Protocols for providing wireless communications connectivity maps

• US 9,713,013 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2013
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hyde, Roderick A., Levien, Royce A., Lord, Richard T., Lord, Robert W., Malamud, Mark A., Tegreene, Clarence T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Figueroa, Marisol
• Application Number:
  US13/908,713
• Publication Number:
  US 20140274078A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,506 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination

Abstract

Structures and protocols are presented for signaling a status or decision concerning a wireless service or device within a region to a communication device (smartphone or wearable device, e.g.) or other wireless communication participant (motor vehicle having a wireless communication capability, e.g.).

Claims

1. A communication management system comprising:

transistor-based circuitry configured for receiving a location estimate describing a location of a first mobile device;

transistor-based circuitry configured for receiving wireless service status data indicating availability of wireless services associated with the location estimate;

transistor-based circuitry configured for receiving data identifying a protocol by which the location estimate is obtained;

transistor-based circuitry configured for evaluating whether the protocol by which the location estimate is obtained is adequate for automatic updating of a wireless connectivity map; and

transistor-based circuitry configured for updating the wireless connectivity map according to the wireless service status data indicating availability of wireless services associated with the location estimate responsive to whether the protocol by which the location estimate is obtained is adequate for automatic updating of the wireless connectivity map.

2. The communication management system of claim 1, further comprising:

transistor-based circuitry for causing a second mobile device to indicate at least some of the wireless connectivity map audibly or visibly after the updating the wireless connectivity map.

3. The communication management system of claim 2, wherein the transistor-based circuitry configured for causing a second mobile device to indicate at least some of the wireless connectivity map audibly or visibly after the updating the wireless connectivity map includes:

transistor-based circuitry configured for causing at least one of a motor vehicle or a handheld device to indicate at least some of the wireless connectivity map audibly or visibly after the decision whether to update the wireless connectivity map.

4. The communication management system of claim 2, wherein the transistor-based circuitry configured for receiving wireless service status data indicating availability of wireless services associated with the location estimate includes:

transistor-based circuitry configured for receiving, from the first mobile device, data indicating wireless local area network (WLAN) service being operative at the location estimate.

5. The communication management system of claim 1, wherein the transistor-based circuitry configured for receiving a location estimate describing a location of a first mobile device includes:

transistor-based circuitry configured for receiving the location estimate from the first mobile device;

wherein the receiving data identifying a protocol by which the first mobile device obtained the location estimate includes;

transistor-based circuitry configured for receiving the data identifying the protocol by which the location estimate is obtained from the first mobile device.

6. The communication management system of claim 1, further comprising:

transistor-based circuitry configured for causing at least some of the wireless connectivity map to be displayed via the first mobile device after the decision whether to update the wireless connectivity map.

7. The communication management system of claim 2, wherein the transistor-based circuitry configured for causing a second mobile device to indicate at least some of the wireless connectivity map audibly or visibly after the updating the wireless connectivity map includes:

transistor-based circuitry configured for causing the second mobile device to display a wireless connectivity map indicating a service boundary relating to a prospective interpersonal communication.

8. The communication management system of claim 1 further comprising:

transistor-based circuitry configured for comparing a data block delivery failure rate against a threshold.

9. The communication management system of claim 2, wherein the transistor-based circuitry configured for causing a second mobile device to indicate at least some of the wireless connectivity map audibly or visibly after the updating the wireless connectivity map-includes:

transistor-based circuitry configured for causing the second mobile device to indicate at least some of a wireless connectivity map depicting a cost-indicative service boundary relating to a prospective intercommunication at least between the first mobile device and the second mobile device.

10. The communication management system of claim 2, wherein the transistor-based circuitry configured for causing a second mobile device to indicate at least some of the wireless connectivity map audibly or visibly after updating the wireless connectivity map includes:

transistor-based circuitry configured for causing at least one of a handheld device or a wearable assembly to indicate at least some of the wireless connectivity map visibly after updating the wireless connectivity map.

11. The communication management system of claim 2, wherein the transistor-based circuitry configured for causing a second mobile device to indicate at least some of the wireless connectivity map audibly or visibly after the decision whether to update the wireless connectivity map includes:

transistor-based circuitry configured for causing a second mobile device to indicate at least some of the wireless connectivity map visibly after updating the wireless connectivity map.

12. The communication management system of claim 1 wherein:

the first mobile device has a nonvolatile memory, the nonvolatile memory containing an antenna configuration data structure.

13. The communication management system of claim 1, wherein:

the first mobile device-includes a jailbroken communication device.

14. The communication management system of claim 1, wherein:

the first mobile device is configured to use a first nominal uplink frequency of at least about 2.4 GHz and of at most about 5 GHz; and

the first mobile device is configured to use a first nominal downlink frequency of at least about 2.4 GHz and of at most about 5 GHz.

15. The communication management system of claim 1 further comprising:

transistor-based circuitry configured for causing a hand off of an interpersonal communication from a WLAN access point to a cellular base station at least partly based on the wireless connectivity map.

16. The communication management system of claim 1, wherein the transistor-based circuitry configured for receiving a location estimate describing a location of a first mobile device includes:

transistor-based circuitry configured for receiving a location estimate computed using at least one of a triangulation or timing protocol to compute two or more values quantitatively describing at least one of a past or present position of the first mobile device.

17. The communication management system of claim 1, wherein the transistor-based circuitry configured for receiving a location estimate describing a location of a first mobile device includes:

transistor-based circuitry configured for receiving an indication of one or more wireless local area access points communicatively connected to the first mobile device.

18. The communication management system of claim 1, wherein the transistor-based circuitry configured for receiving data identifying a protocol by which the location estimate was obtained includes:

transistor-based circuitry configured for receiving an indication of a selection identifying a protocol from two or more estimate-obtaining protocols performable by the first mobile device.

19. The communication management system of claim 1, wherein the transistor-based circuitry configured for receiving data identifying a protocol by which the location estimate was obtained includes:

transistor-based circuitry configured for receiving an indication of a cellular network cell identification associated with the first mobile device.

20. The communication management system of claim 1, wherein the transistor-based circuitry configured for receiving data identifying a protocol by which the location estimate was obtained includes:

transistor-based circuitry configured for receiving an indication identifying a computation method used to obtain the location estimate.

21. The communication management system of claim 1, wherein the transistor-based circuitry configured for receiving data identifying a protocol by which the location estimate was obtained includes:

transistor-based circuitry configured for receiving at least one of a textual label or digital expression directly identifying the protocol by which the location estimate is obtained.

22. The communication management system of claim 1, wherein the transistor-based circuitry configured for receiving data identifying a protocol by which the location estimate was obtained includes:

transistor-based circuitry configured for receiving an indication identifying whether the location estimate was obtained by a global positioning satellite protocol.

23. The communication management system of claim 1, wherein the transistor-based circuitry configured for receiving data identifying a protocol by which the location estimate was obtained includes:

transistor-based circuitry configured for receiving an indication identifying a number of sensor-containing devices used in obtaining the location estimate.

24. The communication management system of claim 1, wherein the transistor-based circuitry configured for receiving data identifying a protocol by which the location estimate was obtained includes:

transistor-based circuitry configured for receiving an indication identifying a number of significant digits of the location estimate.

25. The communication management system of claim 1, wherein the transistor-based circuitry configured for receiving data identifying a protocol by which the location estimate was obtained includes:

transistor-based circuitry configured for receiving at least one of a model number, a brand name, serial number or device identifier of at least one device participating in performing the location estimate.

26. The communication management system of claim 1, wherein the transistor-based circuitry configured for updating a wireless connectivity map according to the wireless service status data indicating availability of wireless services associated with the location estimate responsive to whether the protocol by which the location estimate is obtained is adequate for automatic updating of the wireless connectivity map includes:

transistor-based circuitry configured for updating a wireless connectivity map according to the wireless service status data indicating availability of wireless services associated with the location estimate responsive to whether the protocol by which the location estimate is obtained satisfies at least one of a precision criteria, an accuracy criteria or a relevance criteria.

27. A communication management system comprising:

means for receiving a location estimate describing a location of a first mobile device;

means for receiving wireless service status data indicating availability of wireless services associated with the location estimate;

means for receiving data identifying a protocol by which the location estimate is obtained;

means for evaluating whether the protocol by which the location estimate is obtained is adequate for automatic updating of a wireless connectivity map; and

means for updating the wireless connectivity map according to the wireless service status data indicating availability of wireless services associated with the location estimate responsive to whether the protocol by which the location estimate is obtained is adequate for automatic updating of the wireless connectivity map.

28. A communication management method comprising:

receiving a location estimate describing a location of a first mobile device;

receiving wireless service status data indicating availability of wireless services associated with the location estimate;

receiving data identifying a protocol by which the location estimate is obtained;

evaluating whether the protocol by which the location estimate is obtained is adequate for automatic updating of a wireless connectivity map; and

updating the wireless connectivity map according to the wireless service status data indicating availability of wireless services associated with the location estimate responsive to whether the protocol by which the location estimate is obtained is adequate for automatic updating of the wireless connectivity map.

29. An article of manufacture comprising:

one or more non-transitory, physical signal bearing storage media bearing a device-detectable output manifesting an occurrence of

one or more instructions for receiving a location estimate describing a location of a first mobile device;

one or more instructions for receiving wireless service status data indicating availability of wireless services associated with the location estimate;

one or more instructions for receiving data identifying a protocol by which the location estimate is obtained;

one or more instructions for evaluating whether the protocol by which the location estimate is obtained is adequate for automatic updating of a wireless connectivity map; and

one or more instructions for updating the wireless connectivity map according to the wireless service status data indicating availability of wireless services associated with the location estimate responsive to whether or not the protocol by which the location estimate is obtained is adequate for automatic updating of the wireless connectivity map.