System and method for optimizing a wireless network by adaptive configuration of base stations and wireless terminals

Claim 2

For use in a wireless voice communications network having geographically-distributed base stations that serve wireless terminals located at a fixed location, a system for improving an operation of said wireless voice communications network, comprising: a signal quality determination circuit that determines a relative quality of signals communicated between one of said wireless terminals associated with said fixed location and a set of base stations within range of said one of said wireless terminals; and a base station selection circuit, coupled to said signal quality determination circuit, that selects a base station in said set of base stations to serve said one of said wireless terminals based jointly upon a compromise between said relative quality of signals and a traffic loading of said set of base stations to distribute said traffic loading across said set of base stations, ones of said set of base stations located external of said fixed location, said system being contained within said one of said wireless terminals.

Claim 3

The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said relative quality of said signals is determined with reference to a signal characteristic selected from the group consisting of: signal strength, signal distortion, and signal continuity.

Claim 4

The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said system is associated with each of said base stations, said base station selection circuit optimizing an assignment of said wireless terminals to said base stations based jointly upon a compromise between said relative quality of signals and a traffic loading of said set of base stations to distribute said traffic loading across said set of base stations.

Claim 5

The system as recited in claim 3 wherein said optimizing further includes optimizing said assignment of said wireless terminals to said base stations based upon time of day, weather, addition of said base stations or removal of said base stations thereby to optimize an overall traffic assignment of said wireless voice communications network.

Claim 6

The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said signal quality determination circuit and said base station selection circuit operate continually.

Claim 7

The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said base stations have a multi-beam antenna associated therewith.

Claim 8

The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said wireless terminals have a multi-beam antenna associated therewith.

Claim 9

The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said wireless terminals have an electrically or mechanically steerable antenna associated therewith.

Claim 10

For use in a wireless voice communications network having geographically-distributed base stations that serve wireless terminals located at a fixed location, a method of improving an operation of said wireless voice communications network, comprising: determining a relative quality of signals communicated between one of said wireless terminals associated with said fixed location and a set of base stations within range of said one of said wireless terminals; and selecting a base station in said set of base stations to serve said one of said wireless terminals based jointly upon a compromise between said relative quality of signals and a traffic loading of said set of base stations to distribute said traffic loading across said set of base stations, ones of said base stations located external of said fixed location, said determining and said selecting being carried out in said one of said wireless terminals.

Claim 11

For use in a wireless voice communications network having geographically-distributed base stations that serve wireless terminals located at a fixed location, a method of improving an operation of said wireless voice communications network, comprising: determining a relative quality of signals communicated between one of said wireless terminals associated with said fixed location and a set of base stations within range of said one of said wireless terminals; and selecting a base station in said set of base stations to serve said one of said wireless terminals based jointly upon a compromise between said relative quality of signals and a traffic loading of said set of base stations to distribute said traffic loading across said set of base stations, ones of said base stations located external of said fixed location, said determining and said selecting being carried out in said one of said wireless terminals.

Claim 12

The method as recited in claim 9 wherein said determining comprises determining said relative quality of said signals with reference to a signal characteristic selected from the group consisting of: signal strength, signal distortion, and signal continuity.

Claim 13

The method as recited in claim 9 wherein said method is performed in each of said base stations, said method further comprising optimizing an assignment of said wireless terminals to said base stations based jointly upon a compromise between said relative quality of signals and a traffic loading of said set of base stations to distribute said traffic loading across said set of base stations.

Claim 14

The method as recited in claim 11 wherein said optimizing further includes optimizing said assignment of said wireless terminals to said base stations based upon time of day, weather, addition of said base stations or removal of said base stations thereby to optimize an overall traffic assignment of said wireless voice communications network.

Claim 15

The method as recited in claim 9 further comprising continually repeating said determining and selecting.

Claim 16

The method as recited in claim 9 wherein said base stations have a multi-beam antenna associated therewith.

Claim 17

The method as recited in claim 9 wherein said wireless terminals have a multi-beam antenna associated therewith.

Claim 18

The method as recited in claim 9 wherein said wireless terminals have an electrically or mechanically steerable antenna associated therewith.

Claim 19

A wireless voice communications network, comprising: a plurality of wireless terminals, each of said plurality of wireless terminals associated with a fixed location; geographically-distributed base stations of a wireless bypass network that serve said plurality of wireless terminals; and a system for improving an overall traffic assignment of said wireless voice communications network, including: a signal quality determination circuit that determines a relative quality of signals communicated between each of said base stations and a set of said plurality of wireless terminals within range of said each of said base stations, and a base station selection circuit, coupled to said signal quality determination circuit, that optimizes an assignment of said plurality of wireless terminals to said base stations based jointly upon a compromise between said relative quality of signals and a traffic loading of said base stations to distribute said traffic loading across said base stations thereby to improve said overall traffic assignment, ones of said base stations located external of said fixed location, said system being contained within said one of said wireless terminals.

Claim 20

A wireless voice communications network, comprising: a plurality of wireless terminals, each of said plurality of wireless terminals associated with a fixed location; geographically-distributed base stations of a wireless bypass network that serve said plurality of wireless terminals; and a system for improving an overall traffic assignment of said wireless voice communications network, including: a signal quality determination circuit that determines a relative quality of signals communicated between each of said base stations and a set of said plurality of wireless terminals within range of said each of said base stations, and a base station selection circuit, coupled to said signal quality determination circuit, that optimizes an assignment of said plurality of wireless terminals to said base stations based jointly upon a compromise between said relative quality of signals and a traffic loading of said base stations to distribute said traffic loading across said base stations thereby to improve said overall traffic assignment, ones of said base stations located external of said fixed location, said system being contained within said one of said wireless terminals.

Claim 21

The wireless voice communications network as recited in claim 17 wherein said relative quality of said signals is determined with reference to a signal characteristic selected from the group consisting of: signal strength, signal distortion, and signal continuity.

Claim 22

The wireless voice communications network as recited in claim 17 wherein said signal quality determination circuit and said base station selection circuit operate continually.

Claim 23

The wireless voice communications network as recited in claim 17 wherein said wireless voice communications network is a cellular network.

Claim 24

The wireless voice communications network as recited in claim 17 wherein said plurality of wireless terminals are cellular telephones.

Claim 25

The wireless voice communications network as recited in claim 17 wherein said base stations have a multi-beam antenna associated therewith.

Claim 26

The wireless voice communications network as recited in claim 17 wherein said wireless terminals have a multi-beam antenna associated therewith.

Claim 27

The wireless voice communications network as recited in claim 17 wherein said wireless terminals have an electrically or mechanically steerable antenna associated therewith.

Claim 28

The wireless voice communications network as recited in claim 17 wherein said base station selection circuit further optimizes said assignment of said wireless terminals to said base stations based upon time of day, weather, addition of said base stations or removal of said base stations thereby to optimize an overall traffic assignment of said wireless voice communications network.