Providing easy access to radio networks

• US 8,000,276 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2007
• Issued: 08/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WEFI Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WeFi, Inc.
• Inventors: Scherzer, Shimon, Lifchuk, Yariv, Blaier, Ronnie, Medvinsky, Michael, Scherzer, Tamir
• Primary Examiner(s): GELIN, JEAN ALLAND
• Application Number:
  US11/743,853
• Publication Number:
  US 20080186882A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,566 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370/310.1, 370/310.2, 370/331, 370/328, 370/329, 370/336, 370/338, 455/412.1, 455/432.3, 455/432.1, 455/453
• US Class Current: 370/310.1
• 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 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

An improved connectivity to radio access point is enabled by a server that includes a database storing data about various radio access points, and an evaluation module evaluating the quality of connection to each of the access points. Clients receive updates about relevant access points from the server and use the information to connect to the preferred access point. The clients also check connectivity to other access points in the vicinity, and report the findings to the server. The server uses the reports to update its database, and send corresponding updates to the clients.

Claims

1. A method for obtaining connection information from a network database defining a network of wireless access points to facilitate connecting a mobile wireless user computing device to a network, the method comprising:

obtaining a set of data identifying at least one wireless access point, said set of data including connection information generated by at least one other user computing device and being stored in a database on remote server as database record, wherein said set of data further includes at least one indication of access quality for connecting to the network through at least one wireless access point; and

downloading connection information based on the set of data from the database to a user computing device for use by the user computing device in establishing a connection to the network, wherein the connection information includes at least one indication of access quality for at least one wireless access point.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, for each of said at least one wireless access points, the set of data comprises at least one of:

i. Internet connection available capacity;

ii. Access protocol response times;

iii. Occupied IP addresses;

iv. Number of currently connected users;

v. Data speed and data speed variance;

vi. Rate of connection drops; and

the at least one indication of access quality is determined as a function of at least one of;

1) number of currently connected users;

2) mean data speed and data speed variance;

3) received signal strength and variance over time; and

4) Rate of connection drops.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, for each access point, the set of data comprises at least one of:

i. Internet accessibility

ii. Long term behavioral statistics comprising;

Percentage of availability

Signal strength variance

Available bandwidth

iii. Name of owner;

iv. Owner profile;

v. Password.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the set of data to a service server over the Internet.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising transmitting the connection of data from the service server to the user computing device.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising sending an update to the set of data whenever the user computing device connects to the Internet.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising updating the connection data upon receiving a subsequent set of data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, the network database is comprised of data relating to wireless access points discovered by the at least one other user computing device and for each of said at least one wireless access points, the set of data stored in the database comprises at least one of:

i. MAC address;

ii. Mean received signal strength and variance over time;

iii. Internet connection available capacity;

iv. Access protocol response times;

v. Occupied IP addresses;

vi. Connection Technology;

vii. Internet accessibility

viii. Long term behavioral statistics comprising;

Percentage of availability

Signal strength variance

Available bandwidth

ix. Rate of connection drops; and

the at least one indication of access quality is determined as a function of at least one of;

1) number of currently connected users;

2) mean data speed and data speed variance;

3) received signal strength and variance over time; and

4) Rate of connection drops.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the user computing device selects a wireless access point to connect to the network as a function of at least one indication of access quality for the wireless access point.

10. A method for enhancing wireless connectivity to the Internet, comprising:

providing a plurality of clients operating on a plurality of mobile devices;

receiving connectivity reports identifying at least one wireless access point from at least one of said plurality of clients;

constructing a network database defining a network from said connectivity reports by adding new access point records to the network database that were not previously in the network database, wherein said network database further includes at least one indication of access quality for the at least one wireless access point;

making the network database available to at least one of the clients;

transmitting selected data including at least one indication of access quality from said database to at least one of said clients; and

at least one client selecting a wireless access point to connect to as a function of at least one indication of access quality.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the selected data for each of the clients corresponds to wireless access points in a geographical proximity to the corresponding client.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the selected data for a corresponding client corresponds to wireless access points in a vicinity of a geographical location indicated by the corresponding client.

13. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the connectivity reports include at least one of:

i. Internet connection available capacity;

ii. Access protocol response times;

iii. Occupied IP addresses;

iv. Number of currently connected users;

v. Data speed and data speed variance;

vi. Rate of connection drops;

vii. Internet accessibility

viii. Long term behavioral statistics comprising;

Percentage of availability

Signal strength variance

Available bandwidth; and

the at least one indication of access quality is determined as a function of at least one of;

1) number of currently connected users;

2) mean data speed and data speed variance;

3) received signal strength and variance over time; and

4) Rate of connection drops.

14. A method according to claim 10 wherein the at least one indication of access quality includes historical information about accessing the network.

15. A method for defining a network of wireless access points, comprising:

operating a mobile device to discover and connect to a network wireless access point;

receiving by the mobile device access point data from the network wireless access point;

determining at least one indication of historical access quality from data received from the network wireless access point,

sending the access point data to a central server; and

storing the access point data in a network database stored on the central server, wherein the stored access point data further includes at least one indication of historical access quality for the network wireless access point.

16. A method as recited in claim 15, wherein the access point data includes at least one of:

i. Internet connection available capacity;

ii. Access protocol response times;

iii. Occupied IP addresses;

iv. Number of currently connected users;

v. Data speed and data speed variance;

vi. Rate of connection drops;

vii. Internet accessibility

viii. Long term behavioral statistics comprising;

Percentage of availability

Signal strength variance

Available bandwidth; and

the at least one indication of access quality is determined as a function of at least one of;

1) number of currently connected users;

2) mean data speed and data speed variance;

3) received signal strength and variance over time; and

4) Rate of connection drops.

17. A method according to claim 15 further comprising sending at least some of the stored access point data including at least one indication of historical access quality for a network access point to a mobile device.

18. A system for enhancing connectivity to radio access points, comprising:

a network database stored on a central server connected to a network;

an evaluation module receiving connectivity reports from a plurality of clients and storing the reports in the network database and defining a network, said connectivity reports comprising data identifying wireless access points, at least some of which access points previously were not in the network database;

a processor connected to the network and adapted to send updates to at least one of the clients, said updates comprising selected data from the network database, said selected data relating to access points in a selected geographical region and including at least one indication of access quality for at least one wireless access point in the selected geographical region.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said selected geographical region comprises a locale in which each client is present.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein said selected geographical region comprises a locale indicated by each client.

21. A system according to claim 18 wherein the at least one indication of access quality includes historical information about accessing the network.

22. A method for operating a mobile device for enhancing connectivity to radio access points, comprising:

searching for radio signals of wireless access points;

attempting to connect to at least one of the wireless access points;

storing access point data identifying the at least one wireless access point;

sending the data to a remote server having a network database defining a network;

generating at least one indication of access quality for accessing the network through at least one of the wireless access point; and

storing the data and the indication of access quality in the network database.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

monitoring radio transmission activity of the mobile device;

when a lull in the radio transmission activity is detected, performing the steps of;

breaking the connection to the wireless access point;

connecting to a second wireless access point;

storing second access point data to thereby generate second data; and

sending the second data to a remote server.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

receiving third party cached data from the remote server;

storing the third party cached data in the mobile device.

25. A method for improving wireless connectivity to the Internet by utilizing a social network, comprising:

instituting a plurality of user accounts having corresponding usernames, each account

corresponding to one user of a plurality of users;

receiving user connectivity reports from users, each connectivity report comprising at least access point name, access point location, and access point status;

maintaining a list of access points defining a network based on the user connectivity reports, and listing usernames of all users who send a connectivity report for the respective access point;

generating at least one indication of access quality for accessing the network through at least one access point; and

providing a user interface comprising the listing of usernames and a map having indicators for access points name, location, access quality and status.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

for each username maintaining a log of the connectivity reports sent by that user.

27. A method as recited in claim 25, wherein the connectivity reports include at least one of:

i. Internet connection available capacity;

ii. Access protocol response times;

iii. Occupied IP addresses;

iv. Number of currently connected users;

v. Data speed and data speed variance;

vi. Rate of connection drops;

vii. Internet accessibility

viii. Long term behavioral statistics comprising;

Percentage of availability

Signal strength variance

Available bandwidth; and

the at least one indication of access quality is determined as a function of at least one of;

1) number of currently connected users;

2) mean data speed and data speed variance;

3) received signal strength and variance over time; and

4) Rate of connection drops.