Textual and graphical demarcation of location, and interpretation of measurments

• US 20060116853A1
• Filed: 01/11/2006
• Published: 06/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Extreme Networks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Wireless Valley Communications Incorporated (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rappaport, Theodore, Skidmore, Roger, Henty, Benjamin
• Granted Patent: US 7,574,323 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/182
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/80 Arrangements for signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic

Abstract

A computerized system allows for collecting data for a spatially distributed group of objects or networks by either skilled or unskilled personnel and for analyzing the collected data in an environmental database.

Claims

1. A computerized system for collecting data for a spatially distributed group of objects or networks, comprising:

a measurement data input which receives measurement information selected from the group consisting of measured performance metrics and inputted quality measures;

a descriptive data input which receives descriptive information from a predefined set of selections wherein said selections are selected from the group consisting of text strings and icons; and

means for associating and storing said measurement information and said descriptive information.

2. The computerized system of claim 1 further comprising at least one measurement tool linked for data communication to said measurement data input.

3. The computerized system of claim 2 wherein said measurement tool is electrically connected to said measurement data input.

4. The computerized system of claim 2 wherein said measurement data input is located on a host computer and said descriptive data input is located on a slave computer, and wherein measurement information received by said measurement data input is a performance metric based on communications between said host computer and said slave computer.

5. The computerized system of claim 2 further comprising a means for selectively entering said measurement information to said measurement data input.

6. The computerized system of claim 5 wherein said measurement information is a quality criteria that is selected by said means for selectively entering from amongst a plurality of pre-defined selections.

7. The computerized system of claim 5 wherein said means for selectively entering is selected from the group consisting of a keyboard, button, switch, stylus input, mouse, touch screen, knob, and voice activated detector.

8. The computerized system of claim 1 wherein said predefined set of selections includes at least a first list and a second list of said selections.

9. The computerized system of claim 8 further comprising a means for adding selections selected from the group consisting of text strings and icons to at least one of said first list and said second list of selections.

10. The computerized system of claim 1 further comprising a means for adding selections to said predefined set of selections.

11. The computerized system of claim 1 further comprising a means for automatically selecting said descriptive information received by said descriptive data based on said measurement data received at said measurement data input.

12. The computerized system of claim 11 further comprising a means for displaying said descriptive information selected by said means for automatically selecting.

13. The computerized system of claim 1 further comprising a means for displaying said measurement information and said descriptive information.

14. The computerized system of claim 1 wherein said descriptive information in said predefined set of selections includes text strings pertaining to location information.

15. The computerized system of claim 14 further comprising a means to automatically select said text strings pertaining to location information based on a selected environmental database model for said predefined set of selections.

16. The computerized system of claim 1 wherein said selections in said predefined set of selections are icons.

17. The computerized system of claim 1 wherein said selection in said predefined set of selections are text strings.

18. The computerized system of claim 11 wherein said descriptive information in said predefined set of selections includes icons which prompt an operator.

19. The computerized system of claim 11 wherein said descriptive information in said predefined set of selections includes at least one text string which prompts an operator.

20. The computerized system of claim 1 further comprising a means for displaying said predefined set of selections.

21. The computerized system of claim 8 further comprising a means for selecting selections from both said first list and said second list.

22. The computerized system of claim 8 wherein said selections in said first list are text strings and wherein said selections in said second list are graphical icons.

23. The computerized system of claim 1 wherein said means for associating and storing said measurement information and said descriptive information comprises an acceptance switch for allowing an operator to accept descriptive information for said descriptive data input and measurement information for said measurement data input.

24. The computerized system of claim 23 wherein said acceptance switch is a hard or soft button or contact.

25. The computerized system of claim 1 further comprising an environmental database model, and a means for displaying at least a portion of said environmental database model together with at least one of said measurement information and said descriptive information.

26. The computerized system of claim 25 wherein said at least one of said measurement information and said descriptive information is related to at least one specific location in said environmental database model and said means for displaying displays said at least one of said measurement information and said descriptive information at said at least one specific location in said environmental database model.

27. A method for collecting data for a spatially distributed group of objects or networks, comprising the steps of:

obtaining measurement information selected from the group consisting of measured performance metrics and inputted quality measures;

obtaining descriptive information from a predefined set of selections wherein said selections are selected from the group consisting of text strings and icons; and

associating and storing said measurement information and said descriptive information.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising the step of displaying said measurement information and said descriptive information.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein said obtaining descriptive information step includes the steps of displaying said predefined set of selections, and selecting at least one of said selections in said predefined set of selections.

30. The method of claim 27 wherein said obtaining descriptive information step further comprise the step of adding at least one selection to said predefined set of selections.

31. The method of claim 27 wherein said step of obtaining measurement information is performed using a measurement tool.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein said measurement measures a performance metric.

33. The method of claim 31 wherein said step of obtaining measurement information further comprises the step of communicating a measurement from said measurement tool to a computer, and wherein said step of associating and storing is performed in said computer.

34. The method of claim 27 wherein said step of obtaining measurement information is performed by inputting said measurement information with a device selected from the group consisting of a keyboard, stylus, touch screen, mouse, and voice activated detector.

35. The method of claim 27 wherein said step of obtaining measurement information is performed automatically by retrieving a measurement from a measurement tool into a computer memory.

36. The method of claim 27 wherein said step of associating and storing is performed at a time controlled by a user.

37. The method of claim 27 wherein step of associating and storing is performed at a location controlled by a user.

38. The method of claim 36 wherein said step of associating and storing includes the step of a user actuating an actuator selected from the group consisting of a button, a switch, a stylus, a knob, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch screen, and a voice activated detector at a selected time.

39. The method of claim 37 wherein said step of associating and storing includes the step of a user actuating an actuator selected from the group consisting of a button, a switch, a stylus, a knob, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch screen, and a voice activated detector at a selected location.

40. The method of claim 27 wherein said step of obtaining descriptive information is performed automatically in response to said measurement information obtained in said obtaining measurement information step, and wherein said descriptive information is determined by said measurement information.

41. The method of claim 27 wherein said measurement information obtained in said obtaining information step pertains to communications between a slave and a host computer, and said measurement information is derived from communication parameters between said slave and said host computer.

42. (canceled)

43. (canceled)

44. A method for conducting a site survey for a communications network which is or will be deployed in an environment, comprising the steps of:

obtaining at least one performance metric for said communications network at at least one location within said environment; and

associating said at least one performance metric with descriptive information selected from the group consisting of text strings and icons.

45. The method of claim 44 wherein said performance metric is selected from the group consisting of RSSI, SNR, SIR, Ec/Io, number of retries, throughput, bandwidth, quality of service, bit error rate, packet error rate, frame error rate, dropped packet rate, packet latency, round trip time, propagation delay, transmission delay, processing delay, queuing delay, network capacity, packet jitter, bandwidth delay product, and handoff delay time.

46. The method of claim 44 wherein a site specific location in said environment is identified by at least one of said text strings.

47. The method of claim 44 wherein a site specific location in said environment is identified by at least one of said icons.

48. The method of claim 44 wherein said descriptive information is obtained from one or more predefined sets of text strings.

49. The method of claim 48 further comprising the step of revising at least one of said one or more predefined sets of text strings.

50. The method of claim 44 wherein said descriptive information is obtained from one or more predefined sets of icons.

51. The method of claim 50 further comprising the step of revising at least one of said one or more predefined sets of icons.

52. The method of claim 44 further comprising the step of storing said at least one performance metric and said descriptive information which are associated in said associating step.

53. The method of claim 52 wherein at least one of said steps of obtaining, associating and storing are performed on a server computer.

54. The method of claim 52 wherein at least one of said steps of obtaining, associating and storing are performed on a client computer.

55. The method of claim 52 wherein said steps of obtaining, associating and storing are performed using both a client and a server computer.

56. The method of claim 44 further comprising the step of displaying said at least one performance metric and said descriptive information on a site specific computer representation of said environment.

57. The method of claim 52 further comprising the step of evaluating stored information stored in said storing step with respect to at least one of:

prior information pertaining to said at least one performance metric for said communications network at said at least one location within said environment obtained at a time prior to said obtaining step being performed, and related information pertaining to said at least one performance metric for different communications network.

58. The method of claim 44 wherein said obtaining step includes the step of measuring said at least one performance measurement.

59. A system for conducting a site survey for a communications network which is or will be deployed in an environment, comprising:

at least one computer;

an input for inputting into said at least one computer at least one performance metric for said communications network at at least one location within said environment; and

at least one of a computer program operating on said at least one computer or at least one measurement device operating with said at least one computer which associates said at least one performance metric with descriptive information selected from the group consisting of text strings and icons.

60. The system of claim 59 wherein said performance metric is selected from the group consisting of RSSI, SNR, SIR, Ec/Io, number of retries, throughput, bandwidth, quality of service, bit error rate, packet error rate, frame error rate, dropped packet rate, packet latency, round trip time, propagation delay, transmission delay, processing delay, queuing delay, network capacity, packet jitter, bandwidth delay product, and handoff delay time.

61. The system of claim 59 wherein a site specific location in said environment is identified by at least one of said text strings.

62. The system of claim 59 wherein a site specific location in said environment is identified by at least one of said icons.

63. The system of claim 59 wherein said descriptive information is obtained from one or more predefined sets of text strings.

64. The system of claim 63 wherein the at least one computer is configured to allow revision of at least one of said one or more predefined sets of text strings.

65. The system of claim 59 wherein said descriptive information is obtained from one or more predefined sets of icons.

66. The system of claim 65 wherein the at least one computer is configured to allow revision of at least one of said one or more predefined sets of icons.

67. The system of claim 59 further comprising a storage medium for storing said at least one performance metric and said descriptive information which are associated by said at least one of a computer program operating on said at least one computer or at least one measurement device operating with said at least one computer.

68. The system of claim 59 wherein at least one computer includes at least a client and a server computer, and wherein said server computer is used to perform at least one of the functions of inputting, associating, and storing said at least one performance metric and said descriptive information.

69. The system of claim 59 wherein at least one computer includes at least a client and a server computer, and wherein said client computer is used to perform at least one of the functions of inputting, associating, and storing said at least one performance metric and said descriptive information.

70. The system of claim 59 wherein at least one computer includes at least a client and a server computer, and wherein both said client and said server computer are used to perform the functions of inputting, associating, and storing said at least one performance metric and said descriptive information.

71. The system of claim 59 further comprising a display for displaying said at least one performance metric and said descriptive information on a site specific computer representation of said environment.

72. The system of claim 67 wherein said at least one computer is configured to allow evaluation of at least one of:

prior information pertaining to said at least one performance metric for said communications network at said at least one location within said environment obtained at a time prior to said obtaining step being performed, and

related information pertaining to said at least one performance metric for different communications networks.

73. The system of claim 59 further comprising a measuring device connected to or in communication with said at least one computer for measuring said at least one performance measurement.

74. The system of claim 73 wherein said at least one computer includes a plurality of computers which are transportable within said environment.

75. A method for surveying performance metrics or quality measurements of equipment or inventory which are spatially distributed, comprising the steps of:

obtaining at least one performance metric or quality measurement for said equipment or inventory at at least one location within said environment;

associating said at least one performance metric or quality measurement with descriptive information selected from the group consisting of text strings and icons; and

storing said at least one performance metric or quality measurement and said descriptive information which are associated in said associating step.

76. The method of claim 75 wherein said equipment or inventory are selected from the group consisting of real estate, furniture, heating/air conditioning, infrastructure, plumbing, cabling, communication equipment, vehicles, and military property.

77. The method of claim 75 wherein said obtaining step is performed with one or more client or server computers.

78. The method of claim 75 wherein said obtaining step obtains at least one quality measurement selected from the group consisting of paint quality, furniture condition, dwelling condition, pipe or valve condition, physical appearance, and usefulness of a dwelling, vehicle, or communications network.

79. The method of claim 75 wherein said obtaining step obtains at least one performance metric selected from the group consisting of RSSI, SNR, SIR, Ec/Io, number of retries, throughput, bandwidth, quality of service, bit error rate, packet error rate, frame error rate, dropped packet rate, packet latency, round trip time, propagation delay, transmission delay, processing delay, queuing delay, network capacity, packet jitter, bandwidth delay product, handoff delay time, temperature, pressure, flow rate, and stress.

80. A system for surveying performance metrics or quality measurements of equipment or inventory which are spatially distributed, comprising:

at least one computer;

an input for inputting into said at least one computer at least one performance metric or quality measurement for said equipment or inventory at at least one location within said environment;

at least one of a computer program operating on said at least one computer or at least one measurement device operating with said at least one computer which associates said at least one performance metric or quality measurement with descriptive information selected from the group consisting of text strings and icons; and

a storage medium for storing said at least one performance metric or quality measurement and said descriptive information which are associated by said at least one of a computer program operating on said at least one computer or at least one measurement device operating with said at least one computer.

81. The system of claim 80 wherein said equipment or inventory are selected from the group consisting of real estate, furniture, heating/air conditioning, infrastructure, plumbing, cabling, communication equipment, vehicles, and military property.

82. The system of claim 80 wherein said at least one computer includes at least one client computer and at least one server computer.

83. The system of claim 80 wherein said input inputs at least one quality measurement selected from the group consisting of paint quality, furniture condition, dwelling condition, pipe or valve condition, physical appearance, and usefulness of a dwelling, vehicle, or communications network.

84. The system of claim 80 wherein said input inputs at least one performance metric selected from the group consisting of RSSI, SNR, SIR, Ec/Io, number of retries, throughput, bandwidth, quality of service, bit error rate, packet error rate, frame error rate, dropped packet rate, packet latency, round trip time, propagation delay, transmission delay, processing delay, queuing delay, network capacity, packet jitter, bandwidth delay product, handoff delay time, temperature, pressure, flow rate, and stress.