Utilizing devices nearby

• US 9,680,727 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2015
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aeris Communications Inc.
• Original Assignee: Aeris Communications Inc.
• Inventors: Sharma, Narendra Kumar, Chen, Yixiang
• Primary Examiner(s): Mitchell, Nathan
• Application Number:
  US14/678,748
• Publication Number:
  US 20150215191A1
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/079 Root cause analysis, i.e. error or fault diagnosis in a hardware test environment G06F11/22; in a software test environment G06F11/36
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0677 Localisation of faults
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to network communications, and more particularly to detecting devices having communications issues on a network. The present invention provides for determining a communications performance status in relation to a device on a communications network experiencing a communications issue by identifying the device, locating reference devices in relation to the identified device, and determining where a performance deficiency may exist in relation to the identified device and the communications network.

Claims

1. A method for determining a performance status in relation to a device on a network, comprising the steps of:

identifying a device on the network to evaluate a location associated with the identified device, wherein the step of identifying a device further includes searching the network for one or more devices;

identifying the location associated with the identified device, wherein the step of identifying a location associated with the identified device further comprises determining location data to determine the location for the identified device;

identifying one or more reference devices on the network, which are within a predetermined location range associated with the identified device wherein the step of identifying one or more reference devices further includes searching the network for the one or more reference devices based on a predetermined criteria;

generating a performance event identifier identifying the performance status, wherein the performance event identifier indicates whether the identified device has a communications performance event or whether a portion of the network associated with the identified device has communications performance event.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying a source of an issue in relation to the performance event identifier generated.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying a health status of the identified device on the network in association with the performance event identifier generated.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining location data includes identifying location data from one or more of the identified device, a location database, a location reference characteristic, and data input from a source external to the network.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of identifying one or more reference devices further includes searching the network for one or more devices having the predetermined criteria.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying a prior connectivity characteristic of the identified device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the prior connectivity characteristic of the identified device includes connectivity information of the identified device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the performance event identifier generated includes information associated with one or more preferred processing characteristics including a reference device, a cell sector, and a switch location of the network.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of identifying, in relation to the performance event identifier generated, whether an issue exists with one or more of the identified device, the network, or another source.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the performance event identifier generated is indicative that the identified device has failed.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the performance event identifier generated is indicative that the network associated with the identified device has failed.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the performance status is determined to be failed for the identified device if the performance event identifier generated is indicative that the identified device has one or more failed events.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the performance status is determined to be failed for the network if the performance event identifier generated is indicative that the network has one or more failed operations associated with the identified device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the network is one or more of a cellular network, a M2M network, and a data network.

15. A computer program product stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium, comprising:

computer readable program means for causing a computer to control an execution of an application to perform a method for determining a performance status in relation to a device on a network, comprising the steps of;

identifying a device on the network to evaluate a location associated with the identified device, wherein the step of identifying a device further includes searching the network for one or more devices;

identifying the location associated with the identified device, wherein the step of identifying a location associated with the identified device further comprises determining location data to determine the location for the identified device;

identifying one or more reference devices on the network, which are within a predetermined location range associated with the identified device, wherein the step of identifying one or more reference devices further includes searching the network for the one or more reference devices based on a predetermined criteria;

generating a performance event identifier identifying the performance status, wherein the performance event identifier indicates whether the identified device has a communications performance event or whether a portion of the network associated with the identified device has a communications performance event.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising identifying a source of an issue in relation to the performance event identifier generated.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising identifying a health status of the identified device on the network in association with the performance event identifier generated.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the step of determining location data includes identifying location data from one or more of the identified device, a location database, a location reference characteristic, and data input from a source external to the network.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the step of identifying one or more reference devices further includes searching the network for one or more devices having the predetermined criteria.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising identifying a prior connectivity characteristic of the identified device.