System and method for evaluating performance of concurrent mobile services of mobile devices

• US 9,462,495 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2014
• Issued: 10/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Spirent Communications Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Spirent Communications Incorporated
• Inventors: Topaltzas, Dimitrios M., Horner, Jeffrey, Lidman, Carl Magnus, O'Keefe, Jonathan Patrick, Holt, Andrea, Henry, Evan, Bone, Simon Paul, Belella, Lauren
• Primary Examiner(s): RAMPURIA, SHARAD K
• Application Number:
  US14/559,839
• Publication Number:
  US 20150085672A1
• Time in Patent Office: 671 Days
• Field of Search: 455423-425, 455 6711- 6716
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2227 Quality of service monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/242 Software testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/06 Testing, supervising or monitoring using simulated traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A system method and device for evaluating the Quality of Service (QoS) performance of mobile telephone devices in the concurrent performance of different services through a mobile telephone network is provided. In one embodiment, the method comprises establishing a first logical communication channel via the mobile telephone network, communicating first information over the first logical communication channel, establishing a second logical communication channel over a communication network, concurrently with said communicating first information, communicating second information over the second logical communication channel, and determining a plurality of service quality metrics for the first and second information communicated over the first and second logical communication channel.

Claims

1. A method of testing a mobile device configured to communicate over a mobile telephone network, comprising:

with the mobile device;

executing a test application which executes a test script stored on the mobile device;

wherein execution of the test script by the test application causes two or more of the following tasks to execute concurrently;

download a file;

place a telephone call via the mobile telephone network; and

retrieving web pages via a wireless network.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining one or more quality of service metrics for each executed task; and

transmitting information of the quality of service metrics for each executed task to a computer system.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining a plurality of radio metrics of the mobile device at execution of at least one of the tasks; and

transmitting data of the radio metrics of the mobile device for each executed task to a computer system.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining data of a location of the mobile device at execution of at least one of the tasks; and

transmitting data of the location of the mobile device for each executed task to a computer system.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

with the mobile device

transmitting a request to receive data to a computer system;

with the computer system, in response to receiving the request;

retrieving test data from memory; and

transmitting the test data to the mobile device.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising with the mobile device:

wirelessly receiving a message that comprises a test request; and

in response to wirelessly receiving the message, performing said executing the test application.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

with a dispatch server;

receiving a service request from the mobile device;

wherein the service request comprises a request to communicate data to the mobile device;

communicating information of the service request to a test server;

with the test server;

receiving the information of the service request; and

communicating the data to the mobile device.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising with a computer system:

transmitting the file to the mobile device;

establishing a telephone call with the mobile device via the mobile telephone network; and

wherein said transmitting the file is performed while the telephone call is established.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the file is transmitted to the mobile device via a communication path that does not include the mobile telephone network.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising with the computer system:

communicating the web pages to the mobile device; and

wherein said communicating the web pages is performed concurrently with said transmitting the file and while the telephone call is established.

11. A system for testing a mobile device configured to communicate over a wireless communication network, comprising:

a dispatch server storing a plurality of test scripts and configured to transmit test scripts to the mobile device;

a test server configured to receive test scripts from said dispatch server and to execute received test scripts;

said test server having access to test data for communication to the mobile device;

wherein the tests scripts received by said test server are executable to cause said test server to concurrently communicate with the mobile device via multiple logical communication channels to test multiple mobile services of the mobile device concurrently.

12. The system according to claim 11, further comprising;

a database configured to store;

quality of service data associated with each mobile service of the mobile device tested;

data of radio metrics of the mobile device;

data of a location of the mobile device; and

information identifying the mobile device.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the mobile device includes non-transitory memory, the system further comprising a test application stored in the memory of the mobile device and executable to cause the mobile device to:

receive a test script from said dispatch server;

execute the received test script to cause the mobile device to communicate via multiple wireless logical communication channels concurrently to perform multiple mobile services concurrently;

determine a quality of service of each mobile service;

determine data of a plurality of radio metrics of the mobile device; and

determine data of a location of the mobile device; and

transmit data of the location of the mobile device, data of the radio metrics of the mobile device, and information of the quality of service of each mobile service to said database.

14. The system according to claim 11, wherein the mobile device includes non-transitory memory, the system further comprising a test application stored in the memory of the mobile device and executable to cause the mobile device to:

receive at the mobile device program code for communicating with the test server to perform a first test;

store the program code in memory of the mobile device; and

execute the program code upon receipt of a test request.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein receipt of the test request comprises receipt of a predetermined wireless message.

16. The system according to claim 11, wherein:

a first logical communication channel is configured to test a first mobile service that comprises voice communications; and

a second logical communication channel is configured to test a second mobile service that comprises accessing web content.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the first logical communication channel includes a portion of a mobile telephone network and the second logical communication channel does not include a portion of any mobile telephone network.

18. A method of testing a mobile device configured to communicate over a mobile telephone network, comprising:

establishing a first logical communication channel via the mobile telephone network;

communicating first information over the first logical communication channel;

establishing a second logical communication channel over a communication network;

concurrently with said communicating first information, communicating second information over the second logical communication channel;

determining a plurality of service quality metrics for the first information communicated over the first logical communication channel; and

determining a plurality of service quality metrics for the second information communicated over the second logical communication channel.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

determining a location of the mobile device for communication of the first or second information; and

determining information of the communication network over which the second information is communicated.

20. The method according to claim 18, further comprising determining a plurality of radio conditions for communication of the first or second information.

21. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

receiving at the mobile device program code for performing a first communication test;

storing the program code in memory of the mobile device; and

executing the program code upon receipt of a test request.

22. The method according to claim 21, further comprising wirelessly receiving a message that comprises the test request.

23. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

receiving a SMS message that comprises a test request; and

initiating the test in response to receiving the SMS message.

24. The method according to claim 18, wherein said determining a plurality of service quality metrics for the first information, said determining a plurality of service quality metrics for the second information, said determining a location of the mobile device for communication of the first or second information;

and determining information of the communication network is each performed by the mobile device.

25. The method according to claim 18, further comprising concurrently with said communicating first information and communicating second information, communicating third information over a third second logical communication channel.