Method and system for verifying modem status

• US 20050050207A1
• Filed: 10/06/2004
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lasker, Kory, Knudsen, Joseph J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,792,937 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/062 using different frequency bands for speech and other data
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/304 and using xDSL modems xDSL line qualification H04M3/306

Abstract

A system for verifying modem status for a telecommunications service provider in a broadband network serviced by a central office. The system comprising an internet interface for receiving a modem status request from the telecommunications service provider via a telecommunications network and an integrator capable of retrieving subscriber information and a server connected to the internet interface for receiving the modem status request and transmitting the modem status request to the integrator. The integrator interprets the modem status request and retrieves corresponding subscriber information and transmits the corresponding subscriber information to the server, the server thereby converting the corresponding subscriber information to a central office request and sending the central office request to the central office. The central office responding to the request and transmitting a status signal to the server and the server transmitting the signal to the internet interface which converts the status signal to a readable format for the telecommunications service provider.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing an interface to determine a modem status for each of a plurality of customers;

receiving, at the interface, a request to check a status of a modem associated with a first one of the customers;

retrieving subscriber location information associated with the first customer;

using the subscriber location information to determine a central office of a telecommunications provider associated with the modem;

transmitting, to the central office, a modem status request to query the status of the modem; and

receiving, from the central office, a status signal indicating the status of the modem.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the modem is a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) modem, and wherein retrieving subscriber location information comprises retrieving information indicating a Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLAM) associated with the DSL modem.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein transmitting the modem status request comprises transmitting the modem status request to the DSLAM.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the modem status request comprises an SNMP request.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the status signal comprises receiving the status signal from the DSLAM.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the status signal comprises receiving one of a connected status, a not connected status, and a connecting status.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising converting the status signal to a readable format.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising displaying the status signal in the readable format on a website interface.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying, on the interface, a list of one or more customer names, each customer name associated with a phone number and wherein receiving the request to check the status of the modem comprises receiving a selection of one of the customer names on the list.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface comprises an internet interface.

11. A method comprising:

providing an internet interface to determine a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) modem status for each of a plurality of customers of an Internet Service Provider (ISP);

receiving, at the internet interface, a request to check a status of a modem associated with a first one of the customers;

retrieving subscriber location information indicating a Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLAM) provisioning the modem;

transmitting a modem status request to the DSLAM; and

receiving a status signal from the DSLAM indicating one of a connected status, a not connected status, and a connecting status.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein retrieving subscriber location information comprises retrieving information indicating a customer node associated with the DSL modem.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein retrieving subscriber location information comprises retrieving information indicating a port for the DSLAM.

14. A system comprising:

an internet interface for receiving a request to check a status of a modem associated with a customer of an Internet Service Provider (ISP); and

a server to transmit a modem status request to a central office of a telecommunications provider associated with the modem and to receive, from the central office, a status signal indicating the status of the modem.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising an integrator storing subscriber location information, and wherein the server is further configured to obtain the subscriber location information from the integrator and to use the subscriber location information to determine the central office associated with the modem.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the internet interface is further configured to display the status signal in a readable format.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the modem is a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) modem and wherein the server is to transmit the modem status signal to the Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLAM) associated with the DSL modem.

18. The system of claim 14, further comprising the DSLAM.