Integrated communication error reporting system

• US 6,385,298 B1
• Filed: 09/14/1998
• Issued: 05/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unify Inc. (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Information And Communication Networks, Inc.
• Inventors: Beyda, William Joseph, Shaffer, Shmuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, QUOC DUC
• Application Number:
  US09/152,363
• Time in Patent Office: 1,331 Days
• Field of Search: 379/1, 379/9, 379/10, 379/15, 379/32, 379/1.01, 379/9.02, 379/9.03, 379/32.01, 714/48, 714/57
• US Class Current: 379/9
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/22 Arrangements for supervision, monitoring or testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42314 in private branch exchanges

Abstract

An error reporting system in a communication system of the type that includes a PBX (10) and a monitoring system (20) that forwards internally detected errors from the PBX to a customer service center (28). A trouble ticket server (30) is coupled via a switch contact (40) to the monitoring system and is programmed to close the switch contact in an event a user reported error message is received. Upon detecting the contact closure, the monitoring system forwards an external alarm message to the customer service center. Alternatively, the trouble ticket server may be connected to the monitoring system via a serial communication link (52) that forwards a description of the user reported error to the monitoring system. The monitoring system may direct the PBX to run one or more diagnostic tests and forward the results of the tests to the customer service center along with the description of the user reported error.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a private exchange (PBX) for connecting a plurality of telephones to one or more external telephone lines;

a monitoring system that receives indications of internally detected errors within the PBX and a modem which forwards the indications of the internally detected errors to a customer service center; and

a trouble ticket server that receives indications of reported errors not detected by the monitoring system, the trouble ticket server being coupled to the monitoring system such that upon the receipt of a reported error, the monitoring system, without further human intervention, notifies the customer service center that a reported error has been received.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring system includes one or more switch contacts that are periodically polled by the monitoring system and wherein the trouble ticket server changes a state of a switch contact upon the receipt of a user reported error.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring system and the trouble ticket server are coupled by a serial communication link.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the user reported errors described in a form and the contents of the form are transmitted to the monitoring system.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the monitoring system is programmed to interpret the contents of the form and request one or more diagnostic reports from the PBX, wherein the contents of the form and the results of the diagnostic tests are transmitted by the monitoring system to the customer service center.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring system and the trouble ticket server are coupled by a LAN connection.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the user reported errors are described in a form and the contents of the form are transmitted to the monitoring system.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the monitoring system is programmed to interpret the contents of the form and request one or more diagnostic reports from the PBX, wherein the contents of the form and the results of the diagnostic tests are transmitted by the monitoring system to the customer service center.