Communal discovery of network coverage
First Claim
1. A method for building a coverage map for a mobile device having plural wireless transceivers and knowing at least its current location comprising:
- recording the mobile device'"'"'s current location in a coverage map;
for at least one configuration of a first transceiver of the plural wireless transceivers, determining first connectivity for the first transceiver, and recording the first connectivity in the coverage map; and
for at least one configuration of a second transceiver of the plural wireless transceivers, determining second connectivity for the second transceiver, and recording the second connectivity in the coverage map.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Mobile devices having wired and/or wireless network connectivity, when operating in a location, contact one or more map servers to share connectivity information with the map server to allow the map server to create a global map. For example, if a mobile device has two different wireless connectivity options, such as Bluetooth and 802.11, when the mobile device is operated in the location, the mobile device tests whether both connectivity options are available in the location. The results of the test are provided to the central map server, which may integrate the results into the global connectivity map. A mobile device may also receive a connectivity map from the server indicating connectivity options available to the client in the location and possibly other locations as well. The connectivity map may include characteristics of connectivity options, such as cost, availability, etc., to allow the mobile device to choose a preferred connectivity option if multiple options are available.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. A method for building a coverage map for a mobile device having plural wireless transceivers and knowing at least its current location comprising:
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recording the mobile device'"'"'s current location in a coverage map; for at least one configuration of a first transceiver of the plural wireless transceivers, determining first connectivity for the first transceiver, and recording the first connectivity in the coverage map; and for at least one configuration of a second transceiver of the plural wireless transceivers, determining second connectivity for the second transceiver, and recording the second connectivity in the coverage map. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for a mobile device having plural wireless transceivers and knowing a current location to obtain at least a portion of a global coverage map, the method comprising:
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identifying a map server for the global coverage map for the current location; providing a description of the mobile device to the map server; receiving a coverage map from the map server per the description; and selecting a connection for the current location based at least in part on the coverage map. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. An article, comprising:
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a machine-accessible medium having associated data, wherein the data, when accessed, results in a machine having plural wireless transceivers and knowing its location performing; recording the mobile device'"'"'s current location in a coverage map; for at least one configuration of a first transceiver of the plural wireless transceivers, determining first connectivity for the first transceiver, and recording the first connectivity in the coverage map; and for at least one each configuration of a second transceiver of the plural wireless transceivers, determining second connectivity for the second transceiver, and recording the second connectivity in the coverage map. - View Dependent Claims (23)
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24. An article, comprising:
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a machine-accessible medium having associated data, wherein the data, when accessed, results in a machine having plural wireless transceivers and knowing at least a current location performing; identifying a map server providing maps for at least the current location; providing a description of the machine to the map server; receiving a coverage map from the map server per the description; and selecting a connection for the current location based at least in part on the coverage map. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27)
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Specification