Method and system for remotely accessing and troubleshooting cellular wireless communication devices

• US 8,320,904 B1
• Filed: 04/03/2007
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Celentano, Frank, Shusterman, Alex
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): WOO, KUO-KONG
• Application Number:
  US11/695,713
• Time in Patent Office: 2,065 Days
• Field of Search: 455/423, 455/9, 455/97.11, 455/67.13, 707/10, 709/219, 709/217, 709/224
• US Class Current: 455/423
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 Transfer of terminal data

Abstract

A method and system for remote troubleshooting of a wireless communication device, such as a cell phone. The cell phone is programmed with server logic, such as a Telnet server application and an FTP server application. A computer at a customer service center for instance is programmed with client logic, such as a Telnet client application and an FTP client application. When a customer service representative receives a call reporting trouble with the cell phone, the representative may conveniently operate the client logic on the computer to log into the cell phone server logic, via a packet-switched network such as the Internet and via a wireless access network (and thus an air interface) serving the cell phone. Through that connection, the customer service representative can thereby cause the cell phone to perform various performance evaluations and can download the evaluation results to conveniently facilitate troubleshooting of the cell phone trouble.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

conveying to a user a cellular wireless communication device (WCD) that is programmed with at least one server application;

thereafter receiving a trouble report regarding operation of the WCD; and

responsive to the trouble report, (a) using at least one client application on a computer to log into the at least one server application on the WCD via a packet-switched network and via a wireless access network serving the WCD and to thereby establish at least one data session between the computer and the WCD via the packet-switched network and the wireless access network, wherein logging into the at least one server application on the WCD comprises providing the WCD with a password, and (b) communicating with the WCD through the at least one data session, so as to cause the WCD to conduct one or more evaluations regarding operation of the WCD and so as to download to the computer from the WCD one or more results of the one or more evaluations, for use in troubleshooting the reported trouble.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the WCD is a cell phone.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless access network serves the WCD through an air interface under a protocol selected from the group consisting of CDMA, iDEN, TDMA, WiMAX, GSM, GRPS, UMTS, EDGE, and LTE, and wherein each of the at least one data session thus extends through the air interface.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein conveying the WCD to the user comprises selling the WCD directly or indirectly to the user.

5. The method of claim 1, carried out by a wireless service provider that provides the WCD with communication service.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the trouble report comprises receiving a call to a customer service center from the user and receiving the trouble report from the user during the call.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the computer is a customer service computer operated by a customer service representative who answers the call.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein receiving the call comprises receiving the call from the WCD.

9. The method of claim 1,

wherein the at least one client application comprises a Telnet client application,

wherein the at least one server application comprises a Telnet server application,

wherein using the at least one client application on the computer to log into the at least one server application on the WCD via a packet-switched network and via a wireless access network serving the WCD and to thereby establish at least one data session between the computer and the WCD via the packet-switched network and the wireless access network comprises using the Telnet client application to log into the Telnet server application, and

wherein the at least one data session between the computer and the WCD thus comprises a Telnet session between the computer and the WCD.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein communicating with the WCD through the at least one data session, so as to cause the WCD to conduct one or more evaluations regarding operation of the WCD and so as to download to the computer from the WCD one or more results of the one or more evaluations comprises:

sending one or more commands from the computer via the Telnet session, and thus via the packet-switched network and wireless access network, to the WCD to cause the WCD to conduct the one or more evaluations.

11. The method of claim 10,

wherein the at least one client application further comprises an FTP client application,

wherein the at least one server application further comprises an FTP server application,

wherein the at least one data session between the computer and the WCD further comprises an FTP session between the computer and the WCD, and

wherein communicating with the WCD through the at least one data session so as to download to the computer from the WCD one or more results of the one or more evaluations comprises engaging in FTP file transfer to download the one or more results from the WCD to the computer via the packet-switched network and wireless access network.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

through the at least one data session, the computer ascertaining one or more characteristics of the WCD.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein ascertaining the one or more characteristics of the WCD comprises sending to the WCD one or more commands to read the one or more characteristics from the WCD, and receiving in response from the WCD indications of the one or more characteristics.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more characteristics of the WCD comprises a characteristic selected from the group consisting of (i) a network communication setting of the WCD, (ii) a battery power level of the WCD, (iii) a version of software or firmware in the WCD, and (iv) user interface status of the WCD.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more evaluations regarding operation of the WCD comprise an evaluation selected from the group consisting of (i) an evaluation of one or more air interface conditions for the WCD and (ii) an evaluation of electrical, mechanical, or other physical operation of the WCD.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the evaluation of the one or more air interface conditions for the WCD comprises an evaluation of air interface receive signal strength, and wherein the one or more results comprises an indication of air interface receive signal strength detected by the WCD.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the WCD comprises a cell phone.

17. A method comprising:

conveying to a user a cell phone that is programmed with a Telnet server application and an FTP server application;

thereafter receiving from the user a trouble report regarding operation of the cell phone; and

responsive to the trouble report, (a) using a Telnet client application on a computer to log into the Telnet server application on the cell phone via a packet-switched network and via a wireless access network serving the cell phone and to thereby establish a Telnet session between the computer and the cell phone, and through the Telnet session directing the cell phone to perform one or more evaluations, and (b) using an FTP client application on the computer to log into the FTP server application on the cell phone via the packet-switched network and via the wireless access network to thereby establish an FTP session between the computer and the cell phone, and through the FTP session downloading from the cell phone to the computer one or more results of the one or more evaluations, for use in troubleshooting the reported trouble.

18. A remote troubleshooting system for a cellular wireless communication device (WCD), the system comprising:

a Telnet server application and an FTP server application programmed on the WCD;

a computer having a processor, data storage, and a Telnet client application and an FTP client application stored in the data storage and executable by the processor,

wherein the Telnet client application is executable to log into the Telnet server application of the WCD via a packet-switched network and via a wireless access network serving the WCD, and to thereby establish a Telnet session between the computer and the WCD via the packet-switched network and via the wireless access network,

wherein the FTP client application is executable to log into the FTP server application of the WCD via the packet-switched network and via the wireless access network, and to thereby establish an FTP session between the computer and the WCD via the packet-switched network and via the wireless access network, and

wherein the Telnet client application and the FTP client application are used at the computer to obtain performance metrics from the WCD via the Telnet session and the FTP session, for use in troubleshooting at least one reported problem in operation of the WCD.