Method and apparatus for locating wireless access points

• US 20060234682A1
• Filed: 03/31/2005
• Published: 10/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Inventors: Smith, Robert, Sams, Bobby, Paden, Jon, Harris, Jon, Dent, Paul L.
• Application Number:
  US11/095,395
• Publication Number:
  US 20060234682A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/413
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point

Abstract

A wireless access point locator (108) operating as an interactive voice response (UVR) system has a memory (108B), and a processor (108A). The processor is programmed to locate (204) one or more wireless access points in response to a request from a calling party (102), and submit (212) to the calling party one or more locations corresponding to one or more wireless access points found in the locating step.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium operating as an interactive voice response (IVR) system accessible by a calling party over a communication system, the storage medium comprising computer instructions for:

locating one or more wireless access points in response to a request from a calling party; and

submitting to the calling party one or more locations corresponding to one or more wireless access points found in the locating step.

2. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the submitting step further comprises computer instructions for:

providing the calling party options to select from the one or more locations;

receiving a selection from the calling party; and

submitting the calling party detailed information corresponding to the selection made by the calling party.

3. The storage medium of claim 2, wherein information exchanged in the providing, receiving and submitting steps comprises voice messages and data messages.

4. The storage medium of claim 2, wherein the submitting step comprises transmitting to a wireless device of the calling party a wireless message comprising the detailed information.

5. The storage medium of claim 1, further comprising computer instructions for:

determining a location of the calling party; and

wherein the locating step comprising computer instructions for locating one or more wireless access points nearest to the location of the calling party.

6. The storage medium of claim 5, wherein the determining step further comprises computer instructions for locating the calling party according to one among a group of sources comprising an originating phone number of the calling party, a location provided by a wireless device of the calling party, a zip code entered by the calling party, and a voice message provided by the calling party representing the location of the calling party.

7. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more access points correspond to one or more wireless service providers, and wherein the storage medium further comprises computer instructions for:

providing the calling party options to select from at least one among the one or more wireless service providers;

receiving a selection from the calling party; and

submitting the calling party detailed information of the selected wireless service provider.

8. The storage medium of claim 7, further comprising computer instructions for:

requesting from the calling party billable information;

supplying the billable information to the selected wireless service provider for validation; and

billing the calling party upon validation.

9. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the locating step comprises computer instructions for searching a database for the one or more wireless access points according to the request supplied by the calling party.

10. A wireless access point locator (WAPL) operating as an IVR system, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is programmed to;

locate one or more wireless access points in response to a request from a calling party; and

submit to the calling party one or more locations corresponding to one or more wireless access points found in the locating step.

11. The WAPL of claim 10, wherein the submit step the processor is further programmed to:

provide the calling party options to select from the one or more locations;

receive a selection from the calling party; and

submit the calling party detailed information corresponding to the selection made by the calling party.

12. The WAPL of claim 11, wherein information exchanged in the provide, receive and submit steps comprises voice messages and data messages.

13. The WAPL of claim 11, wherein the submit step the processor is further programmed to transmit to a wireless device of the calling party a wireless message comprising the detailed information.

14. The WAPL of claim 10, wherein the processor is further programmed to:

determine a location of the calling party; and

wherein the locate wherein the processor is programmed to locate one or more wireless access points nearest to the location of the calling party.

15. The WAPL of claim 14, wherein the determine step the processor is further programmed to locate the calling party according to one among a group of sources comprising an originating phone number of the calling party, a location provided by a wireless device of the calling party, a zip code entered by the calling party, and a voice message provided by the calling party representing the location of the calling party.

16. The WAPL of claim 10, wherein the one or more access points correspond to one or more wireless service providers, and wherein the processor is further programmed to:

provide the calling party options to select from at least one among the one or more wireless service providers;

receive a selection from the calling party; and

submit the calling party detailed information of the selected wireless service provider.

17. The WAPL of claim 16, wherein the processor is further programmed to:

request from the calling party billable information;

supply the billable information to the selected wireless service provider for validation; and

bill the calling party upon validation.

18. The WAPL of claim 10, wherein the locate step the processor is programmed to search a database for the one or more wireless access points according to the request supplied by the calling party.

19. In an interactive voice response (IVR) system, a method comprising the steps of:

locating one or more wireless access points in response to a request from a calling party; and

submitting to the calling party one or more locations corresponding to one or more wireless access points found in the locating step.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the locating step comprises the step of searching a database for the one or more wireless access points according to the request supplied by the calling party, and wherein the submitting step further comprises steps of:

providing the calling party options to select from the one or more locations;

receiving a selection from the calling party; and

submitting the calling party detailed information corresponding to the selection made by the calling party.