User interface and system to facilitate telephone circuit maintenance and testing

• US 6,687,335 B1
• Filed: 03/31/1998
• Issued: 02/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: Southwestern Bell Telephone Company (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Opel, Rod A., Cheaney, Michael D., Jones, William R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, QUOC DUC
• Application Number:
  US09/050,871
• Time in Patent Office: 2,135 Days
• Field of Search: 79/1, 79/9, 79/10, 79/12, 79/14, 79/15, 79/27, 79/29, 79/30
• US Class Current: 379/1.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/24 Arrangements for testing

Abstract

An apparatus that integrates a plurality of disparate systems. a common control interface is presented to a user of the apparatus. The user employs an inputting device to enter data required by the plurality of disparate systems. The inputted data is inputted to the common interface. The data is then transferred from the common control interface to at least one of the plurality of disparate systems.

Claims

1. An apparatus for integrating a plurality of disparate systems, comprising:

a common control interface that provides a different appropriate interface for each of the plurality of disparate systems;

an inputting device for entering data required by said plurality of disparate systems into said common interface; and

a system that formats and transfers said data from said common control interface to at least one system of said plurality of disparate systems;

wherein

said common control interface interoperates with the plurality of disparate system types and software applications;

said common control interface monitors said systems for operational data at varying levels of functionality; and

said common control interface simultaneously integrates the plurality of disparate systems and software applications.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said plurality of disparate systems comprise maintenance and testing systems.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said testing systems perform remote testing of analog services.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said testing systems perform testing of ISDN switches.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said common control interface comprises a user interface having point-and-click/ cut-and-paste capabilities.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a user login system that logs a user onto said common control interface and permits usage of said plurality of disparate systems.

7. An apparatus for telephone circuit maintenance and testing, comprising:

a control interface in which a user enters data, the control interface providing a different appropriate interface for each of the plurality of disparate systems;

a telephone circuit maintenance and testing interface that receives data from said control interface; and

a tester, controlled by said telephone circuit maintenance and testing interface, that tests predetermined telephone parameters;

wherein

said tester permits parallel asynchronous testing of system and software applications connected to said control interface.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said tester performs a remote testing of analog services.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said control interface comprises a GUI interface that facilitates the entry of said data.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said GUI interface provides point-and-click and cut-and-paste capabilities to the user.

13. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said control interface automates sending and receiving of said data between said control interface and said telephone circuit maintenance and testing interface.

14. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said control interface comprises a first window for logging on and logging off said control interface, and a second window for bringing up screens necessary for performing proper maintenance analysis.

9. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said tester performs testing of ISDN switches.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said ISDN switch testing is performed in accordance with vendor-specific switch criteria.

15. A user interface for use with a plurality of telephone circuit maintenance and testing systems, comprising:

a menu bar, which contains a plurality of menus required by a user to log on the system, log off the system, and handle routine setup parameters for different types of systems and software applications;

a toolbar from which a plurality of screens can be called to input data required for a trouble ticket, said data being used for maintenance analysis by an automated test tool that performs an automated test on at least one parameter of a telephone system, at least one of the screens permitting the user to specify circuits and ticket numbers, said plurality of screens handling the plurality of telephone circuit maintenance and testing systems and software applications.

16. The user interface of claim 15, further comprising:

a data transporter that transfers the data input via said toolbar to a WFA/C interface, said WFA/C interface controlling said automated test tool.

17. The user interface of claim 16, wherein said automated test tool performs digital testing.

18. The user interface of claim 16, wherein said automated test tool performs analog testing.

19. The user interface of claim 15, further comprising:

a converter that converts said data input via said toolbar to a form usable by a WFA/C interface that facilitates telephone circuit maintenance, said converted data being exchanged between said user interface and said WFA/C interface.