System and Method for Anticipating Wireless Signal loss to Provide Robust Location Based Services

• US 20120184300A1
• Filed: 03/28/2012
• Published: 07/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Crandall, Evan Stephen, Greenspan, Steven Lloyd, Lin, Wayzen
• Granted Patent: US 8,644,849 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/322 by location data
• 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 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties

Abstract

A system and method for anticipating wireless signal loss and providing location based services in view of the anticipated wireless signal loss is disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, performed by at least one processor executing computer-readable instructions, for providing, to a wireless device, pre-stored auxiliary location-dependent information particular to a first area having wireless signal degradation and to which the wireless device is expected to travel, comprising:

retrieving the pre-stored auxiliary location-dependent information, being particular to at least one location within the first area having signal degradation, for providing to the wireless device while the wireless device is (a) in a second area in which there is no signal degradation for the wireless device and (b) expected to travel to the first area; and

initiating providing of the pre-stored auxiliary location-dependent information to the wireless device while the wireless device is still in the second area, having no signal degradation for the wireless device, for use at the wireless device when the wireless device is located in the first area of signal degradation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, from the wireless device, while the wireless device is positioned in the second area, a request for location-dependent information related to the first area to which the wireless device is expected to travel.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining, in response to receiving the request, that the wireless device is expected to travel to first area of signal degradation.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the initiating is performed in response to (i) receiving the request for location-dependent information and (ii) determining that the first area to which the wireless device is expected to travel is the first area of signal degradation for the wireless device.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein determining that the area to which the wireless device is expected to travel is the area of signal degradation for the wireless device, comprises:

determining that the wireless device is expected to travel to the first area; and

determining that the first area corresponds to a region of one or more pre-stored regions having a signal-degradation issue.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising identifying one or more signal-degradation regions and storing data identifying the one or more signal degradation regions in a database, forming the one or more pre-stored regions.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing auxiliary location-dependent information, particular to the at least one location within the first area having signal degradation, forming said pre-stored auxiliary location-dependent information, for providing to the wireless device when the wireless device is (a) in the second area and (b) expected to travel to the first area.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one location of the auxiliary location-dependent information, within the first area of signal degradation, includes one or more of:

a banking entity;

a food-services establishment;

beverage-services establishment;

an entity providing sleeping accommodations;

a historical location;

a tourist attraction;

an academic establishment; and

a recreational location.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initiating providing an alert to the wireless device regarding the signal degradation in the first area to which the wireless device is expected to travel; and

receiving a request for the auxiliary location-dependent information from the wireless device, following providing the alert to the wireless device and prior to initiating providing of the pre-stored auxiliary location-dependent information to the wireless device.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method, for providing, to a wireless device, auxiliary location-dependent information particular to a first area having wireless signal degradation and to which the wireless device is expected to travel, comprising:

retrieving the pre-stored auxiliary location-dependent information, being particular to at least one location within the first area having signal degradation, for providing to the wireless device while the wireless device is (a) in a second area in which there is no signal degradation for the wireless device and (b) expected to travel to the first area; and

initiating providing of the pre-stored auxiliary location-dependent information to the wireless device while the wireless device is still in the second area, having no signal degradation for the wireless device, for use at the wireless device when the wireless device is located in the first area of signal degradation.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to receive, from the wireless device, while the wireless device is positioned in the second area, a request for location-dependent information related to the first area to which the wireless device is expected to travel.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to determine, in response to receiving the request, that the wireless device is expected to travel to the first area having signal degradation for the wireless device.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to initiate providing of the auxiliary location-dependent information to the wireless device while the wireless device is in the second area, cause the processor to initiate providing the auxiliary location-dependent information to the wireless device in response to (i) receiving the request for location-dependent information and (ii) determining that the wireless device is expected to travel to the first area having signal degradation for the wireless device.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine that the wireless device is expected to travel to the first area having signal degradation for the wireless device, cause the processor to determine that the wireless device is expected to travel to a pre-stored region having a signal-degradation issue.

15. A method, performed by at least one processor executing computer-readable instructions, for providing location-dependent services to a wireless device, comprising:

tracking location of one or more wireless devices;

identifying, based on results of the tracking, a wireless device, being an identified wireless device, of the one or more wireless devices, that is expected to enter a first area having wireless signal degradation; and

initiating providing of auxiliary location-dependent information to the identified wireless device while the identified wireless device is still in a second area, in which there is no signal degradation for the identified wireless device, for use at the identified wireless device when the identified wireless device is located in the first area of signal degradation.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein identifying the wireless device includes determining whether any of the one or more wireless devices are expected to enter a first pre-stored region having a signal-degradation issue.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising identifying multiple signal-degradation regions including the first pre-stored region, and storing data identifying the multiple signal-degradation regions in a database.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the method further comprises retrieving pre-stored auxiliary location-dependent information, particular to at least one location within the first area having signal degradation, for providing to the identified wireless device while the identified wireless device is (a) in the second area in which there is no signal degradation for the identified wireless device and (b) expected to travel to the first area; and

initiating providing the auxiliary location-dependent information to the identified wireless device, while the identified wireless device is in the second area, includes initiating providing the pre-stored auxiliary location-dependent information to the identified wireless device while the identified wireless device is in the second area, in which there is no signal degradation for the identified wireless device, for use at the identified wireless device when the identified wireless device is located in the first area of signal degradation.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the method further comprises receiving, from the identified wireless device, while the identified wireless device is in the second area, a request for auxiliary location-dependent information associated with the first area; and

initiating providing of the auxiliary location-dependent information to the identified wireless device, while the identified wireless device is in the second area, is performed in response to receiving the request for auxiliary location-dependent information associated with the first area while the identified wireless device is in the second area.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

initiating providing an alert to the identified wireless device regarding the signal degradation in the first area to which the identified wireless device is expected to travel; and

receiving a request for the auxiliary location-dependent information from the identified wireless device, following providing the alert to the identified wireless device and prior to initiating providing of the auxiliary location-dependent information to the identified wireless device.