Delivery of mobile station operational and self-performance test results to network in response to encrypted request message

• US 20050113029A1
• Filed: 10/29/2004
• Published: 05/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Koivukangas, Tapio, Tervo, Timo P., Luiro, Vesa, Salow, Seppo, Hayrynen, Antti
• Granted Patent: US 7,369,846 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/67.110
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

A mobile station (10) and wireless system (32) operates in accordance with a method that has steps of: (A) during the operation of the mobile station, determining and storing a set (24A) of performance-related data (PPCs) in the mobile station; and (B) responsive to an occurrence of a triggering event, transmitting the set or a sub-set of the PPCs to a computer (33A) for analysis. The PPCs can be stored in physical counters and registers or in memory locations that are managed to function as counters and registers. The PPCs can include a count of dropped calls, and/or an indication of a result of a mobile station self-test mode of operation. The triggering event can be a receipt by the mobile station of a message to transmit the set or sub-set of the performance-related data, or a receipt by the mobile station of an input from a user of the mobile station, or an expiration of a timer, or at least one of the PPCs being equal to a threshold value. The step of transmitting the set or a sub-set of the PPCs can include steps of receiving the transmitted PPCs at a control center (33) associated with a network service provider and/or at a (remote) diagnostic center (38); and then analyzing the data with the computer (33A) to determine an indication of an occurrence of at least one of a fault in the mobile station, a fault in a system of the network service provider or a no fault condition. An optional step transmits the determined indication to the mobile station. The analysis may further include determining statistical information regarding a population of mobile stations. For the case where the triggering event is the reception of a wireless message, the message may be in the form of an encrypted message to transmit the set or sub-set of the performance-related data. In this case the mobile station operates to decrypt the received message using an associated public key stored in the mobile station and to transmit the set or the sub-set of the performance-related data only in response to correctly decrypting the encrypted message.

Claims

1. A method for operating a mobile station (10), characterized by:

during the operation of the mobile station within a network, determining and storing a set of performance-related data (24A) in the mobile station, said performance-related data comprising information that represents both normal and abnormal conditions in the network and in the mobile station;

responsive to a triggering event, transmitting the set or a sub-set of the performance-related data to a computer (33A) for analysis; and

transmitting a message to the mobile station for informing a user of the result of the analysis.

2. A method as in claim 1, where the performance-related data is stored in counters and registers.

3. A method as in claim 1, wherein the performance-related data is comprised of a count of dropped calls.

4. A method as in claim 1, wherein the performance-related data is comprised of an indication of a result of a mobile station self-test mode of operation.

5. A method as in claim 1, wherein the triggering event is comprised of a receipt by the mobile station of a message to transmit the set or sub-set of the performance-related data.

6. A method as in claim 1, wherein the triggering event is comprised of a receipt by the mobile station of an input from a user of the mobile station.

7. A method as in claim 1, wherein the triggering event is comprised of an expiration of a timer.

8. A method as in claim 1, wherein the triggering event is comprised of at least one of said performance-related data being equal to a threshold value.

9. A method as in claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting the set or a sub-set of the performance-related data comprises steps of:

receiving the transmitted set or subset of the performance-related data at a control center associated with a network service provider; and

analyzing the data to determine an indication of an occurrence of at least one of a fault in the mobile station, a fault in a system of the network service provider, or a no fault condition.

10. A method as in claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting the set or a sub-set of the performance-related data comprises steps of:

receiving the transmitted set or sub-set of the performance-related data at a remote diagnostic center; and

analyzing the data to determine an indication of an occurrence of at least one of a fault in the mobile station, a fault in a system of the network service provider, or a no fault condition;

11. A method as in claim 1, wherein the analysis includes determining statistical information regarding a population of mobile stations.

12. A method as in claim 1, wherein the analysis includes determining whether an operational fault has occurred and, if it has, determining whether the operational fault occurred in the mobile station or in a wireless network that serves the mobile station.

13. A method as in claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting the set or a sub-set of the performance-related data comprises steps of:

receiving the transmitted set or sub-set of the performance-related data at a local computer that is coupled to the mobile station through a data interface; and

analyzing the data to determine an indication of an occurrence of at least one of a fault in the mobile station, a fault in a system of the network service provider, or a no fault condition.

14. A method as in claim 1, wherein the triggering event is comprised of a receipt by the mobile station of an encrypted message to transmit the set or sub-set of the performance-related data, and further comprising decrypting the received message using an associated public key stored in the mobile station and transmitting the set or the sub-set of the performance-related data only in response to correctly decrypting the encrypted message.

15. A method as in claim 14, wherein the public key stored in the mobile station is one of a set of public keys stored in the mobile station, wherein individual members of the set of public keys are associated with applications executable by the mobile station in cooperation with at least one of an encrypted command and an encrypted data set received from the wireless network that are decrypted by the mobile station using one of the set of public keys.

16. The method as in claim 1, wherein determining and storing a set of performance-related data in the mobile station comprises continually determining the set of performance-related data in the mobile station.

17. A mobile station (10) comprising a wireless transceiver (14,16) for conducting bidirectional communications with a wireless network (32), said mobile station further comprising a memory (24) and a controller (18) coupled to said memory and to said transceiver, characterized by said controller being operable for determining, during the operation of said mobile station, a set of performance-related data and for storing said determined set of performance-related data (24A) in said memory, wherein said performance-related data comprises information that represents both normal and abnormal conditions in the network and in the mobile station, said controller being responsive to an occurrence of a triggering event for transmitting said set or a subset of said performance-related data to a computer (33A) for analysis.

18. A mobile station as in claim 17, wherein said performance-related data is stored in at least one of hardware counters and registers and memory locations functioning as counters and as registers.

19. A mobile station as in claim 17, wherein said performance-related data is comprised of at least one of a count of dropped calls and an indication of a result of a mobile station self-test mode of operation.

20. A mobile station as in claim 17, wherein said triggering event is comprised of a receipt by said controller, via said transceiver, of a message to transmit said set or sub-set of said performance-related data.

21. A mobile station as in claim 17, wherein said triggering event is comprised of a receipt by said controller, via a user interface (20,22), of an input from a user of said mobile station.

22. A mobile station as in claim 17, wherein said triggering event is comprised of a receipt by said controller, via a data interface (28), of an input from a local computer (29) to which said mobile station is bidirectionally coupled.

23. A mobile station as in claim 17, wherein said triggering event is comprised of at least one of an expiration of a timer and at least one of said performance-related data being equal to a threshold value.

24. A mobile station as in claim 17, wherein said computer comprises a part of a control center (33) associated with a network service provider (32), and wherein said computer analyses said performance-related data to determine an indication of an occurrence of at least one of a fault in said mobile station, a fault in a system of said network service provider, or a no fault condition.

25. A mobile station as in claim 24, wherein said network service provider transmits said indication to said mobile station controller via said mobile station transceiver.

26. A mobile station as in claim 17, wherein said computer comprises a part of a diagnostic center (38), and wherein said computer analyses said performance-related data to determine an indication of an occurrence of at least one of a fault in said mobile station, a fault in a system of said network service provider, or a no fault condition.

27. A mobile station as in claim 26, wherein said diagnostic center transmits said indication to said mobile station controller via said mobile station transceiver.

28. A mobile station as in claim 26, wherein said diagnostic center is bidirectionally coupled to a data communications network (36,37) for receiving said transmitted performance-related data therefrom, and for transmitting said indication thereto.

29. A mobile station as in claim 26, wherein said diagnostic center is bidirectionally coupled to the internet (37) for receiving said transmitted performance-related data therefrom, and for transmitting said indication thereto.

30. A mobile station as in claim 17, wherein said analysis includes determining statistical information regarding a population of mobile stations.

31. A mobile station as in claim 17, wherein the triggering event is comprised of a receipt by the mobile station of an encrypted message to transmit the set or sub-set of the performance-related data, and said controller being responsive to the receipt of the message for decrypting the received message using an associated public key (24B) stored in the mobile station and for transmitting the set or the sub-set of the performance-related data only in response to correctly decrypting the encrypted message.

32. A mobile station as in claim 17, wherein the triggering event is comprised of a receipt by the mobile station of an SMS message that is at least partially encrypted, said controller being responsive to the receipt of the SMS message for decrypting the received SMS message using an associated public key (24B) stored in the mobile station and for transmitting the set or the subset of the performance-related data using a reply SMS message only in response to correctly decrypting the encrypted SMS message.

33. A mobile station as in claim 17, wherein the public key stored in the mobile station is one of a set of public keys stored in the mobile station, wherein individual members of the set of public keys are associated with applications executable by the mobile station in cooperation with at least one of an encrypted command and an encrypted data set received from the wireless network, the encrypted command and data set being decrypted by the mobile station using the associated one of the set of public keys.

34. The wireless mobile station of claim 17, wherein said controller is operable for continually determining the set of performance-related data.

35. A method for operating a wireless communications network, comprising steps of:

during operation of a mobile station within a network, determining and storing a set of performance-related data in the mobile station, said performance-related data comprising information that represents both normal and abnormal conditions in the network and in the mobile station;

responsive to an occurrence of a triggering event, transmitting the set or a sub-set of the performance-related data to a computer for analysis, the computer being coupled to the wireless communications network;

receiving the transmitted set or sub-set of the performance-related data at the computer;

analyzing the performance-related data, in combination with at least one of wireless network performance data or information obtained from a user of the mobile station, to determine an indication of an occurrence of at least one of a fault in the mobile station, a fault in a system of the wireless communications network, or a no fault condition; and

selectively one of notifying or not notifying a user of the mobile station of a result of the analysis of the performance-related data, depending on the determined indication of the fault in the mobile station, the fault in a system of the wireless communications network, or the no fault condition.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein determining and storing a set of performance-related data in the mobile station comprises continually determining the set of performance-related data in the mobile station.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein continually determining and storing a set of performance-related data in the mobile station comprises continually storing the set of performance-related data in the mobile station.

38. A method for operating a mobile station (10), characterized by:

during the operation of the mobile station within a network, determining and storing a set of performance-related data (24A) in the mobile station, said performance-related data comprising information that represents both normal and abnormal conditions in the network and in the mobile station;

receiving at a mobile station an encrypted message to transmit the set or sub-set of the performance-related data, and

in response to correctly decrypting the received encrypted message using an associated public key stored in the mobile station, transmitting from the mobile station a set or a sub-set of the performance-related data to a computer (33A) for analysis.