Profile switching powered by location

• US 9,648,537 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2015
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Tan, Weihua, Agrawal, Shishir Kumar
• Primary Examiner(s): DOAN, PHUOC HUU
• Application Number:
  US14/689,857
• Publication Number:
  US 20160316410A1
• Time in Patent Office: 753 Days
• Field of Search: 455436, 455453, 455454, 4554521, 455509, 370341, 370230, 370329
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3816 Mechanical arrangements for accommodating identification devices, e.g. cards or chips; with connectors for programming identification devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

A device and method for profile switching based on location and wireless network quality are provided. A client device determines relevant locations for a user of the client device based on a variety of factors. After determining that a location is of particular relevance to the user, the client device will proceed to collect wireless network parameters for each available wireless network at each of the relevant locations for the user. The client device then determines a quality score for each wireless network at each relevant location and proceeds to utilize the quality score to make wireless network profile switching decisions as the client device travels between the relevant locations.

Claims

1. A client device configured to choose a wireless network, the client device comprising:

a location determination module configured to determine a location of the client device and to determine whether the location is within an area defining a relevant location for the client device;

a subscriber identification module (SIM) having more than one profile for connecting to a plurality of wireless networks; and

a wireless network selection module configured to;

collect wireless network parameters from each of the plurality of wireless networks available at the location of the client device when the location is within the area defining the relevant location;

determine a highest quality wireless network based on the wireless network parameters; and

connect via a wireless network interface with the highest quality wireless network using an individual profile in the SIM that corresponds to the highest quality wireless network when the location of the client device is within the area defining the relevant location.

2. The client device of claim 1, further comprising a memory configured to store a number of visits to the location and an amount of time spent in the location, and to store the wireless network parameters.

3. The client device of claim 2, wherein the location determination module determines that the location is the relevant location for the client device based on the number of visits to the location and the amount of time spent in the location.

4. The client device of claim 2, wherein the wireless network parameters comprise a mobile network code (MNC), a mobile country code (MCC) and a received signal strength indicator (RSSI).

5. The client device of claim 2, wherein the wireless network parameters comprise a service set identification (SSID), a basic service set identification (BSSID), network packet latency and network packet throughput.

6. The client device of claim 1, wherein the wireless network selection module configures the client device to select the individual profile in the SIM that corresponds to the highest quality wireless network.

7. The client device of claim 1, wherein the SIM is a software SIM and wherein the location determination module is a Global Positioning System (GPS) module.

8. The client device of claim 1, wherein the area defining the relevant location includes a plurality of areas and the wireless network selection module is further configured to:

collect the wireless network parameters from each of the plurality of wireless networks available in each of the plurality of areas;

determine a best quality wireless network in each of the plurality of areas; and

connect to the best quality wireless network in each of the plurality of areas as the client device moves around the plurality of areas.

9. A method for configuring a client device to select a wireless network, the method comprising:

capturing a current location of the client device;

storing more than one profile for connecting to available wireless networks;

determining whether the current location of the client device is within an area defining a relevant location of one or more relevant locations for the client device;

collecting wireless network parameters from the available wireless networks at the current location of the client device when the current location is within the area defining the relevant location;

determining a highest quality wireless network out of the available wireless networks; and

connecting the client device to the highest quality wireless network using an individual profile that corresponds to the highest quality wireless network when the current location of the client device is within the area defining the relevant location.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the one or more relevant locations comprises:

capturing a number of times the client device visits a location;

capturing an amount of time the client device stays at the location for each visit to the location; and

conditionally setting the location as one of the one or more relevant locations based on the number of times the client device visits the area defining the location and the amount of time the client device stays with the area defining the location.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the wireless network parameters comprise a mobile network code (MNC), a mobile country code (MCC), a Radio Access Technology (RAT) and a received signal strength indicator (RSSI).

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the wireless network parameters comprise a service set identification (SSID), a basic service set identification (BSSID), network packet latency and network packet throughput.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising storing the highest quality network as being a wireless network of choice when the client device is within the area defining the relevant location.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, after an expiration of a threshold amount of time, the method further comprises:

collecting additional wireless network parameters from the available wireless networks at the current location of the client device when the current location is within the area defining the relevant location;

determining the subsequent highest quality wireless network out of the available wireless networks based on the additional wireless network parameters; and

connecting the client device to the subsequent highest quality wireless network.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising storing the subsequent highest quality network as being the wireless network of choice when the client device is within the area defining the relevant location.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the area defining the relevant location includes a plurality of areas and the method further comprising:

collecting the wireless network parameters from the available wireless networks in each of the plurality of areas;

determining a best quality wireless network in each of the plurality of areas; and

connecting the client device to the best quality wireless network in each of the plurality of areas as the client device moves around the plurality of areas.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage device for configuring a client device to select a wireless network, the non-transitory computer readable storage device having computer executable instructions for performing the steps of:

capturing a current location of the client device;

storing more than one profile for connecting to available wireless networks;

determining whether the current location of the client device is within an area defining a relevant location of one or more relevant locations for the client device;

collecting wireless network parameters from the available wireless networks at the current location of the client device when the current location is within the area defining the relevant location;

determining a highest quality wireless network out of the available wireless networks; and

connecting the client device to the highest quality wireless network using an individual profile that corresponds to the highest quality wireless network when the current location of the client device is within the area defining the relevant location.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 17, wherein the instructions for determining the one or more relevant locations comprises computer executable instructions for performing the steps of:

capturing a number of times the client device visits a location;

capturing an amount of time the client device stays at the location for each visit to the location; and

conditionally setting the location as one of the one or more relevant locations based on the number of times the client device visits the area defining the location and the amount of time the client device stays within the area defining the location.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 17, wherein the wireless network parameters comprise a mobile network code (MNC), a mobile country code (MCC), a Radio Access Technology (RAT) and a received signal strength indicator (RSSI).

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 17, wherein the area defining the relevant location includes a plurality of areas and the computer executable instructions further perform the steps of:

collecting the wireless network parameters from the available wireless networks in each of the plurality of areas;

determining a best quality wireless network in each of the plurality of areas; and

connecting the client device to the best quality wireless network in each of the plurality of areas as the client device moves around the plurality of areas.