System and method for assigning and verifying CPE service calls in a cable network

• US 20070074261A1
• Filed: 08/31/2005
• Published: 03/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Inc. (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Berger, William, Bowen, Todd
• Granted Patent: US 7,596,800 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/129
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44245 Monitoring the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. its availability, bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6168 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system for validating two-way continuity of a customer premises equipment (CPE) unit in a hybrid fiber coax (HFC) cable network. A two-way client uses a two-way query interface to acquire information indicative of the two-way operational status of a subscriber CPE units from a two-way validation server and to display the information graphically.

Claims

1. A system for validating two-way continuity of a customer premises equipment (CPE) unit in a hybrid fiber coax (HFC) cable network comprising:

a two-way query processor adapted for;

receiving a query from a client associated with a cable service technician (“

CST”

), wherein the query comprises a CST identifier associated with the CST;

in response to the query, returning the client associated with the CST (the “

CST client”

) a work order assigned to the CST identifier, wherein the work order comprises a subscriber identifier;

receiving from the CST client an indication of selection of the subscriber identifier;

in response to selection of the subscriber identifier, executing validation instructions to obtain a response indicative of a two-way continuity of a CPE unit associated with the subscriber account identifier; and

a result analyzer adapted for;

receiving the response from the CPE unit;

assigning the CPE unit a two-way status value indicative of two-way continuity if the response is indicative of two-way continuity; and

assigning the CPE unit the two-way status value indicative of a failure of two-way continuity if the response is indicative of a failure of two-way continuity.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the CPE unit is selected from the group consisting of a set top box, a cable modem, a media terminal adapter, and a digital video recorder.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the validation instructions comprise instructions for issuing a PING command to the CPE unit.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the response indicative of two-way continuity comprises a reply to the PING command.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the response indicative of a failure of two-way continuity comprises a timeout of the PING command.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the results analyzer is further adapted for providing a MAC address of the CPE unit and the assigned two-way status value to a display server, and wherein the display server is adapted for:

creating a two-way response record comprising the MAC address of the CPE unit and the two-way status; and

sending the two-way response record to the CST client for display.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the results analyzer is further adapted for:

assigning a first graphical attribute to the MAC address of the CPE unit if the response from the CPE unit is indicative of two-way continuity; and

assigning a second graphical attribute to the MAC address of the CPE unit if the response from the CPE unit is indicative of a failure of two-way continuity; and

wherein, the display server is further adapted for displaying the two-way record in accordance with an assigned graphical attribute.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a signature query library, wherein the signature query library comprises instructions for;

creating a signature record comprising the response of the CPE unit, the CST identifier, and a timestamp comprising a time when the response was created;

associating the signature record with the subscriber account identifier; and

storing the signature record in a subscriber datastore; and

wherein the two-way query processor is further adapted for;

receiving a signature record request from the CST client; and

executing the instructions from the signature query library.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the two-way query processor is further adapted for:

receiving a notification that the work order associated with the subscriber account identifier has been completed;

determining whether the signature record request associated with the subscriber account identifier has been received from the CST client; and

associating a warning with CST identifier if the signature record request has not been received.

10. The system of claim 6 wherein the display server is further adapted for:

creating a list of work orders associated with the CST identifier; and

sending the list of work orders to the CST client for display.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein the MAC address of the CPE unit comprises a link associating the MAC address with CPE diagnostic data comprising a CPE unit MAC address, a transmit signal level, a receive signal level, and uptime data.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the display server is further adapted for:

creating a diagnostic record from the CPE diagnostic data; and

sending the diagnostic record to the CST client for display.

13. The system of claim 1 further comprising a job query library comprising qualification instructions, and wherein the two-way query processor is further adapted for:

acquiring a profile of associated with the CST identifier (the “

CST profile”

), wherein the CST profile comprises qualification data indicative of a skill level of the CST associated with the CST identifier; and

acquiring a skill level requirement for the work order; and

wherein the results analyzer is further adapted for;

receiving the CST profile;

receiving the skill level requirement for the work order;

making a determination whether the skill level reflected in the CST profile is appropriate to the skill level requirement of the work order; and

reassigning the work order if the skill level reflected in the CST profile is not appropriate to the skill level requirement of the work order.

14. A method for validating two-way continuity of a CPE unit in a hybrid fiber coax (HFC) cable network comprising:

receiving a query from a client associated with a cable service technician (“

CST”

), wherein the query comprises a CST identifier associated with the CST;

in response to the query, returning the client associated with the CST (the “

CST client”

) a work order assigned to the CST identifier, wherein the work order comprises a subscriber identifier;

receiving from the CST client an indication of selection of the subscriber identifier;

in response to selection of the subscriber identifier, executing validation instructions to obtain a response indicative of a two-way continuity of a CPE unit associated with the subscriber account identifier;

receiving the response from the CPE unit;

assigning the CPE unit a two-way status value indicative of two-way continuity if the response is indicative of two-way continuity; and

assigning the CPE unit the two-way status value indicative of a failure of two-way continuity if the response is indicative of a failure of two-way continuity;

creating a two-way response record comprising a MAC address of the CPE unit and the two-way status; and

displaying two-way response record on the CST client.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the CPE unit is selected from the group consisting of a set top box, a cable modem, a media terminal adapter, and a digital video recorder.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the validation instructions comprise instructions for issuing a PING command to the CPE unit.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein a response indicative of two-way continuity comprises a reply to the PING command.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein a response indicative of a failure of two-way continuity comprises a timeout of the PING command.

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

assigning a first graphical attribute to the MAC address of the CPE unit if the response from the CPE unit is indicative of two-way continuity; and

assigning a second graphical attribute to the MAC address of the CPE unit if the response from the CPE unit is indicative of a failure of two-way continuity; and

wherein displaying two-way response record on the CST client comprises displaying the two-way record in accordance with an assigned graphical attribute.

20. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

creating a signature record comprising the response of the CPE unit, the CST identifier, and a timestamp comprising a time when the response was created;

associating the signature record with the subscriber account identifier; and

storing the signature record in a subscriber datastore.

21. The method of claim 20 the method further comprising:

receiving a notification that the work order associated with the subscriber account identifier has been completed;

determining whether the signature record request associated with the subscriber account identifier has been received from the CST client; and

associating a warning with CST identifier if the signature record request has not been received.

22. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

creating a list of work orders associated with the CST identifier; and

displaying the list of work orders on the CST client.

23. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

creating a work order record from work order data; and

displaying the work order record on the CST client.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein work order data is selected from the group consisting of a work order identifier, the subscriber account identifier, a subscriber address, a VOD pool identifier, a cable node identifier, and a comment.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the work order further comprises a work order identifier, and wherein the work order identifier comprises a work order link associating the work order to the work order record, and wherein the method further comprises accessing the work order record via the work order link.

26. The method of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises:

creating a diagnostic record from CPE diagnostic data; and

sending the diagnostic record to the CST client for display.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein CPE diagnostic data is selected from the MAC address of the CPE unit, a transmit signal level, a receive signal level, and uptime data.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the CPE diagnostic data comprises the MAC address of the CPE unit, wherein MAC address of the CPE unit comprises a MAC link associating the MAC address of the CPE unit to the diagnostic record, and wherein the method further comprises accessing the diagnostic record via the MAC link.

29. The method of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises:

acquiring a profile of associated with the CST identifier (the “

CST profile”

), wherein the CST profile comprises qualification data indicative of a skill level of the CST associated with the CST identifier;

acquiring a skill level requirement for the work order;

making a determination whether the skill level reflected in the CST profile is appropriate to the skill level requirement of the work order; and

reassigning the work order if the skill level reflected in the CST profile is not appropriate to the skill level requirement of the work order.