Asset management and monitoring system and method for selecting a wireless network for data transmission

• US 20020198980A1
• Filed: 06/15/2001
• Published: 12/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: CSI Wireless Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CSI Wireless Incorporated
• Inventors: Najafi, Hamid
• Application Number:
  US09/882,773
• Publication Number:
  US 20020198980A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service

Abstract

A remote asset management and monitoring system for selecting a network for data transmission comprises a global positioning system receiver; a wireless transceiver capable of communicating with at least two networks; a processor; and a memory device. The memory device includes an engine for performing asset management and monitoring functions. The memory device also includes a network selection engine for selecting a network using a weight score algorithm that is a function of network attributes and data segment attribute weights.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining availability of wireless networks supported by an asset monitoring device;

performing a weighted score analysis of the available wireless networks as a function of network attributes and data segment attribute weights; and

selecting one of the available wireless networks to transmit a data segment based on the weighted score analysis.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting selects a wireless network having a highest weighted score.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting selects a wireless network having a lowest weighted score.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the weighted score analysis uses a linear weighted score algorithm.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the weighted score analysis uses an exponential weighted score algorithm.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the network attributes include cost, speed, reliability, security, and latency.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the data segment over a selected wireless network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the available wireless networks have been predetermined to have sufficient bandwidth to transmit the data segment.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the available wireless networks have been predetermined to have sufficient bandwidth to transmit the data segment.

9. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions to cause an asset monitoring device to:

determine availability of wireless networks supported by the asset monitoring device;

perform a weighted score analysis of the available wireless networks as a function of network attributes and data segment attribute weights; and

select one of the available wireless networks to transmit a data segment based on the weighted score analysis.

10. The machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instruction to select selects a wireless network having a highest weighted score.

11. The machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instruction to select selects a wireless network having a lowest weighted score.

12. The machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the weighted score analysis uses a linear weighted score algorithm.

13. The machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the weighted score analysis uses an non-linear weighted score algorithm.

14. The machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the network attributes include cost, speed, reliability, security, and latency.

15. The machine-readable medium of claim 9, further comprising an instruction to transmit the data segment over a selected wireless network.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the network selection engine selects a wireless network having a highest weighted score.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein the network selection engine selects a wireless network having a lowest weighted score.

21. The device of claim 18, wherein the network selection engine uses a linear weighted score algorithm to perform the weighted score analysis.

22. The device of claim 18, wherein the network selection engine uses an noon-linear weighted score algorithm to perform the weighted score analysis.

23. The device of claim 18, wherein the network attributes include cost, speed, reliability, security, and latency.

24. The device of claim 18, wherein the network selection engine is further capable to transmit the data segments over a selected wireless network.

17. An asset monitoring device, comprising:

means for determining availability of wireless networks supported by an asset monitoring device;

means for performing a weighted score analysis of the available wireless networks as a function of network attributes and data segment attribute weights; and

means for selecting one of the available wireless networks to transmit a data segment based on the weighted score analysis.

18. A remote asset monitoring device, comprising:

a remote asset monitoring engine capable to generate remote asset monitoring data segments to transmit over a wireless network;

a network attributes file capable to store attributes of wireless networks supported by the device;

a data segment attribute weights file capable to store attribute weights for data segment types generated by the remote asset monitoring engine;

a network selection engine, communicatively coupled to the remote asset monitoring engine, the network attributes file, and the data segment attribute weights file, capable to;

determine availability of the wireless networks supported by the device;

determine which of the available wireless networks have sufficient bandwidth to transmit a data segment;

perform a weighted score analysis of the available wireless networks having sufficient bandwidth as a function of

network attributes from attributes in the network attributes file and

data segment attribute weights for a generated data segment type using weights stored in the data segment attribute weights file; and

select a wireless network to transmit the data segment based on the weighted score analysis.