DEVICE-DRIVEN INTELLIGENCE AND FEEDBACK FOR PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION AND PLANNING OF A SERVICE NETWORK

• US 20140325019A1
• Filed: 07/07/2014
• Published: 10/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.), AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Austin, Mark, Kelly, Stephen, Meredith, Sheldon, Ryan, Lawrence, Salmon, Michael, Bates, Michael, Dennisson, Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 9,549,029 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/34 Signalling channels for network management communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A subscriber device reports network operation conditions, such as network performance incidents, to receive feedback from the network related to the incident and available or possibly available solutions, and to produce network intelligence suitable for network planning and network performance enhancement. Reporting of network performance incidents can be characterized by location and time of occurrence, wherein this intelligence is provided by the user device. Feedback provided by the network is based on the network performance data received as part of reporting an incident. The reporting described herein enables a network operator to generate network planning intelligence based on actual network performance as experienced at the subscriber level.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a user equipment comprising a processor, input data that classifies a geographical location of the user equipment as having an indoor location; and

directing, by the user equipment, the input data to a network device of a communication network to facilitate a determination of performance data associated with the user equipment'"'"'s utilization of the communication network at the indoor location.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

directing, by the user equipment, signal strength data to the network device to facilitate the determination of the performance data, wherein the signal strength data represents a strength of a signal received by the user equipment from an access point device of the communication network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving comprises receiving the input data via a graphical interface of the user equipment.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the receiving comprises receiving the input data in connection with a request for a selection of location data rendered via the graphical interface, wherein the location data comprises a set of categories associated with the geographical location.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to the directing, receiving, by the user equipment, feedback data related to the performance data; and

initiating, by the user equipment, a rendering of the feedback data via a graphical interface of the user equipment.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the receiving the feedback data comprises receiving timing data indicative of an estimated time period during which a network performance issue is to be resolved.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the receiving the feedback data comprises receiving network capacity augmentation data indicative of an augmentation action relating to an augmentation of a network capacity associated with the communication network.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to receiving authorization data that allows an execution of a diagnostic test associated with a performance of the user equipment, determining, by the user equipment, result data indicative of a result of the diagnostic test; and

directing, by the user equipment, the result data to the network device to facilitate the determination of the performance data.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the directing comprises directing the input data to the network device to facilitate characteristic data being determined that represents an in-building propagation loss associated with a signal received from an access point device of the communication network.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the directing comprises directing the input data to the network device via a text message.

11. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

in response to receiving input data representing a category associated with a geographical area associated with a user equipment, determining report data indicative of the user equipment being located indoors, and

initiating a transmission of the report data to a network device of a communication network, wherein the report data is employable to facilitate a determination of performance data associated with the user equipment'"'"'s utilization of the communication network.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the transmission is a first transmission and the operations further comprise:

initiating a second transmission of signal strength data to the network device to facilitate the determination of the performance data, wherein the signal strength data represents a strength of a signal received by the user equipment from an access point device of the communication network.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the input data is received in response to determining that incident data indicative of a network performance incident associated with the communication network has been reported.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to the transmission, receiving action data related to the performance data, wherein the action data is indicative of an action associated with resolution of an issue determined to be related to the incident data.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the initiating the transmission comprises initiating the transmission via a text message.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

initiating a display of category data indicative of a set of categories associated with the geographical area via the user equipment, wherein the input data comprises selection data that selects the category from the set of categories.

17. A computer-readable storage device comprising instructions that, in response to execution, cause a system comprising a processor to perform operations, comprising:

receiving input data that specifies that a user equipment coupled to a network device of a communication network is located at an indoor location; and

based on the input data, initiating a determination of performance data associated with the user equipment'"'"'s utilization of the communication network at the indoor location, wherein the performance data represents a performance of the communication network.

18. The computer-readable storage device of claim 17, wherein the input data is received in response to determining that incident data indicative of a network performance incident associated with the communication network has been received.

19. The computer-readable storage device of claim 18, wherein the performance data comprises action data indicative of an action that is to be performed to facilitate a resolution of an issue determined to be related to the incident data.

20. The computer-readable storage device of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

facilitating a transmission of the input data to the network device via a text message.