Fixed wireless terminals with network management method and apparatus

• US 5,819,177 A
• Filed: 03/20/1996
• Issued: 10/06/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC), Dynamic Telecommunications, Inc. (PCTEL, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dynamic Telecommunications, Inc. (PCTEL, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kline, Paul A., Vucetic, Jelena
• Primary Examiner(s): Cumming, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEGREE, TRACY MICHELLE
• Application Number:
  US08/618,581
• Time in Patent Office: 930 Days
• Field of Search: 455/424, 455/425, 455/423, 455/422, 455/403, 455/557, 455/556, 455/551, 455/552, 379/1, 379/34, 379/32, 379/29
• US Class Current: 455/425
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/14 WLL [Wireless Local Loop]; RLL [Radio Local Loop]

Abstract

A network management method and appartus for wireless terminals. The method and apparatus comprises a new generation of wireless terminals having digital signal processors that can monitor the operating characteristics of the associated wireless terminals and report those characteristics to a network management computer. The network management computer receives communications from the wireless terminals and takes corrective action for out-of-specification conditions and updates the associated DSPs with corrections and flexible dialing instructions. The network management computer also gathers utililization statistics reported to it by the wireless terminals. The wireless terminals can be initialized by direct connection to the wireless terminal with a simple telephone instrument or can be initialized over the air by the network management computer.

Claims

1. A wireless telecommunications network comprising:

a plurality of wireless terminals WTs;

a plurality of base stations remotely connected to the WTs; and

a network management computer connected to the base stations;

the network management computer adapted to send and receive signals from the WTs via the base stations to test and manage the operational characteristics of the WTs without the WTs being in operation and wherein the testing of the operational characteristics of the WTs is performed by the WTs.

2. The wireless telecommunications network of claim 1 wherein the WTs comprise:

an antenna;

an RF send/receive means connected to the antenna;

a programmable digital signal processor DSP connected to the RF send/receive means; and

a telephone interface connected to the programmable DSP adapted to be connected to standard telephones.

3. The wireless telecommunications network of claim 2 wherein the programmable DSP comprises:

memory for storing instructions; and

instructions for managing and testing the operation of the WT stored in the memory.

4. The wireless telecommunications network of claim 3 wherein the programmable DSP further comprises instructions for communicating the results of the telecommunications testing to the network management computer.

5. The wireless telecommunications network of claim 4 wherein the instructions for communicating with the network management computer causes communication with the network management computer regarding operational characteristics of the WT to occur in response to a query from the network management computer.

6. The wireless telecommunications network of claim 4 wherein the instructions for communicating with the network management computer causes communication with the network management computer regarding operational characteristics of the WT to occur on a preset schedule.

7. The wireless telecommunications network of claim 4 wherein the instructions for communicating with the network management computer causes communication with the network management computer regarding operational characteristics of the WT to occur as a result of a finding by the programmable DSP of an out-of-specification condition of the WT in which the programmable DSP is located.

8. The wireless telecommunications network of claim 7 wherein the WT is capable of receiving responses from the network management computer to communication of the out-of-specification condition previously detected within the WT by the associated programmable DSP.

9. The wireless telecommunications network of claim 4 wherein the instructions for communicating with the network management computer causes communication with the network management computer as a result of successful WT initialization in which the WT informs the network management computer that it is ready to be included in the network.

10. The wireless telecommunications network of claim 3 wherein the programmable DSP further comprises programmable dialing rules.

11. The wireless telecommunications network of claim 3 wherein the programmable DSP dialing rules may be changed in response to communications from the network management computer.

12. The wireless telecommunications network of claim 2 wherein the operating parameters of the WTs are established at the site of the WT.

13. The wireless telecommunications network of claim 12 wherein the operating parameters of the WTs are established via inputs from the group comprising DTMF and pulse inputs to the programmable DSP of the WT via the telephone interface.

14. The wireless telecommunications network of claim 2 wherein the operating parameters of the WTs are established by the network management computer and communicated to the WTs over the air.

15. The wireless telecommunications network of claim 2 wherein the network management computer comprise means for receiving alarms regarding out-of-specification conditions from the WTs and further comprising means for making decisions regarding how to react to the alarms, and means for communication the decisions to the WTs.

16. The wireless telecommunications network of claim 1 wherein the network management computer further comprises memory and instructions stored in the memory for polling the WTs to determine their operational characteristics.

17. The wireless telecommunications network of claim 1 wherein the network management computer further comprises means for receiving signals from the WTs concerning the operational characteristics of the WTs based on a schedule of reporting from the WTs.

18. The wireless telecommunications network of claim 1 wherein the network management computer further comprises means for receiving the communication from the WTs that experience an out-of-specification condition of the WT sensed by the associated programmable DSP.

19. A method of establishing and monitoring a wireless telecommunication network comprising:

establishing operational characteristics of a plurality of WTs in a network, each WT having its own memory;

receiving the operational characteristics in the memory of the plurality of the WTs from a network management computer;

each of the plurality of WTs testing its own operational characteristics without the WTs being in operation; and

monitoring the operational characteristics of the plurality of the WTs by the network management computer.

20. The method of establishing and monitoring a wireless telecommunications network of claim 19 wherein establishing the operational characteristics is accomplished by providing input to a DSP having a memory in a WT via a telephone interface.

21. The method of establishing and monitoring a wireless telecommunications network of claim 20 wherein establishing the operational characteristics is accomplished via DTMF input at the site of the WT.

22. The method of establishing and monitoring a wireless telecommunications network of claim 20 wherein establishing the operational characteristics is accomplished via pulse input at the site of the WT.

23. The method of establishing and monitoring a wireless telecommunications network of claim 19 wherein the establishing the operational characteristics is accomplished over the air via communication from the network management computer.

24. The method of establishing and monitoring a wireless telecommunications network of claim 20 wherein the monitoring of the network is accomplished via communications sent from the WTs to the network management computer concerning the operating characteristics of the WTs in the network.

25. The method of establishing and monitoring a wireless telecommunications network of claim 24 wherein the communications from the WTs occurs on a preset schedule.

26. The method of establishing and monitoring a wireless telecommunications network of claim 24 wherein the communications from the WTs occurs in response a polling of the WTs by the network management computer.

27. The method of establishing and monitoring a wireless telecommunications network of claim 19 wherein the communications from the WTs occurs as a result of the associated programmable DSP sensing an out-of-specification condition in the WT.

28. The method of establishing and monitoring a wireless telecommunications network of claim 20 further comprising establishing flexible dialing rules in the memory of the DSP.

29. The method of establishing and monitoring a wireless telecommunications network of claim 20 wherein the flexible dialing rules in the memory of the DSP are changed via communication from the network management computer, and receiving the communication from the network management computer into the memory of the DSP.