IDENTIFYING MODIFICATIONS TO TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF A COMMUNICATION CHANNEL TO ALTER USER PERCEPTION OF COMMUNICATION CHANNEL PERFORMANCE

• US 20180019936A1
• Filed: 07/18/2016
• Published: 01/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Case On It, S.L.
• Original Assignee: Case On It, S.L.
• Inventors: Batiz, Agustin
• Granted Patent: US 10,250,476 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/062 related to network traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties

Abstract

Probes are coupled to a network via one or more communication channels. The probes capture a set of technical characteristics of the communication channel (e.g., signal intensity, signal quality, signal to noise ratio, etc.), which may include characteristics of data exchanges between third party systems and the probes. Captured characteristics are provided to an online system, which obtains information from users who are communicating content via the communication channel regarding user perception of content transmission or receipt. Based on the received characteristics and information describing user perception, the online system generates a value of a performance metric for the communication channel associated with a set of users having one or more common characteristics. The online system may use values of the performance metric for different technical characteristics to evaluate effects of modifying a technical characteristic of the communication channel on perception of the communication channel by users in the set.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining characteristics of users associated with client devices receiving content via a communication channel;

obtaining information describing user perception of content provided to the client devices via the communication channel;

receiving technical characteristics of the communication channel providing the content to the client devices captured by one or more probes coupled to the communication channel;

identifying a set of users having a common characteristic;

generating a model for the set of users correlating values of a performance metric for the communication channel with technical characteristics of the communication channel based on the obtained information describing user perception of users in the set and the received technical characteristics of the communication channel;

identifying one or more modifications to the communication channel by comparing a value of the performance metric corresponding to received technical characteristics to values of the performance metric corresponding to alternative technical characteristics of the communication channel; and

communicating information describing the identified one or more modifications to the communication channel to a system configuring the communication channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving technical characteristics of the communication channel providing the content to the client devices captured by one or more probes coupled to the communication channel comprises:

receiving technical characteristics of the communication channel from one or more probes coupled to client devices and configured to capture technical characteristics of the communication channel when the client devices exchange data via the communication channel.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving technical characteristics of the communication channel providing the content to the client devices captured by one or more probes coupled to the communication channel comprises:

receiving one or more characteristics of one or more exchanges of data between the client devices and a third party system captured by one or more probes coupled to the communication channel.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a model for the set of users correlating values of a performance metric for the third party system with characteristics of the one or more exchanges of data between the client devices and the third party system based on obtained information describing user perception of users in the set and the received one or more characteristics of one or more exchanges of data between the client devices and the third party system;

identifying one or more modifications to characteristics of data exchange between the third party system and the client devices by comparing a value of the performance metric for the third party system corresponding to received characteristics of one or more exchanges of data between the client devices and the third party system to values of the performance metric corresponding to alternative characteristics of one or more exchanges of data between the client devices and the third party system; and

communicating information describing the identified one or more modifications to the characteristics of one or more exchanges of data between the client devices and the third party system to the third party system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving technical characteristics of the communication channel providing the content to the client devices captured by one or more probes coupled to the communication channel comprises:

receiving technical characteristics of the communication channel captured by a probe in association with a physical location where the probe captured the technical characteristics and a time when the probe captured the technical characteristics.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the model for the set of users correlating values of a performance metric for the communication channel with technical characteristics of the communication channel comprises:

providing content to client devices associated with users having the common characteristic via the communication channel when the communication channel has different technical characteristics;

capturing training data from users having the common characteristic describing the users'"'"' perception of the content provided when the communication channel has different technical characteristics;

generating weights applied to various technical characteristics of the communication channel based on the captured training data;

generating weights applied to characteristics of users based on the captured training data; and

generating the model based on the weights applied to various technical characteristics of the communication channel and the weights applied to characteristics of users.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying one or more modifications to the communication channel by comparing the value of the performance metric corresponding to received technical characteristics to values of the performance metric corresponding to alternative technical characteristics of the communication channel comprises:

determining alternative values of the performance metric by applying the generated model to alternative technical characteristics of the communication channel;

identifying one or more alternative values of the performance metric exceeding the value of the performance metric;

identifying the one or more modifications to the communication channel as alternative technical characteristics of the communication channel corresponding to one or more of the identified alternative values of the performance metric.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein identifying one or more alternative values of the performance metric exceeding the value of the performance metric comprises:

identifying alternative values of the performance metric at least a threshold amount greater than the value of the performance metric.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein identifying one or more alternative values of the performance metric exceeding the value of the performance metric comprises:

identifying alternative values of the performance metric equaling or exceeding a threshold value.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying one or more modifications to the communication channel by comparing a value of the performance metric corresponding to received technical characteristics to values of the performance metric corresponding to alternative technical characteristics of the communication channel comprises:

determining a benefit to the system configuring the communication channel for each of the one or more modifications to the communication channel; and

selecting one or more of the modifications to the communication channel based on the determined benefits.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the information communicated to the system configuring the communication channel includes one or more selected from a group consisting of:

estimated costs for the system configuring the communication channel to implement one or more of the modifications, estimated lengths of time for the system configuring the communication channel to implement one or more of the modifications, and any combination thereof.

12. A system comprising:

one or more client devices coupled to a network via a communication channel, a client device exchanging data via the communication channel;

one or more probes coupled to the communication channel, each probe configured to capture technical characteristics of the communication channel; and

an online system coupled to the one or more probes, the online system configured to;

receive technical characteristics of the communication channel captured by the one or more probes;

obtain characteristics of users associated with client devices exchanging data via the communication channel;

obtain information describing user perception of data provided to the client devices via the communication channel;

identify a set of users having a common characteristic;

generate a model for the set of users correlating values of a performance metric for the communication channel with technical characteristics of the communication channel based on the obtained information describing user perception of users in the set and the received technical characteristics of the communication channel;

identify one or more modifications to the communication channel by comparing a value of the performance metric corresponding to the received technical characteristics to values of the performance metric corresponding to alternative technical characteristics of the communication channel; and

communicate information describing the identified one or more modifications to the communication channel to a system configuring the communication channel.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein one or more of the probes are coupled to a client device and are configured to capture technical characteristics of the communication channel when the client devices exchange data via the communication channel.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein one or more of the probes are configured to capture characteristics of data exchanged between the one or more probes and a third party system.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein one or more of the probes are coupled to the communication channel and are not coupled to a client device.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein a probe is included in a vehicle and the probe is configured to capture technical characteristics of the communication channel at different physical locations.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the online system is further configured to transmit instructions to the vehicle including the probe identifying a physical locations from which the probe captures technical characteristics of the communication channel.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the vehicle travels along a particular route of physical locations.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein generate the model for the set of users correlating values of a performance metric for the communication channel with technical characteristics of the communication channel comprises:

provide content to client devices associated with users having the common characteristic via the communication channel when the communication channel has different technical characteristics;

capture training data from users having the common characteristic describing the users'"'"' perception of the content provided when the communication channel has different technical characteristics;

generate weights applied to various technical characteristics of the communication channel based on the captured training data;

generate weights applied to characteristics of users based on the captured training data; and

generate the model based on the weights applied to various technical characteristics of the communication channel and the weights applied to characteristics of users.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein identify one or more modifications to the communication channel by comparing the value of the performance metric corresponding to received technical characteristics to values of the performance metric corresponding to alternative technical characteristics of the communication channel comprises:

determine alternative values of the performance metric by applying the generated model to alternative technical characteristics of the communication channel;

identify one or more alternative values of the performance metric exceeding the value of the performance metric; and

identify the one or more modifications to the communication channel as alternative technical characteristics of the communication channel corresponding to one or more of the identified alternative values of the performance metric.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein identify one or more alternative values of the performance metric exceeding the value of the performance metric comprises:

identify alternative values of the performance metric at least a threshold amount greater than the value of the performance metric.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein identify one or more alternative values of the performance metric exceeding the value of the performance metric comprises:

identifying alternative values of the performance metric equaling or exceeding a threshold value.

23. The system of claim 12, wherein the information communicated to the system configuring the communication channel includes one or more selected from a group consisting of:

estimated costs for the system configuring the communication channel to implement one or more of the modifications, estimated lengths of time for the system configuring the communication channel to implement one or more of the modifications, a benefit to the system configuring the communication channel for implementing one or more of the modifications, and any combination thereof.