COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE

• US 20130297965A1
• Filed: 10/21/2011
• Published: 11/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: British Telecommunications (BT Group Plc) (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Mensah, Trevor
• Granted Patent: US 9,369,229 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/4.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/00 Arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received correcting synchronisation H04L7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0681 Configuration of triggering conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/18 Delegation of network management function, e.g. customer network management [CNM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5061 characterised by the interaction between service providers and their network customers, e.g. customer relationship management

Abstract

A diagnostic processor (24) is installed in a router (2) on the user side of a network termination. This processor can be downloaded from the network and can in turn be downloaded to user terminals in a local network. On detection of a fault, the processor retrieves data from a store of fault rectification instructions, for display in a form appropriate to a user terminal, giving the user instruction appropriate to the fault condition detected and the type of router being used. This allows the user to rectify the problem without recourse to online or telephone helplines, which may be unavailable because of the prevailing fault condition.

Claims

1. A diagnostic processor installed in a communications device for connection to the user side of a network termination, the diagnostic processor having a fault detection unit to detect one or more fault conditions on the user side of the network termination, a fault diagnosis unit responsive to the detection of a fault by identifying a cause for said fault conditions, a store of fault rectification instructions, the diagnosis unit being arranged to retrieve a fault rectification instruction from the store appropriate to the identified cause, and a transmitter to transmit the retrieved fault rectification instructions to a user interface.

2. A diagnostic processor according to claim 1, installed in a communications router device.

3. A diagnostic processor according to claim 2 in which failure conditions are propagated in an IP broadcast message forward into a local area network.

4. A diagnostic processor according to claim 3, wherein the instructions are transmitted to one or more user terminals connected to the router through a local area network.

5. A diagnostic processor according to claim 4, having means to identify the type of user interface to which instructions are to be transmitted and configure the instructions to be sent to the terminal dependent on the type of user interface available at that terminal.

6. A diagnostic processor according to claim 4, having means to exchange authentication data with the terminal to which instructions are to be transmitted and configure the instructions to be sent to the terminal dependent on the outcome of the authentication test.

7. A diagnostic processor according to claim 3, wherein the processes installed in the router are arranged to be downloadable to one or more user terminals.

8. A diagnostic processor according to claim 1, installed in a video download device.

9. A diagnostic processor according to claim 1, configured as software downloadable from a service provision platform.

10. A method of providing fault rectification instructions to a user terminal in response to detection of a fault condition, in which on detection of a fault condition by a communications device on the user side of a network termination, a fault rectification instruction appropriate to the identified fault is retrieved from a store on the user side and transmitted to a user interface.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the detection and retrieval processes are performed by a communications router device.

12. A method according to claim 11, in which failure conditions are propagated in an IP broadcast message forward into a local area network.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the instructions are transmitted to one or more user terminals connected to the router through a local area network.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the instructions are configured dependent on the type of user interface available at the terminal.

15. A method according to claim 13, wherein authentication data is exchanged between the router and the terminal, and the instructions are configured according to the outcome of the authentication test.