Personal wireless coverage map

• US 8,401,573 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2012
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• 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, Barrett, Wright, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): RAMPURIA, SHARAD K
• Application Number:
  US13/614,719
• Publication Number:
  US 20130013188A1
• Time in Patent Office: 187 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-457, 455405-409, 4554321-4353
• 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 to provide a map to a wireless device, the method comprising:

generating, via a processor, the map based on data acquired during wireless sessions in a geographic area, the map being generated in response to a request received from the wireless device, the request corresponding to the geographic area, the map indicating each region within the geographic area in which a wireless service is presently experiencing usage above a threshold, the map also indicating each region within the geographic area in which a wireless service type is presently unavailable;

determining a route from an origin location to a destination location in the geographic area based on information identifying each region within the geographic area in which the wireless service is presently experiencing usage above a threshold and each region within the geographic area in which the wireless service type is presently unavailable; and

providing, via a wireless communication, the map and the route to the wireless device.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 further comprising determining a geographic location of the wireless device, and wherein the map is to indicate the geographic location of the wireless device.

3. The method as defined in claim 1 further comprising determining the wireless service type from the request.

4. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the route is further based on a likelihood that the wireless service type will be continuously available to the wireless device along the route.

5. The method as defined in claim 1 further comprising providing an update of the map to the wireless device in response to detecting a change in geographic location of the wireless device after receiving the request.

6. The method as defined in claim 1 further comprising providing an update of the map to the wireless device in response to detecting a change in available wireless service coverage.

7. A tangible machine readable storage medium storing machine readable instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

generating a map based on data acquired during wireless sessions in a geographic area, the map being generated in response to a request received from a wireless device, the request corresponding to the geographic area, the map indicating each region within the geographic area in which a wireless service is presently experiencing usage above a threshold, the map also indicating each region within the geographic area in which a wireless service type is presently unavailable;

determining a route from an origin location to a destination location in the geographic area based on information identifying each region within the geographic area in which the wireless service is presently experiencing usage above a threshold and each region within the geographic area in which the wireless service type is presently unavailable; and

providing, via a wireless communication, the map and the route to the wireless device.

8. The storage medium as defined in claim 7 wherein the operations further comprise determining a geographic location of the wireless device, and wherein the map is to indicate the geographic location of the wireless device.

9. The storage medium as defined in claim 7 wherein the operations further comprise determining the wireless service type from the request.

10. The storage medium as defined in claim 7 wherein the route is further based on a likelihood that the wireless service type will be continuously available to the wireless device along the route.

11. The storage medium as defined in claim 7 wherein the operations further comprise providing an update of the map to the wireless device in response to detecting a change in geographic location of the wireless device after receiving the request.

12. The storage medium as defined in claim 7 wherein the operations further comprise providing an update of the map to the wireless device in response to detecting a change in available wireless service coverage.

13. An apparatus to provide a map to a wireless device, the apparatus comprising:

a memory having machine readable instructions stored thereon; and

a processor to execute the instructions to perform operations comprising;

generating the map based on data acquired during wireless sessions in a geographic area, the map being generated in response to a request received from the wireless device, the request corresponding to the geographic area, the map indicating each region within the geographic area in which a wireless service is presently experiencing usage above a threshold, the map also indicating each region within the geographic area in which a wireless service type is presently unavailable;

determining a route from an origin location to a destination location in the geographic area based on information identifying each region within the geographic area in which the wireless service is presently experiencing usage above a threshold and each region within the geographic area in which the wireless service type is presently unavailable; and

providing, via a wireless communication, the map and the route to the wireless device.

14. The apparatus as defined in claim 13 wherein the operations further comprise determining a geographic location of the wireless device, and wherein the map is to indicate the geographic location of the wireless device.

15. The apparatus as defined in claim 13 wherein the operations further comprise determining the wireless service type from the request.

16. The apparatus as defined in claim 13 wherein the route is further based on a likelihood that the wireless service type will be continuously available to the wireless device along the route.

17. The apparatus as defined in claim 13 wherein the operations further comprise providing an update of the map to the wireless device in response to detecting a change in geographic location of the wireless device after receiving the request.

18. The apparatus as defined in claim 13 wherein the operations further comprise providing an update of the map to the wireless device in response to detecting a change in available wireless service coverage.