Handset Application Interruption Avoidance via Voicemail Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wireless handsets often interrupt ongoing applications with incoming voice calls, limiting simultaneous voice and application usage due to bandwidth constraints and lack of seamless call management features.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an application interruption avoidance service feature that routes incoming voice calls to a voice mail server, allowing users to activate and deactivate this feature to prevent interruptions, and provides visual, audible, or textual alerts for incoming calls without disrupting in-progress applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the handset allows incoming voice calls to interrupt applications, then the user can answer calls immediately, but the application execution is interrupted and bandwidth is wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a call forwarding mechanism as an intermediary between the incoming call and the application. When application interruption avoidance is enabled, calls are forwarded to voicemail instead of directly interrupting the application, allowing the application to continue executing while the user can later retrieve missed calls without losing productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts call handling behavior based on the application interruption avoidance setting. The call forwarding rule is conditionally applied - active when interruption avoidance is enabled, inactive when disabled - allowing flexible adaptation between immediate call answering and application continuity modes
2Reliability
If the handset supports simultaneous voice and application usage, then application stability improves, but bandwidth constraints are exceeded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the voice call traffic from the shared wireless bandwidth by forwarding calls to voicemail when application interruption avoidance is enabled. This separates voice and data traffic paths, allowing applications to maintain stable bandwidth consumption without being disrupted by voice call interruptions
3Loss of information
If the handset provides call notification alerts, then the user is informed of incoming calls, but the application may be interrupted by alert display
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides partial notification by displaying call indicators in the status bar without fully interrupting the application. This partial action approach informs the user of incoming calls while maintaining application execution continuity, allowing users to check notifications without dropping ongoing tasks
Data Source
AI summary
A wireless handset for avoiding application interruption is disclosed that comprises a processor, a first component, and a second component. The first component, when executed by the processor, supports an application interruption avoidance feature that promotes preventing an incoming voice call from interrupting an application and forwarding the voice call to a voice mail server. Optionally, the first component also supports alerting a user without interrupting the in-progress application with one of a voice mail notification and an incoming call notification. The second component, when executed by the processor, is configured to receive control inputs to activate the application interruption avoidance feature and to deactivate the application interruption avoidance feature to allow a new voice call to come to the handset. The second component is also configured to select incoming call indicators and to activate/deactivate an incoming call alert to allow/prevent display of the incoming call indicators on the handset.