Methods and apparatus to pre-qualify user communities for communication services

• US 8,345,560 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2008
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Beattie, James Gordon Jr., Griesmer, Stephen J., Asefa, Debebe Assefa, Triano, Stephen Francis
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Jianye
• Application Number:
  US12/334,169
• Publication Number:
  US 20100149999A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,481 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/249
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/24 Arrangements for testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/247 Telephone sets including user guidance or feature selection means facilitating their use user interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones H04M1/724

Abstract

Example methods and apparatus to pre-qualify user communities for communication services are disclosed. An example method comprises configuring a first remote network demarcation associated with a first loop to a loop-back state, interrogating the first loop to determine a first parameter representative of the first loop, configuring a second remote network demarcation associated with a second loop to the loop-back state, interrogating the second loop to determine a second parameter representative of the second loop, and compiling a report based on the first and second parameters, the report containing a value that represents a degree to which a communication service can be provided to a user community associated with the first and second loops.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

sensing service activity status for a first loop and a second loop;

configuring a first remote network demarcation associated with a first customer premises and with the first loop to a loop-back state when an inactive status associated with the service on the first loop is sensed;

interrogating the first loop to determine a first parameter representative of the first loop when the inactive status is sensed, and preventing interrogation of the first loop when the service activity status indicates activity;

configuring a second remote network demarcation associated with a second customer premises and with the second loop to the loop-back state when an inactive status associated with the service on the second loop is sensed;

interrogating the second loop to determine a second parameter representative of the second loop, and preventing interrogation of the second loop when the service activity status indicates activity; and

compiling a report based on the first and second parameters, the report containing a value representing an indication of a communication service ability to be provided to a user community.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein interrogating the first loop comprises at least one of transmitting a first signal on the first loop, or receiving a second signal on the first loop.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein determining the first parameter comprises determining whether the first loop meets a criterion associated with the communication service, and wherein compiling the report comprises incrementing an exception count when the first loop fails to meet the criterion.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the report comprises a value representing a percentage of loops of the user community that may fail to meet a criterion associated with the communication service.

5. A method as defined in claim 4, wherein the percentage is estimated based on interrogations performed on a representative set of loops associated with the user community.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the compiled report to results of an installation of the communication service to a customer premises associated with a user community; and

refining, based on the comparison, at least one of a method, algorithm, process, or parameter used to interrogate a third loop and determine a third parameter representative of the third loop.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein the third loop is associated with a second user community that is different from the first user community.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein configuring the first network demarcation to the loop-back state comprises remotely configuring a switch at the first network demarcation to electrically couple a first conductor of the first loop to a second conductor of the first loop.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein configuring the first network demarcation to the loop-back state comprises remotely configuring a switch at the first network demarcation to electrically couple a first conductor of the first loop to a second conductor of a third loop, and interrogating the first loop comprises transmitting a first signal on the first loop and receiving a second signal on the third loop.

10. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first parameter represents at least one of a supportable communication service type, a supportable communication service data rate, a useable frequency band, whether a bridged tap is present, a loop length, a wire gauge, attenuation versus frequency data, an amount of noise that is present, or an amount of interference that is present.

11. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first parameter represents a condition of the first loop that prevents the first loop from supporting the communication service.

12. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising a communication distribution point of a user community comprising at least one of a digital subscriber line access multiplexer, a video-ready access device, a remote terminal, a serving area interface, a central office, a serving office, an intermediate office, or a cable modem head end.

13. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising a geographic area of a user community comprising at least one of a street, a neighborhood, a portion of a city, a city, a county, a state, a country, a zip code, a postal code, a telephone exchange, or an area code.

14. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a percentage of a plurality of loops within the user community that require repair;

authorizing marketing of the communication service to the user community when the percentage is less than a first threshold;

authorizing marketing of the communication service to a portion of the user community when the percentage is less than a second threshold and greater than the first threshold; and

delaying marketing activities for the communication service when the percentage is greater than the second threshold.

15. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the user community comprises a plurality of customer premises, persons, users or subscribers associated with at least one of a same geographic area or a same communication distribution point.

16. A system comprising:

a first test module to (1) sense a service activity status for a first subscriber line, (2) to interrogate the first subscriber line when an inactive status of the first subscriber line is sensed to determine a first parameter representative of the first subscriber line, and (3) to prevent interrogation of the first subscriber line when the service activity status indicates activity, the first subscriber line associated with a first customer premises having a first demarcation point;

a second test module to (1) sense a service activity status for a second subscriber line, (2) to interrogate the second subscriber line when an inactive status of the second subscriber line is sensed to determine a second parameter representative of the second subscriber line, and (3) to prevent interrogation of the second subscriber line when the service activity status indicates activity, the second subscriber line associated with a second customer premises having a second demarcation point; and

a pre-qualification server to;

configure the first network demarcation point associated with the first subscriber line to a loop-back state in response to sensing the inactive status associated with the service on the first subscriber line;

configure the second network demarcation point associated with the second subscriber line to the loop-back state in response to sensing the inactive status associated with the service on the second subscriber line; and

generate a report based on the first and second parameters, the report containing a value that represents an indication of a communication service ability to be provided to a user community.

17. A system as defined in claim 16, wherein the first network demarcation point comprises:

a switch having first and second positions, wherein when the switch is in the first position the switch is to communicatively couple a first conductor of the first subscriber line to a second conductor of the first subscriber line; and

a switch controller responsive to the pre-qualification server to control the position of the switch.

18. A system as defined in claim 16, wherein the first network demarcation point comprises:

a switch having first and second positions, wherein when the switch is in the first position the switch is to couple a first conductor of the first subscriber line to a second conductor of a third subscriber line; and

a switch controller responsive to the pre-qualification server to control the position of the switch.

19. A system as defined in claim 16, wherein the first parameter represents a condition of the first subscriber line that prevents the first subscriber line from supporting the communication service.

20. A system as defined in claim 16, wherein the communication distribution point comprises at least one of a digital subscriber line access multiplexer, a video-ready access device, a remote terminal, a serving area interface, a central office, a serving office, an intermediate office, or a cable modem head end.

21. A system as defined in claim 16, further comprising a user community having a geographic area comprising at least one of a street, a neighborhood, a portion of a city, a city, a county, a state, a country, a zip code, a postal code, a telephone exchange, or an area code.

22. A system as defined in claim 16, wherein the user community comprises any plurality of customer premises, persons, users or subscribers associated with at least one of a same geographic area or a same communication distribution point, the user community associated with the first and second subscriber lines.

23. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

sensing service activity status for a first loop and a second loop;

configuring a first remote network demarcation associated with a first customer premises and with the first loop to a loop-back state when an inactive status associated with the service on the first loop is sensed;

interrogating the first loop to determine a first parameter representative of the first loop when the inactive status is sensed, and preventing interrogation of the first loop when the service activity status indicates activity;

configuring a second remote network demarcation associated with a second customer premises and with the second loop to the loop-back state when an inactive status associated with the service on the second loop is sensed;

interrogating the second loop to determine a second parameter representative of the second loop, and preventing interrogation of the second loop when the service activity status indicates activity; and

compiling a report based on the first and second parameters, the report containing a value that represents an indication of a communication service ability to be provided to a user community.

24. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 23, wherein the-instructions, when executed, cause the machine to determine the first parameter by at least determining whether the first loop meets a criterion associated with the communication service, and wherein compiling the report comprises incrementing an exception count when the first loop fails to meet the criterion.

25. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 23, wherein the report comprises a value representing a percentage of loops of the user community that may fail to meet a criterion associated with the communication service.

26. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 25, wherein the percentage is estimated based on interrogations performed on a representative set of loops associated with the user community.

27. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 23, wherein instructions, when executed, cause the machine to:

identify a percentage of a plurality of loops within the user community that require repair;

authorize marketing of the communication service to the user community when the percentage is less than a first threshold;

authorize marketing of the communication service to a portion of the user community when the percentage is less than a second threshold and greater than the first threshold; and

delay marketing activities for the communication service when the percentage is greater than the second threshold.

28. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 23, wherein the user community comprises a plurality of customer premises, persons, users or subscribers associated with at least one of a same geographic area or a same communication distribution point.