Method and system for generating a real time bill of materials and evaluating network performance

• US 7,596,518 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2002
• Issued: 09/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Extreme Networks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Wireless Valley Communications Incorporated (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Skidmore, Roger R., Rappaport, Theodore S
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Nga B.
• Application Number:
  US10/266,711
• Publication Number:
  US 20030050878A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,547 Days
• Field of Search: 705/29, 455/403, 455/422
• US Class Current: 705/29
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing

Abstract

An automated method for quickly generating a complete bill of materials and total cost information in real time. Components for a desired system are specified and/or replaced by substitute components, while continuously predicting the wireless system performance. A design engineer builds a model of the desired wireless communications system and specifies each component necessary to provide sufficient or optimal system performance. A parts list is maintained, in real time, that contains a definition of each system component and its associated performance and cost parameters. As the user changes wireless system designs through a series of “what-if” scenarios, components are replaced with substitute components, cable lengths are modified, antenna systems and base station parameters are re-designed and moved to alternate locations, etc. The bill of materials is automatically updated and component costs and total system costs are immediately available to the design engineer. The designer may choose to swap components for less expensive components or may investigate several alternate radio frequency distribution and antenna schemes, etc. The performance characteristics of the system are automatically updated as is the system cost as the designer to assesses the trade-offs between performance and cost at the same time.

Claims

1. A method for designing, evaluating, or optimizing a communications system, comprising the steps of:

providing a computer with a computer database model of a site for deployment of a communications network;

selecting computer representations from the computer of one or more components for use in said communications network from amongst a collection of computer representations of components, said computer representations of each of said one or more components including performance and cost data;

positioning said one or more components on a site map of said site modeled with said computer database model at the computer;

the computer performing the steps of;

calculating one or more performance characteristics of said communications network modeled with said computer database model;

generating cost information based on cost data of said one or more components selected in said selecting step; and

presenting said one or more of performance characteristics and cost information to a user of the computer for designing, evaluating, or optimizing the communications network.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said site map of said site modeled by said computer database model is three dimensional.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said site map displays at least a portion of at least one floor plan of at least one floor of at least one building.

4. The method of claim 2 where in said positioning step positions said one or more components in three dimensions on said site map.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said site map displays at least a portion of at least one floor plan of at least one floor of at least one building.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said positioning step positions said one or more components in three dimensions on said site map.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said positioning step allows specifying an orientation of one or more components at one or more locations on said site map.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said presenting step comprises the step of displaying said site map with said one or more components positioned on said site map.

9. The method of claim 8 where said step of displaying displays cost information generated in said generating step.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said selecting step includes the steps of displaying a listing of said computer representations and pointing and clicking on one or more of said computer representations in said listing.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said selecting step operates in conjunction with pull down menu.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said selecting step includes the step of sorting said computer representations based on a range of acceptable performance criteria.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said selecting step includes the step of sorting said computer representations based on a range of cost criteria.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein said positioning step utilizes a point-and-click feature for positioning said one or more components in said site map.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of changing a component selected during said selecting step, changes resulting from said changing step being reflected in said performance characteristics calculated in said calculating step and said cost information generated in said generating step.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of changing a component selected during said selecting step, changes resulting from said changing step being reflected in said performance characteristics calculated in said calculating step.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of changing a component selected during said selecting step, changes resulting from said changing step being reflected in said cost information generated in said generating step.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of changing a position of a component within said site map from a previous position, changes resulting from said changing step being reflected in at least one of said performance characteristics calculated in said calculating step or said cost information generated in said generating step.

19. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of changing an orientation of a component within said site map from a previous orientation, changes resulting from said changing step being reflected in at least one or said performance characteristics calculated in said calculating step or said cost information generated in said generating step.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein said calculating step includes the step of activating one or more predictive models for calculating said performance characteristics.