Personal wireless coverage map

• US 9,080,889 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shrum, Edgar Jr., Kreiner, Barrett, Wright, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): RAMPURIA, SHARAD K
• Application Number:
  US13/834,480
• Publication Number:
  US 20130204530A1
• Time in Patent Office: 851 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-457, 455/446, 4554321-4353
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries
• 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 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service

Abstract

Methods and systems respectively provide for receiving a wireless signal coverage map request from a wireless device. A map is generated in accordance with the request and provided to the wireless device. The map includes symbology keyed to wireless signal services within a particular geographic area. Such symbology can be indicative of recommended areas and travel routes having particular types of wireless signal coverage, regions of poor or non-existent wireless signal service, areas presently experiencing heavy wireless signal usage, and so on. In this way, a wireless device user can seek to access specific wireless services and/or avoid suspect trouble regions within a geographic area.

Claims

1. A method to provide a map to a wireless device, the method comprising:

processing wireless session records with a processor to determine a first route from an origination point to a destination point along which a first wireless service is expected to be available to the wireless device for at least a target percentage of the first route, the origination point and the destination point being specified in a request received from the wireless device;

generating, using the processor, map data identifying the origination point, the destination point and the first route, the map data also identifying a first geographic region in which the first wireless service is experiencing, at a time associated with the request, usage above a threshold, the geographic region being determined based on processing the wireless session records; and

communicating the map data to the wireless device in response to the request.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the wireless session records include location information and signal metrics for wireless sessions represented by the wireless session records.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the wireless session records are associated with a geographic area including the origination point and the destination point.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the target percentage is ninety-five percent.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein a type of the first wireless service is specified in the request.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

periodically updating the map data to determine updated map data; and

periodically communicating the updated map data to the wireless device.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

updating the map data in response to detecting a change in available wireless service coverage to determine updated map data; and

communicating the updated map data to the wireless device.

8. A tangible machine readable memory device comprising machine readable instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

processing wireless session records to determine a first route from an origination point to a destination point along which a first wireless service is expected to be available to a wireless device for at least a target percentage of the first route, the origination point and the destination point being specified in a request received from the wireless device;

generating map data identifying the origination point, the destination point and the first route, the map data also identifying a first geographic region in which the first wireless service is experiencing, at a time associated with the request, usage above a threshold, the geographic region being determined based on processing the wireless session records; and

communicating the map data to the wireless device in response to the request.

9. The tangible machine readable memory device as defined in claim 8, wherein the wireless session records include location information and signal metrics for wireless sessions represented by the wireless session records.

10. The tangible machine readable memory device as defined in claim 8, wherein the wireless session records are associated with a geographic area including the origination point and the destination point.

11. The tangible machine readable memory device as defined in claim 8, wherein the target percentage is ninety-five percent.

12. The tangible machine readable memory device as defined in claim 8, wherein a type of the first wireless service is specified in the request.

13. The tangible machine readable memory device as defined in claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

periodically updating the map data to determine updated map data; and

periodically communicating the updated map data to the wireless device.

14. The tangible machine readable memory device as defined in claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

updating the map data in response to detecting a change in available wireless service coverage to determine updated map data; and

communicating the updated map data to the wireless device.

15. An apparatus to provide a map to a wireless device, the apparatus comprising:

a memory having machine readable instructions stored thereon; and

a processor to execute the instructions to perform operations comprising;

processing wireless session records to determine a first route from an origination point to a destination point along which a first wireless service is expected to be available to the wireless device for at least a target percentage of the first route, the origination point and the destination point being specified in a request received from the wireless device;

generating map data identifying the origination point, the destination point and the first route, the map data also identifying a first geographic region in which the first wireless service is experiencing, at a time associated with the request, usage above a threshold, the geographic region being determined based on processing the wireless session records; and

communicating the map data to the wireless device in response to the request.

16. The apparatus as defined in claim 15, wherein the wireless session records include location information and signal metrics for wireless sessions represented by the wireless session records, and the wireless session records are associated with a geographic area including the origination point and the destination point.

17. The apparatus as defined in claim 15, wherein the target percentage is ninety-five percent.

18. The apparatus as defined in claim 15, wherein a type of the first wireless service is specified in the request.

19. The apparatus as defined in claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

periodically updating the map data to determine updated map data; and

periodically communicating the updated map data to the wireless device.

20. The apparatus as defined in claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

updating the map data in response to detecting a change in available wireless service coverage to determine updated map data; and

communicating the updated map data to the wireless device.