Method and system for quality of service (QoS) monitoring for wireless devices

• US 20040058652A1
• Filed: 03/20/2003
• Published: 03/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Root Wireless Incorporated (Ziff Davis, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Christopher M. Mcgregor, Gregory M. Mcgregor
• Inventors: McGregor, Gregory M., McGregor, Christopher M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,596,373 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/67.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/23 Indication means, e.g. displays, alarms, audible means
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/24 with feedback of measurements to the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/309 Measuring or estimating channel quality parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/185 wireless packet-switched
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2227 Quality of service monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0084 Network monitoring; Error detection; Error recovery; Network testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic

Abstract

Method and apparatus to monitor MQoS of wireless mobile devices is described. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method to monitor the health of 3G mobile devices and provide a status check of such health to network technicians, supervisors, and management. In one aspect, mobile devices on the network perform measurement of MQoS factors that are reported to a quality of service backend. The MQoS data is combined to show current and historical network status. In another aspect, alarms may be set to notify specific managers when manager programmable conditions occur, such as low system performance, or specific error conditions occur. Reports may be generated summarizing and illustrating performance in tabular and graphical form. Parameters used for testing and monitoring mobile devices may be input to specific mobile devices or groups of mobile devices in a system. In one aspect, customer care or call centers may be enabled to request specific tests from specific mobile devices and utilize the overall network status to diagnose and/or resolve customer issues.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring quality of service associated with a wireless network, the network including at least one wireless device and a fixed transceiver, the method comprising:

processing quality of service data in a manner relevant to determining a quality of service; and

wirelessly providing the processed data to the fixed transceiver.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting from the fixed transceiver at least some of the quality of service data to the wireless device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the wireless device transmits at least some instructions to the fixed transceiver according to protocols used to request the transmission of at least some of the quality of service data therefrom.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein at least some of the protocols are selected from protocols defined within 3G and 2.5G network standards.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least some protocols are transmitted over a control channel.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein quality of service data comprises information indicative at least one mobile quality of service metric.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one quality of service metric is selected from one of identification, configuration, time of terminal, date of terminal, timestamp, bandwidth, inter-packet delay, round trip delay, one way delay, packet loss, customer service agent test, user self test, connection type, bit error rate, block error rate, frame error rate, packet retransmission, battery strength, signal to interference ratio, received signal strength indicator, energy per bit to noise ratio, energy per chip noise ratio, dropped connections, connection time, terminal memory usage, terminal diagnostics, network transitions, MTU analysis, ATU analysis, and combinations thereof.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the processed data represents at least some of the quality of service of the wireless network on which the wireless device operates.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the quality of service is determined from by at least some of the processed data provided by the wireless network and the wireless device.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one quality of service metric is determined from at least some of the processed data provided by the wireless network and the wireless device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one quality of service datum is input by a user using the wireless device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising querying the user to input quality of service data.

13. A method of monitoring quality of service in a wireless device in communication with a transceiver, comprising:

testing a status of a signal handled by the wireless device; and

reporting the signal status to the transceiver.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein testing comprises determining at least one of a plurality of quality of service metrics pertaining to the status of the signal.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the quality of service metrics include at least one of identification, configuration, time of terminal, date of terminal, timestamp, bandwidth, inter-packet delay, round trip delay, one way delay, packet loss, customer service agent test, user self test, connection type, bit error rate, block error rate, frame error rate, packet retransmission, battery strength, signal to interference ratio, received signal strength indicator, energy per bit to noise ratio, energy per chip noise ratio, dropped connections, connection time, terminal memory usage, terminal diagnostics, network transitions, MTU analysis, ATU analysis, and combinations thereof.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving the signal status at the transceiver and mapping the signal status to a grid of at least part of a network.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein mapping the signal status to the grid comprises displaying the grid.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein displaying the grid comprises superimposing a display of the grid over a geographical map representing the at least part of the network.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising transmitting from the wireless device at least some protocols to the transceiver requesting at least some of the signal status therefrom.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein at least some of the protocols are selected from protocols defined within 3G and 2.5G network standards.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein reporting comprises using the wireless device for processing signal status in a manner relevant to determining a quality of service.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein processing comprises receiving at least some status data from the wireless device and a wireless network in communication therewith.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising wirelessly providing the processed data to the transceiver.

24. A wireless device, comprising:

a transceiver configured to communicate with a wireless network;

a processor configured to process quality of service data in a manner relevant to determining a quality of service; and

a messaging device configured to provide the processed data to the wireless network.

25. The wireless device of claim 24, wherein the messaging device comprises a transmitter configured to transmit the processed data to a wireless network.

26. The wireless device of claim 24, wherein the transceiver comprises a receiver configured to receive at least some quality of service data from a wireless network.

27. The wireless device of claim 24, wherein the transceiver comprises a receiver configured to receive at least some quality of service data from a user of the wireless device.

28. The wireless device of claim 24, wherein the transceiver comprises a transmitter configured to transmit processed data to the network.

29. The wireless device of claim 24, wherein the transceiver comprises a transmitter configured to transmit instructions from the processor to the network.

30. The wireless device of claim 24, further comprising a memory containing instructions that when implemented on the processor cause the processor to process the quality of service data and report the results of the quality of service data processing to the network.

31. A wireless communications system, comprising:

at least one wireless device in communication with a transceiver;

a processor coupled to the wireless device;

the processor configured to process quality of service data in a manner relevant to determining quality of service; and

an output device coupled to the wireless device and configured to provide the processed data to the transceiver.

32. The wireless communications system of claim 31, wherein the wireless device is a mobile handset.

33. The wireless communications system of claim 31, further comprising a computer readable media and a set of instructions stored by the computer readable media that, when loaded into a processor, causes the processor to:

process the quality of service data; and

provide the processed data to the output device.

34. The wireless communications system of claim 33, wherein the quality of service data is derived from at least some data received from one of the transceiver, the wireless device, a user inputting data to the wireless device, and combinations thereof.

35. The wireless communications system of claim 33, wherein the computer instruction are compiled computer instructions stored as an executable program on the computer readable media.

36. The wireless communications system of claim 33, wherein the set of computer readable instructions stored in an electronic signal.