Methods and apparatus to analyze communication system transceivers

• US 8,447,293 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2008
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Stapleton, Padraig, Ngai, Hing On, Ip, Benjamin
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Tuan A
• Application Number:
  US12/140,896
• Publication Number:
  US 20090311966A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,799 Days
• Field of Search: 455423-425, 455436-443, 455/522, 455/67.11, 455/67.13, 455/67.15, 455 68- 69, 455/561, 370/241, 370/241.1, 370/331, 370/335
• US Class Current: 455/424
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to monitor communication system transceivers are disclosed. For example, the disclosed system may determine the number and locations of available cellular stations. An example method includes receiving a first message from a base station, receiving a second message from the base station, extracting a first parameter from the first message, extracting a second parameter different from first parameter from the second message, determining if the first message and the second message were received from the same base station based on the first parameter and the second parameter, and reporting that the first message and the second message were from the same base station if the first message and the second message were received from the same base station. Some implementations of the disclosed methods and apparatus enable pseudorandom number codes received over-the-air from base stations to be grouped by base station.

Claims

1. A method for analyzing a communication system, the method comprising:

receiving a first message from a base station;

receiving a second message from the base station;

extracting a first parameter from the first message;

extracting a second parameter different from the first parameter from the second message;

determining if the first message and the second message were received from the same base station based on a third parameter; and

reporting that the first parameter and the second parameter are associated with adjacent sectors of the same base station if the first message and the second message were received from the same base station.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first parameter or the second parameter is an identifying number.

3. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein the identifying number is a pseudo-random number.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first parameter is associated with a first sector of the base station and the second parameter is associated with a second sector of the base station.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein determining if the first message and the second message were received from the same base station comprises:

extracting the third parameter from the first message;

determining if the third parameter indicates that the first parameter and the second parameter are associated with the same base station; and

determining that the first message and the second message were received from the same base station when the third parameter indicates that the first parameter and the second parameter are associated with the same base station.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

determining if a distance between the base station and a location to receive the first message is greater than a threshold; and

reporting that first parameter is spurious when the distance is greater than the threshold.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein reporting that the first parameter and the second parameter are associated with the adjacent sectors of the same base station comprises storing the first parameter and the second parameter in a first record of a database.

8. A method as defined in claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a third message;

extracting a fourth parameter from the third message, the fourth parameter being the same as the first parameter;

determining that the third message and the first message were not received from the same base station; and

storing the fourth parameter in a second record, different from the first record, in the database.

9. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein the first record is stored in a first table of the database and the second record is stored in a second table of the database.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a receiver to receive a first message and a second message from a base station;

an extractor to extract a first parameter from the first message and a second parameter from the second message;

an analyzer to determine if the first message and the second message were received from the same base station based on a third parameter; and

a reporter to store an indication in a memory that the first parameter and the second parameter are associated with adjacent sectors of the same base station when it is determined that the first message and the second message were received from the same base station.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein at least one of the first parameter or the second parameter is an identifying number.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein the identifying number is a pseudo-random number.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the first parameter is associated with a first sector of the base station and the second parameter is associated with a second sector of the base station.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein to determine if the first message and the second message were received from the same base station the analyzer is to:

extract the third parameter from the first message;

determine whether or not the third parameter indicates that the first parameter and the second parameter are associated with the same base station; and

determine that the first message and the second message were received from the same base station when the third parameter indicates that the first parameter and the second parameter are associated with the same base station.

15. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the analyzer is further to determine if a distance between the base station and a location receive the first message is greater than a threshold and the reporter is further to report that first parameter is spurious when the distance is greater than the threshold.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the reporter is to that the first parameter and the second parameter are associated with the adjacent sectors of the same base station the reporter is to store the first parameter and the second parameter in a first record of a database.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein:

the receiver is further to receive a third message;

the extractor is further to extract a fourth parameter from the third message, the fourth parameter being the same as the first parameter;

the analyzer is further to determine that the third message and the first message were not received from the same base station; and

the reporter is further to store the fourth parameter in a second record, different from the first record, in the database.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the first record is stored in a first table of the database and the second record is stored in a second table of the database.

19. A machine readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to:

receive a first message from a base station;

receive a second message from the base station;

extract a first parameter from the first message;

extract a second parameter different from the first parameter from the second message;

determine if the first message and the second message were received from the same base station based on a third parameter; and

report that the first parameter and the second parameter are associated with adjacent sectors of the same base station if the first message and the second message were received from the same base station.

20. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 19, wherein at least one of the first parameter or the second parameter is an identifying number.

21. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 20, wherein the identifying number is a pseudo-random number.

22. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 19, wherein the first parameter is associated with a first sector of the base station and the second parameter is associated with a second sector of the base station.

23. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 19, wherein to determine whether or not the first message and the second message were received from the same base station the instructions are to cause the machine to:

extract the third parameter from the first message;

determine whether or not the third parameter indicates that the first parameter and the second parameter are associated with the same base station;

determine that the first message and the second message were received from the same base station when the third parameter indicates that the first parameter and the second parameter are associated with the same base station.

24. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 19, further comprising:

determining if a distance between the base station and a location receive the first message is greater than a threshold; and

reporting that first parameter is spurious when the distance is greater than the threshold.

25. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 19, wherein to report that the first parameter and the second parameter are associated with the adjacent sectors of the same base station the instructions are to store the first parameter and the second parameter in a first record of a database.