Personal wireless coverage maps

• US 9,572,086 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2016
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• 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:
  US15/130,036
• Publication Number:
  US 20160234755A1
• Time in Patent Office: 305 Days
• Field of Search: 455/435.2, 455/457
• 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

Example methods disclosed herein to provide a map to a wireless device include, in response to a request received from the wireless device, processing wireless session records to determine respective status of a plurality of wireless services in a first geographic region associated with the wireless device. Disclosed example methods also include, based on the processing of the wireless session records, generating map data identifying a location of the wireless device, a status of a first one of the wireless services in a second geographic region included in the first geographic region, and a status of a second one of the wireless services in a third geographic region included in the first geographic region. Disclosed example methods further include transmitting the map data to the wireless device.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

receiving a destination location associated with a wireless device;

determining a location of the wireless device;

accessing wireless session records to determine wireless service conditions in a geographic area associated with the location of the wireless device; and

generating a map of the geographic area according to the wireless session records, the location of the wireless device, and the destination location associated with the wireless device, wherein the map comprises the location of the wireless device within the geographic area, a first service condition of a first wireless service within the geographic area, and a recommended pathway to the destination location that is determined according to an estimate of the first wireless service being continuously available to the wireless device along the recommended pathway.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor comprises a plurality of processors operating in a distributed processing environment, and wherein the operations further comprise receiving a request for assistance from the wireless device.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise determining the first wireless service from the request.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the map further comprises content indicative of the first wireless service being inadequate or non-existent within a region of the geographic area.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the map further comprises content indicative of a restricted use of wireless services within a region of the geographic area.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the map further comprises content indicative of an excessive usage of the first wireless service within a region of the geographic area.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the map further comprises content indicative of a second service provider within a region of the geographic area.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting the map of the geographic area to the wireless device.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining an updated location of the wireless device; and

generating an updated map of the geographic area according to the updated location of the wireless device.

10. A method, comprising:

determining, by a system comprising a processor, a location of a wireless device;

accessing, by the system, wireless session records to determine wireless service conditions in a geographic area associated with the location of the wireless device;

generating, by the system, a map of a geographic area according to the wireless session records and the location of the wireless device, wherein the map comprises the location of the wireless device within the geographic area, and a first service condition of a first wireless service within the geographic area; and

receiving, by the system, a request for assistance from the wireless device, wherein the request comprises a destination location associated with the wireless device, wherein the map is further generated according to the destination location, and wherein the map further comprises a recommended pathway to the destination location that is determined according to an estimate of the first wireless service being continuously available to the wireless device along the recommended pathway.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the processor comprises a plurality of processors operating in a distributed processing environment, and wherein the operations further comprise transmitting, by the system, the map of the geographic area to the wireless device.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the map further comprises content indicative of the first wireless service being inadequate or non-existent within a region of the geographic area.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the map further comprises content indicative of a restricted use of wireless services within a region of the geographic area.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the map further comprises content indicative of an excessive usage of the first wireless service within a region of the geographic area.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

transmitting a request for assistance to a server, wherein the request comprises a destination location associated with a wireless device; and

receiving a map of a geographic area from the server, wherein the map is generated according to wireless session records of wireless service conditions in the geographic area associated with a location of the wireless device and the destination location associated with the wireless device, wherein the map comprises the location of the wireless device within the geographic area, a first service condition of a first wireless service within the geographic area, and a recommended pathway to the destination location that is determined according to an estimate of the first wireless service being continuously available along the recommended pathway.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the processor comprises a plurality of processors operating in a distributed processing environment, and wherein the operations further comprise presenting the map at a display.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the map further comprises content indicative of the first wireless service being inadequate or non-existent within a region of the geographic area.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the map further comprises content indicative of a restricted use of wireless services within a region of the geographic area.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the map further comprises content indicative of an excessive usage of the first wireless service within a region of the geographic area.