Element outage monitoring in a wireless telecommunication system

• US 7,151,928 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2002
• Issued: 12/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cingular Wireless II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vance, Charles Terry
• Primary Examiner(s): VO, NGUYEN THANH
• Application Number:
  US10/232,066
• Publication Number:
  US 20040203428A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,572 Days
• Field of Search: 455/423, 455/424, 455/425, 455/67.11, 455/67.14, 455/67.7, 379/1.01, 379/9.03, 379/9.04, 379/29.1
• US Class Current: 455/424
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

A method that provides improved element outage monitoring in a wireless telecommunication system comprises obtaining data indicating a state of the element in the wireless telecommunication system and outputting a status to a display if the state comprises a first condition. The first condition may comprise at least one sector of a base transceiver station (BTS) being non-operational. In addition, the display may be located in a Network Operation Center (NOC) or a Customer Service Center (CSC) placed on a wall in plain view of a network operator or a customer service representative.

Claims

1. A method for providing element outage monitoring in a wireless telecommunication system, comprising:

updating a first database with first data comprising;

polling a base transceiver station (BTS) using a base station controller (BSC) to obtain polling results, the polling results indicating if any sector of the BTS is non-operational;

forwarding the polling results to the first database; and

storing the polling results in the first database,

obtaining data indicating a state of the element in the wireless telecommunication system, wherein said obtaining step includes, querying the first database for the first data, querying a second database using the first data to obtain second data; and

outputting a status to a display if the state comprises a first condition.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the element comprises the base transceiver station (BTS) being polled.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first condition comprises at least one sector of the BTS being non-operational.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the status indicates which sectors of the BTS are non-operational.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein if the state comprises all sectors of the BTS being non-operational, the status indicates that the BTS is non-operational.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein querying the first database further comprises polling the first database.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the first data comprises a base transceiver station (BTS) code, a base station controller (BSC) code, and a sector code.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein,

the BTS code represents a BTS,

the BSC code represents a BSC that controls the BTS;

and

the sector code indicates an operational status of at least one sector of the BTS.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the second data comprises a basic trading area code and a site code.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the basic trading area code corresponds to the BSC and the site code corresponds to the BTS.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the status displayed comprises the BTS code, the BSC code, the basic trading area code, the site code, and the sector code.

7. A system for providing base transceiver station (BTS) outage monitoring in a wireless telecommunication system, comprising:

a base station controller (BSC) for updating a first database with first data, the BSC configured to update the first database by;

polling the BTS to obtain polling results, the polling results indicating if any sector of the BTS is non-operational; and

forwarding the polling results to the first database;

a component for obtaining data indicating a state of the BTS in the wireless telecommunication system, wherein said component queries the first database for the first data and queries a second database using the first data to obtain second data, said component comprising a server configured for querying the first database for first data, and querying the second database using the first data to obtain the second data, the data indicating the state of the element comprising the first data and the second data; and

a display connected to the component for obtaining data, the display configured for outputting a status if the state comprises a first condition.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the first condition comprises at least one sector of the BTS being non-operational.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the status indicates which sectors of the BTS are non-operational.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein if the state comprises all sectors of the BTS being non-operational, the status indicates that the BTS is non-operational.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the display comprises at least one of a panel display unit (PDU), a variable message display unit,(VMDU), a message display unit (MDU), and a micro message display unit (MMDU).

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the display is located in at least one of a Network Operation Center (NOC) and a Customer Service Center (CSC).

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the display is placed on a wall in plain view of at least one of a network operator and a customer service representative.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein the component for obtaining the data is further configured for polling the first database.

20. A computer-readable medium on which is stored a set of instructions for providing element outage monitoring in a wireless telecommunication system, which when executed perform stages comprising:

updating a first database with first data by;

directing a base station controller (BSC) to poll a base station transceiver (BTS) to obtain polling results, the polling results indicating if any sector of the BTS is non-operational; and

directing the BSC to forward the polling results to the first database;

obtaining data indicating a state of the element in the wireless telecommunication system, wherein said obtaining step includes, querying a first database for first data and querying a second database using first data to obtain second data; and

outputting a status to a display if the state comprises a first condition.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the element comprises the base transceiver station (BTS) being polled.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the first condition comprises at least one sector of the BTS being non-operational.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the status indicates which sectors of the BTS are non-operational.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein if the state comprises all sectors of the BTS being non-operational, the status indicates that the BTS is non-operational.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein querying the first database further comprises polling the first database.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 20 wherein the first data comprises a base transceiver station (BTS) code, a base station controller (BSC) code, and a sector code.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 26 wherein,

the BTS code represents a BTS,

the BCS code represents a BCS that controls the BTS;

and

the sector code indicates an operational status of at least one sector of the BTS.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 26 wherein the second data comprises a basic trading area code and a site code.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 wherein the basic trading area code corresponds to the BSC and the site code corresponds to the BTS.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 wherein the status displayed comprises the BTS code, the BSC code, the basic trading area code, the site code, and the sector code.

31. A method for providing element outage monitoring in a wireless telecommunication system comprising:

obtaining data indicating a state of the element in the wireless telecommunication system, wherein said obtaining step includes querying a first database for first data, querying a second database using the first data to obtain second data; and

outputting a status to a display if the state comprises a first condition, the first data comprising a base transceiver station (BTS) code, a base station controller code (BSC), and a sector code.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein,

the BTS code represents a BTS,

the BSC code represents a BSC that controls the BTS;

and

the sector code indicates an operational status of at least one sector of the BTS.

33. The method of claim 31 wherein the second data comprises a basic trading area code and a site code.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the basic trading area code corresponds to the BSC and the site code corresponds to the BTS.

35. The method of claim 33 wherein the status displayed comprises the BTS code, the BSC code, the basic trading area code, the site code, and the sector code.