Clearinghouse systems and methods for collecting or providing quality or performance data for enhanced availability of wireless communications

• US 8,725,700 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2010
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Theodore S. Rappaport
• Original Assignee: Theodore S. Rappaport
• Inventors: Rappaport, Theodore S.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANNAVAJJALA, SRIRAMA T
• Application Number:
  US12/815,165
• Publication Number:
  US 20100250269A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,429 Days
• Field of Search: 707608-609, 707/688, 707/705, 707/748, 707/825, 707/827, 707/694, 707/758, 707803-805, 455/406, 455/408, 455/417, 455/445, 455/560, 455/423, 455/424, 4554261-4262, 379/1.01, 379/9.04, 379/32.01, 379/88.09, 379/114.08, 705/14.33, 705/14.1, 705/14.11, 705/39, 709/203, 709218-220, 709/206
• US Class Current: 707/688
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/00 Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring error detection, correction or monitoring in information storage based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer G11B20/18; monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing G11B27/36; in static stores G11C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/177 Initialisation or configuration control processor initialisation G06F9/4405
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/16 Real estate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• 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 64/003 locating network equipment

Abstract

A computerized system, method and process allows telecommunications carriers to find, evaluate and select locations for equipment through direct access to end users, while providing citizens the opportunity to offer the use of their dwelling or other assets to carriers. The system and method further provides a computerized mechanism for (a) creating an inventory and marketplace for available properties for use in telecommunications networks, (b) providing quality and/or performance monitoring and control for wireless communication systems based on data in the clearinghouse, and (c) providing localized content over wireless networks using the clearinghouse.

Claims

1. A method of collecting and providing access to quality or service information associated with one or more wireless communications networks, mobile devices, or end users, comprising:

using a computer, receiving mobile device location information of a plurality of mobile devices or end users that are associated with one or more wireless communications networks and quality or service information pertaining to wireless access characteristics for one or more mobile devices of said plurality of mobile devices or end users, and said quality or service information comprising coverage, availability or performance information of one or more wireless communications networks or said one or more mobile devices,

storing, by action of said computer, said mobile device location information and said quality or service information in a memory or database;

updating, by action of said computer, said mobile device location information stored in said memory or database when a mobile device of said plurality of mobile devices travels from one location to another;

providing access to said quality or service information stored in said memory or database to one or more end users or one or more end user communication devices or one or more carriers or third parties that provide services to said one or more end users or one or more end user communication devices or one or more carriers, or to said one or more wireless communications networks; and

wherein said wireless access characteristics comprise one or more of identified, perceived or measured;

radio reception quality,

network performance,

quality of service,

data rate,

spectrum availability or suitability,

capacity or bandwidth,

availability or quality of coverage,

availability or quality of capacity,

availability or quality of one or more services or carriers,

availability or quality of air interfaces,

average use profile,

average availability profile,

statistics on outage or reliability or coverage or capacity carrying capabilities for one or more service providers,

frequencies,

radio frequency or quality of service or coverage or service map or addresses for one or more service providers,

radio frequency or end-user application performance, and

cost of service.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of providing access provides access to said one or more end users or one or more end user communications devices by reporting quality or service information to said one or more end users or said one or more end user communications devices.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said quality or service information is location specific.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising serving data based on mobile device location information and quality or service information stored in said memory or database.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said data comprises one or more of a recommended operating band, operating mode, communications network and/or carrier for end users or end user communications devices.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said data is formatted and served to end users or end user communications devices as one or more web pages.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising serving data based on mobile device location information or quality or service information stored in said memory or database to one or more carriers.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing access to quality or service information stored in said memory or database to a party or parties other than subscribers and carriers of said one or more wireless communications networks.

9. The method of claim 1,

wherein said quality or service information further comprises rank ordering or preferred preferences for one or more of ranked or preferred:

wireless performance,

telecommunication services,

service providers,

carriers,

frequencies,

spectrum allocations,

wireless connection options,

power levels,

data rates,

modulation types,

air interface specifications, and

bandwidths, and

wherein said providing step further provides access to one or more of said ranked ordering or preferred preferences to said one or more end users or said one or more end user communication devices or said one or more carriers or said third parties that provide services to said one or more carriers, or to said one or more wireless communications networks.

10. A system for collecting and providing access to quality or service information associated with one or more wireless communications networks, mobile devices, or end users, comprising:

a computer configured to receive mobile device location information of a plurality of mobile devices or end users that are associated with one or more wireless communications networks and quality or service information pertaining to wireless access characteristics for one or more mobile devices of said plurality of mobile devices or end users, and said quality or service information comprising coverage, availability or performance information of one or more wireless communications networks or said one or more mobile devices;

a memory or database configured to store the received mobile device location information and quality or service information;

an interface through which one or more end users or one or more end user communication devices, or one or more carriers, or one or more third parties that provide services to

said one or more end users or one or more end user communication devices or

said one or more carriers, or

one or more wireless communications networks may access said quality or service information or mobile device location information stored in said memory or database; and

wherein said wireless access characteristics comprise one or more of identified perceived or measured;

radio reception quality,

network performance,

quality of service,

data rate,

spectrum availability or suitability,

capacity or bandwidth,

availability or quality of coverage,

availability or quality of capacity,

availability or quality of one or more services or carriers,

availability or quality of air interfaces,

average use profile,

average availability profile,

statistics on outage or reliability or coverage or capacity carrying capabilities for one or more service providers,

frequencies,

radio frequency or quality of service or coverage or service map or addresses for one or more service providers,

radio frequency or end-user application performance, and

cost of service.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a server configured to serve quality or service information stored in said memory or database to one or more carriers.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising a server configured to generate and serve data based on mobile device location information and quality or service information stored in said memory or database to one or more end users or one or more end user communications devices.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein said data comprises one or more of a recommended operating band, operating mode, communications network and/or carrier for said one or more end users or one or more of said end user communications devices.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein said server comprises a web server and said data is formatted as one or more web pages served to said one or more end users or one or more of said end user communications devices.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein said computer is configured to provide access to quality or service information stored in said memory or database to a party or parties other than subscribers and carriers of said one or more wireless communications networks.

16. The system of claim 10,

wherein said quality or service information further comprises rank ordering or preferred preferences for one or more of ranked or preferred:

wireless performance,

telecommunication services,

service providers,

carriers,

frequencies,

spectrum allocations,

wireless connection options,

power levels,

data rates,

modulation types,

air interface specifications, and

bandwidths, and

wherein said interface is configured to provide access to one or more of said rank ordering or preferred preferences to said one or more end users or said one or more end user communication devices or said one or more carriers or said one or more third parties, or to said one or more wireless communications networks.