Telephonic communications – Diagnostic testing – malfunction indication – or electrical... – Of trunk or long line
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-18
2001-09-25
Tieu, Binh (Department: 2643)
Telephonic communications
Diagnostic testing, malfunction indication, or electrical...
Of trunk or long line
C379S012000, C379S016000, C379S021000, C379S032020, C270S052160
Reexamination Certificate
active
06295339
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to communication systems, and is particularly directed to a programmable test matrix switch-associated mechanism, that is operative to conduct an interactive wireline connection verification session with a craftsperson's butt set, to confirm the intended connectivity of a digital subscriber line pair through the matrix switch to customer premises equipment.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the face of the increasing demand for a variety of high speed digital data communication services (such as, but not limited to HDSL, ADSL and SDSL), telecommunication service providers are continually seeking ways to optimize utilization of their very substantial existing copper plant, that was originally installed for the purpose of carrying nothing more than conventional analog (plain old telephone service or POTS) signals. When providing a high speed digital line service to a subscriber site in response to a request by a competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC), such as an internet service provider (ISP), the incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC), such as a Bell operating company (RBOC), will customarily dispatch a technician to a remote site serving the customer premises equipment.
At the remote location, such as a curbside junction box serving the customer premises, the ILEC technician will make a physical connection for the wireline pair, through which digital data service supplied by the CLEC is to be provided to the customer's data terminal equipment, in accordance with an installation ticket derived from an archival database kept by the telco. At that point, as far as the ILEC is concerned, the job is done, since the installer is unable to verify the connection.
This inability to verify the connection is due to the fact that, unlike a conventional POTS line, which is connected legacy analog equipment at the central office, and therefore provides dial tone that enables the craftsperson to make a call back to the central office (CO) and verify that the connection is correct, the digital wireline is not so terminated, making it a ‘silent’ line. This silent condition of the digital line, coupled with the fact that the accuracy of the telco's records associated with any particular wireline pair are uncertain, frequently results in ‘no service’ complaints from the customer and the need for follow up investigation by ILEC and/or CLEC service personnel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, the above-described digital line connection verification problem is effectively obviated by means of an interactive, synthesized audio message-based mechanism, that may be installed within the supervisory control processor of a test access matrix switch, such as a CTAS matrix switch, installed in a central office, or as part of test signal generation and processing circuitry of a portable craftsperson's test set that is connectable to the matrix switch. In the non-limiting example to be detailed below, the invention resides in the test matrix switch's control processor. Cross-points of the matrix switch selectively connect high data rate digital data traffic channels supplied by a digital subscriber loop access multiplexer (DSL AM) with selected wireline twisted pairs, that are coupled via a multidistribution frame to subscriber ‘drops’, which typically extend a substantial distance out to (remote) customer premises equipment sites.
Connectivity through the interconnect matrix switch is controlled by way of a supervisory control processor that may be downloaded with communication and test control software from the test head in association with one or more CLECs that are served by the ILEC's central office equipment. Once loaded with this control software, including a routine for executing the connectivity verification mechanism of the invention, the matrix switch is operative to source digitally synthesized test signals for application to a line under test, and to conduct a digitally-based analysis of replies to such signals as supplied by a craftsperson's butt set, during an interactive line connectivity verification session, that is initiated once the ILEC craftsperson, who has been dispatched to the remote site serving the customer premises equipment, has completed the physical connection between the subscriber's line and the wireline pair of interest.
Pursuant to this verification routine, the ILEC technician performs a high impedance connection between his butt and the line, so that he is able to monitor the line without creating an ‘off-hook’ current flow condition that would be detectable by off-hook sensing circuitry at the central office matrix switch. In this high impedance bridge state, the technician unobtrusively listens to the line for a prescribed CLEC identification audio signal, that is repeatedly synthesized by the control processor of the matrix switch and supplied to cross-points associated with all unterminated lines for the CLEC of interest.
If the ILEC technician fails to hear the expected CLEC message, it is inferred that there is a physical wireline connectivity problem somewhere in the path back to the switch, including the possibility that the ILEC technician was told to connect the wrong wireline pair, or one or more potential cross-connect anomalies between the remote access location and the switch. As such a problem is associated with the ILEC's cable plant, and/or cable plant records, a separate ILEC troubleshooting operation, including intervention by the same or other ILEC service personnel is conducted.
With either no problem or a solution to the physical connectivity problem the ILEC technician will hear the CLEC's ID message, informing him that he has successfully provided a CLEC wireline path for the customer premises site back to the matrix switch. The next operation is to change the cross-connect at the matrix switch from the line verification test path to the subscription high speed path from the DSL AM.
For this purpose, the craftsperson places his butt set in an off-hook condition. In response to sensing the line going off-hook, the (CTAS) matrix switch's control processor synthesizes a prescribed user prompt message (such as “Speak or enter Password”) over the wireline path to the ILEC craftsperson's butt set. Upon hearing this prompt, the ILEC technician enters a password at his butt set. In response to detecting entry of this password, the the matrix switch's cross-connect is changed from the line test path to the DSL AM, thus changing the wireline path to the high speed DSL service provided by the CLEC, through the DSL AM and the digital wireline path that has been physically remotely completed by the technician at the remote site serving the CPE equipment.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5166925 (1992-11-01), Ward
patent: 6002746 (1999-12-01), Mulcahy et al.
Allen Dyer Doppelt Milbrath & Gilchrist, P.A.
Harris Corporation
Tieu Binh
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