Telecommunications – Radiotelephone system – Zoned or cellular telephone system
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-30
2003-01-14
Maung, Nay (Department: 2681)
Telecommunications
Radiotelephone system
Zoned or cellular telephone system
C455S424000, C455S067700, C455S115200, C379S026010, C379S026020
Reexamination Certificate
active
06507737
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention provides for monitoring the continuity and integrity of communication trunks and more particularly for automatically monitoring communication trunks of a communication system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Communication systems comprise various communication equipment connected to each other by media (e.g., copper wire, coaxial cables, optical fibers) through which communication signals carrying information are conveyed. Communication equipment are various equipment that transmit and receive communication signals conveyed throughout a communication system. Communication systems are designed with media that have relatively large information capacities for conveying information within a communication system or between different communication systems. Such media are an important part of the infrastructure of communication systems and will hereinafter be referred to as communication links. Communication links are used, for example, to connect telephony systems to wireless communication systems. Communication links are logically configured as a bundle of communication channels commonly referred to as communication trunks.
Referring to
FIG. 1
, there is shown a wireless communication system (
100
) that uses communication links for interconnecting its communication equipment and to also connect to another communication system. The other communication system is a well known telephony system known as the Public Switched Telephone Network
142
(PSTN) familiar to users of telephony equipment (e.g., telephones, facsimile machines). Wireless communication system
100
comprises Base Stations (BS) representing equipment that are part of or form cells. The cells are symbolic representations of distinct geographical areas that define the physical boundaries within which a base station conveys (i.e., transmits and receives) user information. In particular BS
128
forms cell
134
, BS
130
is part of cell
136
, BS
132
is part of cell
140
, BS
133
is part of cell
138
. The Base Stations are communication equipment including radios that convey communication signals (i.e., transmit and receive) between users within the cells and also convey information over communication trunks connected to Switch
118
and Processor
124
. User information, commonly referred to as subscriber traffic, is information generated by users. The Base Stations also convey system information which is information generated by communication equipment to control and operate the communication system. An example of system information is signaling information used by communication equipment to regulate the flow of user information within a communication trunk. In portions of the current PSTN and in wireless communication systems such as communication system
100
, the subscriber voice traffic is represented in digital form known as Pulse Coded Modulation (PCM).
Switch
118
and Processor
124
are part of the communication equipment that convey system information for operating and controlling wireless communication
100
. Switch
118
and Processor
124
are typically co-located with other equipment at a location referred to as a Mobile Switching Center (MSC). Thus, both Switch
118
and Processor
124
are located at MSC
144
. BS
130
is connected to Switch
118
via communication link
106
. Communication trunk link connects BS
132
to Switch
118
. Communication link
110
connects BS
133
to Switch
118
. Each Base Station is connected to Processor
124
via a system communication link. For purposes of clarity, each system communication link is denoted by a broken line. The system communication links (
104
,
112
,
108
,
116
) can be part of a communication link or they can be physically separate links. The system communication links are connected between the Base Station equipment and Processor
124
. Processor
124
is also connected to Switch
118
via a system communication link (
122
). Only system information are conveyed through the system communication links. Under the control of Processor
124
, Switch
118
routes user information between PSTN
142
and wireless communication system
100
with the use of communication trunks within communication link
120
. Switch
118
also routes user system information through the various communication trunks of the communication links connected to the Base Stations of wireless communication system
100
. In particular, communication links
102
,
106
,
110
,
112
and
114
all comprise communication trunks which are used by communication equipment within communication system
100
to convey user information. One particular well known Switch is the 5ESS Digital Cellular Switch (DCS) designed and manufactured by Lucent Technologies of Murray Hill, N.J. The system information is generated by Processor
124
allowing Processor
124
to control Switch
118
and control the operation of the communication trunks. System information is conveyed between Processor
124
and Switch
118
over system communication link
122
. Processor
124
sends commands to Switch
118
over communication trunks within communication link
122
instructing Switch
118
to perform various system operations for the control the operation of the communication trunks.
BS station
128
is connected to Switch
118
via communication link
102
. The physical length of some communication links is such that sometimes the communication signals suffer some degradation. In such cases, the communication links are provided with relay communication equipment (e.g., Relay
126
) that revitalize the communication signals propagating through such communication links. Signal degradation also occur because of physical deformities (e.g., damaged cable) present at one or more points along the communication link.
The successful operation of wireless communication systems and other types of communication systems is largely dependent on the communication trunks used in such systems. System operators, i.e., owners of communication equipment and communication trunks, have used standard techniques for monitoring communication trunks and for determining whether such trunks are operating properly. For ease of understanding and for the purpose of illustration, a typical technique for monitoring a trunk is discussed using a communication trunk within communication link
102
.
A craftsperson, typically employed by the system operator, first determines whether a trunk within link
102
is idle. An idle trunk is a communication trunk through which no user information is being conveyed. The craftsperson determines whether a particular trunk is idle by obtaining such information from Switch
118
or Processor
124
. Such information is processed and stored in accordance with the protocol being followed by communication system
100
. A protocol is a set of rules that define how communications between users and between communication equipment are initiated, maintained and terminated. It should be noted that a craftsperson can request that a trunk be made idle in which case Switch
118
under the control of Processor
124
removes subscriber traffic from the trunk to make the trunk idle.
Once a craftsperson has determined that trunk
102
is idle, the craftsperson sends a command (or commands) to Processor
124
requesting that the trunk within link
102
be taken out of service and then tested. Service to the users of the trunk is thus interrupted. The craftsperson sends the command by operating Processor
124
causing said equipment to transmit information recognized by Switch
118
as a request to take the trunk out of service and then to perform a continuity test for the trunk. Processor
124
also sends a request to BS
128
indicating that a particular trunk within link
102
is to be taken out of service and then tested. BS
128
typically comprises a test card (not shown) that is activated upon receipt of such a command and along with Switch
118
and Processor
124
performs the continuity test. BS
128
(and the other Base Stations) al
Laham Mohammad Ali
Lamoureux Philip
Leonard Eric David
Gruzdkov Yuri
Lucent Technologies - Inc.
Maung Nay
Mendelsohn Steve
Trinh Sonny
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