Using a coverage area identifier to facilitate network reporting

• US 8,918,109 B1
• Filed: 07/02/2013
• Issued: 12/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Stewart, Scott R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Application Number:
  US13/933,948
• Time in Patent Office: 539 Days
• Field of Search: 455/422.1, 455446-449
• US Class Current: 455/446
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/24 Cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a method and system for parsing a coverage area identifier. An example method is operable in a wireless communication system having a base station and a wireless communication device (WCD), the base station radiating to define multiple coverage areas in which the WCD can operate. The method involves: the WCD operating within one of the multiple coverage areas; the WCD receiving from the base station a coverage area identifier of the coverage area in which the WCD operated; the WCD determining a group to which the base station belongs; the WCD using the determined group as a basis to select a parsing technique from multiple parsing techniques; and the WCD using the selected parsing technique to parse the received coverage area identifier so as to extract from the received coverage area identifier one or more attributes of the coverage area in which the WCD operated.

Claims

1. A method operable in a wireless communication system having a base station and a wireless communication device (WCD), wherein the base station radiates to define multiple coverage areas in which the WCD can operate, and wherein each coverage area has a respective coverage area identifier, the method comprising:

the WCD operating within one of the multiple coverage areas;

the WCD receiving from the base station the coverage area identifier of the coverage area in which the WCD operated;

the WCD receiving a network identifier (NID) from the base station;

the WCD using the received NID as a basis to select a parsing technique from multiple parsing techniques;

the WCD using the selected parsing technique to parse the received coverage area identifier so as to extract from the received coverage area identifier one or more attributes of the coverage area in which the WCD is operated; and

the WCD transmitting the extracted one or more attributes to a server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the WCD receiving a system identifier (SID) from the base station; and

the WCD using the received NID and the received SID as a basis to select the parsing technique from the multiple parsing techniques.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the WCD determining a position of the WCD; and

the WCD using the determined position of the WCD as a basis to obtain mapping data, wherein the WCD using the received NID as a basis to select the parsing technique from the multiple parsing techniques comprises the WCD using the obtained mapping data to map the received NID to the selected parsing technique.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more attributes comprise a tower identifier of the coverage area in which the WCD operated and a sector identifier of the coverage area in which the WCD operated.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the WCD receiving a position of a centroid of the coverage area in which the WCD operated;

the WCD using the received position of the centroid as a basis to determine a position of the base station; and

the WCD transmitting to the server the determined position of the base station.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

the WCD determining a position of the WCD; and

the WCD using the determined position of the WCD as a basis to obtain mapping data, wherein the WCD using the received position of the centroid as the basis to determine the position of the base station comprises using the obtained mapping data to map the received position of the centroid to the determined position of the base station.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

the WCD determining a position of the WCD;

the WCD providing to a server the position of the base station, the position of the centroid, and the position of the WCD; and

the server displaying on a display device (i) a first visual indicator of the position of the base station, (ii) a second visual indicator of the position of the centroid, and (iii) a third visual indicator of the position of the WCD.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

the server displaying on the display device (i) a first line connecting the first and second visual indicators, and (ii) a second line connecting the second and third visual indicators.

9. A method operable in a wireless communication system having a base station and a wireless communication device (WCD), wherein the base station radiates to define multiple coverage areas in which the WCD can operate, and wherein each coverage area has a respective coverage area identifier, the method comprising:

the WCD operating within one of the multiple coverage areas;

the WCD receiving from the base station the coverage area identifier of the coverage area in which the WCD operated;

the WCD determining a group to which the base station belongs;

the WCD using the determined group as a basis to select a parsing technique from multiple parsing techniques; and

the WCD using the selected parsing technique to parse the received coverage area identifier so as to extract from the received coverage area identifier one or more attributes of the coverage area in which the WCD operated.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

the WCD transmitting the extracted one or more attributes to a server.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the WCD determining the group to which the base station belongs comprises:

the WCD receiving a network identifier (NID) from the base station; and

the WCD using the received NID as a basis to determine the group to which the base station belongs.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the WCD determining the group to which the base station belongs further comprises:

the WCD receiving a system identifier (SID) from the base station; and

the WCD using the received NID and the received SID as a basis to determine the group to which the base station belongs.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

the WCD determining a position of the WCD; and

the WCD using the determined position of the WCD as a basis to obtain mapping data, wherein the WCD using the received NID as the basis to determine the group to which the base station belongs comprises the WCD using the obtained mapping data to map the received NID to the determined group.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more attributes comprise a tower identifier of the coverage area in which the WCD operated and a sector identifier of the coverage area in which the WCD operated.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

the WCD receiving a position of a centroid of the coverage area in which the WCD operated;

the WCD using the received position of the centroid as a basis to determine a position of the base station; and

the WCD transmitting to the server the determined position of the base station.

16. The method of claim 15, the method further comprising:

the WCD determining a position of the WCD; and

the WCD using the determined position of the WCD as a basis to obtain mapping data, wherein the WCD using the received position of the centroid as the basis to determine the position of the base station comprises using the obtained mapping data to map the received position of the centroid to the determined position of the base station.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

the WCD determining a position of the WCD;

the WCD providing to a server the position of the base station, the position of the centroid, and the position of the WCD; and

the server displaying on a display device (i) a first visual indicator of the position of the base station, (ii) a second visual indicator of the position of the centroid, and (iii) a third visual indicator of the position of the WCD.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

the server displaying on the display device (i) a first line connecting the first and second visual indicators and (ii) a second line connecting the second and third visual indicators.

19. A method operable in a wireless communication system having a base station, a wireless communication device (WCD), and a server, wherein the base station radiates to define multiple coverage areas in which the WCD can operate, wherein each coverage area has a respective coverage area identifier, and wherein the base station provides connectivity between the WCD and the server, the method comprising:

the server receiving a coverage area identifier of one of the multiple coverage areas in which the WCD operated;

the server determining a group to which the base station belongs;

the server using the determined group as a basis to select a parsing technique from multiple parsing techniques; and

the server using the selected parsing technique to parse the received coverage area identifier so as to extract from the received coverage area identifier one or more attributes of the coverage area in which the WCD operated.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the one or more attributes comprise a tower identifier of the coverage area in which the WCD operated and a sector identifier of the coverage area in which the WCD is operated.