System, method and apparatus for tracking deployment of cellular telephone network sites

• US 6,792,269 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2000
• Issued: 09/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Boehmke, Yuergen
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): RAMPURIA, SHARAD K
• Application Number:
  US09/746,502
• Publication Number:
  US 20020123339A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,362 Days
• Field of Search: 455/423-425, 455/446, 455/67.11, 705/7-11, 379/15.03, 379/221.02, 379/9-2-, 379/201-5-2, 379/211.01, 379/1.01, 709/220, 709/250
• US Class Current: 455/424
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

A system, method and apparatus is disclosed for tracking deployment of cellular telephone network sites and providing real-time characteristic information about the deployment to one or more users. The system includes a plurality of computers interconnected in a network for use in tracking the deployment of the cellular telephone sites, the plurality of computers each having one or more processors, a memory device for storing one or more sets of instructions to be executed and a storage device coupled to the one or more processors, at least one computer being operative to execute the one or more sets of instructions. The method includes providing a user interface accepting project variables entered into a computer; color coding changes that are made to the variables; in real-time, determining cellular telephone site deployment characteristics based on current project variables; and providing the deployment characteristics to an output device. The apparatus includes a computer for use in tracking the deployment of the cellular telephone sites, the computer having one or more processors that execute one or more sets of instructions, a memory device for storing the one or more sets of instructions to be executed and a storage device coupled to the one or more processors.

Claims

1. A computer-assisted automated method, comprising:

tracking deployment of cellular telephone network sites;

obtaining real-time characteristie information about the deployment of the sites;

providing the characteristie information to one or more users in real-time;

receiving variables associated with the characteristic information in a computer through an interface adapted for receiving the variables;

visually encoding changes in the variables;

providing visual feedback on a display device associated with the computer for identifying changes to the variables;

in real-time, processing the variables with the computer;

in real-time, tracking changes to the characteristic information made during the cellular telephone network site deployment process based on the variables; and

displaying up-to-date characteristic information of the cellular network site on the display device.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing summary characteristic information of the variables.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein tracking changes to the characteristic information of the cellular telephone network site deployment process comprises tracking changes to the characteristic information of the cellular telephone network site deployment process selected from the group consisting of project timelines, changes made to the project variables, and summary project variables.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein providing variables through an interface comprises providing variables through an interface shared by one or more users.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the one or more users have access to changes made to the characteristic information of the cellular telephone network site deployment project by at least one other user.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the at least one user has access to changes that were made to the characteristic information of the cellular telephone network site deployment project and which user made those changes.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining changes to the characteristic information of the cellular telephone network site deployment project comprises:

determining task priorities; and

automatically renumbering the task priorities.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein tracking changes to the characteristic information of the cellular telephone network site deployment process comprises automatically providing electronic mail messages to a predetermined electronic mail account upon project dates being marked completed or changed.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein tracking changes to the characteristic information of the cellular telephone network site deployment process comprises automatically updating a downstream date population based upon predefined time intervals.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

a computer for use in tracking the deployment of the cellular telephone sites, the computer having one or more processors that execute one or more sets of instructions, a memory device for storing the one or more sets of instructions to be executed, a storage device coupled to the one or more processors, and a display device for displaying information; and

the instructions in the memory device in the computer causing the one or more processors to;

track the deployment of cellular telephone network sites;

obtain real-time characteristic information about the deployment of the sites;

provide the characteristic information to one or more users in real-time;

receive variables associated with characteristic information about the deployment of a cellular telephone network site from one or more users;

store the variables in the storage device;

visually encode changes in the variables;

provide visual feedback on a display device associated with the computer for identifying changes to the variables;

in real-time, process the variables with the computer;

in real-time, track changes to the characteristic information made during the cellular telephone network site deployment process based on the variables; and

display up-to-date characteristic information of the cellular network site on the display device.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the display device is selected from the group consisting of a monitor, a printer, a facsimile, and a plotter.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the instructions in the memory device of the computer cause the one or more processors to provide summary information of associated with the variables.

13. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the instructions in the memory device of the computer cause the one or more processors to track changes selected from the group consisting of timelines, the variables, and summary of the variables.

14. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the instructions in the memory device of the computer cause the one or more processors to provide an interface to one or more users.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the one or more users have access to changes that were made to the characteristic information of the cellular telephone site by at least one other user.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the at least one user has access to changes that were made to the characteristic information of the cellular telephone network site and which user made the changes.

17. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the instructions in the memory device of the computer include instructions that cause the one or more processors to:

determine task priorities; and

automatically renumber the priorities.

18. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the instructions in the memory device of the computer include instructions that cause the one or more processors to provide electronic mail messages upon project dates being marked completed or changed.

19. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the instructions in the memory device of the computer include instructions that cause the one or more processors to automatically update downstream date population based upon predefined time intervals.

20. A computer readable medium having a set of computer instructions encoded thereon, comprising:

the set of computer instructions being operative with a computer to;

track the deployment of cellular telephone network sites;

obtain real-time characteristic infonnation about the deployment of the sites;

provide the characteristic information to one or more users in real-time;

provide an interface for entering variables associated with characteristic information of a cellular telephone network site into a computer;

visually encode changes in the variables;

in real-time, process the variables with the computer;

in real-time, track changes to the characteristic information made during the cellular telephone network site deployment process based on the variables; and

display up-to-date characteristic information of the cellular network site on a display device.

21. A system, comprising:

a plurality of computers interconnected in a network for use in tracking the deployment of the cellular telephone sites, the plurality of computers each having one or more processors, a memory device for storing one or more sets of instructions to be executed, a storage device coupled to the one or more processors, and a display device for displaying information;

at least one computer being operative to execute the one or more sets of instructions; and

the one or more sets of sets of instructions in the memory device in at least one computer causing the one or more processors associated therewith to;

track the deployment of cellular telephone network sites;

obtain real-time characteristic information about the deployment of the sites;

provide the characteristic information to one or more users in real-time;

receive variables associated with characteristic information about the deployment of a cellular telephone network site from one or more users associated with one or more other computers coupled to the network;

store the variables in the storage device associated with one or more computers coupled to the network;

visually encode changes in the variables;

provide visual feedback on a display device associated with the computer for identifying changes to the variables;

in real-time, process the variables with the computer;

in real-time, track changes to the characteristic information made during the cellular telephone network site deployment process based on the variables; and

display up-to-date characteristic information of the cellular network site on the display device, the display device being coupled to the network.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein the display device is selected from the group consisting of a monitor, a printer, a facsimile, a computer, and a plotter.

23. An apparatus, comprising:

computing means for tracking the deployment of the cellular telephone sites, the computing means having one or more processors for executing one or more sets of instructions, memory means for storing the one or more sets of instructions to be executed and a storage means coupled to the one or more processors; and

the instructions in the memory means to be executed by the computing means to;

track the deployment of cellular telephone network sites;

obtain real-time characteristic information about the deployment of the sites;

provide the characteristic information to one or more users in real-time;

receive variables associated with characteristic information about the deployment of a cellular telephone network site from one or more users;

store the variables in the storage device;

visually encode changes in the variables;

provide visual feedback on a display device associated with the computer for identifying changes to the project variables;

in real-time, process the variables with the computer;

in real-time, track changes to the characteristic information made during the cellular telephone network site deployment process based on the variables; and

display up-to-date characteristic information of the cellular network site on the display device.

24. A system, comprising:

a plurality of computing means interconnected in a network for tracking the deployment of the cellular telephone sites, the plurality of computing means each having one or more processing means, memory means for storing one or more sets of instructions to be executed by the processing means, a storage means coupled to the one or more processing means, and a display means for displaying information;

at least one computing means being operative for executing the one or more sets of instructions; and

the one or more sets of sets of instructions in the memory means in at least one computing means causing the one or more processing means associated therewith to;

track the deployment of cellular telephone network sites;

obtain real-time characteristic information about the deployment of the sites;

provide the characteristic information to one or more users in real-time;

receive variables associated with characteristic information about the deployment of a cellular telephone network site from one or more users associated with one or more other computers coupled to the network;

store the project variables in the storage device associated with one or more computers coupled to the network;

visually encode changes in the variables;

provide visual feedback on a display device associated with the computer for identifying changes to the project variables;

in real-time, process the variables with the computer;

in real-time, track changes to the characteristic information made during the cellular telephone network site deployment process based on the variables; and

display up-to-date characteristic information of the cellular network site deployment project on the display device, the display device being coupled to the network.