Method and system for generating geographic visual displays of broadband network data

• US 7,802,287 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2001
• Issued: 09/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schauer, Paul E., Kulkarni, Jyoti A., Bialk, Harvey R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Saltarelli; Dominic D
• Application Number:
  US09/850,910
• Publication Number:
  US 20040031059A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,423 Days
• Field of Search: 725/129, 725/107, 725/37
• US Class Current: 725/107
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/065 involving logical or physical relationship, e.g. grouping and hierarchies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

A hybrid fiber coax (HFC) network management method and system for use in a broadband network having a hybrid fiber coax (HFC) network provided with network elements operable for communicating telephony, data, and video signals with customer-premises equipment of a subscriber includes an HFC network manager for monitoring status and configuration of the network elements and the customer-premises equipment. A service, design, and inventory (SDI) database is operable with the HFC network manager for storing data indicative of the configuration of the network elements and the customer-premises equipment. A fault manager having an alarm visualization tool is operable with the HFC network manager and the SDI database for generating visual displays of the status and configuration of the network elements and the customer-premises equipment.

Claims

1. A broadband network comprising:

a hybrid fiber coax (HFC) network having network elements operable for communicating telephony, data, and video signals with customer-premises equipment of subscribers;

an HFC network manager for monitoring status and configuration of the network elements and the customer-premises equipment, wherein the HFC network manager generates alarm data indicative of improper status and configuration of the network elements and the customer-premises equipment;

a service, design, and inventory (SDI) database operable with the HFC network manager for storing data indicative of the configuration of the network elements and the customer-premises equipment, wherein the database further stores data indicative of physical and logical connections between the network elements and the customer-premises equipment;

a fault manager having an alarm visualization tool operable with the HFC network manager and the database for generating visual displays of the status and configuration of the network elements and the customer-premises equipment overlaid with the alarm data along with the physical and logical connections between the network elements and the customer-premises equipment;

a trouble ticket system operable for generating trouble ticket alerts in response to improper status of at least one of the network elements and the customer-premises equipment, wherein the alarm visualization tool is operable with the trouble ticket system for displaying the trouble ticket alerts for the at least one of the network elements and the customer-premises equipment having improper status on the visual displays; and

a correlation system for correlating data including trouble ticket alerts generated by the trouble ticket system and the status of the network elements and the customer-premises equipment, wherein the alarm visualization tool displays the correlated data on the visual displays.

2. The broadband network of claim 1 further comprising:

a landbase database for storing data indicative of geography of the broadband network, wherein the alarm visualization tool is operable with the HFC network manager, the SDI database, and the landbase database for generating the visual displays overlaid with the geography of the broadband network.

3. The broadband network of claim 1 further comprising:

an HFC network engineering database for storing data indicative of engineering layout of the broadband network, wherein the alarm visualization tool is operable with the HFC network manager, the SDI database, and the HFC network engineering database for generating the visual displays overlaid with the engineering layout of the broadband network.

4. The broadband network of claim 1 further comprising:

a household passed database for storing data indicative of households passed in the broadband network, wherein the alarm visualization tool is operable with the HFC network manager, the SDI database, and the household passed database for generating the visual displays overlaid with the households passed in the broadband network.

5. The broadband network of claim 1 wherein:

the network elements include a host digital terminal (HDT) for communicating the telephony signals, a cable modem termination system (CMTS) for communicating the data signals, and video equipment for communicating the video signals, wherein the network elements further include a fiber optics node connected at one end to the HDT, the CMTS, and the video equipment by a fiber optics network and connected at the other end to the customer-premises equipment by coax.

6. The broadband network of claim 1 wherein:

the alarm visualization tool generates visual displays of the alarm data via at least one of color codes and icons representing the network elements and the customer-premises equipment.

7. The broadband network claim 1 wherein:

the SDI database is operable to generate an SDI report for at least one of a network element and a customer-premises equipment, the report including information about the at least one network element and the customer-premises equipment, wherein the alarm visualization tool is operable for the displaying SDI reports for a selected network element and customer-premises equipment on the visual displays.

8. The broadband network of claim 1 wherein:

the alarm visualization tool is operable with HFC network manager and the trouble ticket system for generating trouble ticket alerts with auto-populated status information.

9. In a broadband network having a hybrid fiber coax (HFC) network provided with network elements operable for communicating telephony, data, and video signals with customer-premises equipment of subscribers, a network management method for managing the broadband network, the network management method comprising:

monitoring status of the network elements and the customer-premises equipment of subscribers;

monitoring the configuration including the assigned capacity of the network elements and the customer-premises equipment;

generating alarm data indicative of improper status or configuration of the network elements and the customer-premises equipment;

storing data indicative of the status and the configuration of the network elements and the customer-premises equipment;

storing data indicative of physical and logical connections between the network elements and the customer-premises equipment; and

generating visual displays of the status and configuration including the assigned capacity of the network elements and the customer-premises equipment overlaid with the alarm data and overlaid with the physical and logical connections between the network elements and the customer-premises equipment based on the stored data.

10. The HFC network management method of claim 9 further comprising:

storing data indicative of geography of the broadband network, wherein generating visual displays includes generating the visual displays overlaid with the geography of the broadband network.

11. The HFC network management method of claim 9 further comprising:

storing data indicative of engineering layout of the broadband network, wherein generating visual displays includes generating the visual displays overlaid with the engineering layout of the broadband network.

12. The HFC network management method of claim 9 further comprising:

storing data indicative of households passed in the broadband network, wherein generating visual displays includes generating the visual displays overlaid with the households passed in the broadband network.

13. The HFC network management method of claim 9 further comprising:

generating trouble ticket alerts in response to improper status of at least one of the network elements and the customer-premises equipment, wherein generating visual displays includes displaying the trouble ticket alerts for the at least one of the network elements and the customer-premises equipment having improper status on the visual displays.