Personal wireless coverage map

• US 8,285,310 B1
• Filed: 01/03/2008
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shrum, Edgar Jr., Kreiner, Barret, Wright, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Rampuria, Sharad
• Application Number:
  US11/969,038
• Time in Patent Office: 1,741 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-457, 455 6711- 6713, 455423-425, 455/435.2, 455405-408, 4554321-4353, 455/445, 455438-439, 4554221-425
• US Class Current: 455/457
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service

Abstract

Methods and systems respectively provide for receiving a wireless signal coverage map request from a wireless device. A map is generated in accordance with the request and provided to the wireless device. The map includes symbology keyed to wireless signal services within a particular geographic area. Such symbology can be indicative of recommended areas and travel routes having particular types of wireless signal coverage, regions of poor or non-existent wireless signal service, areas presently experiencing heavy wireless signal usage, and so on. In this way, a wireless device user can seek to access specific wireless services and/or avoid suspect trouble regions within a geographic area.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating a map at a wireless system in accordance with a request, the request associated with a user, the request corresponding to a geographic area, the map including content corresponding to a wireless service associated with the geographic area, the map indicating a first area within the geographic area in which the wireless service is provided by a second service provider instead of a primary service provider, the primary service provider associated with the user, the map further indicating additional access charges for the user to access the wireless service in the first area, wherein the map includes content indicative of a wireless service type that is inadequate or non-existent within a region of the geographic area; and

providing the map from the wireless system to a wireless device by way of wireless signals.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a geographic location of the wireless device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a wireless service type relevant to the request.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the map includes content indicative of a wireless service type available within a region of the geographic area.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the map includes content indicative of at least one of:

a wireless service restricted use region, a region of wireless service usage above a threshold, one or more roadways, a commercial service provider of wireless services, or a present geographic location of the wireless device.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the map includes content indicative of:

an origin location;

a destination location; and

a recommended pathway between the origin location and the destination location.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the recommended pathway is automatically determined by the wireless system in accordance with a likelihood that one or more wireless service types will be continuously available to the wireless device along the recommended pathway.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing an update of the map from the wireless system to the wireless device, the update corresponding to a change in geographic location of the wireless device after the receiving the request.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a present location of the wireless device;

determining a signal metric corresponding to wireless communication between the wireless system and the wireless device; and

writing the present location and the signal metric to a database resource of the wireless system.

10. At least one tangible computer-readable storage medium storing machine readable instructions which, when executed, cause one or more processors to at least:

generate, based on data acquired during wireless sessions in a geographic area, a map in accordance with a request from a wireless device, the request corresponding to the geographic area, the map including content corresponding to a wireless service associated with the geographic area, the map indicating a first area within the geographic area in which the wireless service is presently experiencing usage above a threshold, wherein the map is to include content indicative of a wireless service type that is inadequate or non-existent within a region of the geographic area; and

provide the map to the wireless device by way of wireless signals.

11. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the one or more processors to determine at least one of:

a geographic location of the wireless device or a wireless service type corresponding to the request.

12. The at least one computer-readable storage media of claim 10 wherein the map is to include content indicative of at least one of:

a wireless service type available within a region of the geographic area, a wireless service restricted use region, one or more roadways, a commercial provider of wireless services, or a present geographic location of the wireless device.

13. The at least one computer-readable storage media of claim 10 wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:

determine a recommended pathway between an origin location and a destination location in accordance with a likelihood that one or more wireless service types will be continuously available to the wireless device along the recommended pathway; and

include content indicative of the origin location, the destination location and the recommended pathway in the map.

14. The at least one computer-readable storage media of claim 10 wherein machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:

determine a present location of the wireless device;

determine a signal metric corresponding to wireless communication between the system and the wireless device; and

write the present location and the signal metric to a database.

15. The at least one computer-readable storage media of claim 10 wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the one or more processors to provide an update of the map to the wireless device, the update corresponding to a change in geographic location of the wireless device after the receiving the request.

16. The at least one computer-readable storage media of claim 10 wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the one or more processors to provide an update of the map to the wireless device, the update corresponding to a change in wireless services within the geographic area after the receiving the request.

17. A system comprising:

a processor to generate a map, the map to be displayed on a wireless device, the map comprising content indicative of at least;

a geographic area;

a region of the geographic area in which wireless service operation is at least one of restricted or banned in accordance with a regulation; and

a location of the wireless device within the geographic area, wherein the map is to further include content indicative of a wireless service type that is inadequate or non-existent within a region of the geographic area.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the map includes content indicative of at least one of:

a wireless service type available within a region of the geographic area, a region of wireless service usage above a threshold, one or more roadways, a commercial provider of wireless services, or a present geographic location of the wireless device.