System, method and apparatus for tracking deployment of cellular telephone network sites

• US 20020123339A1
• Filed: 12/22/2000
• Published: 09/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Boehmke, Yuergen
• Granted Patent: US 6,792,269 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/424
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

A system, method and apparatus is disclosed for tracking deployment of cellular telephone network sites and providing real-time characteristic information about the deployment to one or more users. The system includes a plurality of computers interconnected in a network for use in tracking the deployment of the cellular telephone sites, the plurality of computers each having one or more processors, a memory device for storing one or more sets of instructions to be executed and a storage device coupled to the one or more processors, at least one computer being operative to execute the one or more sets of instructions. The method includes providing a user interface accepting project variables entered into a computer; color coding changes that are made to the variables; in real-time, determining cellular telephone site deployment characteristics based on current project variables; and providing the deployment characteristics to an output device. The apparatus includes a computer for use in tracking the deployment of the cellular telephone sites, the computer having one or more processors that execute one or more sets of instructions, a memory device for storing the one or more sets of instructions to be executed and a storage device coupled to the one or more processors.

Claims

1. A computer-assisted method for tracking deployment of cellular telephone network sites and providing real-time characteristic information about the deployment to one or more users, comprising:

providing a user interface accepting project variables entered into a computer;

color coding changes that are made to the variables;

in real-time, determining cellular telephone site deployment characteristics based on current project variables; and

providing the deployment characteristics to an output device.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing summary characteristic information of the project variables.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining the deployment characteristics comprises determining deployment characteristics selected from the group consisting of project timelines, changes made to the project variables and summary project variables.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein providing a user interface comprises providing an interface to one or more users.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the one or more users have access to changes made to the project by at least one other user.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the at least one user has access to changes that were made to the project and which user made those changes.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining deployment characteristics comprises:

determining task priorities; and

automatically renumbering the task priorities.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining deployment characteristics comprises automatically providing electronic mail messages to a predetermined electronic mail account upon project dates being marked completed or changed.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining deployment characteristics comprises automatically updating a downstream date population based upon predefined time intervals.

10. An apparatus for tracking deployment of cellular telephone network sites and providing real-time characteristic information about the deployment to one or more users, comprising:

a computer for use in tracking the deployment of the cellular telephone sites, the computer having one or more processors that execute one or more sets of instructions, a memory device for storing the one or more sets of instructions to be executed and a storage device coupled to the one or more processors; and

the instructions in the memory device in the computer causing the one or more processors to;

receive project variables from one or more users;

store the project variables in the storage device;

color code changes made to the project variables;

in real-time, determine deployment characteristics of the cellular telephone sites based on current project variables; and

provide the deployment characteristics to an output device.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the output device is selected from the group consisting of a monitor, a printer, a facsimile and a plotter.

12. The apparatus for tracking deployment of cellular telephone sites according to claim 10, wherein the instructions in the memory device of the computer cause the one or more processors to provide summary information of project variables.

13. The apparatus for tracking deployment of cellular telephone sites according to claim 10, wherein the instructions in the memory device of the computer cause the one or more processors to determine deployment characteristics selected from the group consisting of project timelines, changes made to the project variables, and summary project variables.

14. The apparatus for tracking deployment of cellular telephone sites according to claim 10, wherein the instructions in the memory device of the computer cause the one or more processors to provide an interface to one or more users.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the one or more users have access to changes that were made to the project by at least one other user.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the at least one user has access to changes that were made to the project and which user made the changes.

17. The apparatus for tracking deployment of cellular telephone sites according to claim 10, wherein the instructions in the memory device of the computer include instructions that cause the one or more processors to:

determine task priorities; and

automatically renumber the priorities.

18. The apparatus for tracking deployment of cellular telephone sites according to claim 10, wherein the instructions in the memory device of the computer include instructions that cause the one or more processors to provide electronic mail messages upon project dates being marked completed or changed.

19. The apparatus for tracking deployment of cellular telephone sites according to claim 10, wherein the instructions in the memory device of the computer include instructions that cause the one or more processors to automatically update downstream date population based upon predefined time intervals.

20. A computer readable medium having a set of computer instructions encoded thereon, comprising:

the set of computer instructions being operative with a computer to;

provide a user interface for entering project variables into a computer;

color code changes that are made to the variables;

in real-time, determine cellular telephone site deployment characteristics based on current project variables; and

provide the deployment characteristics to an output device.

21. A system for tracking deployment of cellular telephone network sites and providing real-time characteristic information about the deployment to one or more users, comprising:

a plurality of computers interconnected in a network for use in tracking the deployment of the cellular telephone sites, the plurality of computers each having one or more processors, a memory device for storing one or more sets of instructions to be executed and a storage device coupled to the one or more processors, at least one computer being operative to execute the one or more sets of instructions; and

the one or more sets of sets of instructions in the memory device in at least one computer causing the one or more processors associated therewith to;

receive project variables from one or more users associated with one or more other computers coupled to the network;

store the project variables in a storage device associated with one or more computers coupled to the network;

color code changes made to the project variables;

in real-time, determine deployment characteristics of the cellular telephone sites based on current project variables; and

provide the deployment characteristics to an output device, the output device being coupled to the network.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein the output device is selected from the group consisting of a monitor, a printer, a facsimile, a computer and a plotter.

23. An apparatus for tracking deployment of cellular telephone network sites and providing real-time characteristic information about the deployment to one or more users, comprising:

computing means for tracking the deployment of the cellular telephone sites, the computing means having one or more processors for executing one or more sets of instructions, memory means for storing the one or more sets of instructions to be executed and a storage means coupled to the one or more processors; and

the instructions in the memory means to be executed by the computing means to;

receive project variables from one or more users;

store the project variables in the storage device;

color code changes made to the project variables;

in real-time, determine deployment characteristics of the cellular telephone sites based on current project variables; and

provide the deployment characteristics to an output device.

24. A system for tracking deployment of cellular telephone network sites and providing real-time characteristic information about the deployment to one or more users, comprising:

a plurality of computing means interconnected in a network for tracking the deployment of the cellular telephone sites, the plurality of computing means each having one or more processing means, memory means for storing one or more sets of instructions to be executed by the processing means and a storage means coupled to the one or more processing means, at least one computing means being operative for executing the one or more sets of instructions; and

the one or more sets of sets of instructions in the memory means in at least one computing means causing the one or more processing means associated therewith to;

receive project variables from one or more users associated with one or more other computers coupled to the network;

store the project variables in a storage device associated with one or more computers coupled to the network;

color code changes made to the project variables;

in real-time, determine deployment characteristics of the cellular telephone sites based on current project variables; and

provide the deployment characteristics to an output device, the output device being coupled to the network.