Clearinghouse System and Method for Enhancing the Quality, Operation and Accessibility of Carrier-Based Networks

• US 20100250268A1
• Filed: 06/14/2010
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2007
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Theodore S. Rappaport
• Original Assignee: Theodore S. Rappaport
• Inventors: Rappaport, Theodore S.
• Application Number:
  US12/815,076
• Publication Number:
  US 20100250268A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/00 Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring error detection, correction or monitoring in information storage based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer G11B20/18; monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing G11B27/36; in static stores G11C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/177 Initialisation or configuration control processor initialisation G06F9/4405
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/16 Real estate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment

Abstract

A computerized system, method and process allows telecommunications carriers to find, evaluate and select locations for equipment through direct access to end users, while providing citizens the opportunity to offer the use of their dwelling or other assets to carriers. The system and method further provides a computerized mechanism for (a) creating an inventory and marketplace for available properties for use in telecommunications networks, (b) providing quality and/or performance monitoring and control for wireless communication systems based on data in the clearinghouse, and (c) providing localized content over wireless networks using the clearinghouse.

Claims

1. A clearinghouse system, comprising:

a clearinghouse database configured to store asset information associated with a plurality of end users of a carrier-based service;

a computer configured to receive end user asset information from end users for storing in said clearinghouse database; and

an interface through which a carrier accesses said clearinghouse database to evaluate end user assets available for possible use by the carrier.

2. The clearinghouse system of claim 1 wherein said end user asset information comprises property information of properties owned or controlled by said plurality of end users.

3. The clearinghouse system of claim 1 wherein said interface comprises a web-based interface coupled between said computer and the Internet.

4. The clearinghouse system of claim 1, further comprising an end user interface through which end users upload asset information to said computer for storage in said clearinghouse database.

5. The clearinghouse system of claim 4 wherein said end user interface comprises a web-based interface coupled between said computer and the Internet.

6. The clearinghouse system of claim 1, further comprising an end user interface through which end users upload said asset information and desired service or benefit information to said computer for storage in said clearinghouse database.

7. The clearinghouse system of claim 6 wherein said computer is configured to compare asset need or specification information of the carrier to asset information of end users stored in said clearinghouse database.

8. A method of providing asset information to a carrier of a carrier-based service, comprising:

receiving, by a computer, asset information from a plurality of end users of a carrier-based service;

storing, by action of said computer, said received asset information in a database;

retrieving, by said computer, asset information from said database of assets of possible interest to a carrier; and

sending to the carrier, over an electronic or wireless interface, said retrieved asset information.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said asset information comprises property information.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said property information comprises information of dwellings or premises owned by said plurality of end users.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein said desired service or benefit information includes information about assets available for possible use by said carrier.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving, by said computer, for storage in said database, desired service or benefit information of services or benefits end users want or need from said carrier.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein receiving asset information and desired service or benefit information comprises receiving asset information and desired service or benefit information through a web-based portal coupled to said computer.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein said computer comprises an Internet-enabled computer having a web server configured to serve web pages containing asset information.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said web pages further contain desired service or benefit information of a services or benefits wanted or needed by end users from said carrier.

16. The method of claim 8 wherein said computer is further configured to electronically negotiate a transaction between an end user and the carrier, said transaction involving an asset owned or controlled by the end user and a desired service or benefit the end user wants or needs from the carrier.

17. A clearinghouse system, comprising:

means for receiving information from members of the public concerning property available for possible use by a carrier of a carrier-based service;

means for storing the information in a clearinghouse database; and

means for presenting the information received from members of the public and stored in the clearinghouse database to said carrier.

18. The clearinghouse system of claim 17, further comprising means for providing access to information stored in said database to said carrier.

19. The clearinghouse system of claim 17, further comprising means for cataloging the information in the database.

20. The clearinghouse system of claim 17, further comprising means for requesting or soliciting information from members of the public.

21. The clearinghouse system of claim 17 wherein said information includes desired service or benefit information of services or benefits end users want or need.

22. The clearinghouse system of claim 17, further comprising means for offering use of property owned or controlled by a member of the public to said carrier in exchange for a service or benefit from said carrier.

23. The clearinghouse system of claim 17, further comprising means for receiving and storing in said clearinghouse database information of property that is subject to contractual, legal, government or zoning restrictions.

24. The clearinghouse system of claim 17, further comprising means for providing access to information stored in said database to a third party other than a member of the public or said carrier.

25. The clearinghouse system of claim 17, further comprising means for receiving and storing in said clearinghouse database service quality or availability information of said carrier-based service.

26. The clearinghouse system of claim 25 wherein said service quality or availability information is stored in said clearinghouse database with location-specific information.

27. A clearinghouse system, comprising:

a computer configured to receive end user asset information and service or benefit information of services or benefits end users of one or more carrier-based services want from one or more carriers;

a clearinghouse database configured to store said end user asset information and said service or benefit information; and

one or more interfaces through which said end user asset information and said service or benefit information is submitted to said computer for storage in said clearinghouse database.

28. The clearinghouse system of claim 27 wherein said end user asset information comprises property information of properties owned or controlled by said end users.

29. The clearinghouse system of claim 27 wherein said computer comprises an Internet-enabled computer having a web server configured to generate and serve web pages from information retrieved from said clearinghouse database.

30. The clearinghouse system of claim 29 wherein at least some of said web pages contain end user asset information.

31. The clearinghouse system of claim 30 wherein at least some of said web pages further comprise end user service or benefit information of services or benefits wanted by end users.

32. The clearinghouse system of claim 27, further comprising a carrier interface through which one or more carriers access said clearinghouse database to evaluate end user assets available for possible use by said one or more carriers.

33. The clearinghouse system of claim 32 wherein said carrier interface comprises a web-based interface through which said one or more carriers communicate with said computer and access said clearinghouse database.

34. The clearinghouse system of claim 27 wherein said computer and said clearinghouse database are configured to sort and store said end user asset information and service or benefit information according to a plurality of end user geographic regions.

35. The clearinghouse system of claim 34, further comprising a carrier interface through which a carrier accesses said clearinghouse database to evaluate asset information and geographic region information of one or more end user assets of possible interest to said carrier.

36. The clearinghouse system of claim 27 wherein at least one of said one or more interfaces comprises a web-based interface.

37. The clearinghouse system of claim 27 wherein said computer is further configured to receive service quality or availability information for storage in said clearinghouse database.

38. The clearinghouse system of claim 27 wherein said computer is further configured to receive location-specific infrastructure information or location-specific service performance or availability information for storage in said clearinghouse database.

39. A clearinghouse method for carrier-based services, comprising:

receiving, by a computer, end user asset information and service or benefit information of services or benefits end users of one or more carrier-based services want from one or more carriers;

storing, by action of said computer, said end user asset information and said service or benefit information in a database; and

through a communications interface coupled to said computer, providing access to end user asset information and service or benefit information stored in said database.

40. The clearinghouse method of claim 39 wherein said end user asset information comprises property information of properties owned or controlled by said end users.

41. The clearinghouse method of claim 39, further comprising by action of said computer, generating and serving web pages from information retrieved from said database.

42. The clearinghouse method of claim 41 wherein at least some of said web pages contain end user asset information.

43. The clearinghouse method of claim 42 wherein at least some of said web pages further contain end user service or benefit information of services or benefits wanted by end users.

44. The clearinghouse method of claim 39 wherein providing access to end user asset information and service or benefit information comprises granting access to a carrier to evaluate asset information of one or more end user assets of possible interest to said carrier.

45. The clearinghouse method of claim 39 wherein said computer and said database are configured to sort and store said end user asset information and service or benefit information according to a plurality of end user geographic regions.

46. The clearinghouse method of claim 45 wherein providing access to end user asset information and service or benefit information comprises granting access to a carrier to evaluate asset information and geographic region information of one or more end user assets of possible interest to said carrier.

47. The clearinghouse method of claim 39 wherein said communications interface comprises a web-based interface through which a carrier communicates with said computer and accesses said clearinghouse database.

48. The clearinghouse method of claim 39, further comprising, receiving by said computer end user service quality or availability information for storage in said database.

49. The clearinghouse method of claim 39, further comprising, receiving by said computer location-specific information pertaining to one or more of:

a) observations of infrastructure of one or more carriers;

b) service quality of one or more carriers;

or c) availability of carrier-based service of one or more carriers, for storage in said database.

50. A clearinghouse system, comprising:

means for receiving end user asset information and service or benefit information of services or benefits end users of one or more carrier-based services want from one or more carriers;

means for storing said end user asset information and service or benefit information in a database; and

means for providing access to end user asset information service or benefit information stored in said database.

51. The clearinghouse system of claim 50 wherein said end user asset information comprises property information of properties owned or controlled by said end users.

52. The clearinghouse system of claim 50, further comprising means for generating and serving web pages from information retrieved from said database.

53. The clearinghouse system of claim 52 wherein at least some of said web pages contain end user asset information.

54. The clearinghouse system of claim 53 wherein at least some of said web pages further contain end user service or benefit information of services or benefits wanted by end users.

55. The clearinghouse system of claim 50 wherein said means for providing access comprises means for granting access to a carrier to evaluate end user assets of possible interest to said carrier.

56. The clearinghouse system of claim 50, further comprising means for sorting said end user asset information and service or benefit information according to a plurality of end user geographic regions.

57. The clearinghouse system of claim 56 wherein said means for providing access comprises means for granting access to a carrier for evaluating end user asset information and service or benefit information of one or more end user assets of possible interest to said carrier.

58. The clearinghouse system of claim 50 wherein said means for receiving comprises wireless interface means for receiving said end user service or benefit information from a wireless communications device.

59. The clearinghouse system of claim 50 wherein said means for receiving comprises interface means for receiving said end user service or benefit information from a communications device in communication with the Internet.

60. The clearinghouse system of claim 50, further comprising:

means for receiving service quality or availability information; and

means for storing said service quality or availability information in said database.

61. The clearinghouse system of claim 50, further comprising:

means for receiving location-specific infrastructure information or location-specific service performance or availability information; and

means for storing said location-specific infrastructure information or location-specific service performance or availability information in said database.