Browser on test equipment

• US 6,539,384 B1
• Filed: 06/02/2000
• Issued: 03/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sargent, Nathan, Enzmann, Mark J., Moton, Robert T. Jr., Zellner, Samuel N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mizrahi, Diane D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mofiz, Apu M
• Application Number:
  US09/586,066
• Time in Patent Office: 1,026 Days
• Field of Search: 707/9, 707/10, 707/102, 345/733, 370/230, 370/245, 370/249, 379/15.05, 379/32.01, 709/200, 709/224, 709/226, 709/231, 709/250, 714/712
• US Class Current: 455/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/24 Arrangements for testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/916 Audio
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A portable telecommunication test set, such as a telephone line butt set, with a web browser incorporated therein. A standard HTML (Hyper Text Mark-up Language) or WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) browser may be incorporated within the portable test set, allowing a network technician to access the Internet as well as other remotely-located sources of information to retrieve data and other useful technical information while in the field for communication network or telephone line maintenance, troubleshooting or repair. The test set may contain memory to locally store certain technical information, e.g., telephone line-specific data or circuit information, that may be retrieved and “read” by the built-in browser module when prompted by the network technician. The web browser may display the content of the requested information on a display provided on the test set. Line-specific (as well as manufacturer-specific) test information need not be in a manufacturer-dictated proprietary format, but, instead, may be in a generally available text format, e.g., the HTML format or the WML (Wireless Mark-up Language) format. Testing-related data may thus be supplied (as hardware or software plug-in modules) by a vendor other than the manufacturer of the test set.

Claims

1. A portable telecommunication test set, comprising:

a housing including;

a processing unit;

a DTMF (Dual Tone Multi Frequency) dialer located within said housing, wherein the DTMF dialer is coupled to said processing unit to generate DTMF tones corresponding to one or more digits received there from when entered through a keypad by a user.;

a testing module coupled to said processing unit, wherein the testing module is configured to receive a first indication from the processing unit and to responsively initiate one or more test operations for a telecommunication entity; and

a web browser module coupled to said processing unit, wherein the web browser module is configured to receive a second indication from the processing unit and to responsively initiate data communications between said web browser module and a source of information located external to the portable telecommunication test set.

2. The test set as in claim 1, wherein the telecommunication entity includes a telephone line.

3. The test set as in claim 1, wherein the telecommunication entity includes an ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) line.

4. The test set as in claim 1, further comprising:

a display screen located on said housing; and

a display logic unit located within said housing, wherein the display logic unit is coupled to said processing unit and said display screen, and wherein the display logic unit is configured to display on said display screen information sent by said web browser module to said processing unit in a user-understandable format.

5. The test set as in claim 1, further comprising:

keypad interface logic located within said housing, wherein the keypad interface logic is coupled to said processing unit and said keypad, and wherein the keypad interface logic is configured to convey to said processing unit one or more commands entered by said user via said keypad, and wherein said keypad is located on said housing so as to be accessible to said user of said test set.

6. The test set as in claim 5, further comprising a DTMF (Dual Tone Multi Frequency) dialer located within said housing, wherein the DTMF dialer is coupled to said processing unit to generate DTMF tones corresponding to one or more digits received therefrom when entered through the keypad by the user.

7. The test set as in claim 1, further comprising:

a speaker located within said housing; and

an audio logic unit located within said housing, wherein the audio logic unit is coupled to said processing unit and said speaker, and wherein said audio logic unit is configured to send to said speaker one or more audio signals received from said processing unit, thereby generating audible sounds therefrom.

8. The test set as in claim 1, further comprising a memory unit located within said housing, wherein the memory unit is coupled to the processing unit to store therein data received from said processing unit.

9. The test set as in claim 8, wherein the memory unit includes a volatile memory.

10. The test set as in claim 9, wherein the volatile memory includes a RAM (Random Access Memory).

11. The test set as in claim 8, wherein the memory unit includes a non-volatile memory.

12. The test set as in claim 11, wherein the non-volatile memory includes an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory).

13. The test set as in claim 1, wherein the web browser module is configured to carry out the data communications with the source of information using at least one of a wireline telecommunication network and a wireless telecommunication network.

14. The test set as in claim 13, wherein the wireline telecommunication network includes one or more of the following:

a PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network);

an ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network);

a POTS (Plain Old Telephone System);

a wired LAN (Local Area Network); and

the Internet.

15. The test set as in claim 13, wherein the wireless telecommunication network includes one or more of the following:

an analog wireless network;

a digital wireless network;

a cellular network;

a wireless LAN (Local Area Network); and

a wireless local loop (WLL).

16. The test set as in claim 1, wherein the web browser module includes an HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) browser.

17. The test set as in claim 1, wherein the web browser module includes a WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) browser.

18. The test set as in claim 1, further comprising a line interface unit (LIU) located within the housing and coupled to the processing unit and the web browser module, wherein the LIU is configured to provide an electrical interface when the test set is connected to a wireline transmission medium during said data communications.

19. The test set as in claim 18, wherein the LIU is further coupled to the testing module to provide said electrical interface when the test set is connected to the wireline transmission medium during said one or more test operations.

20. The test set as in claim 18, wherein the LIU includes a data modem connected to said wireline transmission medium.

21. The test set as in claim 1, further comprising:

a wireless modem located within said housing and coupled to said web browser module to facilitate said data communication via a wireless network; and

an RF (Radio Frequency) communication unit located within said housing and coupled to the wireless modem, wherein the RF communication unit is configured to facilitate transmission and reception of data between said wireless modem and said wireless network using RF modulation and demodulation respectively.

22. The test set as in claim 21, wherein the RF communication unit includes an RF antenna originating within said housing and protruding therefrom to a predetermined distance, and wherein the RF antenna is configured to transmit and receive RF signals propagated between said test set and said wireless network.