Digital loop carrier module for proactive maintenance application

• US 7,050,547 B1
• Filed: 11/30/2000
• Issued: 05/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Beamon, Elizabeth Ann, Hunnicutt, Kenneth F.
• Primary Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US09/726,637
• Time in Patent Office: 2,000 Days
• Field of Search: 379/9.02, 379/9.03, 379/9.04, 379/9.01, 379/29.01, 379/32.01, 379/29.05, 379/29.1, 379/29.11, 379/27.01, 379/27.02, 379/27.04, 379/26.01, 379/10.01, 379/14.01, 379/1.01, 379/9, 379/10.03, 379/25, 379/29.08, 379/29.09, 379/14, 379/15.01, 379/15.03, 379/22, 379/22.04, 379/32.02, 379/22.05
• US Class Current: 379/27.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/22 Arrangements for supervision, monitoring or testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2263 Network management

Abstract

Methods and systems for proactively maintaining Digital Loop Carriers and a telephone system local loop. One embodiment for proactively maintaining a Digital Loop Carrier in a telephone system local loop includes communicating with a communications network and acquiring status information associated with the Digital Loop Carrier. Proactive maintenance is predicted based upon the status information. The status information may be weighted. The status information may also be combined with information from a Dynamic Network Analyzer and information from a Loop Facilities and Control System. The embodiment may also generate and dispatch work order information describing the predicted proactive maintenance. A further embodiment includes communicating with a communications network and acquiring at least one of customer information associated with copper line pairs, service information associated with copper line pairs, and status information associated with a Digital Loop Carrier. The acquired information is stored and combined. Proactive maintenance of the telephone system local loop is predicted based upon the combined information.

Claims

1. A method for proactively maintaining a telephone system local loop, the method comprising:

defining a security level of a user for accessing proactive maintenance;

communicating with a communication network and acquiring status information associated with a Digital Loop Carrier, the status information including engineering information relating to government regulations, and at least one of customer information, maintenance information, service information, and real-time process information;

predicting the proactive maintenance based upon the status information;

generating work order information describing the predicted proactive maintenance;

dispatching a common database of the work order information to the user;

updating the work order information in response to new status information inputted by the user; and

providing historical work order information to improve the proactive maintenance.

2. A method for proactively maintaining a telephone system local loop according to claim 1, further comprising predicting maintenance of the local loop based upon the status information.

3. A method for proactively maintaining a telephone system local loop according to claim 1, further comprising weighting the status information.

4. A method for proactively maintaining a telephone system local loop according to claim 1, further comprising combining the status information with information from a Dynamic Network Analyzer.

5. A method for proactively maintaining a telephone system local loop according to claim 1, further comprising combining the status information with information from a Loop Facilities and Control System.

6. A method for proactively maintaining a telephone system local loop according to claim 1, further comprising interfacing with a technician dispatch system to dispatch the common database of the work order information describing the predicted proactive maintenance, and wherein the user inputs the new status information in the technician dispatch system.

7. A method for proactively maintaining a telephone system local loop according to claim 1, further comprising interfacing with a TELCORDIA Tech Access System to dispatch the common database of the work order information describing the predicted proactive maintenance.

8. A method for proactively maintaining a telephone system local loop according to claim 1, further comprising interfacing with a Loop Maintenance Operating System to dispatch the common database of the work order information describing the predicted proactive maintenance.

9. A method for proactively maintaining a telephone system local loop according to claim 1, further comprising acquiring the work order information from a Loop Maintenance Operating System.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the engineering information includes at least one of:

component or system durability test results;

model shop equipment errors;

CAD/CAM dimensions;

component or system performance data; and

material specifications.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the customer information includes at least one of:

customer purchasing preferences;

marketing data;

customer product or process improvement suggestions;

customer demographic data;

customer order information; and

customer profiles.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the maintenance information includes at least one of:

component replacement history;

system or process performance history;

equipment repair history;

process measurement data;

statistical process control data;

maintenance logs; and

technician data.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the service information includes at least one of:

warranty information;

unique service tooling information;

limitations encountered during service repairs;

obstacles encountered during service repairs;

field conditions including at least one of;

temperature;

humidity;

dust; and

dirt;

availability of original equipment manufacture service parts; and

failure data.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the real-time process information includes at least one of:

equipment wear indicators;

gauge data;

process data including at least one of;

mold temperature data;

cleaning fluid turbidity data; and

machine speed data;

re-work information;

shift production data; and

line shut-down indicators.

15. A method for proactively maintaining a telephone system local loop, the method comprising:

defining a security level of a user for accessing proactive maintenance;

communicating with a communications network and acquiring at least one of customer information associated with a copper line pair, service information associated with the copper line pair, and status information associated with a Digital Loop Carrier, the status information including engineering information relating to government regulations, an at least one of customer information, maintenance information, service information, and real-time process information;

storing the acquired information;

combining the stored information;

predicting the proactive maintenance based upon the combined information;

generating work order information describing the predicted proactive maintenance; and

storing all the generated work order information to provide historical work order information.

16. A method for proactively maintaining a telephone system local loop according to claim 15, further comprising dispatching the work order information describing the predicted proactive maintenance;

wherein combining the stored information further includes weighting the stored information.

17. A system for predicting proactively maintenance of a telephone system local loop, the system comprising:

a Dynamic Network Analyzer module communicating with a communications network and acquiring Dynamic Network Analyzer information;

a Loop Facilities and Control System module communicating with the communications network and acquiring Loop Facilities and Control System information;

a Digital Loop Carrier module communicating with a communications network and acquiring Digital Loop Carrier information identifying a Digital Loop Carrier System requiring service;

a database stored in memory, the database storing the acquired information, the acquired information including engineering information relating to government regulations, and at least one of customer information, maintenance information, service information, and real-time process information; and

a processor capable of processing information stored in the database and of generating proactive maintenance, wherein the processor provides a common database of the proactive maintenance for a user to access and use, and updates the proactive maintenance in response to user information inputted by the user; and

an Administrative module communicating the communications network and defining security level of the user for accessing the proactive maintenance.

18. A computer-readable medium on which is encoded computer program code for proactively maintaining a telephone system, comprising:

computer program code for communicating with a communication network and acquiring status information associated with a Digital Loop Carrier, the status information including engineering information relating to government regulations, and at least one of customer information, maintenance information, service information, and real-time process information;

computer program code for predicting proactive maintenance based upon the status information;

computer program code for providing a common database of the proactive maintenance for a user;

computer program code for updating the proactive maintenance in response to new status information inputted by the user;

computer program code for providing historical information of the proactive maintenance by storing all the proactive maintenance;

computer program code for defining a security level of a user for accessing proactive maintenance; and

computer program code for providing historical work order information to improve the proactive maintenance.

19. A computer-readable medium according to claim 18, further comprising computer program code for combining the status information with information from a Dynamic Network Analyzer.

20. A computer-readable medium according to claim 18, further comprising computer program code for combining the status information with information from a Loop Facilities and Control System.