Administrative computer and testing apparatus

• US 5,432,705 A
• Filed: 05/31/1991
• Issued: 07/11/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Acterna LLC (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Itronix Corp. (General Dynamics Corporation)
• Inventors: Upchurch, Daren, Erler, William, Severt, David, Siegner, George
• Primary Examiner(s): Baker, Stephen M.
• Application Number:
  US07/709,033
• Time in Patent Office: 1,502 Days
• Field of Search: 364/481, 364/483, 364/487, 364/580, 379/1, 379/21, 379/27, 379/28, 379/29, 379/30, 379/31, 379/107, 371/15.1
• US Class Current: 702/120
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 15/12 Circuits for multi-testers , i.e. multimeters, e.g. for measuring voltage, current, or impedance at will
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/24 Arrangements for testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/30 for subscriber's lines , for the local loop

Abstract

An administrative computer and testing apparatus device is provided. The administrative computer is coupled to the testing apparatus so that the test data can be correlated with administrative information such as the location of the equipment tested. The administrative computer can control the testing apparatus to provide testing in accordance with predefined test procedures. The administrative computer is user-programmable to permit user-defined test procedures to be established. In one embodiment test data is provided to the administrative computer by using a memory buffer which can be written into by the test apparatus and can be read by the administrative computer. Test data, preferably test data correlated with the location information, can be communicated to a remote computer for further processing or analysis.

Claims

1. In a hand-held administrative computer, the computer including

a central processing unit;

a memory, coupled to the central processing unit;

a display, coupled to the central processing unit, for displaying information relating to the location of equipment to be tested;

a keyboard, coupled to the central processing unit, for receiving user commands to control the display;

a method for performing testing on the equipment to be tested, the method comprising;

receiving signals from the equipment to be tested;

selectively storing information related to the signals received from the equipment to be tested in the memory of the administrative computer;

reading, from the memory, the information related to the signals received from the equipment;

correlating the information read from the memory with the information relating to the location of the equipment to be tested;

receiving in the administrative computer a series of user commands from the keyboard, the user commands being commands for performing testing;

storing an indication of the user commands in memory;

displaying a review of previous testing by re-executing the user commands of which an indication has been stored and using the selectively stored information, without using signals currently received from the equipment to be tested.

2. In a hand-held administrative computer, the computer including

a central processing unit;

a memory, coupled to the central processing unit;

a display, coupled to the central processing unit, for displaying information relating to the location of equipment to be tested;

a keyboard, coupled to the central processing unit, for receiving user commands to control the display;

a method for performing testing on the equipment to be tested, the method comprising;

receiving signals from the equipment to be tested;

selectively storing information related to the signals received from the equipment to be tested in the memory of the administrative computer;

reading, from the memory, the information related to the signals received from the equipment;

correlating the information read from the memory with the information relating to the location of the equipment to be tested;

wherein the administrative computer controls the display to present a plurality of menus including a main menu which includes a testing option, a testing menu which includes a standard test option, a custom test option, and a standard test menu which includes options for a plurality of predefined tests.

3. In a hand-held administrative computer, the computer including

a central processing unit;

a memory, coupled to the central processing unit;

a display, coupled to the central processing unit, for displaying information relating to the location of equipment to be tested; and

a keyboard, coupled to the central processing unit, for receiving user commands to control the display;

a method for performing testing on the equipment to be tested, the method comprising;

receiving signals from the equipment to be tested;

selectively storing information related to the signals received from the equipment to be tested in the memory of the administrative computer;

reading, from the memory, the information related to the signals received from the equipment;

correlating the information read from the memory with the information relating to the location of the equipment to be tested;

sequentially displaying a plurality of values of an electrical parameter, as the electrical parameter of the equipment to be tested changes, according to a pre-determined display format, wherein said plurality of values of said electrical parameter include values determined using a pre-defined test;

wherein the pre-determined format includes a display of a current value, a minimum value, a maximum value and an average value and a bar-graph display of the electrical parameter.

4. A method, as claimed in claim 3, wherein the current value display is larger than at least one of the minimum value, maximum value and average value.

5. A method, as claimed in claim 3, wherein the bar-graph is at the bottom of the display, the minimum, maximum and average values are above the bar-graph and the current value is above the minimum, maximum and average values.