MOBILE DEVICE AND METHOD FOR COLLECTING LOCATION BASED USER QUALITY DATA

• US 20100087188A1
• Filed: 10/06/2009
• Published: 04/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Root Wireless Incorporated (Ziff Davis, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Root Wireless Incorporated (Ziff Davis, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dicklin, Ron, Browne, Jason, Griff, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,160,571 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/424
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/27 for locating or positioning the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/309 Measuring or estimating channel quality parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

A mobile device executes software. The software collects realistic and accurate user quality information without degrading the user experience of the mobile device during the data collection process. The software operates as a background application, and may have a user interface, and the software is remotely controllable and updatable by an external server.

Claims

1. A method for collecting performance quality data, comprising:

operating a mobile device in cooperation with a particular wireless network, the mobile device operable to access contracted wireless network services via the particular wireless network;

loading a software program onto the mobile device;

receiving a set of configuration data;

collecting a plurality of performance characteristics of the mobile device according to the configuration data, the performance characteristics representative of wireless network quality; and

wirelessly communicating at least some of the plurality of performance characteristics from the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the collecting is performed without significant adverse effects to the performance of the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the wireless network services are contracted by an individual user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a geographic location of the mobile device;

collecting the plurality of performance characteristics if the determined geographic location is within a particular geographic area.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the determining of the geographic location comprises identifying a cell tower associated with the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a group of cell towers within the particular wireless network;

determining which cell tower the mobile device is currently associated with; and

collecting the plurality of performance characteristics if the cell tower the mobile device is currently associated with is part of the group of cell towers within the particular wireless network.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving a current time value;

collecting the plurality of performance characteristics if the retrieved time value is within a particular time window.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

operating a global positioning system;

receiving latitude and longitude coordinates from the global positioning system; and

collecting the plurality of performance characteristics if the latitude and longitude coordinates fall within a particular geographic area.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

detecting if the global positioning system is already in operation; and

operating the global positioning system only if the global positioning system is already in operation.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of performance characteristics includes network signal strength, data transfer speed, and a measurement of dropped calls.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if the mobile device is receiving power from an external source; and

collecting additional performance characteristics if the mobile device is receiving power from an external source.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if the mobile device is coupled to a wired network resource; and

communicating the at least some of the plurality of performance characteristics from the mobile device via the wired network resource.

13. A computer readable medium comprising content that configures a mobile device to perform the steps of claim 1.

14. A mobile computing device, comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU);

a wireless transceiver; and

a memory storing software, the software executable by the CPU and operable to;

wirelessly receive command information from a first server via the wireless transceiver;

collect performance measurement data as directed by the command information, the performance measurement data representative of the mobile computing device performance within a wireless network; and

communicate at least some of the performance measurement data back to a second server via the wireless transceiver.

15. The mobile computing device of claim 14 wherein the first server and the second server are physically separate computing devices.

16. The mobile computing device of claim 14, further comprising:

a display, wherein the software executable by the CPU presents a user interface on the display; and

an input configured to receive parameters for controlling the software executable by the CPU.

17. The mobile computing device of claim 14 wherein the software executable by the CPU operates as a background application, transparent to an operator of the mobile device.

18. A system for collecting wireless network performance data, the system comprising:

a mobile device provisioned for typical operation on a wireless communication network by a contracted subscriber;

a memory associated with the mobile device, the memory configured to store a software application, the software application configured to;

receive direction from a first server;

collect the wireless network performance data according to the direction; and

communicate at least some of the wireless network performance data back to a second server.

19. The system for collecting wireless network performance data of claim 18 wherein the software application is further configured to collect the wireless network performance data without significant adverse effects to the typical operation of the mobile device.

20. The system for collecting wireless network performance data of claim 18 wherein the software application is further configured to receive direction as a configuration file, the configuration file received as a payload of a single message packet from the first server.