Fielded Device Failure Tracking and Response

• US 20100197238A1
• Filed: 10/23/2007
• Published: 08/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Sathyanarayana, Ramesh, Pathuri, Hanumantha R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,886,179 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/67.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0609 based on severity or priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0681 Configuration of triggering conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring

Abstract

A fault remediation system for fielded wireless mobile devices addresses field failure data collection, consolidation of field failure data, and an information services platform so that the players in a wireless/mobile broadcast/broadband application/service value chain to respond to field failure problems in a consistent and automated manner from wireless/mobile devices over wireless multicast and or wireless broadband networks. An elegant and extremely flexible mechanism enables the failure data collection from a targeted set of wireless/mobile devices. In addition, sophisticated mechanisms identify targeted set of devices that should participate in field failure data collection based on user specified operational requirements (e.g., selected OEM, device configuration type, subscribers to a specific wireless broadband serve, failure occurrence certain time limits, etc.). The fault data logging on the mobile device is vertically integrated to allow diagnosis and assignment to a responsible party for fixing, testing, and release with subsequent certification and deployment.

Claims

1. A method for reporting fault data to a provider of wireless data communication, comprising:

in response to a fault condition, logging fault data for each vertical software layer sufficient for diagnosis of a responsible component among a plurality of components comprising at least one software component residing on a first software vertical layer and a second software component residing on a second software vertical layer;

receiving a fault reporting enabling event; and

wirelessly reporting the logged fault data to a wireless data communication provider for diagnosis to the responsible component.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a wireless multicast signal containing the fault reporting enabling event.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising wirelessly reporting the logged fault data when satisfying a filtering criteria of the fault reporting enabling event.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising wirelessly reporting the logged fault data when satisfying the filtering criteria of fault severity.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising wirelessly reporting the logged fault data when satisfying the filtering criteria of a device type.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising wirelessly reporting the logged fault data when satisfying the filtering criteria of being a subscriber to a selected wireless service provider.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising wirelessly reporting the logged fault data when satisfying the filtering criteria of a time window.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising wirelessly reporting a summary of the logged fault data to the wireless data communication provider prior to receiving the fault reporting enabling event.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a wireless unicast signal containing the fault reporting enabling event.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising logging fault data sufficient for diagnosis of a responsible component among a plurality of software components each developed respectively by a wireless multicast provider, an original equipment manufacturer, a carrier of two-way data communication, and an application vendor.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising a reporting a sensed location associated with the occurrence of the fault condition.

12. At least one processor configured to report fault data to a provider of wireless data communication, comprising:

a first module for, in response to a fault condition, logging fault data for each vertical software layer sufficient for diagnosis of a responsible component among a plurality of components comprising at least one software component residing on a first software vertical layer and a second software component residing on a second software vertical layer;

a second module for receiving a fault reporting enabling event; and

a third module for wirelessly reporting the logged fault data to a wireless data communication provider for diagnosis to the responsible component.

13. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium comprising;

a first set of codes for causing a computer to log fault data for each vertical software layer sufficient for diagnosis of a responsible component among a plurality of components comprising at least one software component residing on a first software vertical layer and a second software component residing on a second software vertical layer in response to a fault condition;

a second set of codes for causing the computer to receive a fault reporting enabling event; and

a third set of codes for causing the computer to wirelessly report the logged fault data to a wireless data communication provider for diagnosis to the responsible component.

14. An apparatus for reporting fault data to a provider of wireless data communication, comprising:

means for logging fault data for each vertical software layer sufficient for diagnosis of a responsible component among a plurality of components comprising at least one software component residing on a first software vertical layer and a second software component residing on a second software vertical layer in response to a fault condition;

means for receiving a fault reporting enabling event; and

means for wirelessly reporting the logged fault data to a wireless data communication provider for diagnosis to the responsible component.

15. A computer-implemented apparatus for reporting fault data to a provider of wireless data communication, comprising:

a computing platform executing a plurality of components;

a fault diagnostic logging component logging fault data for each vertical software layer sufficient for diagnosis of a responsible component among a plurality of components comprising at least one software component residing on a first software vertical layer and a second software component residing on a second software vertical layer in response to a fault condition;

a data receiver for receiving a fault reporting enabling event; and

a transmitter wirelessly reporting the logged fault data to a wireless data communication provider for diagnosis to the responsible component.

16. The computer-implemented apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a wireless two-way data communication transceiver and a wireless multicast reception component.

17. The computer-implemented apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a fault reporting component responsive to the fault reporting enabling event to wirelessly report the logged fault data when satisfying a filtering criteria of the fault reporting enabling event.

18. The computer-implemented of claim 17, further comprising the fault reporting component wirelessly reporting the logged fault data when satisfying the filtering criteria of fault severity.

19. The computer-implemented of claim 17, further comprising the fault reporting component wirelessly reporting the logged fault data when satisfying the filtering criteria of a device type.

20. The computer-implemented of claim 17, further comprising the fault reporting component wirelessly reporting the logged fault data when satisfying the filtering criteria of being a subscriber to a selected wireless service provider.

21. The computer-implemented of claim 17, further comprising the fault reporting component wirelessly reporting the logged fault data when satisfying the filtering criteria of a time window.

22. The computer-implemented of claim 17, further comprising a wireless multicast reception component, the fault reporting component responsive to receiving the fault reporting enabling event by multicast.

23. The computer-implemented of claim 22, further comprising a wireless unicast transceiver, the fault reporting component responsive to receiving the fault reporting enabling event by either unicast or multicast.

24. The computer-implemented apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a location sensing component, the fault data including the location associated with the fault condition.

25. The computer-implemented apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a user interface, the fault reporting enabling event comprising a user input.

26. A method for collecting and analyzing fault data from a plurality of wireless communication devices, comprising:

sending a fault reporting enabling event to a wireless communication device for logging fault data for each vertical software layer sufficient for diagnosis of a responsible component among a plurality of components comprising at least one software component residing on a first software vertical layer and a second software component residing on a second software vertical layer in response to a fault condition; and

wirelessly receiving the logged fault data reported by the wireless communication device; and

diagnosing the responsible component for the fault condition.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising sending the fault reporting enabling event having a filtering criteria for selectively reporting logged fault data.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising sending the fault reporting enabling event having the filtering criteria for selectively reporting logged fault data based on fault severity.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising sending the fault reporting enabling event having a filtering criteria for selectively reporting logged fault data based on a device type.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising sending the fault reporting enabling event having a filtering criteria for selectively reporting logged fault data based on being a subscriber to a selected wireless service provider.

31. The method of claim 28, further comprising sending the fault reporting enabling event having a filtering criteria for selectively reporting logged fault data based on a time window.

32. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

wirelessly receiving a summary of the logged fault data; and

wirelessly sending the fault reporting enabling event to a plurality of wireless mobile devices.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising sending a wireless multicast signal containing the fault reporting enabling event.

34. The method of claim 26, further comprising analyzing the reported fault data to diagnose a responsible component among a plurality of software components each developed respectively by a wireless multicast provider, an original equipment manufacturer, a carrier of two-way data communication, and an application vendor.

35. The method of claim 26, further comprising analyzing the reported fault data in conjunction with location information associated with the occurrence of the fault condition.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising augmenting global positioning system data contained in the reported fault data with network derived location information for the reporting mobile communication device.

37. At least one processor for collecting and analyzing fault data from a plurality of wireless communication devices, comprising:

a first module for sending a fault reporting enabling event to a wireless communication device for logging fault data for each vertical software layer sufficient for diagnosis of a responsible component among a plurality of components comprising at least one software component residing on a first software vertical layer and a second software component residing on a second software vertical layer in response to a fault condition; and

a second module for wirelessly receiving the logged fault data reported by the wireless communication device; and

a third module for diagnosing the responsible component for the fault condition.

38. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium comprising;

a first set of codes for causing a computer to send a fault reporting enabling event to a wireless communication device for logging fault data for each vertical software layer sufficient for diagnosis of a responsible component among a plurality of components comprising at least one software component residing on a first software vertical layer and a second software component residing on a second software vertical layer in response to a fault condition; and

a second set of codes for causing the computer to wirelessly receive the logged fault data reported by the wireless communication device; and

a third set of codes for causing the computer to diagnose the responsible component for the fault condition.

39. An apparatus for collecting and analyzing fault data from a plurality of wireless communication devices, comprising:

means for sending a fault reporting enabling event to a wireless communication device for logging fault data for each vertical software layer sufficient for diagnosis of a responsible component among a plurality of components comprising at least one software component residing on a first software vertical layer and a second software component residing on a second software vertical layer in response to a fault condition; and

means for wirelessly receiving the logged fault data reported by the wireless communication device; and

means for diagnosing the responsible component for the fault condition.

40. A computer-implemented apparatus for collecting and analyzing fault data from a plurality of wireless communication devices, comprising:

a fault collection enabling component for wirelessly sending a fault reporting enabling event to a wireless communication device for logging and reporting fault data for each vertical software layer sufficient for diagnosis of a responsible component among a plurality of components comprising at least one software component residing on a first software vertical layer and a second software component residing on a second software vertical layer in response to a fault condition;

a data communication receiver for wirelessly receiving the logged fault data reported by the wireless communication device; and

a fault diagnostic component for determining the responsible component for the fault condition among a plurality of components in response.

41. The computer-implemented apparatus of claim 40, further comprising a user interface for selecting filtering criteria incorporated into the fault reporting enabling event for selectively reporting logged fault data.

42. The computer-implemented apparatus of claim 41, further comprising the user interface for selecting filtering criteria incorporated into the fault reporting enabling event for selectively reporting logged fault data based on fault severity.

43. The computer-implemented apparatus of claim 41, further comprising the user interface for selecting filtering criteria incorporated into the fault reporting enabling event for selectively reporting logged fault data based on a device type.

44. The computer-implemented apparatus of claim 41, further comprising the user interface for selecting filtering criteria incorporated into the fault reporting enabling event for selectively reporting logged fault data based on being a subscriber to a selected wireless service provider.

45. The computer-implemented apparatus of claim 41, further comprising the user interface for selecting filtering criteria incorporated into the fault reporting enabling event for selectively reporting logged fault data based on a time window.

46. The computer-implemented apparatus of claim 40, further comprising:

fault collection storage for storing wirelessly received summaries of the logged fault data, and

a fault analysis component responsive to a trend in the stored summaries to recommend wirelessly sending the fault reporting enabling event to the plurality of wireless mobile devices.

47. The computer-implemented apparatus of claim 40, further comprising a wireless multicast signaling component for sending the fault reporting enabling event to a plurality of the wireless mobile devices.

48. The computer-implemented apparatus of claim 40, further comprising analyzing the reported fault data to diagnose a responsible component among a plurality of software components comprising each developed respectively by a wireless multicast provider, an original equipment manufacturer, a carrier of two-way data communication, and an application vendor.

49. The computer-implemented apparatus of claim 40, further comprising an augmented global positioning system component for associating the reported fault data with a location of the occurrence of the fault condition.

50. The computer-implemented apparatus of claim 40, further comprising:

a fault solution database containing fault diagnostic data from the fault diagnostic component; and

a customer relations interface for accessing the fault diagnostic data.