Signal Reputation Advisor for Connectivity Management

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Solution Overview

Problem

Users face challenges with signal dead zones, as existing technologies fail to predict and guide users to areas of stronger signal quality effectively, especially in critical situations, leading to loss of connectivity and inconvenience.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that determine signal health scores and directions to areas of higher signal quality by crowd-sourcing signal reputation data, creating signal circles, and providing recommendations to user mobile devices, prioritizing battery conservation and optimizing route planning to avoid dead zones.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of time

If users blindly search for areas of better signal quality in dead zones, then they may eventually find areas with acceptable signal, but they waste time and energy without guidance

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetime spent searching for signalVSAvoiduser effort to find signal
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a signal advisor system that acts as an intermediary between users and signal dead zones. This system collects signal data from multiple sources, processes it to identify dead zones and alternative routes, and provides guidance to users. The intermediary processes complex signal information and transforms it into actionable recommendations, saving users time and effort in searching for signal coverage areas.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-identifying signal dead zones and calculating alternative routes before users encounter connectivity problems. By proactively mapping signal coverage areas and preparing alternative paths, the system eliminates the need for users to blindly search when they enter dead zones, thus reducing time loss and operational difficulty.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Measurement precision

If devices continuously collect and process signal data to provide real-time guidance, then signal reputation accuracy improves, but battery consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesignal reputation accuracyVSAvoidbattery consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges signal data collection efforts across multiple devices to create a collective signal reputation database. Instead of each device independently collecting and processing signal data (which would drain batteries), the system combines data from many sources to achieve high measurement precision. This collaborative approach distributes the computational burden and reduces individual device energy consumption while maintaining accurate signal reputation information.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Reliability

If the system provides detailed route planning to avoid dead zones, then connectivity reliability improves, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconnectivity reliabilityVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The signal advisor system serves as an intermediary that handles the complexity of route planning and dead zone avoidance. Instead of embedding complex routing algorithms and signal analysis capabilities in every user device, the centralized signal advisor processes signal data, identifies dead zones, and provides routing recommendations. This external intermediary approach maintains high connectivity reliability while avoiding the need for complex signal processing hardware and software in individual devices.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP3857862B1A mechanism to determine cellular signal reputation of a location and intelligently manage lack of connectivity
Publication Date: 2024.03.06 MCAFEE LLC
  • EP3857862B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3857862B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3857862B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A technique for collecting and using signal reputation data, comprising obtaining a plurality of signal reputation data corresponding to a plurality of locations, categorizing the signal reputation data into groups, calculating signal circles for at least some of the groups based on a representative signal value for the corresponding group, calculating a signal reputation score for each signal circle, determining a best signal circle for a user mobile device within a predetermined distance of dead zones, and sending the best signal circle to the user mobile device based at least in part on the signal reputation score and a location of the user mobile device. In some embodiments, the technique may include some but not all of these actions and additional actions, such as suspending obtaining signal reputation data based on battery status.