Pressure alarms and reports system module for proactive maintenance application

• US 20040258213A1
• Filed: 07/14/2004
• Published: 12/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elizabeth Ann Beamon, Philip B. Ashcraft, Ronald L. Rozier
• Original Assignee: Elizabeth Ann Beamon, Philip B. Ashcraft, Ronald L. Rozier
• Inventors: Rozier, Ronald L., Beamon, Elizabeth Ann, Ashcraft, Philip B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,085,356 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/9
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/24 Arrangements for testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/247 Knowledge-based maintenance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/30 for subscriber's lines , for the local loop

Abstract

Methods and systems for proactively maintaining a telephone system local loop. One embodiment includes communicating with a communications network and acquiring information associated with pressure or flow sensors along fiber optic cables. Proactive maintenance of the fiber optic cables is predicted using the information associated with pressure or flow sensors. The embodiment may further include generating and dispatching work order information describing the predicted proactive maintenance. The embodiment may also include predicting proactive maintenance of telephone lines using information from a Dynamic Network Analyzer and using information from a Loop Facilities and Control System. Another embodiment includes a system for predicting proactive maintenance of a telephone system local loop. This embodiment includes a Pressure Alarms and Reports System Module, a database stored in memory, and a processor. The Pressure Alarms and Reports System Module communicates with a communications network and acquires at least one of i) pressure information associated with fiber optic cables and ii) flow information associated with fiber optic cables. The database stores the acquired information. The processor processes information stored in the database and generates predicted proactive maintenance.

Claims

1. A method for proactively maintaining a telephone system local loop, the method comprising:

communicating with a communications network and acquiring at least one of i) pressure information associated with fiber optic cables and ii) flow information associated with fiber optic cables; and

predicting proactive maintenance of the fiber optic cables using the acquired information.

2. A method for proactively maintaining a telephone system local loop according to claim 1, further comprising generating work order information describing the predicted proactive maintenance.

3. A method for proactively maintaining a telephone system local loop according to claim 1, further comprising dispatching the work order information.

4. A method for proactively maintaining a telephone system local loop according to claim 1, further comprising predicting proactive maintenance of telephone lines using information from a Dynamic Network Analyzer.

5. A method for proactively maintaining a telephone system local loop according to claim 4, further comprising generating work order information describing the predicted proactive maintenance of the fiber optic cables and the predicted proactive maintenance of the telephone lines.

6. A method for proactively maintaining a telephone system local loop according to claim 4, further comprising dispatching work order information describing the predicted proactive maintenance of the fiber optic cables and the predicted proactive maintenance of the telephone lines.

7. A method for proactively maintaining a telephone system local loop according to claim 1, further comprising predicting proactive maintenance of telephone lines using information from a Loop Facilities and Control System.

8. A method for proactively maintaining a telephone system local loop according to claim 7, further comprising generating work order information describing the predicted proactive maintenance of the fiber optic cables and the predicted proactive maintenance of the telephone lines.

9. A method for proactively maintaining a telephone system local loop according to claim 7, further comprising dispatching work order information describing the predicted proactive maintenance of the fiber optic cables and the predicted proactive maintenance of the telephone lines.

10. A method for proactively maintaining a telephone system local loop according to claim 1, further comprising interfacing with a technician dispatch system to dispatch work order information describing the predicted proactive maintenance.

11. A method for proactively maintaining a telephone system local loop according to claim 1, further comprising interfacing with a TELCORDIA Tech Access System to dispatch work order information describing the predicted proactive maintenance.

12. A method for proactively maintaining a telephone system local loop according to claim 1, further comprising interfacing with a Loop Maintenance Operating System to dispatch work order information describing the predicted proactive maintenance.

13. A system configured for predicting proactive maintenance of a telephone system local loop, the system comprising:

a Pressure Alarms and Reports System Module communicating with a communications network and acquiring at least one of i) pressure information associated with fiber optic cables and ii) flow information associated with fiber optic cables;

a database stored in memory, the database storing the acquired information; and

a processor capable of processing information stored in the database and of generating predicted proactive maintenance.

14. A system for predicting proactive maintenance according to claim 13, further comprising a Dynamic Network Analyzer module, the Dynamic Network Analyzer module communicating with the communications network and acquiring information associated with a Dynamic Network Analyzer.

15. A system for predicting proactive maintenance according to claim 13, further comprising a Loop Facilities and Control System module, the Loop Facilities and Control System module communicating with the communications network and acquiring information associated with a Loop Facilities and Control System.

16. A computer program product for proactively maintaining a telephone system;

comprising;

a computer-readable medium; and

a Pressure Alarms and Reports System module stored on the medium, the Pressure Alarms and Reports System module coupled to a monitoring system over a communications network, the Pressure Alarms and Reports System module acquiring at least one of i) information associated with pressure sensors along fiber optic cables and ii) information associated with flow sensors along fiber optic cables.

17. A computer program product according to claim 16, further comprising a Dynamic Network Analyzer module stored on the medium, the Dynamic Network Analyzer module coupled to a Dynamic Network Analyzer over a communications network, the Dynamic Network Analyzer module acquiring information associated with the Dynamic Network Analyzer.

18. A computer program product according to claim 16, further comprising a Loop Facilities and Control System module stored on the medium, the Loop Facilities and Control System module coupled to a Loop Facilities and Control System over a communications network, the Loop Facilities and Control System module acquiring information associated with the Loop Facilities and Control System.

19. A computer program product for proactively maintaining a telephone system local loop comprising:

a computer-readable medium including instructions for causing a processor to implement;

communicating with a communications network and acquiring at least one of pressure information associated with a fiber optic cable and flow information associated with the fiber optic cable;

predicting and prioritizing proactive maintenance of the fiber optic cable using changes in the acquired pressure and flow information;

merging a pending service order information into the predicted and prioritized proactive maintenance;

generating and dispatching work order information describing the predicted and prioritized proactive maintenance and the merged pending service order information; and

receiving a progress update for the work order information from the communications network through a common repository of the work order information which is accessed by a user, wherein the user is authorized to access the common repository.