Public wireless network performance management system with mobile device data collection agents

• US 10,031,885 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2011
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Netmotion Wireless Holdings, Inc. (NetMotion Software, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Netmotion Wireless Incorporated
• Inventors: Hofstaedter, Christian E., Canales, III, Reyes, Goziker, Edward, Simpkins, James S., Garcia-Duarte, Fernando, Renouard, Julia, Savarese, Joseph T., Kimmerly, Mark V., Wang, Zhenwu, Dangov, John, Hoover, Paul L., Snyder, Michael L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Minh
• Application Number:
  US13/017,751
• Publication Number:
  US 20110191465A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,731 Days
• Field of Search: 340 11- 161, 709224, 714 39, 714 471- 473
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/173 using an interconnection network, e.g. matrix, shuffle, pyramid, star, snowflake
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/082 using revocation of authorisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports

Abstract

A wireless network performance management system and method. The system includes at least one collection agent for collecting data related to at least one of service coverage; service quality; and usage of public and/or private data networks for enterprise clients, and a reporting unit to graphically represent the collected data to at least one of track, troubleshoot, and analyze the one of the service coverage; the service quality; and the usage of public and/or private data networks for the enterprise clients.

Claims

1. A wireless network performance management system, comprising:

a mobile device movable within multiple different networks, which include public and/or private networks at a same time;

at least one collection agent located within the mobile device being configured to create a network interface for each detected available network of the multiple different networks within which the mobile device is currently moving;

an adapter manager provided to create a network collector for each network interface;

wherein each network collector is configured to simultaneously collect over time data specific to its respective network interface, the data being related to at least one of service coverage;

service quality; and

usage of the public and/or private data networks for enterprise clients, wherein the mobile device is configured as a terminal node of one of the multiple different networks; and

an image producer to graphically represent the collected data from the multiple different networks to at least one of track, troubleshoot, and analyze the one of the service coverage;

the service quality; and

the usage of the public and/or private data networks for the enterprise clients.

2. The wireless network performance management system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the adapter manager is structured to dynamically discover active wireless networks available to the mobile device.

3. The wireless network performance management system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one data collection agent is configured to dynamically discover active GPS interfaces on the mobile device.

4. The wireless network performance management system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one data collection agent is configured to simultaneously collect the data from the multiple different networks through multiple interfaces.

5. The wireless network performance management system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one data collection agent is configured to collect data at least one of when not connected to an active network and when intermittently connected to an active network.

6. The wireless network performance management system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the collected data is associated with the mobile device and comprises at least one of device name, device manufacturer, operating system version, and logged.

7. The wireless network performance management system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the collected data is associated with applications and processes running on the mobile device comprising at least one of start times, end times, process IDs, executable names, network flows created by the process, security contexts, protocols used, ports used, interfaces used, and IP addresses.

8. The wireless network performance management system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the collected data is associated with activity on specific network interfaces comprising at least one of name, manufacturer, hardware version, firmware version, driver version, phone number, maximum technology capability, technology used, home carrier, active carrier, cell tower ID, signal strength, transport layer retries, MTU sizes, packet loss, latency and jitter, and efficiency.

9. The wireless network performance management system in accordance with claim 1, wherein a location of the mobile device is collected over time.

10. The wireless network performance management system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one data collection agent is configured to vary a data collection rate in accordance with a velocity of the mobile device.

11. The wireless network performance management system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one data collection agent is structured to compress data element values over time using a Douglas-Peucker reduction algorithm.

12. The wireless network performance management system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising at least one artificial intelligence engine structured to monitor environmental conditions, data collection instant values and data collection trends, to evaluate the monitored values against configured rules, and to trigger certain actions according to the evaluated rules.

13. The wireless network performance management system in accordance with claim 12, wherein the artificial intelligence engine is located on at least one of the mobile device and a server.

14. A method for managing performance in a communications environment comprising multiple different networks that include public and/or private data networks, the method comprising:

creating network interfaces in a mobile device for each detected available network of the multiple different networks within which the mobile device located;

creating a network collector for each network interface;

each network collector being configured for simultaneously collecting data over time specific to its respective network interface at at least one current location of the mobile device, which is movable within the communications environment, the collected data related to at least one of service coverage;

service quality; and

usage of the public and/or private data networks for enterprise clients; and

graphically displaying the collected data from the multiple different networks at the at least one current location within the communications environment to at least one of track, troubleshoot, and analyze the one of the service coverage;

the service quality; and

the usage of the public and/or private data networks for the enterprise clients.

15. The method in accordance with claim 14, wherein the collecting is performed even the mobile device is not connected to an active network.