Wireless telephone network centralized maintenance method

• US 5,297,193 A
• Filed: 05/29/1991
• Issued: 03/22/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alcatel NV (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel NV (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Hilbert, Claude, Bouix, Alain
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Jin F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne D.
• Application Number:
  US07/706,970
• Time in Patent Office: 1,028 Days
• Field of Search: 379/2, 379/26, 379/32, 379/63, 379/58-60, 379/112, 370/13, 370/60, 370/60.1, 370/110.1
• US Class Current: 455/423
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

A wireless telephone network includes a distribution network having fixed stations and wireless digital telephones linked by radio to the fixed stations, an integrated services digital public switching telephone network to which each fixed station is connected by a user to user signaling channel, service control points connected to the public switching telephone network and each having a wireless telephone service subscriber database and a call processing device, and a service management system having a reference database. The network is maintained on a centralized basis by transmitting a maintenance message from a fixed station to a service control point over the user to user signaling channel in response to the fixed station detecting a fault, generating a maintenance ticket at the service control point, transmitting the maintenance ticket to the service control point, and storing the maintenance ticket in the database.

Claims

1. Centralized maintenance method for a wireless telephone network including a distribution network having fixed stations and wireless digital telephones linked by radio to the fixed stations, an integrated services digital public telephone network to which each of the fixed stations is connected by one or more circuit switched telephone channels and a message mode switched user-to-user signaling channel, service control points connected to said public switching telephone network and each containing a wireless telephone service subscriber database and a call processing device, and a service management system comprising a reference database, said method comprising the steps:

downloading software having an associated software version at the initiative of an operator of one of said fixed stations from said service management system via said one service control point over one of said circuit switched telephone channels,

detecting a fault at said one fixed station;

using the user-to-user signaling channel to transmit a maintenance message including a word identifying said associated software version from the fixed station to an associated one of the service control points as soon as the fault has thus been detected by the fixed station, in parallel with and independently of any telephone signals being transmitted over said circuit-switched telephone channels;

generating a maintenance ticket at said service control point as soon as the maintenance message has thus been transmitted over the user-to-user channel; and

transmitting the thus generated maintenance ticket to said service management system and storing it in said reference database.

2. Centralized maintenance method for a wireless telephone network including a distribution network having fixed stations and wireless digital telephones linked by radio to the fixed stations, an integrated services digital public telephone network to which each of the fixed stations is connected by one or more circuit switched telephone channels and a message mode switched user-to-user signaling channel, service control points connected to said public switching telephone network and each containing a wireless telephone service subscriber database and a call processing device, and a service management system comprising a reference database, said method comprising the steps:

detecting a fault at one of the fixed stations;

using the user-to-user signaling channel to transmit a maintenance message from said one fixed station to an associated one of the service control points as soon as the fault has thus been detected by the fixed station, in parallel with and independently of any telephone signals being transmitted over said circuit-switched telephone channels;

generating a maintenance ticket at said service control point as soon as the maintenance message has thus been transmitted over the user-to-user channel;

transmitting the thus generated maintenance ticket to said service management system and storing it in said reference database;

reading maintenance information concerning a regional set of fixed stations from the reference database of the service management system;

transmitting said maintenance information concerning the regional set of fixed stations of a single region from said service management system to a terminal of a regional maintenance center; and

transmitting from the service management system to a terminal of a national maintenance center maintenance information in said reference database concerning a super-regional set of fixed stations of a plurality of regions.

3. A wireless telephone network comprising:

a plurality of fixed stations each including software that is at least in part replaceable at the initiative of an operator of said each station;

a plurality of wireless digital telephones;

means for linking the wireless digital telephones by radio to the fixed stations;

an integrated services digital public telephone network having a plurality of circuit switched telephone channels and at least one message switched user-to-user signaling channel for connecting the fixed stations to the public telephone network;

a plurality of service control points connected to said public switching telephone network and each comprising a wireless telephone service subscriber database and a call processing device;

a service management system comprising a reference database;

means for transmitting a maintenance message from a fixed station to a service control point over the user-to-user signaling channel in response to the fixed station detecting a fault, independent of any telephone signals then being transmitted between the fixed station and the service control point over said circuit-switched telephone channels;

means for generating a maintenance ticket at said service control point;

means for transmitting said maintenance ticket to said service management system and storing it in said reference database;

means for downloading replacement software having an associated software version from said service management system to a designated fixed station via the service control point serving said designated fixed station over a telephone channel connecting said designated fixed station to said public switching telephone network, and

means for transmitting a word identifying said software version of a fixed station in each respective maintenance message sent by said designated fixed station to said service management system.

4. A wireless telephone network comprising:

a plurality of fixed stations;

a plurality of wireless digital telephones;

means for linking the wireless digital telephones by radio to the fixed stations;

an integrated services digital public telephone network having a plurality of circuit switched telephone channels and at least one message switched user-to-user signaling channel for connecting the fixed stations to the public telephone network;

a plurality of service control points connected to said public switching telephone network and each comprising a wireless telephone service subscriber database and a call processing device;

a service management system comprising a reference database;

means for transmitting a maintenance message from a fixed station to a service control point over the user-to-user signaling channel in response to the fixed station detecting a fault, independent of any telephone signals then being transmitted between the fixed station and the service control point over said circuit-switched telephone channels;

means for generating a maintenance ticket at said service control plant;

means for transmitting said maintenance ticket to said service management system and storing it in said reference database;

means for transmitting from said service management system to a terminal of a regional maintenance center, maintenance information concerning a regional set of fixed stations of a region, said information being read from the reference database of the service management system;

means for reading from said service management system maintenance information concerning a super-regional set of fixed stations of a plurality of regions, said information being read from said reference database of said service management system; and

means for transmitting said maintenance information concerning said super-regional set of fixed stations to a terminal of a super-regional maintenance center.