System and method for determining and representing one or more potential physical locations of a newly detected wireless network device

• US 7,636,576 B1
• Filed: 04/11/2006
• Issued: 12/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ThinkLogix, LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Autocell Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Pfister, Roger, Backes, Floyd, Callahan, Paul D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Edouard, Patrick N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ELCENKO, ERIC J
• Application Number:
  US11/279,317
• Time in Patent Office: 1,351 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.6
• US Class Current: 455/456.6
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/225 for indoor or short range network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/00 Communication routing or communication path finding
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A previously unknown wireless device, which may be either an access point or a station, is detected by receipt of transmissions from that device at one or more access points that are currently operating within a managed wireless network. A graphic representation of the newly detected device is displayed in a region of a user interface external to a region containing a representation of the physical environment of the managed wireless network. A user selects a number of known access points from which an estimated distance to the newly detected device is to be determined and represented. A representation is generated of an estimated distance from each one of the selected number of access points, such as those access points that are estimated to be physically closest to the newly detected device, for example on the basis of signal strength with regard to transmissions from the newly detected device received at the known access points. The distance representations from the known access points may be provided using substantially circular “distance rings”, displayed in the region of the user interface containing a representation of the physical environment in which the wireless network is deployed. The distance rings enable a user to may observe one or more distance ring intersections indicating one or more potential positions within the wireless network'"'"'s physical environment at which the newly detected device may be located.

Claims

1. A method for determining and representing at least one potential physical location of a wireless network device, comprising:

inputting, from a user, a number of known access points for which distance representations are to be generated;

generating a distance representation corresponding to each of said number of known access points, wherein each said distance representation represents an estimated distance from a corresponding one of said known access points to said wireless network device, wherein said distance representation comprises a substantially circular ring surrounding a graphical representation of each of said number of known access points;

generating a representation of said wireless network device within a first display region of a graphical user interface, wherein said first display region of said graphical user interface is external to a second display region of said graphical user interface, and wherein said second display region of said graphical user interface includes a representation of the physical environment in which said wireless communication network is deployed

combining the distance representation with the representation in the second display region of the physical environment in which said access points are deployed based on known locations of the access points in the physical environment; and

visually displaying the combined distance representation and physical environment representation, whereby the potential physical location of the wireless network device is provided in relation to features in the physical environment.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting the presence of said wireless network device in a wireless communication network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said graphical representation of each of said number of known access points is generated within said second display region.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating said distance representation corresponding to each of said number of known access points further comprises determining which known access points are estimated to be physically closest to said wireless network device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating said distance representation corresponding to each of said number of known access points further comprises determining said estimated distance from said corresponding known access point to said wireless network device based on a signal strength of at least one transmission from said wireless network device at said corresponding known access point.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said wireless network device is an access point.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said wireless network device is a station.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising inputting a second number of known access points for which distance representations are to be generated, and generating a distance representation corresponding to each of said second number of known access points, wherein each said distance representation represents an estimated distance from a corresponding one of said second number of known access points to said wireless network device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling a user to move said graphic representation of said wireless network device from said first display region into said second display region.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a number of substantially circular rings representing radio coverage range of each corresponding one of the known access points; and

wherein each said distance representation comprises a substantially circular ring generated in a visually distinct manner with respect to said substantially circular rings representing radio coverage range of each corresponding one of the known access points.

11. A system for determining and representing at least one potential physical location of a wireless network device, comprising:

access point input logic for inputting, from a user, a number of known access points for which distance representations are to be generated;

distance representation generating logic for generating a distance representation corresponding to each of said number of known access points, wherein each said distance representation represents an estimated distance from a corresponding one of said known access points to said wireless network device via a substantially circular ring surrounding a graphical representation of each of said number of known access points;

logic which generates a representation of said wireless network device within a first display region of a graphical user interface, wherein said first display region of said graphical user interface is external to a second display region of said graphical user interface, and wherein said second display region of said graphical user interface includes a representation of the physical environment in which said wireless communication network is deployed; and

logic for combining the distance representation with the representation in the second display region of the physical environment in which said access points are deployed based on known locations of the access points in the physical environment, and visually displaying the combined distance representation and physical environment representation, whereby the potential physical location of the wireless network device is provided in relation to features in the physical environment.

12. A computer program product including a computer readable medium, said computer readable medium having a computer program for determining and representing at least one potential physical location of a wireless network device stored thereon, said computer program comprising:

program code for inputting, from a user, a number of known access points for which distance representations are to be generated;

program code for generating a distance representation corresponding to each of said number of known access points, wherein each said distance representation represents an estimated distance from a corresponding one of said known access points to said wireless network device via a substantially circular ring surrounding a graphical representation of each of said number of known access points;

program code for generating a representation of said wireless network device within a first display region of a graphical user interface, wherein said first display region of said graphical user interface is external to a second display region of said graphical user interface, and wherein said second display region of said graphical user interface includes a representation of the physical environment in which said wireless communication network is deployed; and

program code for combining the distance representation with the representation in the second display region of the physical environment in which said access points are deployed based on known locations of the access points in the physical environment, and visually displaying the combined distance representation and physical environment representation, whereby the potential physical location of the wireless network device is provided in relation to features in the physical environment.

13. A system for determining and representing at least one potential physical location of a wireless network device, comprising:

means for inputting, from a user, a number of known access points for which distance representations are to be generated;

means for generating a distance representation corresponding to each of said number of known access points, wherein each said distance representation represents an estimated distance from a corresponding one of said known access points to said wireless network device via a substantially circular ring surrounding a graphical representation of each of said number of known access points;

means for generating a representation of said wireless network device within a first display region of a graphical user interface, wherein said first display region of said graphical user interface is external to a second display region of said graphical user interface, and wherein said second display region of said graphical user interface includes a representation of the physical environment in which said wireless communication network is deployed; and

means for combining the distance representation with the representation in the second display region of the physical environment based on known locations of the access points in the physical environment, and visually displaying the combined distance representation and physical environment representation, whereby the potential physical location of the wireless network device is provided in relation to features in the physical environment.