Personal wireless coverage maps

• US 9,344,952 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2015
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• 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:
  US14/792,174
• Publication Number:
  US 20150312846A1
• Time in Patent Office: 316 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.2, 455/423, 455 6711- 677
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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

Example methods disclosed herein to provide a map to a wireless device include, in response to a request received from the wireless device, processing wireless session records to determine respective status of a plurality of wireless services in a first geographic region associated with the wireless device. Disclosed example methods also include, based on the processing of the wireless session records, generating map data identifying a location of the wireless device, a status of a first one of the wireless services in a second geographic region included in the first geographic region, and a status of a second one of the wireless services in a third geographic region included in the first geographic region. Disclosed example methods further include transmitting the map data to the wireless device.

Claims

1. A method to provide a map to a wireless device, the method comprising:

in response to a request received from the wireless device, processing wireless session records with a processor to determine respective status of a plurality of wireless services in a first geographic region associated with the wireless device;

based on the processing of the wireless session records, generating, with the processor, map data identifying a location of the wireless device, a status of a first one of the wireless services in a second geographic region included in the first geographic region, and a status of a second one of the wireless services in a third geographic region included in the first geographic region; and

transmitting the map data to the wireless device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first one of the wireless services is unavailable in the second geographic region but is available in a fourth geographic region included in the first geographic region, and the map data indicates that the first one of the wireless services is unavailable in the second geographic region.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the fourth geographic region corresponds to a portion of the first geographic region not including the second geographic region.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the second one of the wireless services is unavailable in the third geographic region but is available in a fifth geographic region included in the first geographic region, and the map data indicates that the second one of the wireless services is unavailable in the third geographic region.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless session records include location information and signal metrics for wireless sessions associated with a plurality of wireless devices.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the wireless sessions are associated with the first geographic region.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing of the wireless session records includes processing the wireless session records to determine whether the first geographic region includes a zone in which wireless operation is restricted, and generating the map data includes generating the map data to identify the zone of the first geographic region in which wireless operation is restricted.

8. A computer readable memory including computer readable instructions which, when executed, cause a computer processor to perform operations comprising:

in response to a request received from a wireless device, processing wireless session records to determine respective status of a plurality of wireless services in a first geographic region associated with the wireless device;

based on the processing of the wireless session records, generating map data identifying a location of the wireless device, a status of a first one of the wireless services in a second geographic region included in the first geographic region, and a status of a second one of the wireless services in a third geographic region included in the first geographic region; and

transmitting the map data to the wireless device.

9. The computer readable memory of claim 8, wherein the first one of the wireless services is unavailable in the second geographic region but is available in a fourth geographic region included in the first geographic region, and the map data indicates that the first one of the wireless services is unavailable in the second geographic region.

10. The computer readable memory of claim 9, wherein the fourth geographic region corresponds to a portion of the first geographic region not including the second geographic region.

11. The computer readable memory of claim 9, wherein the second one of the wireless services is unavailable in the third geographic region but is available in a fifth geographic region included in the first geographic region, and the map data indicates that the second one of the wireless services is unavailable in the third geographic region.

12. The computer readable memory of claim 8, wherein the wireless session records include location information and signal metrics for wireless sessions associated with a plurality of wireless devices.

13. The computer readable memory of claim 12, wherein the wireless sessions are associated with the first geographic region.

14. The computer readable memory of claim 8, wherein the processing of the wireless session records includes processing the wireless session records to determine whether the first geographic region includes a zone in which wireless operation is restricted, and generating the map data includes generating the map data to identify the zone of the first geographic region in which wireless operation is restricted.

15. An apparatus comprising:

memory including computer readable instructions; and

a processor to execute the computer readable instructions to perform operations including;

in response to a request received from a wireless device, processing wireless session records to determine respective status of a plurality of wireless services in a first geographic region associated with the wireless device;

based on the processing of the wireless session records, generating map data identifying a location of the wireless device, a status of a first one of the wireless services in a second geographic region included in the first geographic region, and a status of a second one of the wireless services in a third geographic region included in the first geographic region; and

transmitting the map data to the wireless device.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first one of the wireless services is unavailable in the second geographic region but is available in a fourth geographic region included in the first geographic region, and the map data indicates that the first one of the wireless services is unavailable in the second geographic region.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the fourth geographic region corresponds to a portion of the first geographic region not including the second geographic region.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the second one of the wireless service is unavailable in the third geographic region but is available in a fifth geographic region included in the first geographic region, and the map data indicates that the second one of the wireless services is unavailable in the third geographic region.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the wireless sessions are associated with a plurality of wireless devices operating in the first geographic region.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein processing the wireless session records includes processing the wireless session records to determine whether the first geographic region includes a zone in which wireless operation is restricted, and generating the map data includes generating the map data to identify the zone of the first geographic region in which wireless operation is restricted.