Self-care self-tuning wireless communication system

• US 10,251,076 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2018
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Carrier Iq
• Inventors: Mikkelsen, Frederick Peter, Gutierrez, Jr., Alberto
• Primary Examiner(s): Fang, Pakee
• Application Number:
  US16/128,226
• Publication Number:
  US 20190014489A1
• Time in Patent Office: 203 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/01 Customer relationship services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/205 Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier

Abstract

A customer self-service tuning system assists a mobile device user in adjusting his network settings and device configuration. Device, network and performance metrics are stored for a population. Over time all of these suggest changes in the device or network that change measured performance. The potential improvement(s) are presented to the user for selection. Performance measurements are taken and the user can choose to go forward with the new configuration or to revert. Each time a user requests self-care service, a new cohort is extracted from the then current overall population and analyzed for similarity to the user at that point in time. Each time an improvement is selected, the history of device states and network states is augmented. Identified variances are transformed into an action plan specific to a user and implemented on the device or network upon concurrence.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, from a mobile wireless device, a care request that includes a user description of a request for service that identifies a problem experienced by the user concerning operation of the mobile wireless device and/or a wireless communication network;

in response to receipt of the care request, extracting a cohort from a current overall population of mobile wireless devices;

creating a service ticket based on the care request;

correlating the problem with data associated with one or more members of the cohort, wherein the correlation is based on wireless communication network analytics performed with respect to the cohort;

identifying a probable cause for the problem based on the correlating process;

creating, and transmitting to the mobile wireless device, information identifying the probable cause, and a diagnosis for the problem; and

when an indication is received from the mobile wireless device that the user has accepted the diagnosis, augmenting a history of device states and network states associated with the cohort with information concerning a configuration change made as a result of user acceptance of the diagnosis, wherein the configuration change is associated with the mobile wireless device and/or with the wireless communication network.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving supplemental user input, and using the supplemental user input as a basis for facilitating problem determination.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving, from the mobile wireless communication device, a performance measurement taken after the configuration change has been made.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, further comprising, after receipt of the performance measurement, receiving an indication from the user that either:

the user desires to maintain the configuration change;

or, the user desires to revert to a pre-configuration change state of the mobile wireless device and/or with the wireless communication network.

5. The method as recited in claim 3, further comprising, prior to implementation of the configuration change, taking a snapshot of a configuration of the mobile wireless device and/or of the wireless communication network.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, further comprising reverting to a pre-configuration change state of the mobile wireless device and/or with the wireless communication network when implementation of the configuration change does not produce acceptable results in performance of the mobile wireless device and/or of the wireless communication network.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises continuing an ongoing investigation and/or beginning a new investigation when an indication is received from the mobile wireless device that the user has not accepted the diagnosis.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the configuration change is implemented either by the user, or by an entity that is remote from the user.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein creating, and transmitting to the mobile wireless device, information identifying the probable cause, and a diagnosis for the problem comprises transmitting, to the wireless mobile device, descriptions of suboptimal performance that are consistent with a divergence of a configuration of the wireless mobile device relative to a modal configuration associated with the cohort.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising setting, with user permission, an updated configuration, that includes the configuration change, as the normal configuration.

11. A non-transitory storage medium having stored therein computer-executable instructions which, when executed by one or more hardware processors, perform the following operations:

receiving, from a mobile wireless device, a care request that includes a user description of a request for service that identifies a problem experienced by the user concerning operation of the mobile wireless device and/or a wireless communication network;

in response to receipt of the care request, extracting a cohort from a current overall population of mobile wireless devices;

creating a service ticket based on the care request;

correlating the problem with data associated with one or more members of the cohort, wherein the correlation is based on wireless communication network analytics performed with respect to the cohort;

identifying a probable cause for the problem based on the correlating process;

creating, and transmitting to the mobile wireless device, information identifying the probable cause, and a diagnosis for the problem; and

when an indication is received from the mobile wireless device that the user has accepted the diagnosis, augmenting a history of device states and network states associated with the cohort with information concerning a configuration change made as a result of user acceptance of the diagnosis, wherein the configuration change is associated with the mobile wireless device and/or with the wireless communication network.

12. The non-transitory storage medium as recited in claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise receiving supplemental user input, and using the supplemental user input as a basis for facilitating problem determination.

13. The non-transitory storage medium as recited in claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise receiving, from the mobile wireless communication device, a performance measurement taken after the configuration change has been made.

14. The non-transitory storage medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise, after receipt of the performance measurement, receiving an indication from the user that either:

the user desires to maintain the configuration change;

or, the user desires to revert to a pre-configuration change state of the mobile wireless device and/or with the wireless communication network.

15. The non-transitory storage medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise, prior to implementation of the configuration change, taking a snapshot of a configuration of the mobile wireless device and/or of the wireless communication network.

16. The non-transitory storage medium as recited in claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise reverting to a pre-configuration change state of the mobile wireless device and/or with the wireless communication network when implementation of the configuration change does not produce acceptable results in performance of the mobile wireless device and/or of the wireless communication network.

17. The non-transitory storage medium as recited in claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise continuing an ongoing investigation and/or beginning a new investigation when an indication is received from the mobile wireless device that the user has not accepted the diagnosis.

18. The non-transitory storage medium as recited in claim 11, wherein the configuration change is implemented either by the user, or by an entity that is remote from the user.

19. The non-transitory storage medium as recited in claim 11, wherein creating, and transmitting to the mobile wireless device, information identifying the probable cause, and a diagnosis for the problem comprises transmitting, to the wireless mobile device, descriptions of suboptimal performance that are consistent with a divergence of a configuration of the wireless mobile device relative to a modal configuration associated with the cohort.

20. The non-transitory storage medium as recited in claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise setting, with user permission, an updated configuration, that includes the configuration change, as the normal configuration.