Wireless communication network with software update monitoring and notification

• US 8,014,767 B1
• Filed: 11/06/2006
• Issued: 09/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Luedders, Patrick J., Piercy, Larry H., Spitz, Sean T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brandt; Christopher M
• Application Number:
  US11/556,909
• Time in Patent Office: 1,765 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/414.4, 455/418, 455/419, 455/420, 455/436, 717/168, 717/169, 717/170, 717/171, 717/172, 717/173
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

A wireless communication network comprises antenna systems, a mobile switching system, and a monitoring system. The antenna systems exchange user communications with mobile user devices in a wireless communication format. The mobile switching system has software to control operations. The mobile switching system routes the user communications between the antenna systems and network communication systems. The mobile switching system implements a software modification to the software. The monitoring system communicates with the mobile switching system to detect the software modification. The monitoring system determines a characteristic for the software modification. The monitoring system selects a set of communication network personnel based on the characteristic and transfers a notice indicating the software modification to the selected set of the communication network personnel.

Claims

1. A wireless communication network comprising:

a plurality of antenna systems configured to exchange user communications with mobile user devices in a wireless communication format and to hand-off the mobile user devices between one another;

a mobile switching system having software to control operations and configured to route the user communications between the antenna systems and network communication systems, to control the hand-offs of the mobile user devices between the antenna systems, and to implement a software modification to the software; and

a monitoring system configured to communicate with the mobile switching system to detect the software modification, process a key term and a description of the software modification to determine if a match exists between the key term and the description, select a set of communication network personnel based on the key term if the match exists between the key term and the description, and transfer a notice indicating the software modification to the selected set of the communication network personnel.

2. The wireless communication network of claim 1 wherein the monitoring system is further configured to receive the key term and notification information for the set of communication network personnel, and store the key term in association with the notification information, wherein the monitoring system transfers the notice using the notification information.

3. The wireless communication network of claim 1 wherein the key term is related to an emergency 911 service.

4. The wireless communication network of claim 1 wherein the key term is related to a video communication service.

5. The wireless communication network of claim 1 wherein the key term is related to a geographic location service.

6. The wireless communication network of claim 1 wherein the monitoring system is configured to store the description, receive a second key term, search the stored description for the second key term, and indicate a match between the second key term and the stored description.

7. The wireless communication network of claim 1 wherein the key term comprises an identity of the mobile switching system.

8. The wireless communication network of claim 1 wherein the key term comprises a geographic location of the mobile switching system.

9. The wireless communication network of claim 1 wherein the key term comprises an identity of an entity that initiated the software modification.

10. The wireless communication network of claim 1 wherein the monitoring system stores a previous version number for the software and is configured to detect the software modification by retrieving a current version number for the software from the mobile switching system and comparing the current version number to the previous version number.

11. The wireless communication network of claim 1 wherein the monitoring system stores a previous file size for the software and is configured to detect the software modification by retrieving a current file size for the software from the mobile switching system and comparing the current file size to the previous file size.

12. The wireless communication network of claim 1 wherein the monitoring system stores a previous file structure for the software and is configured to detect the software modification by retrieving a current file structure for the software from the mobile switching system and comparing the current file structure to the previous file structure.

13. The wireless communication network of claim 12 wherein the key term describes an aspect of the current file structure that differs from the previous file structure.

14. The wireless communication network of claim 13 wherein the aspect of the current file structure that differs from the previous file structure comprises a column in a call processing table.

15. The wireless communication network of claim 13 wherein the aspect of the current file structure that differs from the previous file structure comprises a row in a call processing table.

16. The wireless communication network of claim 1 wherein the monitoring system is configured to retrieve and store the software modification in association with a date of the software modification.

17. The wireless communication network of claim 1 wherein the monitoring system is configured to receive a date and to provide a copy of the software in the mobile switching system on the date.

18. The wireless communication network of claim 1 wherein the software comprises a production copy having a production copy file size and a back-up copy having a back-up copy file size, and the monitoring system is configured to compare the production copy file size to the back-up copy file size, and to generate an alarm if the production copy file size differs from the back-up copy file size.

19. The wireless communication network of claim 2 wherein the notification information comprises at least one of an email address, a phone number, and an instant messaging identification.

20. The wireless communication network of claim 1 wherein the monitoring system is configured to retrieve the software modification and provide the set of communication network personnel with access to the software modification over a communication network.