, by which the corresponding UE may determine that the corresponding UE cannot decode the PDCCH. If the reference signal has sufficient signal strength so that the UE can consistently decode the PDCCH, the radio link is "synchronized", otherwise the radio link is "out of synchronization" (e.g., with the eNodeB).

[0049] An example process for determining whether a radio link has failed due to being "out of sync" is described in Figure 5 As shown in the figure, Figure 5 At least three example parameters shown in FIG3 are further described in detail in the next paragraph. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that n310, t310, and / or n311 are parameters known in the art. The following description of these parameters is provided as an example and does not limit the ordinary and customary meanings of n310, t310, and / or n311 parameters known in the art.

[0050] a) n310: This parameter indicates the number of 200-millisecond intervals in which the UE could not successfully decode the PDCCH due to low RSRP detected before the radio link was deemed no longer "in sync" (e.g., out of sync). In other words, this parameter indicates the number of times the UE could not successfully decode 20 consecutive frames in the downlink.

[0051] b) t310: This parameter is a timer in seconds during which the UE attempts to regain "synchronization" with the eNodeB.

[0052] c) n311: This parameter indicates the number of 100 millisecond intervals in which the UE successfully decodes the PDCCH before it is determined to be back in "synchronization" with the eNodeB. In other words, the n311 parameter indicates the number of times the UE successfully decodes 10 consecutive frames in the downlink for the UE to assume that the radio link is in synchronization.

[0053] In operation, if the UE detects n310 consecutive out-of-sync indications, it starts the t310 timer. If the timer expires without the UE detecting n311 consecutive in-sync indications, the radio link remains failed. If the UE detects n311 consecutive in-sync indications before the t310 timer expires, the timer stops and the link does not fail.

[0054] Figure 6 Shown Figure 3Another example implementation of the method is provided herein, and accordingly, an exemplary RF resource sharing operation between a primary SIM (e.g., SIM1) and a peer SIM (e.g., SIM2) is depicted. While the CP depicts a central processing unit within a mobile device, the access point (AP) includes a user interface (UI) configured to allow a user to control RF resource sharing between SIMs (e.g., SIM1 and SIM2). The CP can be divided into a SIM1 CP, a SIM2 CP, and / or an SRL1 RC (e.g., a mobile device) as a decision maker for RF resource sharing, and a radio frequency (RF)-based transceiver.

[0055] At operation 602 , a VoLTE call may be established through SIM1 . Therefore, RF resources are fully or mostly allocated to SIM1 , and SIM2 is in a suspended state.

[0056] At operation 604, a user (e.g., a user of a mobile device) may use SIM2 to input a request to receive and / or send an SMS message. For example, the user may activate a control within the AP (e.g., Figure 10 The VoLTE call may be placed in a HOLD state immediately or quickly. Operation 604 may be the same as or similar to operation 302.

[0057] At operation 606 , SRL1RC may evaluate conditions for resuming the peer stack (eg, causing SIM2 to leave the suspended state and access RF resources). Operation 606 may be the same as or similar to operation 304 .

[0058] In one example, one or more of the following parameters may be evaluated:

[0059] 1. The radio access technology (RAT) used by SIM1 and SIM2. For example, SIM1 can use VoLTE, and SIM2 can use VoLTE, 3G, 2G, etc.

[0060] 2. One or more signal strengths (e.g., as combined Figure 5 RSRP) and / or BLER of the reference signal in question; and / or

[0061] 3. One or more RTCP timers.

[0062] If the evaluation of the conditions for resuming the peer stack fails, the SRL1RC may immediately or quickly provide an indication to the user that SMS messages cannot be received and / or sent, and resume or continue the VoLTE call at SIM 1. Alternatively, if the evaluation of the conditions for resuming the peer stack fails, the SRL1RC may periodically evaluate the conditions (e.g., repeating operation 606) and cause the same indication (e.g., that resuming the peer stack failed and / or that the SRL1RC continues to periodically evaluate the conditions) to be provided to the user (e.g., via an alert).

[0063] However, if the evaluation of the conditions for resuming the peer stack is met, the VoLTE call on SIM1 is maintained and / or placed on HOLD. Timer X may be calculated by SRL1RC. In the example, when SIM1 is using LTE, the VoLTE call may be maintained and / or placed on HOLD based on the conditions described above in conjunction with Figure 5 The mentioned N310 and T310 parameters determine the timer X.

[0064] For example, if the N310 parameter is 20 (1 to 20 as known in the art), out-of-sync indications are reported at 200 millisecond intervals, and the T310 timer duration is 1 second, then timer X can be calculated as X<(N310*200 milliseconds+T310), for example, 20*200 milliseconds+1 second=5 seconds.

[0065] Timer X may be calculated (e.g., by the mobile device) as X<(N310*200 milliseconds + T310) (e.g., 20*200 milliseconds + 1 second = 5 seconds). At operation 608, SIM2 may be resumed, and RF resources may be allocated to the peer stack (e.g., the stack associated with SIM2) for the duration of timer X (e.g., 5 seconds). At operation 610, an incoming SMS message (e.g., an OTP message) may be received by SIM2. At operation 612, SIM2 may be moved (e.g., placed by the mobile device) into a "suspended" state, and timer X may be stopped. At operation 614, the VoLTE call held on SIM1 may be resumed (e.g., the mobile device may bring SIM1 out of the suspended / hold state and access RF resources).

[0066] In one example, as long as a VoLTE call is on hold on SIM1, RF resources are granted to SIM2 for each discrete receive (Drx) period for paging channel (PCH) operation, and restricted operation may be allowed on SIM2. In some example embodiments, SIM2 may not respond to any type of paging message other than SMS messages during this state (e.g., during the period of granting RF resources to SIM2). For example, packet switched (PS) registrations may not be allowed on SIM2 as long as a circuit switched (CS) call is on hold on SIM1. In another example, inter-frequency or inter-RAT measurements may not be allowed on SIM2 while a CS1 call is on hold on SIM1.

[0067] It is understood that operations 608 to 614 may collectively correspond to Figure 3 Operation 306.

[0068] Figure 7 Shown Figure 3 Another example implementation of the method is such that operations 702 to 708 correspond to operations 602 to 608, respectively.

[0069] At operation 710, an outgoing SMS message from SIM2 is triggered by the user. Thereafter, operations 712 and 714 correspond to operations 612 and 614, respectively.

[0070] Figure 8 Shown Figure 3 Another example implementation of the method is such that operations 802 to 808 correspond to operations 602 to 608, respectively.

[0071] At operation 810, timer X may expire.

[0072] At operation 812 , instead of resuming the VoLTE call on SIM1 , SRL1RC may grant RF resources to SIM1 to attempt to synchronize with the server through which the VoLTE call was being transmitted.

[0073] At operation 814 , SIM1 successfully synchronizes with the server, eg, stops T311 and RTP-related timers.

[0074] At operation 816, the SRL1RC may enable a 200 millisecond duty cycle to synchronize the two stacks (e.g., the first stack associated with SIM1 and the second stack associated with SIM2). If timer X expires before an SMS message is initiated and / or received, the RF sharing algorithm based on a "fixed 200 millisecond duty cycle" is executed based on the suspend and resume mode. However, the entire process is protected (e.g., time-limited) by a "fixed maximum timer Y" (e.g., 10 seconds). In one example, timer Y = 2 (timer X).

[0075] At operation 818 , an incoming SMS message (eg, an OTP message) may be received via SIM2 .

[0076] At operation 820 , the VoLTE call maintained and / or placed on HOLD at SIM 1 may be resumed.

[0077] Figure 9 Shown Figure 3 Another example implementation of the method is such that operations 902 to 914 correspond to operations 802 to 814, respectively.

[0078] At operation 916, the SRL1RC may re-evaluate the conditions for resuming SIM2 (e.g., as in repeating operation 606) and recalculate timer X. Consequently, timer (X) may be further extended (e.g., to the duration of timer Y, e.g., 10 seconds), resynchronizing with SIM1. The entire process is guarded by a fixed maximum timer Y (e.g., 10 seconds). Thus, SIM2 may utilize the RF sharing algorithm to achieve a maximum (e.g., upper limit and / or threshold) defined and / or fixed time (e.g., 10 seconds) within multiple threshold times. For example, if the SMS message reception and / or initiation process fails within such a fixed maximum time (e.g., 10 seconds), a failure notification may be sent to the user, and the VoLTE call may be resumed via SIM1.

[0079] Thereafter, operations 918, 920, and 922 correspond to operations 608, 610, and 614, respectively.

[0080] Figure 10 a shows example control buttons and / or options (eg, dual activity) within a user interface during a VoLTE call (eg, contacting Mr. X) via SIM1. Figure 10 Actuation of the control button in a corresponds to combining Figure 6 Operation 604 is described. Therefore, Figure 10 As shown in Figure 2, the user may be given the option to select SIM2 for sending the SMS message. Although available, selection of SIM1 may not be allowed due to an ongoing VoLTE call.

[0081] However, rather than operating the control button in real time (e.g., during a VoLTE call over the first subscription), the user may be provided with another option based on the control settings to allow automatic activation of RF sharing as Figure 3 In one example, such previously completed control settings (e.g., setting conditions that, when met, cause access to RF resources to be provided to SIM2) automatically allow message communication via the second subscription, in some cases, while the first subscription is also active.

[0082] In addition, despite Figures 6 to 10 RF resource sharing is depicted with SIM2 for SMS communication, however, such RF resource sharing can be performed with SIM2 for internet browsing through SIM2 while a VoLTE call is on HOLD at SIM1.

[0083] Figure 11 1 shows a hardware configuration of a system 400 in the form of a telecommunications device based on a computer system 1100 according to some example embodiments. The computer system 1100 may include a set of instructions that can be executed (e.g., by a processor 1102) to cause the computer system 1100 to perform any one or more of the methods disclosed herein. For example, in some example embodiments, the operations described herein performed by any one or all of the mobile device, the communication module 402, the evaluation module 404, the RF sharing module 406, and the miscellaneous module 408 (e.g., in conjunction with Figure 3 and 6 -9 discussed methods) can be performed by at least one processor (e.g., processor 1102) executing program code including instructions corresponding to the operations. The instructions can be stored in a memory (e.g., memory 1104 discussed below) of a computer system 1100 (e.g., a mobile device). The computer system 1100 can operate as a standalone device or can be connected to other computer systems and / or peripheral devices, for example, using a network. The computer system 1100 can include two or more SIM cards, including a first SIM card 1128 (e.g., SIM 1) and a second SIM card 1129 (e.g., SIM 2). Each SIM card can be associated with a subscription corresponding to one or more corresponding wireless services (e.g., subscription 1 and subscription 2). Each SIM card can also be associated with a corresponding protocol stack (e.g., stack 1 and stack 2) within the computer system 1100.

[0084] In a networked deployment, the computer system 1100 may operate as a server and / or a client user computer in a server-client user network environment, and / or as a peer computer system in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The computer system 1100 may also be implemented as or incorporated into various devices, such as a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile device (e.g., in combination with a PC or a tablet). Figure 3-4 and 6-10), a handheld computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a communication device, a wireless phone, a landline phone, a network appliance, a network router, a switch and / or a bridge, and / or any other machine capable of executing (sequentially and / or otherwise) a set of instructions that specify actions to be taken by the machine. Furthermore, while a single computer system 1100 is shown, the term "system" should also be construed to include any collection of systems and / or subsystems that individually and / or jointly execute one or more sets of instructions to perform one or more computer functions.

[0085] The computer system 1100 may include at least one processor 1102 (also referred to as a "processor"), e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or both. The processor 1102 may be a component in a variety of systems. For example, the processor 1102 may be part of a standard personal computer and / or workstation. The processor 1102 may be one or more general-purpose processors, microprocessors, processor cores, multi-core processors, multiprocessors, digital signal processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, servers, networks, digital circuits, analog circuits, combinations thereof, and / or other now known and / or later developed devices for analyzing and processing data. The processor 1102 may implement a software program, such as manually generated code (e.g., programmed).

[0086] Computer system 1100 may include memory 1104 that may be communicatively coupled to bus 1108. Memory 1104 may include, but is not limited to, non-transitory computer-readable storage media, such as various types of volatile and / or non-volatile storage media, including, but not limited to, random access memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable read-only memory, flash memory, magnetic tape and / or magnetic disk, optical media, and / or the like. In an example, memory 1104 includes cache and / or random access memory for processor 1102. In some examples, memory 1104 is separate from processor 1102, such as a processor's cache, system memory, and / or other memory. Memory 1104 may be an external storage device and / or database for storing data. Memory 1104 is operable to store instructions executable by processor 1102. Functions, actions, or tasks shown in the figures or described herein may be performed by processor 1102 (e.g., a programmed processor) to execute instructions stored in memory 1104. The functions, acts and / or tasks are independent of the particular type of instruction set, storage medium, processor and / or processing strategy and may be performed by software, hardware, integrated circuits, firmware, microcode, etc., alone or in combination. Likewise, processing strategies may include multi-processing, multi-tasking, parallel processing and / or the like.

[0087] As shown, the computer system 1100 may or may not further include a display unit 1110, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a flat panel display, a solid state display, a cathode ray tube (CRT), a projector, a printer, and / or other display devices now known and / or later developed for outputting certain information. The display 1110 can be configured as an interface for a user to interact with the functions of the processor 1102, or specifically as an interface with software (e.g., running computer-readable instructions) stored in the memory 1104 and / or in the driver unit 1116. For example, the display 1110 can output one or more notifications and / or alerts to the user, and / or receive input data and / or selections from the user.

[0088] In addition, the computer system 1100 may include a user input device 1112 configured to allow a user to interact with any component of the system 1100 (e.g., the processor 1102). The computer system 1100 may also include a disk and / or optical drive unit 1116. The drive unit 1116 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium 1122 in which one or more sets of instructions 1124, such as software, may be embedded. Furthermore, the instructions 1124 may embody one or more of the described methods or logic. In a specific example, the instructions 1124 may reside completely or at least partially within the memory 1104 and / or within the processor 1102 during execution by the computer system 1100.

[0089] The present inventive concept provides a non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores instructions 1124 in response to a propagated signal and / or receives and / or provides instructions 1124 to a processor 1102 for execution, such that a device connected to a network 1126 (e.g., computer system 1100) can be configured to transmit voice, video, audio, images, and / or any other data over the network 1126. In addition, instructions 1124 can be sent and / or received over the network 1126 via a communication port and / or interface 1120 and / or using bus 1108. The communication port and / or interface 1120 can be part of the processor 1102 and / or can be a separate component. The communication port 1120 can be created in software and / or can be a physical connection in hardware. The communication port 1120 can be configured to connect to the network 1126, external media, the display 1110, and / or any other component (e.g., processor 1102), or a combination thereof in the system 1100. The connection to the network 1126 can be a physical connection, such as a wired Ethernet connection and / or can be established wirelessly as described below. Similarly, additional connections to other components of the system 1100 can be physical connections and / or can be established wirelessly. Alternatively, the network 1126 can be directly connected to the bus 1108.

[0090] The network 1126 may include a wired network, a wireless network, an Ethernet audio video bridging (AVB) network, or a combination thereof. The wireless network may be a cellular telephone network, IEEE 802.11, 802.16, 802.20, 802.1Q, and / or a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax) network. In addition, the network 1126 may be a public network such as the Internet, a private network such as an intranet, or a combination thereof, and may utilize various network protocols currently available and / or later developed, including but not limited to network protocols based on the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) / Internet Protocol (IP). The system is not limited to operation using any particular standard and protocol. For example, standards used for Internet and other packet-switched network transmissions (e.g., TCP / IP, User Datagram Protocol (UDP) / IP, Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), etc.) may be used.

[0091] As described above, while performing ongoing communications via the first subscription without the use of additional hardware (e.g., a second transceiver) and the disadvantages associated therewith (e.g., additional cost, power consumption, and / or physical space), a legacy mobile device is unable to receive message communications via the second subscription. Consequently, a user of a legacy device without the additional hardware is unable to send and / or receive message communications via the second subscription without disconnecting the ongoing communications performed via the first subscription, thereby resulting in service interruption of the ongoing communications, excessive delays in performing message communications, lost message communications, and / or excessive resource consumption (e.g., processor, memory, bandwidth, and / or power resources) due to repeated lost message communications. However, by virtue of at least the above-described features, the present subject matter presents a system and method for identifying critical SMS initiations and / or receptions, evaluating conditions for resuming a peer stack during a VoLTE call on a primary stack, and facilitating an efficient RF resource sharing algorithm. Based on this, the present subject matter presents a seamless user experience because service interruptions are reduced or eliminated. The proposed solution avoids the time delay caused by disconnecting the CS call at SIM1 to utilize SIM2 and then re-establishing the CS call again, thereby overcoming the shortcomings of conventional mobile devices by reducing or preventing service interruption of ongoing communications, excessive delays in executing message communications, lost message communications, and / or excessive resource consumption (e.g., processor, memory, bandwidth, and / or power resources), without the disadvantages of additional hardware (e.g., a second transceiver) such as extra cost, power consumption, and / or physical space.

[0092] In short, the present subject matter at least avoids interruptions in voice calls and can guarantee or improve the continuity of voice calls. The proposed solution provides a method for sharing radio frequency (RF) between multiple stacks in a multi-SIM device to send / receive short message service on a second subscriber identity module (SIM) during an ongoing first service on a first SIM of the multi-SIM device.

[0093] The proposed solution avoids the limitations of dual-SIM dual standby during user-requested SMS initiation and reception. It addresses current limitations of mobile device user interfaces that disable SMS initiation from the peer SIM and provides users with the option to select a SIM to send SMS during a VoLTE call. Furthermore, this topic can be expanded to cover packet-switched (PS) operations on the peer SIM during a VoLTE call on the primary SIM.

[0094] While specific language has been used to describe some example embodiments of the present disclosure, no limitations are intended thereby. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various working modifications may be made to the method to implement the inventive concepts taught herein.

[0095] The accompanying drawings and the foregoing description provide examples of some exemplary embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be separated into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment. For example, the order of the processes described herein may be changed and are not limited to the methods described herein.

[0096] Furthermore, the actions of any flowchart need not be performed in the order shown; nor do all actions necessarily need to be executed. Furthermore, actions that are not dependent on other actions can be executed in parallel with the other actions. The scope of the embodiments is in no way limited by these specific examples. Numerous variations, such as differences in structure, dimensions, and / or use of materials, are possible, whether or not expressly provided in the specification. The scope of the embodiments is at least as broad as that given by the appended claims.

[0097] The benefits, other advantages, and solutions to disadvantages and / or challenges have been described above with respect to some example embodiments. However, any benefits, advantages, solutions to disadvantages and / or challenges and / or any components that may cause any benefits, advantages, and / or solutions to occur and / or become more apparent should not be construed as key, required, and / or essential features and / or components of any or all claims.

Claims

1. A method, performed by a mobile device, for selectively allowing sharing of radio frequency (RF) resources between multiple subscriptions associated with multiple subscriber identity modules (SIMs) in the mobile device, the method comprising: based on occurrence of a condition, transferring access to RF resources from a first subscription in the plurality of subscriptions to a second subscription in the plurality of subscriptions during ongoing service through the first subscription; evaluating one or more network parameters related to communications via the first subscription; as well as causing the first subscription and the second subscription to share access to the RF resources for a first defined period of time based on the evaluation such that message communication through the second subscription is enabled without disconnecting the first subscription from ongoing services, The enabling the first subscription and the second subscription to share the RF resource includes: suspending the ongoing service on the first subscription by allocating the RF resources to the second subscription while allowing the message communication via the second subscription during the first defined time period, synchronizing the first subscription and the second subscription based on a determined duty cycle-based RF resource sharing process defined by a suspend and resume mode, the synchronization being performed based on no mobile-originated or mobile-terminated messaging events being transmitted via the second subscription within the first defined time period, re-evaluating the one or more network parameters associated with the first subscription, reallocating the RF resources to the second subscription for a second defined time period based on the re-evaluation, and causing the ongoing service to resume through the first subscription when the messaging event occurs through the second subscription during at least one of the following: the first defined time period, The synchronization, or The second defined time period.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The condition is at least one of the following: a request received via a user interface during an ongoing service at the first subscription, the request requesting the message communication via the second subscription, or A defined setting is enabled for communicating the message via the second subscription during ongoing service via the first subscription.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein The ongoing service corresponds to at least one of the following: Long Term Evolution Voice VoLTE calls, Communications over a packet-switched network, or Communications over circuit-switched networks.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The condition is defined by at least one of the following: Send or receive Short Message Service SMS messages, Send or receive packet-switched messaging, or Send or receive messages via an Internet browsing session.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein Communication is performed through the first subscription and the second subscription via a radio access technology or a mobile communication standard based on at least one of LTE, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access WCDMA, CDMA, 4th Generation 4G, 3rd Generation 3G, or 2nd Generation 2G.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein: The evaluation is based on at least one of: signal strength, a block error rate (BLER), or a real-time transport protocol (RTP) control protocol (RTCP) timer, and includes determining a probability of whether an SMS message will be sent or received via the second subscription.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein: The first defined time period is calculated in real time based on the following: N310, T310 and RTCP timers when performing communication through the first subscription with ongoing service on 4G LTE, N313, T313, T314 and T315 when performing communication through said first subscription with an ongoing service on 3G Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service UMTS, and Slow Associated Control Channel SACCH count when performing communication through a first subscription with an ongoing service on 2G Global System for Mobile communications GSM.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein: Enabling the first subscription and the second subscription to share the RF resources includes: When the messaging event occurs through the second subscription during the first defined time period or during the synchronization, the ongoing service is resumed through the first subscription.

9. A mobile device for selectively allowing sharing of radio frequency (RF) resources between multiple subscriptions associated with multiple subscriber identity modules (SIMs) in the mobile device, the mobile device comprising: At least one processor configured to execute computer-readable instructions to: based on occurrence of a condition, transferring access to RF resources from a first subscription in the plurality of subscriptions to a second subscription in the plurality of subscriptions during ongoing service through the first subscription; evaluating one or more network parameters related to communications via the first subscription, and causing the first subscription and the second subscription to share the RF resources for a first defined period of time based on the one or more network parameters such that message communication through the second subscription is enabled without disconnecting the first subscription from ongoing services, wherein at least one processor is configured to execute the computer-readable instructions to: suspending the ongoing service on the first subscription by allocating the RF resources to the second subscription while allowing the message communication via the second subscription during the first defined time period, synchronizing the first subscription and the second subscription based on a determined duty cycle-based RF resource sharing process defined by a suspend and resume mode, the synchronization being performed based on no mobile-originated or mobile-terminated messaging events being transmitted via the second subscription within the first defined time period, re-evaluating the one or more network parameters associated with the first subscription, reallocating the RF resources to the second subscription for a second defined time period based on the re-evaluation, and causing the ongoing service to resume through the first subscription when the messaging event occurs through the second subscription during at least one of the following: the first defined time period, The synchronization, or The second defined time period.

10. The mobile device according to claim 9, wherein: The at least one processor is configured to execute the computer-readable instructions to: Determining whether the condition has occurred is based on at least one of the following: a request received via a user interface during an ongoing service at the first subscription, the request requesting the message communication via the second subscription, or A defined setting is enabled for communicating the message via the second subscription during ongoing service via the first subscription.

11. The mobile device according to claim 10, wherein: The condition is defined by at least one of the following: Send or receive Short Message Service SMS messages, Send or receive packet-switched messaging, or Send or receive messages via an Internet browsing session.

12. The mobile device according to claim 9, wherein: Communication is performed through the first subscription and the second subscription via a radio access technology or a mobile communication standard based on at least one of LTE, WCDMA, CDMA, 4G, 3G, or 2G.

13. The mobile device according to claim 10, wherein: At least one processor is configured to execute the computer-readable instructions to: When the messaging event occurs through the second subscription during the first defined time period or during the synchronization, the ongoing service is resumed through the first subscription.

Images