System and method for measuring wireless device and network usage and performance metrics

• US 6,745,011 B1
• Filed: 09/01/2000
• Issued: 06/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Telephia Incorporated (RR Donnelley & Sons Company)
• Inventors: Hendrickson, Keith, Stamos, Nick, Maguy, William, Prehn, Paul, Su, Annie
• Primary Examiner(s): Vuong, Quochien B.
• Application Number:
  US09/654,486
• Time in Patent Office: 1,369 Days
• Field of Search: 455/2.01, 455/67.11, 455/423, 455/424, 455/425, 455/67.13, 455/67.7, 455/405, 709/224
• US Class Current: 455/67.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/509 wherein the managed service relates to media content delivery, e.g. audio, video or TV
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5096 wherein the managed service relates to distributed or central networked applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/55 Testing of service level quality, e.g. simulating service usage
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

Systems and methods for measuring wireless device and wireless network usage and performance metrics are set forth. The system includes at least one wireless device, and data gathering software installed on the wireless device for collecting device parametric data, network parametric data, event data. A control center may receive, store and process said device parametric data, network parametric data, and event data.

Claims

1. A system for measuring wireless device and wireless network usage and performance metrics comprising:

a wireless device with a processor and memory;

data gathering software installed on said wireless device for collecting

device parametric data;

network parametric data; and

event data, wherein the device parametric data, network parametric data, and event data are based on user activity of the wireless device.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said device parametric, network parametric, and event data are collected from said processor and memory of said wireless device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said event data comprises data applications data.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said data applications data comprises internet browsing activity data.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein said data applications data comprises web clipping applications data.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein said data applications data comprises mobile commerce transactions data.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein said data applications data comprises mobile advertising activity data.

8. The system of claim 3, wherein said data applications data comprises e-mail activity data.

9. The system of claim 3, wherein said data applications data comprises Bluetooth application usage.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said event data comprises device applications data.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein said device applications data comprises address book data.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein said device applications data comprises media player data.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein said device applications data comprises personal information management software data.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein said event data comprises event statistics data.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said event statistics data comprises voice and data call activity.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein said event statistics data comprises text messaging activity.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein said network parametric data comprises overhead messaging data.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein said device parametric data comprises battery statistics data.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein said device parametric data comprises energy/interference parametrics.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein said device parametric data comprises receive and transmit power.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein said device parametric data comprises frame error rate data.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein said device parametric data comprises call set-up statistics.

24. The system of claim 1 wherein said collected data is stored in said wireless device memory.

25. The system of claim 1 wherein said data gathering software installed on said wireless device further collects wireless device location data.

26. The system of claim 1 wherein said data gathering software installed on said wireless device further collects time stamp data.

27. The system of claim 1 further comprising a control center for receiving said device parametric data, network parametric data, and event data.

28. The system of claim 27 further comprising an intermediary server which collects certain device parametric, network parametric, and event data prior to routing to said control center.

29. The system of claim 27 wherein said device parametric data, network parametric data, and event data are transmitted real time to said control center.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein said control center also stores and processes said device parametric data, network parametric data, and event data.

31. The system of claim 1, wherein said data gathering software is installed on said processor of said wireless device.

32. The system of claim 1, further comprising a microbrowser installed on said wireless device, on which said data gathering software is installed.

33. The system of claim 1, further comprising a microbrowser installed on said wireless device, with which said data gathering software interfaces.

34. The system of claim 1, further comprising an operating system installed on said wireless device, on which said data gathering software installed.

35. The system of claim 1, further comprising a panel of a plurality of selected users, wherein each selected user of said plurality of selected users receives a wireless device with said data gathering software installed.

36. The system of claim 1, wherein said data gathering software is installed on said wireless devices via a flash load process.

37. The system of claim 1, wherein said data gathering software is installed on said wireless devices via Over-the-Air provisioning.

38. The system of claim 1, wherein said data gathering software is installed on said wireless devices via a synchronization process.

39. The system of claim 1, wherein said data gathering software is installed on said wireless devices at the time of manufacture.

40. The system of claim 1, wherein said data gathering software records internal and external communications from said wireless device, where internal communications relate to messaging from operating system or applications within said device and external communications relate to messaging sent or received from said device to or from a communication port, or wireless communication network based on user activity on said wireless device.

41. The system of claim 1, wherein said data gathering software captures data as it relates to wireless voice communications activity.

42. The system of claim 1, wherein said data gathering software captures data as it relates to wireless data or internet communications activity.

43. The system of claim 1, wherein said data gathering software captures real-time wireless communications activity that is both user driven and control center driven.

44. The system of claim 1 wherein a filtering mechanism may be implemented to remove extraneous data or irrelevant messaging before transmission to the control center.

45. The system of claim 1 wherein certain portions of data collected from said wireless device are encrypted.

46. The system of claim 1 wherein a data compression algorithm within said wireless devices may reduce the size of data files collected to conserve memory resources.

47. The system of claim 1, wherein said event data relates to usage and activity of wireless voice and data/internet services.

48. The system of claim 47, wherein said data gathering software correlates location and time of user activity with said event data relating to usage and activity of wireless voice and data/internet services.

49. The system of claim 1 wherein said data gathering software captures real-time network parametric data based on actual user activity.

50. The system of claim 49 wherein said data gathering software captures network parametric data that are event and environment driven.

51. The system of claim 1 wherein said data gathering software captures real-time device parametric data based on actual user activity.

52. The system of claim 51, wherein said data gathering software captures real-time device parametric data that is event and environment driven.

11. The system of clam 10, wherein said device applications data comprises games data.

53. A system for measuring wireless device and wireless network usage and performance metrics comprising:

a wireless device with a processor and memory;

data gathering software installed on said wireless device for collecting device parametric data;

network parametric data; and

event data, wherein said data gathering software simultaneously captures said device parametric data, network parametric data, and event data based on real-time user activity of said wireless device.

54. The system of claim 53 wherein said captured device parametric data, network parametric data, and event data is event and environment driven.

55. A system for measuring wireless device and wireless network usage and performance metrics comprising:

a means for collecting device parametric data from a wireless device;

a means for collecting network parametric data from said wireless device;

a means for collecting event data from said wireless device; and

a means for transmitting said device parametric data, network parametric, and event data via a wireless communication network to a control center for processing, wherein the device parametric data, network parametric data, and event data are based on user activity of the wireless device.

56. An apparatus for measuring wireless device and wireless network usage and performance metrics comprising:

a software module for collecting device parametric data from a wireless device;

a software module for collecting network parametric data from said wireless device;

a software module for collecting event data from said wireless device; and

a software module for transmitting said device parametric data, network parametric data, and event data via a wireless communication network to a control center for processing, wherein the device parametric data, network parametric data, and event data are based on user activity of the wireless device.

57. The apparatus of claim 56, wherein said software module for collecting network parametric data from said wireless device collects said network parametric data from a processor on said wireless device.

58. The apparatus of claim 56, wherein said software module for collecting event data from said wireless device collects said event data from a microbrowser on the wireless device.

59. A method for use with a wireless device and at least one receiving center that can receive data collected from data gathering software installed on said wireless device, the method comprising:

collecting device parametric data of a wireless device;

collecting network parametric data from said wireless device;

collecting event data from said wireless device; and

providing said device parametric data, network parametric data, and event data via a wireless communication network to a control center for processing, wherein the device parametric data, network parametric data, and event data are based on user activity of the wireless device.

60. The method of claim 59, further comprising the step of storing said device parametric data, network parametric data, and event data in a memory of said wireless device.

61. The method of claim 59, further comprising the step of processing said device parametric data, network parametric data and event data to produce products relating to usage and activity, network performance and device performance.

62. The method of claim 59 wherein said step of providing said device parametric data, network parametric data, and event data via a wireless communication network to a control center for processing occurs real time as data is collected.

63. The method of claim 59 wherein said step of collecting event data comprises collecting data pertaining to user-based activities real-time.

64. The method of claim 61, wherein said products integrate usage and activity, network performance and device performance products with location and time stamp data.

65. The method of claim 59 further comprising deploying a plurality of said wireless devices to a panel of users using a statistical sampling methodology to represent a larger universe of wireless communications services users spread across different geographic locations, including users representing at home, at work, domestic and international households.

66. The method of claim 59 wherein said wireless device has a local processor and memory locations to log and store said collected data related to user-based activities whereby data collected via said data gathering software passes through said local processor within said wireless device and is stored in memory on said wireless device.

67. The method of claim 59 further comprising filtering extraneous messaging collected as a result of internal and/or external communications activity from said wireless device to conserve memory resources and to reduce processing time whereby discarded items include messaging unrelated to said device parametric data, network parametric data and event data to be tracked and repetitive or redundant messaging associated with the same operation event within a pre-determined time period.

68. The method of claim 59, further comprising processing said device parametric data, network parametric data, and event data.

69. The method of claim 59 further comprising the step of installing said data gathering software on a processor of said wireless device.

70. The method of claim 59 further comprising the step of installing said data gathering software on a microbrowser on said wireless device.

71. The method of claim 59 further comprising the step of installing said data gathering software on an operating system of said wireless device.

72. The method of claim 59 further comprising the step of installing said data gathering software on said wireless device at the time of wireless device manufacture.

73. The method of claim 59 whereby said data gathering software interfaces with a microbrowser on said wireless device.

74. The method of claim 59 whereby said data gathering software may be differentiated according to N standards, where N is an integer greater than one and equal to the number of wireless communication network protocols from which data is being gathered.

75. The method of claim 59 whereby said data gathering software captures data as it relates to wireless voice communications activity.

76. The method of claim 59 whereby said data gathering software captures data as it relates to wireless data/internet communications activity.

77. The method of claim 59, whereby said data gathering software captures said wireless data/internet communications activity that is both user driven and control center driven.

78. The method of claim 59, whereby said step of providing said device parametric data, network parametric date, and event data via a wireless communication network to a control center for processing further comprises transmitting said device parametric data, network parametric date, and event data to an intermediary server prior to routing to said control center for processing.

79. The method of claim 59 whereby said data gathering software may capture time and location-specific information related to user activity, which may be based on GPS, cell site location or overhead messaging information.

80. A method for use with a wireless device and at least one receiving center that can receive data collected from data gathering software installed on said wireless device, the method comprising;

collecting device parametric data of a wireless device;

collecting network parametric data from said wireless device;

collecting event data from said wireless device;

providing said device parametric data, network parametric data, and event data via a wireless communication network to a control center for processing; and

processing said device parametric data, network parametric data, and event data, wherein said step of processing said device parametric data, network parametric data, and event data;

sorting through collected data to ascertain demographic profiles of wireless device users and related location/market information;

analyzing usage behavior of said wireless device users;

analyzing peak/off-peak usage patterns of said wireless device users and average usage days per given period of time;

analyzing wireless voice metrics;

analyzing wireless data/internet metrics;

analyzing functionality of various wireless voice and data/internet services provided to said users;

analyzing performance metrics related to the wireless device; and

analyzing performance metrics related to operators'"'"' networks.

81. A system for measuring wireless device and wireless network usage and performance metrics comprising:

a wireless device with a processor and memory;

data gathering software installed on said wireless device for collecting device parametric data;

network parametric data; and

event data, wherein the device parametric data, network parametric data, and event data are based on non-testing type activity associated with the wireless device.

82. The system of claim 81, wherein the data gathering software records internal and external communications from said wireless device, where internal communications relate to messaging from operating system or applications within said device and external communications relate to messaging sent or received from said device to or from a communication port, or wireless communication network based on user activity on said wireless device.

83. The system of claim 81, wherein the data gathering software simultaneously captures the device paramedic data, network parametric data, and event data based on real-time user activity of the wireless device.

84. The system of claim 81, wherein the data gathering software is event or environment driven in collecting the device parametric data, network parametric data, and event data.