System and method for mapping wireless network coverage

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10264470-B2
Application number	US-201715855226-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 27, 2017
Priority date	Nov 2, 2015
Publication date	Apr 16, 2019
Grant date	Apr 16, 2019

Abstract

Disclosed is a system for collecting data and mapping wireless network coverage in a building such as a retail store. A mobile computing device is used by an employee to collect data captures and wireless coverage indicators in the retail store. The wireless coverage indicator includes data on the status of wireless network coverage in the location where the data capture was collected. The data capture and the wireless coverage indicators are wirelessly transmitted to a utility for mapping a building when a wireless network is available. If no wireless network is available, the data is stored in the mobile computing device until a wireless network is available. The utility for mapping a building uses information in the data capture to determine the location where the data capture was collected, and maps the data in the wireless coverage indicator to the location on a map of the building.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for determining the status of wireless network access points in a building, the system comprising:
a mobile computing device wherein the mobile computing device comprises:
a data capture module, wherein the data capture module collects a barcode scan; and
a coverage capture module, wherein the coverage capture module creates a wireless coverage indicator associated with the barcode scan, and wherein the wireless coverage indicator comprises a first measurement of a signal strength of a first wireless network, a second measurement of a signal strength of a second wireless network, and access point indicator data; and
a data capture memory, wherein the mobile computing device stores the barcode scan and the wireless coverage indicator in the data capture memory in response to the first measurement of the signal strength of the first wireless network and the second measurement of the signal strength of the second wireless network being less than a predetermined minimum wireless network signal strength; and

a utility for mapping a building, wherein the utility for mapping a building is resident on a server and is communicatively coupled to the mobile computing device;
wherein the utility for mapping a building correlates the barcode scan to a location in the building, correlates the access point indicator to an access point in the building, and maps the wireless coverage indicator to the location and the access point in response to receiving the barcode scan and the wireless coverage indicator from the mobile computing device.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the mobile computing device transmits the barcode scan and the wireless coverage indicator to the utility for mapping a building in response to the mobile computing device receiving a wireless network signal from the first and/or the second wireless network.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the first and the second wireless network each receive a rank according to their preference.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the rank of the first and the second wireless network is used to determine which of the first or the second wireless network to use for communication between the mobile computing device and the utility for mapping a building.

5. A system for mapping wireless network coverage of an area, the system comprising:
a mobile computing device comprising:
a data capture module, wherein the data capture module collects a data capture;
a coverage capture module, wherein the coverage capture module creates a wireless coverage indicator associated with the data capture, and wherein the wireless coverage indicator comprises a first measurement of a signal strength of a first wireless network and a second measurement of a signal strength of a second wireless network;
and
a data capture memory, wherein the mobile computing device stores the data capture and the wireless coverage indicator in the data capture memory in response to the first measurement of the signal strength of the first wireless network and the second measurement of the signal strength of the second wireless network being less than a predetermined minimum wireless network signal strength; and

a data processing device comprising a utility for mapping a building, wherein the utility for mapping a building correlates the data capture to a location, and maps the wireless coverage indicator to the location in response to receiving the data capture and the wireless coverage indicator from the mobile computing device.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the mobile computing device transmits the data capture and the wireless coverage indicator to the utility for mapping a building in response to the mobile computing device receiving a wireless network signal from the first and/or the second wireless network.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the mobile computing device transmits the data capture and the wireless coverage indicator to the utility for mapping a building in response to the mobile computing device receiving a wireless network signal from either the first or the second wireless network with a signal strength greater than the predetermined minimum wireless network signal strength level.

8. The system of claim 5 , wherein the wireless coverage indicator comprises an indication of whether the mobile computing device is receiving a wireless network signal from the first and/or the second wireless network.

9. The system of claim 5 , wherein the mobile computing device transmits the data capture and the wireless coverage indicator to the utility for mapping a building using the second wireless network in response to the first measurement of the signal strength of the first wireless network being less than a predetermined minimum wireless network signal strength and the second measurement of the signal strength of the second wireless network being greater than the predetermined minimum wireless network signal strength.

10. The system of claim 5 , wherein the data capture comprises a barcode scan.

11. The system of claim 5 , wherein the data capture comprises a digital image.

12. The system of claim 5 , wherein the data capture comprises a radio frequency identification (RFID) capture.

13. A system for mapping wireless network coverage of a building, the system comprising:
a mobile computing device, wherein the mobile computing device collects a barcode scan, wherein the mobile computing device creates a wireless coverage indicator associated with the barcode scan, and wherein the wireless coverage indicator comprises a first measurement of a signal strength of a first wireless network and a second measurement of a signal strength of a second wireless network;
and
a utility for mapping a building, wherein the utility for mapping a building is communicatively coupled to the mobile computing device;
wherein the mobile computing device transmits the barcode scan and the wireless coverage indicator to the utility for mapping a building using the second wireless network in response to the first measurement of the signal strength of the first wireless network being less than a predetermined minimum wireless network signal strength and the second measurement of the signal strength of the second wireless network being greater than the predetermined minimum wireless network signal strength;
and
wherein the utility for mapping a building correlates the barcode scan to a location in the building, and maps the wireless coverage indicator to the location in response to receiving the barcode scan and the wireless coverage indicator from the mobile computing device.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the mobile computing device stores the barcode scan and the wireless coverage indicator in response to the first measurement of the signal strength of the first wireless network and the second measurement of the signal strength of the second wireless network being less than the predetermined minimum wireless network signal strength.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the mobile computing device transmits the barcode scan and the wireless coverage indicator to the utility for mapping a building using the second wireless network in response to the first measurement of the signal strength of the first wireless network being less than the predetermined minimum wireless network signal strength and the second measurement of the signal strength of the second wireless network being greater than the predetermined minimum wireless network signal strength.

16. The system of claim 13 , wherein the mobile computing device transmits the barcode scan and the wireles

Assignees

• Walmart Apollo Llc

Inventors

• Jones Nicholaus Adam
• Jones Matthew Allen
• Taylor Robert James
• Shields Daniel R
• Fletter Marc Ashley

Classifications

• H04W4/021

  Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences · CPC title

• H04W48/18

  Selecting a network or a communication service · CPC title

• H04W48/16

  Discovering, processing access restriction or access information · CPC title

• H04W4/33

  for indoor environments, e.g. buildings · CPC title

• H04W16/20 Primary

  for indoor coverage or short range network deployment · CPC title