# US 9,883,027 B2 · System and method of establishing communication between electronic devices > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,883,027 B2 - Document ID: US9883027B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/050,171 - Filed: 2016-02-22 - Published: 2016-08-18 - Granted: 2018-01-30 - Earliest claimed: 2013-02-20 - Assignees: Apple Inc. - Applicants: Apple Inc. - Inventors: Swapnil R. Dave; Kaustubh M. Rao - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9883027B2 ## CPC - H04M 3/42: Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers (specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00) - H04L 43/10: Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route - H04L 43/16: Threshold monitoring - H04L 65/1069: Session establishment or de-establishment - H04M 19/04: the ringing-current being generated at the substations - H04W 24/04: Arrangements for maintaining operational condition - H04W 52/0261: {managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level} - Y02B 70/30: Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level - Y02D 30/70: in wireless communication networks - H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS - Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE ## Abstract A contactability of a user can be maintained by identifying a secondary device and causing a contact device to establish a communication session with the secondary device when a primary device becomes unavailable. In some embodiments, when a power level of a primary device falls below a threshold, the primary device can identify a secondary device previously associated with the primary device. The secondary device can receive a signal periodically from the primary device. In response to ceasing to receive the signal that is being sent periodically from the primary device, the secondary device in some embodiments can send a notification to a contact device to inform the contact device to send a communication request to the secondary device. The secondary device can receive the communication request from the contact device and establish a communication session with the contact device. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: detecting, by a primary device, a power level of the primary device, the primary device being in communication with a contact device; determining, by the primary device, a secondary device associated with the primary device; sending, by the primary device, a message to the secondary device, the message indicating for the secondary device to continue communication with the contact device when the power level of the primary device reaches a predetermined threshold; and enabling, by the primary device, the secondary device to continue communication with the contact device when the power level of the primary device has reached the predetermined threshold. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising: sending a notification to the secondary device, the notification including identifying information associated with the contact device; and periodically pinging the secondary device, wherein the power level of the primary device has reached the predetermined threshold when the secondary device ceases to receive the pinging from the primary device beyond a threshold period of time, and wherein a new communication session is established based on the identifying information associated with both the contact device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising: sending a message to a continuity server, the message specifying for the continuity server to ping the primary device on a periodic basis and notify the contact device when a response has not been received beyond a threshold period of time. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising: sending a message to the contact device, the message including identifying information of the secondary device, wherein enabling the secondary device to continue communication with the contact device includes causing a new communication session to be established between the secondary device and the contact device when a set of criteria has been satisfied. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein enabling the secondary device to continue communication with the contact device includes ceasing to send a pinging signal to the secondary device and thereby causing the secondary device to send a communication request to the contact device to establish the communication between the secondary device and the contact device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein determining the secondary device includes: determining one or more devices associated with a user of the primary device; presenting a set of options representing the one or more devices; and receiving a selection of one of the set of options, wherein the one of the set of options represents the secondary device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein determining the secondary device includes: determining a set of electronic devices associated with a user of the primary device by accessing profile information associated with the user of the primary device; and identifying a subset of the electronic devices in the set of electronic devices that is within a threshold distance of the primary device, wherein the subset of the electronic devices includes the secondary device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein sending the message to the secondary device thereby enables the secondary device to continue communication with the contact device when the power level of the primary device has been detected to reach the predetermined threshold. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising: identifying one or more devices; and determining communication parameters of each of the one or more devices, wherein the secondary device is determined based on the communication parameters of the devices. ### Claim 10 A system comprising: one or more processors; memory coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the memory is encoded with a set of instructions configured to: detect a power level of a primary device, the primary device being in communication with a contact device; determine a secondary device associated with the primary device; send a message to the secondary device, the message indicating for the secondary device to continue communication with the contact device when the power level of the primary device reaches a predetermined threshold; and enable the secondary device to continue communication with the contact device when the power level of the primary device has reached the predetermined threshold. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10 wherein the set of instructions are further configured to: send a notification to the secondary device, the notification including identifying information associated with the contact device; and periodically ping the secondary device, wherein the power level of the primary device has reached the predetermined threshold when the secondary device ceases to receive the pinging from the primary device beyond a threshold period of time, and wherein a new communication session is established based on the identifying information associated with both the contact device. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10 wherein the set of instructions are further configured to: send a message to a continuity server, the message specifying for the continuity server to ping the primary device on a periodic basis and notify the contact device when a response has not been received beyond a threshold period of time. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10 wherein the set of instructions are further configured to: send a message to the contact device, the message including identifying information of the secondary device, wherein enabling the secondary device to continue communication with the contact device includes causing a new communication session to be established between the secondary device and the contact device when a set of criteria has been satisfied. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10 wherein enabling the secondary device to continue communication with the contact device includes ceasing to send a pinging signal to the secondary device and thereby causing the secondary device to send a communication request to the contact device to establish the communication between the secondary device and the contact device. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10 wherein determining the secondary device includes: determining one or more devices associated with a user of the primary device; presenting a set of options representing the one or more devices; and receiving a selection of one of the set of options, wherein the one of the set of options represents the secondary device. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10 wherein determining the secondary device includes: determining a set of electronic devices associated with a user of the primary device by accessing profile information associated with the user of the primary device; and identifying a subset of the electronic devices in the set of electronic devices that is within a threshold distance of the primary device, wherein the subset of the electronic devices includes the secondary device. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10 wherein sending the message to the secondary device thereby enables the secondary device to continue communication with the contact device when the power level of the primary device has been detected to reach the predetermined threshold. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10 wherein the set of instructions are further configured to: identify one or more devices; and determine communication parameters of each of the one or more devices, wherein the secondary device is determined based on the communication parameters of the devices. ### Claim 19 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10 wherein the set of instructions are further configured to: send another message to the secondary device, the other message specifying for the secondary device to ping the primary device on a periodic basis and notify the contact device when a response has not been received beyond a threshold period of time. ### Claim 20 One or more non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more computer systems, configured the one or more computer systems to perform operations comprising: detecting a power level of a primary device, the primary device being in communication with a contact device; determining a secondary device associated with the primary device; sending a message to the secondary device, the message indicating for the secondary device to continue communication with the contact device when the power level of the primary device reaches a predetermined threshold; and enabling the secondary device to continue communication with the contact device when the power level of the primary device has reached the predetermined threshold.