Method for selecting a priority for wireless technologies via graphical representation

• US 8,050,707 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2007
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Pirzada, Fahd B., Mehta, Pratik M., Quinn, Liam B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelin; Jean
• Assistant Examiner(s): TAYLOR, NATHAN SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US11/701,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20080188206A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,733 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/418, 455/566, 4555521-5531
• US Class Current: 455/552.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed for selecting performance settings for one or more wireless technologies, presenting a graphical representation of the relative performance of the wireless technologies for each performance setting, and allowing a selection of at least one of the performance settings. The performance settings can be associated with wireless technologies, or location types. Performance characteristics may include noise, power, quality, speed, and interference. The performance setting of one wireless technology may be manually adjusted and the impact on other wireless technologies can be a graphical displayed or numerical display. Adjustments can be made by a user or a platform designer. In a preset mode, a user make select between preset performance settings that are graphically displayed. In an advanced mode, adjustments to wireless performance characteristics of all the wireless interfaces on a specific platform may be selectively made with the relative effects on other wireless interfaces graphically displayed.

Claims

1. A method of selecting a performance setting for one or more wireless technologies, comprising:

providing a plurality of wireless technology interfaces, wherein the wireless technology interfaces correspond to differing wireless protocols, the plurality of wireless technology interfaces comprising at least one of a WiFi interface, 802.11 based interface, Bluetooth interface, ultra-wide band interface, cellular interface, wide area network interface, Mobile WiMax interface, DVB-H interface, RFID interface, GPS interface or other wireless protocol interface;

providing a plurality of data applications, each of the wireless technology interfaces being associated with multiple of the data applications,

providing, for each data application, a grouping of data application performance settings corresponding to a performance of each of the wireless technology interfaces for the corresponding data application, wherein the groupings of performance settings represent performance characteristics of the wireless technology interfaces for a particular data application;

simultaneously presenting a visual representation of a relative performance of the plurality of wireless technology interfaces by displaying the groupings of performance settings representing performance characteristics for each of the data applications; and

allowing a selection of at least one of the groupings of performance settings.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the relative performances within the groupings of performance settings are automatically generated for a user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the relative performances within the groupings of performance settings are user adjustable.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the groupings of performance settings are associated with a usage application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the groupings of performance settings are associated with a location.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the groupings of performance settings are preset modes.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the groupings of performance settings are associated with an application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual representation includes alphanumeric representation of the relative performance.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual representation includes graphical representation of the relative performance.

10. A method of adjusting performance characteristics of a plurality of wireless technologies within an information handling system, comprising:

providing a plurality of wireless technology interfaces, wherein the wireless technology interfaces correspond to differing wireless protocols, the plurality of wireless technology interfaces comprising at least one of a WiFi interface 802.11 based interface, Bluetooth interface, ultra-wide band interface, cellular interface, wide area network interface, Mobile WiMax interface, DVB-H interface, RFID interface, GPS interface or other wireless protocol interface;

providing a plurality of data applications, each of the wireless technology interfaces being associated with multiple of the data applications,

adjusting manually a relative performance of at least a first wireless technology interface, the performance being adjustable and being based upon at least one of power, noise, interference and signal quality; and

simultaneously displaying relative changes in the performance of one or more other wireless technology interfaces that results from the manual adjustment of the at least first wireless technology interface.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said displaying is a graphical display.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said displaying is an alphanumerical display.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising utilizing the graphical displaying of the relative changes in the performance to establish a preset mode of the information handling system.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the method is available to a platform designer.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the method is available to an end user.

16. An information handling system for selecting a priority for one or more wireless technology interfaces, comprising:

a plurality of wireless technology devices, wherein the wireless technology interfaces correspond to differing wireless protocols, the plurality of wireless technology interfaces comprising at least one of a WiFi interface 802.11 based interface, Bluetooth interface, ultra-wide band interface, cellular interface, wide area network interface, Mobile WiMax interface, DVB-H interface, RFID interface, GPS interface or other wireless protocol interface;

a plurality of data transfer applications, each of the wireless technology interfaces being associated with multiple of the data transfer applications,

a plurality of different wireless performance settings, wherein a wireless performance setting is provided for each data transfer application, wherein each wireless performance setting represents the performance for the plurality of wireless technology devices for a given particular data transfer application, each performance setting including the relative performance characteristics for a plurality of the wireless technology devices;

a graphical interface capable of simultaneously displaying a graphical representation of the relative performance characteristics for a plurality of performance settings; and

a selection mode which allows the selection at least one of the performance settings.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the performance characteristics within the plurality of performance settings are automatically generated for a user.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the performance characteristics within the plurality of performance settings are user adjustable.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the performance settings are usage applications.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the performance settings are locations.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the relative performance characteristics relate to noise, power signal quality, speed or interference characteristics.

22. An apparatus for adjusting the wireless performance characteristics of an information handling system, comprising:

a plurality of wireless technology interfaces, wherein the wireless technology interfaces correspond to differing wireless protocols, the plurality of wireless technology interfaces comprising at least one of a WiFi interface, 802.11 based interface, Bluetooth interface, ultra-wide band interface, cellular interface, wide area network interface, Mobile WiMax interface, DVB-H interface, RFID interface, GPS interface or other wireless protocol interface;

an interface capable of displaying a representation of relative performance of the wireless technology interfaces; and

an adjustment mechanism which allows for the adjustment of the performance of at least a first one of the wireless technology interfaces, the performance being adjustable and being based upon at least one of power, noise, interference and signal quality

wherein the effect of the adjustment of the performance of at least a first one of the wireless technology interfaces on the performance of at least one other wireless technology interface is also simultaneously displayed on the interface.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the interface is a graphical display.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the adjustment mechanism is sliders.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the interface allows for applying the adjustments made with the adjustment mechanism to the wireless technology interfaces.

26. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein interface allows for locking a preset performance level to the displayed adjusted performance.