Remote terminal, processor-readable medium, and method for remote adjustment of a user profile

• US 7,930,399 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2006
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SBC Properties, L.P.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brown, Carlton Ligar, Cambron, G. Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): BAROT, BHARAT
• Application Number:
  US11/403,699
• Publication Number:
  US 20060190597A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,832 Days
• Field of Search: 709202-203, 709225-228, 375219-220
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/306 for frequencies above the voice frequency, e.g. xDSL line qualification test methods, test equipment and test arrangements for subscriber lines using xDSL modems H04M3/304; systems modifying transmission characteristics according to link quality H04L1/0001; monitoring and/or testing of line transmission systems H04B3/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42136 Administration or customisation of services

Abstract

A method includes monitoring, using a customer profile monitor at a server, a customer performance parameter of customer premises equipment. The customer premises equipment includes a customer profile and is located remote from the server. The customer performance parameter is compared to a customer specific performance standard to determine a difference. The customer profile of the customer premises equipment is adjusted automatically by the server.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring, using a customer profile monitor at server, at least one customer performance parameter of a customer premises equipment, the at least one customer performance parameter including a signal-to-noise ratio, the customer premises equipment including a customer profile and being located remote from the server;

comparing, at the server, the at least one customer performance parameter to a customer specific performance standard to determine a difference; and

automatically adjusting, from the server, the customer profile of the customer premises equipment in response to determining the difference.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the at least one customer performance parameter includes monitoring one or more of a line capacity, an attenuation value, and an error rate.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the at least one customer performance parameter includes monitoring an operating code.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the at least one customer performance parameter comprises monitoring the at least one customer performance parameter over a period of time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the at least one customer performance parameter comprises monitoring a code violation and error seconds of the customer premises equipment.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the at least one customer performance parameter comprises retrieving a plurality of customer performance parameters from the customer premises equipment.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining a table of customer performance parameters related to a plurality of customers, the table of customer performance parameters including the customer specific performance standard.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the at least one customer performance parameter to the customer specific performance standard comprises comparing a plurality of customer performance parameters to a plurality of customer specific performance standards.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein, automatically adjusting the customer profile of the customer premises equipment comprises increasing an allowable transmission rate of the customer premises equipment when the customer performance parameter is less than the customer specific performance standard for a period of time.

10. A remote terminal communicatively coupled between a backbone network and a plurality of customer sites, the remote terminal comprising:

a multiplexer coupled to the backbone network;

a transceiver coupled to the customer site; and

a controller coupled to customer premises equipment of the customer site via the transceiver, the controller adapted to monitor at least one customer performance parameter related to the customer premises equipment of a particular customer, the at least one customer performance parameter including a signal-to-noise ratio, the customer premises equipment including a customer profile, the controller to compare the customer performance parameter to a customer specific performance standard to determine a difference and to automatically adjust the customer profile of the customer premises equipment in response to determining the difference.

11. The remote terminal of claim 10, wherein the controller comprises a customer profile adjuster to remotely adjust the customer profile of the customer premises equipment.

12. The remote terminal of claim 10, further comprising a table to store the customer specific performance standard, wherein the controller is adapted to access the table to compare the customer performance parameter to the customer specific performance standard.

13. The remote terminal of claim 10, wherein the customer premises equipment stores data related to the at least one customer performance parameter, and wherein the remote terminal further comprises a customer profile monitor to retrieve the at least one customer performance parameter from the customer premises equipment.

14. The remote terminal of claim 10, wherein the at least one customer performance parameter includes at least one of an operating code, an error rate, an attenuation value, and a line capacity.

15. The remote terminal of claim 10, wherein the controller is adapted to monitor the at least one customer performance parameter over a pre-determined period of time and to adjust the customer profile of the customer premises equipment remotely to reduce the difference between the at least one customer performance parameter and the customer specific performance standard.

16. A processor readable storage medium embodying processor readable instructions executable by a processor to perform remote adjustment of customer premises equipment, the processor readable instructions comprising:

instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to monitor, using a customer profile monitor, at least one customer performance parameter of a customer premises equipment at a server, the at least one customer performance parameter including a signal-to-noise ratio, the customer premises equipment including a customer profile and being located remote from the server;

instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to compare the at least one customer performance parameter to a customer specific performance standard to determine a difference; and

instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to adjust the customer profile of the customer premises equipment at the server.

17. The processor readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the customer premises equipment is adapted to store the at least one customer performance parameter, and wherein the instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to monitor the at least one customer performance parameter include instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to retrieve the at least one customer performance parameter from the customer premises equipment.

18. The processor readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to adjust the customer profile include instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform an adjustment automatically.

19. The processor readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to compare the at least one customer performance parameter to the customer specific performance standard comprise:

instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to access a table of customer specific performance parameters; and

instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to retrieve a customer specific performance standard from the table.

20. The processor readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to adjust the at least one customer performance parameter in response to an adjustment request received from the customer premises equipment.