System for suppressed ringing access of subscriber lines to identify usage anomalies of customer premise equipment connected thereto

• US 6,263,055 B1
• Filed: 09/09/1998
• Issued: 07/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Smith, Matthew Richard, Smith, David B., Garland, Stuart M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUI, BING Q
• Application Number:
  US09/150,055
• Time in Patent Office: 1,042 Days
• Field of Search: 379/102.07, 379/106.01, 379/106.03, 379/106.05, 379/106.09, 379/197, 379/1, 379/27, 379/29, 379/102.01, 379/102.02, 379/102.05
• US Class Current: 379/106.05
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/002 with telemetering systems telemetering in general G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/02 with bell or annunciator systems

Abstract

The usage detection system establishes a suppressed ringing connection to the subscriber line for either a predetermined extended time interval to enable at least two successive usage readings to be taken, or for a duration as determined by the telemetry equipment to perform the necessary usage readings to detect the presence of usage anomalies. This usage detection system communicates with the serving central office to establish a suppressed ringing connection, the duration of which is either under the control of the usage detection system or the telemetry equipment located at the customer premises. The usage detection system communicates with the telemetry equipment to identify the usage measurements that are desired. The parameters that are passed by the usage detection system to the telemetry equipment can include: identification of the telemetry equipment to be tested, number of successive usage readings, time interval between usage readings, anticipated usage rate, duration of usage measurement interval, return to service actions. This communication enables the telemetry equipment to actively perform the usage measurements without the intimate involvement of the usage detection system and within the single call connection and significantly reduces the number of call connections that are required to perform usage detection tests.

Claims

1. Apparatus for enabling a service provider to access customer premise equipment that is connected to a subscriber line served by a central office switch via a suppressed ringing connection to determine a present operating state of said customer premise equipment, comprising:

means for establishing suppressed ringing connection access for said service provider to said subscriber line; and

means for determining in real time via said suppressed ringing connection a presence of a usage anomaly in said customer premise equipment that is connected to a subscriber line by maintaining said suppressed ringing connection to said subscriber line for the duration of test operations performed on said customer premise equipment, comprising;

means for performing a plurality of successively initiated measurements on said customer premise equipment over a predetermined time interval to obtain time separated measurements of a selected parameter; and

means for maintaining said suppressed ringing connection to said subscriber line for the duration of said predetermined time interval.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for determining comprises:

means for transmitting to a terminal interface unit, that interconnects said customer premise equipment to said subscriber line, commands to activate said terminal interface unit to test said customer premise equipment to determine a present operational state of said customer premise equipment.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said means for determining further comprises:

means for instructing said customer premise equipment to perform a plurality of operations; and

means for maintaining said suppressed ringing connection to said subscriber line for the duration of said plurality of operations.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said means for determining further comprises:

means for activating said customer premise equipment to assume control of said suppressed ringing connection.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for determining further comprises:

means for identifying a time delay between successive ones of said plurality of successively initiated measurements.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for determining comprises:

means for transmitting data to said customer premise equipment indicative of expected measurement results.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for determining comprises:

means for requesting said central office switch to maintain said suppressed ringing connection to said subscriber line for a predetermined amount of time.

8. A method for enabling a service provider to access customer premise equipment that is connected to a subscriber line served by a central office switch via a suppressed ringing connection to determine a present operating state of said customer premise equipment, comprising the steps of:

establishing suppressed ringing connection access for said service provider to said subscriber line; and

determining in real time via said suppressed ringing connection a presence of a usage anomaly in said customer premise equipment that is connected to a subscriber line by maintaining said suppressed ringing connection to said subscriber line for the duration of test operations performed on said customer premise equipment, comprising;

performing a plurality of successively initiated measurements on said customer premise equipment over a predetermined time interval to obtain time separated measurements of a selected parameter; and

maintaining said suppressed ringing connection to said subscriber line for the duration of said predetermined time interval.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said step of determining comprises:

transmitting to a terminal interface unit, that interconnects said customer premise equipment to said subscriber line, commands to activate said terminal interface unit to test said customer premise equipment to determine a present operational state of said customer premise equipment.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said step of determining further comprises:

instructing said customer premise equipment to perform a plurality of operations; and

maintaining said suppressed ringing connection to said subscriber line for the duration of said plurality of operations.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein said step of determining further comprises:

activating said customer premise equipment to assume control of said suppressed ringing connection.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein said step of determining further comprises:

identifying a time delay between successive ones of said plurality of successively initiated measurements.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein said step of determining comprises:

transmitting data to said customer premise equipment indicative of expected measurement results.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein said step of determining comprises:

requesting said central office switch to maintain said suppressed ringing connection to said subscriber line for a predetermined amount of time.

15. Apparatus for enabling a service provider to access customer premise equipment that is connected to a subscriber line served by a central office switch via a suppressed ringing connection to determine a present operating state of said customer premise equipment, comprising:

means for establishing suppressed ringing connection access for said service provider to said subscriber line;

means for determining via said suppressed ringing connection a first measurement of a selected parameter said customer premise equipment that is connected to a subscriber line;

means for performing at least one additional successively initiated measurement on said customer premise equipment over a predetermined time interval to obtain time separated measurements of said selected parameter; and

means for maintaining said suppressed ringing connection to said subscriber line for the duration of said predetermined time interval.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said means for determining comprises:

means for transmitting to a terminal interface unit, that interconnects said customer premise equipment to said subscriber line, commands to activate said terminal interface unit to test said customer premise equipment to perform said measurement of said selected parameter.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said means for determining further comprises:

means for activating said customer premise equipment to assume control of said suppressed ringing connection.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said means for determining comprises:

means for transmitting data to said customer premise equipment indicative of expected measurement results.

19. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said means for determining comprises:

means for requesting said central office switch to maintain said suppressed ringing connection to said subscriber line for a predetermined amount of time.