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

• US 6,754,470 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2001
• Issued: 06/22/2004
• 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:
  US09/944,843
• Publication Number:
  US 20020069037A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,026 Days
• Field of Search: 455/423, 455/424, 455/425, 455/67.11, 455/67.13, 455/67.7, 455/456.1, 455/63.1, 455/405, 455/456.3, 455/456.6, 455/406, 702/1, 702/127, 709/224, 709/223, 705/63
• US Class Current: 455/67.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• 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 41/5087 wherein the managed service relates to voice services management of VoIP services H04M7/0081
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5093 wherein the managed service relates to messaging or chat services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/022 by sampling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• 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: H04M 3/42136 Administration or customisation of services
• 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 mobile wireless device comprising:

electronic memory encoded with,

data gathering software which gathers information pertaining to device usage from actual use of the mobile wireless device by a user, the gathered information including event data and association of respective events with respective location information indicative of device location during the occurrences of such respective events; and

data transfer software which provides the gathered information for transmission.

2. The mobile wireless device of claim 1 wherein the gathered information further includes mobile device parametric data.

3. The mobile wireless device of claim 1 wherein the gathered information further includes network parametric data.

4. The mobile wireless device of claim 1 wherein the gathered information further includes mobile device parametric data and network parametric data.

5. The mobile wireless device of claim 1 wherein the gathered information further includes association of respective events with respective temporal information indicative of time of the occurrence of such respective events.

6. The mobile wireless device of claim 1 wherein data transfer software provides the gathered information for wireless transmission.

7. The mobile wireless device of claim 1 wherein data transfer software provides the gathered information for internet transmission.

8. The mobile wireless device of claim 1 wherein data transfer software provides the gathered information for hotsync transmission.

9. A mobile wireless device comprising:

electronic memory encoded with,

data gathering software which gathers information pertaining to network performance from actual use of the mobile wireless device by a user, the gathered information including network parametric data and association of respective network parametric data with respective location information indicative of network parameters at such respective locations; and

data transfer software which provides the gathered information for transmission.

10. The mobile wireless device of claim 9 wherein the gathered information further includes association of respective network parametric data with respective temporal information indicative of time of the gathering of such respective network parametric data.

11. The mobile wireless device of claim 9 wherein the gathered information further includes mobile device parametric data.

12. A method of gathering information concerning wireless mobile device usage comprising:

prescribing a panel of respective users of respective mobile wireless devices;

wherein each respective mobile device includes electronic memory encoded with,

data gathering software which gathers information pertaining to device usage from actual use of the respective mobile wireless devices from the panel of respective users, the gathered information including event data and association of respective events with respective location information indicative of device location during the occurrences of such respective events; and

data transfer software which provides the gathered information for transmission; and

collecting the gathered information provided by respective mobile devices of said panel of users.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the gathered information further includes mobile device parametric data.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the gathered information further includes network parametric data.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the gathered information further includes association of respective events with respective temporal information indicative of time of the occurrence of such respective events.

16. A method of gathering information concerning wireless mobile device usage comprising:

prescribing a panel of respective users of respective mobile wireless devices;

wherein each respective mobile device includes electronic memory encoded with,

data gathering software which gathers information pertaining to network performance from actual use of the mobile wireless devices by the panel of respective users, the gathered information including network parametric data and association of respective network parametric data with respective location information indicative of network parameters at such respective locations; and

data transfer software which provides the gathered information for transmission; and

collecting the gathered information provided by respective mobile devices of said panel of users.

17. The mobile wireless device of claim 16 wherein the gathered information further includes association of respective network parametric data with respective temporal information indicative of time of the gathering of such respective network parametric data.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the gathered information further includes mobile device parametric data.

19. A system for collecting information by at least one control center concerning wireless mobile device usage comprising:

respective electronic memories of respective mobile devices of panelists of a panel comprised of respective mobile device users, the respective electronic memories respectively encoded with respective computer software;

wherein the respective computer software comprise,

data gathering software which gathers information pertaining to device usage from actual use of the respective mobile wireless devices from the panel of respective users, the gathered information including event data and association of respective events with respective location information indicative of device location during the occurrences of such respective events; and

data transfer software which provides the gathered information for transmission; and

an electronic storage medium encoded with computer software to control collection by the at least one control center of respective gathered information respectively provided by respective mobile devices of said panel of users.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the gathered information further includes association of respective event data with respective temporal information indicative of time of the gathering of such respective event data.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein the gathered information further includes mobile device parametric data.

22. A system for collecting information by at least one control center concerning wireless mobile device usage comprising:

respective electronic memories of respective mobile devices of panelists of a panel comprised of respective mobile device users, the respective electronic memories respectively encoded with respective computer software

wherein the respective computer software comprise,

data gathering software which gathers information pertaining to network performance from actual use of the respective mobile devices by the respective mobile device users, the gathered information including network parametric data and association of respective network parametric data with respective location information indicative of network parameters at such respective locations; and

data transfer software which provides the gathered information for transmission; and

an electronic storage medium encoded with computer software to control collection by the at least one control center of respective gathered information respectively provided by respective mobile devices of said panel of users.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the gathered information further includes association of respective network parametric data with respective temporal information indicative of time of the gathering of such respective network parametric data.

24. A mobile wireless device comprising:

electronic memory encoded with,

data gathering software which gathers information pertaining to device usage and network performance from actual use of the mobile wireless device by a user, the gathered information including event data and network parametric data and association of respective events with respective location information indicative of device location during the occurrences of such respective events; and

data transfer software which provides the gathered information for transmission.

25. The mobile wireless device of claim 24 wherein the gathered information further includes mobile device parametric data.

26. The mobile wireless device of claim 24 wherein the gathered information further includes association of respective events with respective temporal information indicative of time of the occurrence of such respective events.

27. A method of gathering information concerning wireless mobile device usage comprising:

prescribing a panel of respective users of respective mobile wireless devices;

wherein each respective mobile device includes electronic memory encoded with,

data gathering software which gathers information pertaining to device usage and network performance from actual use of the respective mobile wireless devices from the panel of respective users, the gathered information including event data and network parametric data and association of respective events with respective location information indicative of device location during the occurrences of such respective events; and

data transfer software which provides the gathered information for transmission; and

collecting the gathered information provided by respective mobile devices of said panel of users.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the gathered information further includes mobile device parametric data.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein the gathered information further includes association of respective events with respective temporal information indicative of time of the occurrence of such respective events.

30. A system for collecting information by at least one control center concerning wireless mobile device usage comprising:

respective electronic memories of respective mobile devices of panelists of a panel comprised of respective mobile device users, the respective electronic memories respectively encoded with respective computer software;

wherein the respective computer software comprise,

data gathering software which gathers information pertaining to device usage from actual use of the respective mobile wireless devices from the panel of respective users, the gathered information including event data and network parametric data and association of respective events with respective location information indicative of device location during the occurrences of such respective events; and

data transfer software which provides the gathered information for transmission; and

an electronic storage medium encoded with computer software to control collection by the at least one control center of respective gathered information respectively provided by respective mobile devices of said panel of users.

31. The system of claim 30 wherein the gathered information further includes mobile device parametric data.