Selection of wireless network travel paths

• US 8,787,917 B1
• Filed: 10/24/2005
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Buckley, Siobhan, Brunson, Gordon R., Barrett, Karen, Minhazuddin, Muneyb, Gannon, Ciaran
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, WESLEY LEO
• Application Number:
  US11/257,909
• Time in Patent Office: 3,193 Days
• Field of Search: 455440-441, 455/421, 455/445, 455/423, 455/446, 701/210
• US Class Current: 455/445
• 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 28/26 Resource reservation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/12 based on transmission quality or channel quality

Abstract

Mobile telephone user route mapping services and coverage area warning services and systems for providing such services are provided. Origination location and destination location information is entered, and a route between the locations along which wireless telephone system coverage is available is returned. If the returned route is less preferable than another possible route along which there are areas of poor coverage or no coverage, the provider of the wireless telephone system is informed, and this information can be used to identify areas in which improved coverage would most benefit mobile telephone users. A warning may also be provided to inform the parties to a call that a participant using a mobile telephone is about to enter an area of poor coverage or of no coverage. The described services may be offered in return for a fee paid to the service provider.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating mobile telephony service levels, comprising:

establishing communications between a first endpoint comprising a first mobile telephone and a second endpoint comprising a second telephone;

a processor determining one of a route and a predicted route of a user of said first mobile telephone;

in response to said determining, said processor providing to said user of said first mobile telephone mobile, telephony network quality of service related information, wherein providing said quality of service related information includes delivering route instructions to said user of said first mobile telephone, wherein said route instructions provide a route that is selected with reference to mobile telephone network coverage parameters, wherein by following said route provided by said instructions said user of said first mobile telephone will avoid areas with poor mobile telephony network coverage, wherein said route instructions comprise a first route between an origination location and a destination location, wherein said first route is less preferable than a second route between said origination location and said destination location for reasons other than said quality of service related information, wherein said second route is not in said route instructions, wherein providing said quality of service related information further includes providing a warning that said user of said first mobile telephone will, in the future, enter an area with poor mobile telephony network coverage, to said user of said first mobile telephone and a user of said second telephone, when said second route is followed;

generating information related to a measure of an importance of providing improved coverage along said second route based on said origination location and said destination location regarding a number of users of mobile telephones, wherein said first route is less preferable than said second route for reasons other than quality of service level for each of said number of users of mobile telephones; and

improving coverage along said second route in response to information related to a need to provide improved coverage along said second route by allocating resources along said second route in order to guarantee a quality of service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said quality of service related information includes receiving said origination location and said destination location information regarding said user of said first mobile telephone.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said first route is selected based on a greater predicted quality of service for said first mobile telephone along said first route as compared to a predicted quality of service for said first mobile telephone along said second route.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said predicted quality of service along said second route is less than said predicted quality of service along said first route because said second route traverses an area of no or poor mobile telephony network coverage.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

generating information related to a measure of the importance of providing improved coverage along said second route based on said origination location and destination location information received regarding said user of said first mobile telephone, and based on said first route being less preferable than said second route for reasons other than quality of service of said mobile telephony network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one of route instructions and a warning are presented to said user of said second mobile telephone through a user interface of said second mobile telephone.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one of route instructions and a warning are presented to said user of said first mobile telephone through a user interface of a device other than said first mobile telephone.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one of route instructions and a warning are offered as a service available from a provider of said mobile telephony network in response to said provider of said mobile telephony network receiving payment from said user of said first mobile telephone.

9. A method for facilitating mobile telephony service levels, comprising:

establishing communications between a first mobile telephone and a second mobile telephone;

a processor determining one of a route and a predicted route of a user of said first mobile telephone;

in response to said determining, said processor providing to said user of said first mobile telephone mobile, telephony network quality of service related information, wherein providing said quality of service related information includes delivering route instructions to said user of said first mobile telephone, wherein said route instructions provide a route that is selected with reference to mobile telephone network coverage parameters, wherein by following said route provided by said instructions said user of said first mobile telephone will avoid areas with poor mobile telephony network coverage, wherein said route instructions comprise a first route between said origination location and said destination location, and wherein said first route is less preferable than a second route between said origination location and said destination location for reasons other than quality of service of said mobile telephony network, wherein said second route is not in said route instructions, and wherein providing said quality of service related information further includes providing a warning to a user of said second mobile telephone, that said user of said first mobile telephone will, in the future, enter an area with poor mobile telephony network coverage when said second route is followed;

generating information related to a measure of an importance of providing improved coverage along said second route based on said origination location and said destination location regarding a number of users of mobile telephones, wherein said first route is less preferable than said second route for reasons other than quality of service level for each of said number of users of mobile telephones; and

improving coverage along said second route in response to information related to a need to provide improved coverage along said second route by allocating resources along said second route in order to guarantee a quality of service.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein allocating said resources along said second route in order to guarantee said quality of service is accomplished by reserving resources in all base stations along said second route.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said first mobile telephone requests all said base stations along said second route to allocate bandwidth and wherein said base stations and said second mobile telephone have to flag the request with a yes in both directions before the call can proceed.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said allocated bandwidth is allocated before establishing said communications between said first mobile telephone and said second mobile telephone.