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US 8,160,571 B2Granted
Mobile device and method for collecting location based user quality data
AssigneeRoot Wireless, Inc.
InventorsPaul Griff, Ron Dicklin, Jason Browne
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mobile device executes software. The software collects realistic and accurate user quality information without degrading the user experience of the mobile device during the data collection process. The software operates as a background application, and may have a user interface, and the software is remotely controllable and updatable by an external server.
Claims15
A method for collecting performance quality data, comprising:
- operating a mobile device in cooperation with a particular wireless network, the mobile device operable to access contracted wireless network services via the particular wireless network;
- loading a software program onto the mobile device;
- receiving a set of configuration data;
- detecting whether or not a global positioning system is already in operation;
- if the global positioning system is already in operation, then receiving latitude and longitude coordinates from the global positioning system, and collecting a plurality of performance characteristics of the mobile device according to the configuration data if the latitude and longitude coordinates fall within a particular geographic area, the performance characteristics representative of wireless network quality;
- if the global positioning system is not in operation, then identifying a group of cell towers within the particular wireless network, determining which cell tower the mobile device is currently associated with, and collecting the plurality of performance characteristics if the cell tower the mobile device is currently associated with is one of a group of cell towers received as part of the set of configuration data;
- and
- wirelessly communicating at least some of the plurality of performance characteristics from the mobile device.
5 more elements
A mobile computing device, comprising:
- a central processing unit (CPU);
- a wireless transceiver;
- and
- a memory storing software, the software executable by the CPU and operable to:
- wirelessly receive command information from a first server via the wireless transceiver;
- detect whether or not a global positioning system is already in operation;
- if the global positioning system is already in operation, then receive latitude and longitude coordinates from the global positioning system, and collect performance measurement data as directed by the command information if the latitude and longitude coordinates fall within a particular geographic area, the performance measurement data representative of the mobile computing device performance within a wireless network;
- if the global positioning system is not already in operation, then identify a group of cell towers within the particular wireless network, determine which cell tower the mobile device is currently associated with, and collect the plurality of performance characteristics if the cell tower the mobile device is currently associated with is one of a group of cell towers received as part of the command information;
- and
- communicate at least some of the performance measurement data back to a second server via the wireless transceiver.
7 more elements
A system for collecting wireless network performance data, the system comprising:
- a mobile device provisioned for typical operation on a wireless communication network by a contracted subscriber;
- a memory associated with the mobile device, the memory configured to store a software application, the software application configured to:
- receive direction from a first server;
- detect whether or not a global positioning system is already in operation;
- if the global positioning system is already in operation, then receive latitude and longitude coordinates from the global positioning system and collect the wireless network performance data according to the direction;
- if the latitude and longitude coordinates fall within a particular geographic area
- if the global positioning system is not already in operation, then identify a group of cell towers within the particular wireless network, determine which cell tower the mobile device is currently associated with, and collect the plurality of performance characteristics if the cell tower the mobile device is currently associated with is one of a group of cell towers received as part of the direction;
- and
- communicate at least some of the wireless network performance data back to a second server.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.