System for evaluating communication network services

• US 6,169,896 B1
• Filed: 03/09/1998
• Issued: 01/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Emerald Bay Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Emerald Bay Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Spencer, Gordon, Sant, Deepak
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Davis, Temica
• Application Number:
  US09/037,120
• Time in Patent Office: 1,030 Days
• Field of Search: 455/423, 455/424, 455/425, 455/426, 455/446, 455/67.4, 455/69, 455/70, 455/503, 379/1-15, 370/252, 370/253, 370/352
• US Class Current: 455/424
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic

Abstract

A system for directly comparing on a service quality basis a plurality of wireless network services includes a vehicle containing a plurality of phones for different wireless networks and a fixed location for receiving calls from or transmitting calls to the vehicle. A call is initiated at the vehicle or fixed location, and a series of preselected messages are alternately transmitted between the vehicle and the fixed end through each of the networks with each message being quality graded with voice recognition software or data comparison techniques so that quality grades for each network are provided which can be combined and compared in various ways. The vehicle also includes a global positioning satellite system so that the vehicle location and speed can be tagged to each transmitted message to compare the relative quality of the networks within specific portions of the geographical area covered by the vehicle.

Claims

1. A system for comparing communication network services comprising

means at a first location for simultaneously sending a first set of identical preselected messages in digital format to a second location through a plurality of different communication network services all of which transmit from said first location,

means at said second location for receiving said first set of preselected messages and for sending a second set of identical preselected messages in response to said first set of messages back to the means at said first location through the plurality of different communication network services,

means at each of said locations for quality grading each of the received messages and for providing a score for each received message based on such quality grading,

whereby the scores for each communication network service can be directly compared to provide a subscriber quality evaluation.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein each of said first set of preselected messages is comprised of a voice communication and wherein said means for quality grading comprises voice recognition software.

3. A system according to claim 1 wherein said first location is a mobile location, and including means at said first location for determining the geographic position of the first location during each of the sets of messages sent from and received by the first location.

4. A system according to claim 1 wherein said means at said first location for sending includes a plurality of wireless telephones, and further including a mobile vehicle for supporting each of the telephones, the means for sending and the means for quality grading, said mobile vehicle defining said first location.

5. A system according to claim 4 including means in said vehicle for determining the geographical location of the vehicle during each of the sets of messages sent from and received at the first location.

6. A system according to claim 1 wherein said means for sending and receiving at said first and second locations are arranged to send and receive a plurality of pairs of first and second sets of identical preselected messages and wherein said means for quality grading comprises determining a maximum and a minimum score for the received messages of each network service and further determining the ratio of the maximum and minimum scores to evaluate the quality of the network services.

7. A system according to claim 1 wherein said means for sending and receiving at said first and second locations are arranged to send and receive a plurality of pairs of first and second sets of identical preselected messages and wherein said means for quality grading comprises determining an average score for the received messages of each network service and a standard deviation of the scores for the received messages of each network service and further determining the ratio of the standard deviation and the average score to evaluate the quality of the network services.

8. A method for comparing communication network services comprising

simultaneously sending a first set of identical preselected messages in digital format from a first location to a second location through a plurality of different communication network services all of which transmit from said first location,

receiving the first set of messages at the second location and for each message received on each separate communication network service providing a score based on a quality grading of the message,

sending a second set of identical preselected messages from the second location back to the first location through said plurality of different communication network services with each message of the second set for each network service being sent directly in response to the reception of a message of the first set of messages,

receiving the second set of messages at the first location and for each message received on each separate communication network service providing a score based on a quality grading of the message,

combining the scores for each separate communication network service to obtain a final score,

and comparing the final scores for each network service to provide a subscriber network service quality evaluation.

9. A method for comparing communication network services according to claim 8 wherein said first and second sets of preselected messages comprise voice communications and wherein said steps of providing a score comprise using voice recognition software.

10. A method for comparing communication network services according to claim 8 wherein said first location is defined by a mobile vehicle and including the further steps of determining and recording the geographic location of the vehicle during each message sent from or received at said first location.

11. A method for comparing communication network services according to claim 10 including the further steps of determining and recording the vehicle speed during each message sent from or received at said first location.

12. A method of comparing communication network services according to claim 8 including a repetition of the steps of sending and receiving messages so that a plurality of additional pairs of first and second sets of messages are sent and received at the first and second locations prior to the steps of combining and comparing, each message of the first set of messages of said additional pairs of sets of messages being sent directly in response to the reception of a message of the previously sent second set of messages.

13. A method of comparing communication network services according to claim 12 wherein said step of combining the scores for each network service includes the determination of a maximum and a minimum score and a determination of the ratio of the maximum and minimum scores.

14. A method of comparing communication network services according to claim 12 wherein said step of combining the scores for each network service includes the determination of the average score and a standard deviation of the scores and a further determination of the ratio of the standard deviation and the average score.

15. A method for comparing wireless communication network services comprising

simultaneously sending a first set of identical preselected messages in digital format from a moving mobile vehicle to a geographically fixed location through a plurality of different wireless communication network services, each of such services having their transmitting means on said mobile vehicle,

receiving the first set of messages at the fixed location and for each message received on each separate communication network service providing a quality grading of the message,

sending a second set of identical preselected messages from the fixed location back to the vehicle through said plurality of different wireless communication network services with each message of the second set for each network service being sent directly in response to the reception of a message of the first set of messages,

receiving the second set of messages at the vehicle and for each message received on each separate communication network service providing a quality grading of the message,

and comparing the quality grading for each separate wireless communication network service to provide a subscriber wireless network service quality evaluation.

16. A method for comparing wireless communication network services according to claim 15 wherein the messages of said first and second sets of preselected messages each comprise voice communications and wherein said steps of providing a quality grading comprise using voice recognition software.

17. A method for comparing wireless communication network services according to claim 15 including determining and recording a geographic location of the vehicle during each message sent from or received at the moving vehicle.

18. A method for comparing wireless communication network services according to claim 17 including determining the vehicle speed during each message sent from or received at the vehicle.

19. A method of comparing wireless communication network services according to claim 15 including a repetition of the steps of sending and receiving messages so that a plurality of additional pairs of first and second sets of messages are sent and received at the vehicle and fixed location prior to the step of comparing, each message of the first set of messages of said additional pairs of sets of messages being sent directly in response to the reception of a message of the previously sent second set of messages.

20. A system for comparing wireless communication network services comprising

a mobile vehicle,

means for mounting a plurality of wireless telephones for a plurality of different network services on said vehicle,

means mounted in said vehicle for simultaneously sending through each of said telephones a first set of identical messages in digital format to a fixed location,

means for determining the geographical location of the vehicle and for correlating such information with each message of said first set of messages,

means mounted on said vehicle for receiving a second set of identical messages from said fixed location comprised of a message to each of said telephones in response to the reception at the fixed location of one of the first set of messages through a corresponding network service, and

means mounted on said vehicle for quality grading each of the messages received whereby the quality of each of the different communication network services can be directly compared to provide a subscriber network service quality evaluation.

21. A system for comparing wireless communication network services according to claim 20 wherein said messages are voice communications and wherein said means for quality grading comprises voice recognition software.

22. A system for comparing wireless communication network services according to claim 20 including means for determining and recording the vehicle speed during each message sent from said vehicle.

23. A system for comparing wireless communication network services according to claim 20 including a mounting platform for mounting each of the telephones in general alignment at an elevation in the vehicle generally that of the driver'"'"'s head.