Maintenance monitor for telephone switching systems
First Claim
1. A data processing system for the monitoring and maintenance of an electronic switching system wherein the said processing system obtains data from said switching system indicating the present operating status of the switching system and the processing system detects and diagnoses operation errors based on the form of this said data and communicates these results to maintenance personnel, said processing system comprising:
- a. processor means for analyzing and testing the switching system data to thereby detect and diagnose operation errors occuring in the said switching system;
b. system controller means for controlling the nature and sequence of the analysis done by said processor means;
c. memory means for the storage of data while it is manipulated by said processor means and system controller means and for the storage of ongoing switching system operation status;
d. data input means includingi. input data storage means and data input control means for the inputting and temporary storage of data supplied by said switching system independent of processor control, andii. means for coupling the input data from the input data storage means to the memory means when the processor means is ready to accept new data from analysis and testing; and
e. output means includingi. means for receiving said detected operation errors from the processor means andii. means for storing and outputting said detected operation errors.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A data processing system for monitoring a telephone switching system comprises a microprocessor controller, random access and read only memories, and data input and error output means. The data processing system analyzes the received data to determine if the switching system is operating correctly, and if it is not outputs coded information indicating the errors discovered and methods for switching system repair.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. A data processing system for the monitoring and maintenance of an electronic switching system wherein the said processing system obtains data from said switching system indicating the present operating status of the switching system and the processing system detects and diagnoses operation errors based on the form of this said data and communicates these results to maintenance personnel, said processing system comprising:
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a. processor means for analyzing and testing the switching system data to thereby detect and diagnose operation errors occuring in the said switching system; b. system controller means for controlling the nature and sequence of the analysis done by said processor means; c. memory means for the storage of data while it is manipulated by said processor means and system controller means and for the storage of ongoing switching system operation status; d. data input means including i. input data storage means and data input control means for the inputting and temporary storage of data supplied by said switching system independent of processor control, and ii. means for coupling the input data from the input data storage means to the memory means when the processor means is ready to accept new data from analysis and testing; and e. output means including i. means for receiving said detected operation errors from the processor means and ii. means for storing and outputting said detected operation errors. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A data processing system for the monitoring and maintenance of an electronic switching system including data input means, processor means, system controller means, memory means and error output means, wherein the said processing system formats data from the said switching system into data blocks having a plurality of words of one or more informational bits each, and then stores the data to await data analysis, said data input means comprising:
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a. input data proper means for insuring that received data is in the priper data block format for data analysis; b. input data storage means comprising means for temporarily storing data in the form of a plurality of data blocks reflecting switching system operation to await data analysis, and comprising means for indicating that the said data input storage means are full and cannot accept new data blocks; and c. data input control means comprising; 1. means for controlling the input data converter means such that the correct number of data words comprising the data block are inputted to the data input storage means; - View Dependent Claims (19)
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18. means for disallowing new data to be read in if the data input storage means are full;
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3. means for disallowing new data to be read into the data input storage means while data is being read out of the same storage means; and 4. means after receiving a request for a new block of data by the processor means for analysis, for coupling the next data block from the data input storage means to the said memory means independent of the microprocessor means and system control means, wherein the number of words in the data block is kept track of by counter means in the data input control means to insure that only the plurality of words in one data block is coupled through, no more and no less. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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21. A data processing system for the monitoring and maintenance of an electronic switching system including a processor unit under the control of system controller means that analyzes data received from the said switching system and outputs detected errors in the operation of said switching system via output means, said output means comprising:
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a. output storage means for the retention of any detected errors until these errors are read out by maintenance personnel; b. means whereby once the said output storage means are full to capacity with detected errors, no other errors are stored, so that the origin of a recurring switching system malfunction may be more easily discovered and repaired by maintenance personnel; and c. display means for the communication to maintenance personnel of the said errors stored in the output storage means, operable by maintenance personnel independent of the processor unit and system controller means thereby allowing read out of errors even though the processor unit continues to analyze other data.
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22. The data processing system of 20 wherein the output storage means further comprises a storage unit that does not require complex addressing but operates by shifting each error as it is stored in the said unit through to the output queue of the unit, so that if the said unit is initially empty, the first error stored automatically appears in the output port, for display, the next word stored is queued up against this word and so on, thereby requiring only a read and a write control line to operate the said unit.
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23. A data processing system for the monitoring and maintenance of an electronic telephone switching system wherein said processing system obtains data from said switching system, said processing system existing and operating apart from said switching system, and wherein the processing system detects and diagnoses operation errors based on the form of said data and communicates these results to maintenance personnel, said processing system comprising:
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a. microprocessor means comprising a microprocessor and state decoder means for analyzing and testing the telephone switching system data to thereby detect and diagnose operation errors occuring in the said switching system; b. system controller means for controlling the nature and sequence of the analysis done by said microprocessor means; c. memory means for storage of telephone switching system status and temporary storage of current switching system data being analyzed; d. data input means for inputting and temporarily storing data supplied by said switching system, including means for coupling said input data to the memory means when said data is requested by said microprocessor means; and e. error output means for the communication of detected telephone switching system operation errors to maintenance personnel. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27)
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24. In a data processing system including input storage means, memory means, controller means, and error indicator means, a method of detecting errors in an external electronic switching system comprising the steps of:
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a. detecting electronically the operating state of said switching system for determining thereby whether said switching system has attempted a new operating signal path; b. if an operating signal path has been attempted, storing data representing the specific path attempted in a queue in said input storage means behind other previously-stored path attempt data; c. transferring said specific path attempted data to said memory means when the controller means is ready to test the next path for errors and said path data is at the front of the queue; d. electronically testing said specific path attempted data with information representing the former status of that path, said path status also stored in said memory means, to determine whether or not the path attempted is in fact created and whether the path is the proper path chosen; e. if an error is found by said tests, actuating said error indicating means, so that said error is displayed thereby; f. if no error is found in the new path, updating said path status in said memory means to reflect this new path; and g. repeating of steps (a) through (f).
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Specification