Telecommunications virtual simulator

• US 20030215779A1
• Filed: 05/08/2002
• Published: 11/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services GmbH (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Koldyke, Brian, Dupont, Anne
• Granted Patent: US 6,976,846 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/350
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F

Abstract

A method and system for simulation training of one or more persons in the installation and/or repair of telecommunications equipment. The method includes presenting a plurality of scenarios associated with the installation and/or repair of telecommunications equipment to a user viewing a display, providing predetermined desired user inputs responsive to the presented plurality of scenarios, and providing a user input means for the user to transmit user inputs to the computer for responding to the plurality of scenarios. The user inputs represent actions by a user controllable virtual person representing the user to perform a series of simulated person interactions and simulated physical tasks associated with telecommunications equipment installation. The user inputs responsive to the plurality of scenarios are received and stored. The user inputs responsive to the plurality of scenarios are compared with the desired user inputs, and subsequent possible simulated person interactions and simulated physical tasks presented to the user are partially dependent on the previous user inputs.

Claims

1. A method for simulation training of one or more persons in the installation and/or repair of telecommunications equipment comprising:

presenting a plurality of scenarios associated with the installation and/or repair of telecommunications equipment to a user viewing a display;

providing predetermined desired user inputs responsive to the presented plurality of scenarios;

providing a user input means for the user to transmit user inputs to the computer for responding to the plurality of scenarios, wherein the user inputs represent actions by a user controllable virtual person representing the user to perform a series of simulated person interactions and simulated physical tasks associated with telecommunications equipment installation;

receiving and storing the user inputs responsive to the plurality of scenarios;

comparing the user inputs responsive to the plurality of scenarios with the desired user inputs, wherein subsequent possible simulated person interactions and simulated physical tasks presented to the user are partially dependent on the previous user inputs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of scenarios reflect areas of training predetermined as integral to the installation and/or repair of telecommunications equipment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of scenarios comprise:

a first plurality of images associated with a telecommunications technician'"'"'s work location;

a second plurality of images associated with an inside terminal room at a customer building; and

a third plurality of images associated with a communications equipment room at a customer building.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising a fourth plurality of images associated with the customer lobby at a customer building.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a video file responsive to the user inputs following comparing the user inputs responsive to the plurality of scenarios with the desired user inputs.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising playing an audio file and displaying associated text to the user responsive to user inputs.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving user inputs comprising textual information responsive to the simulated person interactions.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving user inputs to control the direction of movement of the user controllable virtual person.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving user inputs to control the location of the user controllable virtual person within a scenario.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising evaluating user performance based on comparing the user inputs responsive to the plurality of scenarios with the desired user inputs.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the display comprises a first area displaying a scenario and a second area displaying a textual interface box, wherein the textual interface box displays text entered by the user, text associated with communication from a virtual person in a scenario, or text responsive to user questions.

12. A method for providing simulation training of one or more persons in the installation and/or repair of telecommunications equipment comprising:

providing a computer readable storage medium encoded with computer readable code that corresponds to a plurality of scenarios associated with the installation and/or repair of telecommunications equipment, wherein each scenario includes computer code that can instruct a computer system to present a plurality of images to a user viewing a display, and wherein each scenario includes computer code that can receive responsive user inputs to the plurality of images and compare the responsive user inputs with predetermined desired user inputs.

13. A computer system for simulation training of one or more persons in the installation and/or repair of telecommunications equipment comprising:

a memory means for storing a plurality images associated with the installation and/or repair of telecommunications equipment

a display means for displaying to a user a plurality of scenarios associated with the simulated installation and or repair of telecommunications equipment

an input means for providing a user input means for the user to transmit user inputs to the computer for responding to the plurality of scenarios, wherein the user inputs represent actions by a user controllable virtual person representing the user to perform a series of simulated person interactions and physical tasks associated with telecommunications equipment installation;

a processor means for comparing the user inputs with the desired user inputs, wherein subsequent possible simulated person interactions and simulated physical tasks presented to the user are partially dependent on the previous user inputs.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the display means and input means are remote from the memory means and processor means.

15. An apparatus for providing simulation training of one or more persons in the installation and/or repair of telecommunications equipment comprising:

a computer readable storage medium encoded with computer readable code that corresponds to a plurality of scenarios associated with the installation and/or repair of telecommunications equipment, wherein each scenario includes computer code that can instruct a computer system to present a plurality of images to a user viewing a display, and wherein each scenario includes computer code that can receive responsive user inputs to the plurality of images and compare the responsive user inputs with pre-determined desired user inputs.