Wireless Network Supporting Extended Coverage of Service

• US 20130308470A1
• Filed: 05/18/2012
• Published: 11/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Markowitz, David, Rekstad, Michael, Sim, Jae, Stone, Christopher, Bevan, Frances
• Granted Patent: US 9,295,022 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• 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 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/143 Downlink power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/283 Power depending on the position of the mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination

Abstract

A communications access point may provide access to a wireless communications network to a user device located at a first location. The communications access point may determine that the user device is moving from the first location to a second location where access to the wireless network is limited or not available. In response to the determination, the communications access point may provide access to the wireless network at the second location by extending a coverage area of the wireless network.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing, by a computing device, access to a wireless communications network to a user device at a first location;

determining, by the computing device, that the user device is moving to a second location where access to the wireless communications network is not available; and

providing, by the computing, access to the wireless communications network to the user device at the second location by extending a coverage area of the wireless communications network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the access to the wireless communications network provided at the first location is provided by a communications access point in a first wireless coverage area,

the access to the wireless communications network provided at the second location is provided by the communications access point in a second wireless coverage area different from the first wireless coverage area, and

the extending the coverage area of the wireless communications network comprises extending the first wireless coverage area to form the second wireless coverage area by changing one of a power of the communications access point, a direction of the communications access point, or both.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the access to the wireless communications network provided at the first location is provided by a first communications access point,

the access to the wireless communications network provided at the second location is provided by a second communications access point different from the first communications access point, and

the extending the coverage area of the wireless communications network comprises transmitting an instruction to the user device to transfer service from the first communications access point to the second communications access point.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless communications network comprises a plurality of lower-tier wireless communications networks, further comprising:

identifying, by the computing device, a subset of the plurality of lower-tier wireless communications networks available at the second location; and

selecting, by the computing device, one of the lower-tier wireless communications networks available at the second location,

wherein the extending the coverage area of the wireless communications network comprises transmitting an instruction to the user device to transfer service to the selected lower-tier wireless communications network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless communications network comprises a plurality of lower-tier wireless communications networks, and wherein:

the access to the wireless communications network provided at the first location corresponds to a first coverage area of a first lower-tier wireless communications network, and

the access to the wireless communications network provided at the second location corresponds to a second coverage area of a second lower-tier wireless communications network different from the first lower-tier wireless communications network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the access to the wireless network provided at the first location is provided in a first wireless coverage area, further comprising:

determining, by the computing device, whether the first location is a location within a predetermined range of a boundary of the first wireless coverage area,

wherein the determining that the user device is moving to the second location comprises determining that the user device is moving to the second location in response to determining that the first location is a location within a predetermined range of the boundary of the first wireless coverage area.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining that the user device is moving to the second location comprises determining that the user device is moving to the second location based on a change in the geographic location of the user device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining that the user device is moving to the second location comprises determining that the user device is moving to the second location based on one or more of social media information, calendar information, electronic communication information, and user preference information.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the computing device, first location density information for a plurality of user devices communicatively coupled to the wireless communications network and respectively located at a plurality of first locations;

determining, by the computing device, that one or more of the plurality of user devices are respectively moving to one or more second locations; and

determining, by the computing device, second location density information based on the determined one or more second locations,

wherein providing the access to the wireless communications network at the first location comprises providing access to the wireless communications network in a first wireless coverage area based on the first location density information, and

wherein providing the access to the wireless communications network at the second location comprises providing access to the wireless communications network in a second wireless coverage area different from the first wireless coverage area based on the second location density information.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the access to the wireless communications network provided at the first location is provided at a first time, and

the access to the wireless communications network provided at the second location is provided at a second time later than the first time.

11. A method comprising:

providing, by a computing device at a first time, access to a wireless communications network to a plurality of user devices respectively located at a plurality of first locations;

determining, by the computing device, that one or more of the plurality of user devices are respectively moving to one or more second locations where the wireless communications network is not available at the first time; and

providing, by the computing device at a second time later than the first time, access to the wireless communications network to the one or more user devices at the second location by extending a coverage area of the wireless communications network.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the access to the wireless communications network provided at the first time is provided by a communications access point in a first wireless coverage area,

the access to the wireless communications network provided at the second time is provided by the communications access point in a second wireless coverage area different from the first wireless coverage area, and

the extending the coverage area of the wireless communications network comprises extending the coverage area of first wireless coverage area to form the second wireless coverage area by changing one of a power of the communications access point, a direction of the communications access point, or both.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the access to the wireless communications network provided at the first time is provided by a plurality of first communications access points,

the access to the wireless communications network provided at the second time is provided by a plurality of second communications access points, and

the extending the coverage area of the wireless communications network comprises extending the coverage area of first wireless coverage area to form the second wireless coverage area by transmitting a respective instruction to each of the one or more user devices respectively moving to the one or more second locations to transfer service from a respective one of the plurality of first communications access points to a respective one of the plurality of second communications access points.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the wireless communications network comprises a plurality of lower-tier wireless communications networks, further comprising:

identifying, by the computing device, a respective subset of the plurality of lower-tier wireless communications networks respectively available at each of the one or more second locations; and

selecting, by the computing device for each of the one or more second locations, one of the lower-tier wireless communications networks respectively available at each of the one or more second location,

wherein the extending the coverage area of first wireless coverage area to form the second wireless coverage area comprises transmitting a respective instruction to each of the one or more user devices respectively moving to the one or more second locations to transfer service to the respectively selected lower-tier wireless communications network.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the wireless communications network comprises a plurality of lower-tier wireless communications networks, and wherein:

the access to the wireless communications network provided at the first time corresponds to a first coverage area of a first lower-tier wireless communications network; and

the access to the wireless communications network provided at the second time corresponds to a second coverage area of a second lower-tier wireless communications network different from the first lower-tier wireless communications network.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the access to the wireless network provided at the first time is provided in a first wireless coverage area, further comprising:

determining, by the computing device for each of the one or more user devices respectively moving to the one or more second locations, whether the respective first location of each of the one or more user devices is a location within a predetermined range of the boundary of the first wireless coverage area,

wherein the determining that the one or more of the plurality of user devices are respectively moving to the one or more second locations comprises determining that one or more of the plurality of user devices are respectively moving to the one or more second locations in response to determining that one or more of the respective first locations is a location within a predetermined boundary of the perimeter of the first wireless coverage area.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining that the one or more of the plurality of user devices are respectively moving to the one or more second locations comprises determining that one or more of the plurality of user devices are respectively moving to the one or more second locations based on a change in the respective geographic location of one or more of the plurality of user devices.

18. The gateway interface device of claim 11, wherein determining that the one or more of the plurality of user devices are respectively moving to the one or more second locations comprises determining that one or more of the plurality of user devices are respectively moving to the one or more second locations based on one or more of social media information, calendar information, electronic communication information, and user preference information respectively associated with one or more of the plurality of user devices.

19. The gateway interface device of claim 11, further comprising:

determining, by the computing device, first location density information for the plurality of user devices respectively located at the plurality of first locations; and

determining, by the computing device, second location density information based on the one or more second locations,

wherein providing the access to the wireless communications network at the first time comprises providing the access to the wireless communications network in a first wireless coverage area based on the first location density information; and

wherein providing the access to the wireless communications network at the second time comprises providing the access to the wireless communications network in a second wireless coverage area different from the first wireless coverage area based on the second location density information.

20. A method comprising:

providing, by a computing device in a first wireless coverage area, access to a wireless communications network to a plurality of devices respectively located at a plurality of first locations based on first location density information;

determining, by the computing device, whether one or more of the plurality of devices are respectively moving to one or more second locations where the wireless communications network is not available;

determining, by the computing device, second location density information based on the one or more second locations; and

providing, by the computing device in a second wireless coverage area different from the first wireless coverage area, access to the wireless communications network based on the second location density information.