Method and system of providing data service according to a user's future location

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9693200-B2
Application number	US-201414777462-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 3, 2014
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Jun 27, 2017
Grant date	Jun 27, 2017

Abstract

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for controlling data service for a user of a telecommunication network. The method comprising: retrieving data associated with historical behavior of the user within the network; predicting, based on said data and on a current user location within the network, a future user location within the network; performing a determination of network capability at the future user location; and modifying, in response to the determination, a configuration of the network and/or a service parameter associated with the user. A network element, system and computer program product are also provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for controlling data service for a user of a telecommunication network, the method comprising:
retrieving data associated with historical behavior of the user within the telecommunication network;
predicting, based on said data and on a current user location within the telecommunication network, a future user location within the telecommunication network;
performing a determination of network capability at the future user location to identify a degradation in telecommunication network link quality at the determined future user location;
modifying, in response to the identified degradation in network link quality, a configuration of the telecommunication network and/or a service parameter associated with the user; and
performing, in response to the step of modifying, at least two of the following:
prioritizing specified data services over other data services;
communicating service-related data from the telecommunication network to user equipment associated with the user for storage in the user equipment, such that the service-related data is cached in the user equipment for use during a time period when the user is in the determined future user location within the network; and
maintaining any calls and web-browsing sessions provided by the telecommunications network at a pre-determined level.

2. A method according to claim 1 , in which the modifying step is performed in accordance with a profile of the user.

3. A method according to claim 1 in which the modifying step is performed based on a data service requested by the user.

4. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising tracking the user within the telecommunication network using information about handover and cell connections.

5. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising calculating a probable user route between the current user location and the future user location.

6. A method according to claim 1 , in which the predicting step includes predicting a series of future locations, the method further comprising calculating a probable user route based on the series.

7. A method according to claim 6 , further comprising detecting user deviation away from the route.

8. A method according to claim 7 , further comprising, in response to detection of user deviation away from the route, recalculating the route.

9. A method according to claim 1 , in which the modifying step includes providing instructions to a base station of the telecommunication network.

10. A method according to claim 1 , in which the base station is a base station located between the current user location and the future user location wherein the future user location is a white spot.

11. A method according to claim 1 , in which the base station is a base station located adjacent the future user location within the telecommunication network.

12. A method according to claim 1 , in which the historical behavior includes or is based on cell connections, cell measurements and/or requested data services.

13. A method according to claim 1 , in which the modifying step comprises tilt adjustment of a base station of the telecommunication network.

14. A method according to claim 1 , in which the modifying step comprises beam steering.

15. A method according to claim 1 , in which the modifying step comprises configuration of handover parameters.

16. A method according to claim 1 , in which the modifying step comprises expanding a cell range of the telecommunication network.

17. A method according to claim 1 , in which the modifying step comprises increasing transmit power of a base station of the telecommunication network.

18. A method according to claim 1 , in which the modifying step comprises adjusting resources scheduled to the user.

19. A method according to claim 1 , in which the modifying step comprises traffic steering.

20. A method according to claim 1 , in which the modifying step comprises identifying that the user is a priority user.

21. A method according to claim 1 , in which the predicting step comprises performing statistical analysis on the data.

22. A network element of a telecommunication network adapted to control data service for a user, the network element adapted to carry out the steps of a claim 1 .

23. A telecommunications network comprising a network element according to claim 22 , a user equipment, a radio access network comprising a base station and a core network.

24. A computer program product comprising non transitory computer readable memory comprising instructions which when executed by one or more of processors of a telecommunications network cause a network element of the telecommunication network to perform the method steps of claim 1 .

Assignees

• Vodafone Ip Licensing Ltd

Inventors

• Dunkin Andrew
• Javaid Usman
• Lioulis Nikolaos

Classifications

• H04W88/08

  Access point devices · CPC title

• H04W40/34

  Modification of an existing route · CPC title

• H04W24/02

  Arrangements for optimising operational condition · CPC title

• H04L67/2847

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W36/0083

  Determination of parameters used for hand-off, e.g. generation or modification of neighbour cell lists · CPC title