System and method for remotely diagnosing and reporting failures in network equipment

• US 8,923,486 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2007
• Issued: 12/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Labs Incorporated (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kormann, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Teshale, Akelaw
• Application Number:
  US11/962,275
• Publication Number:
  US 20090161847A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,566 Days
• Field of Search: 379/93.09, 379/93.35, 379/67.1, 379/70, 379 101- 35, 379/100.01, 379/100.15, 379/274, 379/277, 379/297, 379/337, 379/381, 379/88.24, 379/93.01, 379/93.11, 379/101.15, 379/102.01, 379/142.01, 379/377
• US Class Current: 379/2
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/066 Telephone sets adapted for data transmision
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/28 Automatic routine testing ; Fault testing; Installation testing; Test methods, test equipment or test arrangements therefor

Abstract

A system and method for initiating a telephone call to a telephone line that is connected to a modem and an answering machine, the modem being configured to connect to the telephone call prior to the answering machine, determining whether the modem has connected to the telephone call, determining, if the modem has not connected to the telephone call, whether the answering machine has connected to the telephone call and providing a first indication to a user if neither of the modem nor the answering machine has connected to the telephone call.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

initiating, by an initiating means, a telephone call to a telephone line that is connected to a modem and an answering machine, the modem being configured to answer the telephone call prior to the answering machine;

determining, by determining means, whether the modem has answered the telephone call;

if the modem has not answered the telephone call, determining, by the microprocessor, whether the answering machine has answered the telephone call; and

providing, by providing means, a first indication to a user if neither of the modem nor the answering machine has answered the telephone call, the first indication indicating the existence of a problem with a component other than the modem and the answering machine.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initiating, by the microprocessor, a diagnostic communication with the modem if the modem has answered the call.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the modem is connected to a network component.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving, by the microprocessor, an indication of a problem with the network component and initiating the telephone call in response to the indication of the problem.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, by the microprocessor, a second indication to the user if the answering machine has answered the telephone call.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the modem is configured to answer the telephone call before the expiration of a first predetermined time period.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the answering machine is configured to answer the telephone call after the expiration of the first predetermined time period, but before the expiration of a second predetermined time period.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the modem, the network component, and the answering machine are connected to a common power source.

9. A system, comprising:

a networking component connected to a power source;

a modem connected to the networking component, to the power source, and to a telephone line, the modem being configured to answer an incoming call on the telephone line after a first predetermined time period; and

a telephone answering machine connected to the power source and to the telephone line, the answering machine being configured to answer the incoming call on the telephone line after a second predetermined time period, the second time period being longer than the first predetermined time period,

wherein the telephone answering machine does not answer the incoming call if the modem answered the incoming call after the first predetermined time period,

and wherein, if neither the modem nor the telephone answering machine answers the telephone call, an indication is generated indicating, to a user, the existence of a problem with a component other than the modem and the answering machine.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the modem is configured to conduct a diagnostic communication in response to answering the incoming call.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the answering machine is configured to play an outgoing message in response to answering the incoming call.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the outgoing message is encrypted to prevent unauthorized users from decoding the message.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the outgoing message is encoded to identify one of a location and an identity of the answering machine.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the answering machine thither includes a temperature sensor measuring a temperature at a location of the answering machine, the outgoing message including an indication of the temperature.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the first predetermined time period corresponds to one ring of the phone call.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the second predetermined time period corresponds to three rings of the phone call.

17. A system comprising a memory storing a set of instructions and a processor executing the instructions, the set of instructions operable to:

initiate a telephone call to a telephone line that is connected to a modem and an answering machine, the modem being configured to answer the telephone call prior to the answering machine;

determine whether the modem has answered the telephone call;

if the modem has not answered the telephone call, determine whether the answering machine has answered the telephone call; and

provide a first indication to a user if neither of the modem nor the answering machine has answered the telephone call, the first indication indicating the existence of a problem with a component other than the modem and the answering machine.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the instructions are further operable to:

initiate a diagnostic communication with the modem if the modem has answered the call.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the modem is connected to a network component and the instructions are further operable to:

receive an indication of a problem with the network component and initiate the telephone call in response to the indication of the problem.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the instructions are further operable to:

provide a second indication to the user if the answering machine has answered the telephone call.