Patents by Inventor Nichola Jane Inglis Hickman

Nichola Jane Inglis Hickman has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10557712
    Abstract: A method and system. A common route is designated as a traveled route of a mobile device for a series of consecutive movements of the mobile device in a mobile network along a path of locations from an origin location of the path at an earliest activity of two or more activities of the mobile device to a destination location of the path at a latest activity of the two or more activities. A ratio is computed as a ratio of (i) a sum of a coverage area of a start cell in which one activity of the mobile device was initiated and a coverage area of an end cell in which the one activity of the mobile device was terminated to (ii) a distance between a centroid of the start cell and a centroid of the end cell such that the distance has a positive value. A confidence value as a function of the computed ratio is determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation, Vodafone IP Licensing Limited
    Inventors: Damian F. Brennan, Nichola Jane Inglis Hickman, David Pollington, Kevin T. Scarr
  • Publication number: 20190195637
    Abstract: A method and system. A common route is designated as a traveled route of a mobile device for a series of consecutive movements of the mobile device in a mobile network along a path of locations from an origin location of the path at an earliest activity of two or more activities of the mobile device to a destination location of the path at a latest activity of the two or more activities. A ratio is computed as a ratio of (i) a sum of a coverage area of a start cell in which one activity of the mobile device was initiated and a coverage area of an end cell in which the one activity of the mobile device was terminated to (ii) a distance between a centroid of the start cell and a centroid of the end cell such that the distance has a positive value. A confidence value as a function of the computed ratio is determined.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2019
    Publication date: June 27, 2019
    Inventors: Damian F. Brennan, Nichola Jane Inglis Hickman, David Pollington, Kevin T. Scarr
  • Patent number: 10228255
    Abstract: A method and system for determining a traveled route of a mobile device in a mobile network. A determination is made of a series of consecutive movements of the mobile device along a path of locations from an origin location of the path at an earliest activity of a plurality of activities of the mobile device to a destination location of the path at a latest activity of the plurality of activities. Historical sets of routes of the mobile device are accessed from storage. At least one common route is ascertained from the set of routes, wherein the locations in each common route include all of the locations on the path. A common route of the at least one common route is designated as the traveled route of the mobile device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation, Vodafone IP Licensing Limited
    Inventors: Damian F. Brennan, Nichola Jane Inglis Hickman, David Pollington, Kevin T. Scarr
  • Patent number: 9843920
    Abstract: Method and system of detecting traffic in a transport network comprising obtaining network usage records from a mobile network. Extracting cell information from the network usage records. Identifying the network usage records originating from moving handsets from the extracted cell information. Matching the identified network usage records with one or more transport routes. Matching each of the one or more transport routes with a transport mode using transport mode map data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: Vodafone IP Licensing Limited
    Inventors: Kevin Tristan Scarr, David Pollington, Nichola Jane Inglis Hickman, Damian Frederick Brennan, Daniel Richard Mays
  • Patent number: 9357553
    Abstract: A method of managing a load within a cellular network. The method includes obtaining network usage records from the cellular network; extracting cell information from the network usage records; establishing terminal carrier routes for cellular terminals that have changed location as determined from the extracted cell information; deriving terminal carrier profile attributes for the cellular terminals that have changed location, based on the established terminal carrier routes; determining a load on a resource of the cellular network, based on the established terminal carrier routes and the derived terminal carrier profile attributes; and controlling resources of the cellular network in response to the determined load, so as to manage the load within the cellular network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignees: Vodafone IP Licensing Limited, International Business Machines
    Inventors: Kevin Tristan Scarr, David Pollington, Nichola Jane Inglis Hickman, Damian Frederick Brennan, Daniel Richard Mays
  • Publication number: 20160069692
    Abstract: A method and system for determining a traveled route of a mobile device in a mobile network. A determination is made of a series of consecutive movements of the mobile device along a path of locations from an origin location of the path at an earliest activity of a plurality of activities of the mobile device to a destination location of the path at a latest activity of the plurality of activities. Historical sets of routes of the mobile device are accessed from storage. At least one common route is ascertained from the set of routes, wherein the locations in each common route include all of the locations on the path. A common route of the at least one common route is designated as the traveled route of the mobile device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2014
    Publication date: March 10, 2016
    Inventors: Damian F. Brennan, Nichola Jane Inglis Hickman, David Pollington, Kevin T. Scarr