Service Type Symbols for Communication Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional network indicators on communication devices, such as smartphones, are unintelligible to many users, making it difficult for them to determine which types of services, like video streaming or voice calling, are supported on their devices.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of service type symbols on communication devices, which are determined based on parameter values such as channel quality indicators or network slice selection assistance information, to indicate the types of services supported over a network.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If conventional network indicators (e.g., 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G symbols) are displayed in the status bar, then the device provides network type information, but the information is unintelligible to most users who cannot determine which services are supported
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces service type symbols as an intermediary between the technical network indicators and user understanding. These symbols (e.g., video icon for video streaming, phone icon for voice calling) translate abstract network capabilities into intuitive visual representations that directly convey service support status to users without requiring technical knowledge
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs color coding in service type symbols to indicate service support status. Different colors represent different levels of service availability or network conditions, allowing users to quickly grasp service support information through color perception rather than interpreting technical text or symbols
2Reliability
If users attempt to access services without knowing support status, then users may discover service limitations, but this wastes time and computing resources on unsupported service attempts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent displays service type symbols in advance in the status bar to pre-indicate which services are supported before users attempt to access them. This preliminary information allows users to make informed decisions about service usage, avoiding futile attempts to access unsupported services and thereby saving time and computing resources
3Loss of information
If sophisticated users (radio communication experts) interpret network indicators, then they may understand network type, but they still cannot determine actual service support until attempting service access
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the broad network capability information into specific service-type indicators. Instead of displaying a single network type indicator (e.g., 5G), the system displays multiple service type symbols corresponding to different service categories (video, voice, data, etc.), each indicating support status for that specific service type. This segmentation makes the information both simpler and more actionable for users of any expertise level
Data Source
AI summary
A service type symbol may be presented on a display of a communication device to indicate a type of service supported or unsupported on the communication device over a network to which the communication device is presently connected. The communication device may determine a value of a parameter, may determine, based at least in part on the value of the parameter, a service type symbol from a set of multiple different service type symbols to present on a display of the communication device, and may present the symbol on the display. Service type symbols might include, among others, a video symbol corresponding to a video streaming service, a voice symbol corresponding to a voice calling service, a basic data symbol corresponding to a basic data service.