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

• US 9,100,472 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2012
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• 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., Triano, Stephen F., Asefa, Debebe
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Jianye
• Application Number:
  US13/708,033
• Publication Number:
  US 20130094631A1
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 the service activity status indicates an inactive status associated with the service on the first loop;

interrogating the first loop to determine a first parameter representative of the first loop when the service activity status indicates the inactive status, 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 the service activity status indicates an inactive status is associated with the service on the second loop;

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 on the second loop; and

marketing the service to a user community when a plurality of the first and second parameters indicate fewer than a threshold number of first and second loops require maintenance, and preventing marketing of the service to the user community when the plurality of the first and second parameters indicate greater than the threshold number of first and second loops require maintenance.

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

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the threshold includes 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, wherein configuring the first network demarcation to the loop-back state includes 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.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein configuring the first network demarcation to the loop-back state includes 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 includes transmitting a first signal on the first loop and receiving a second signal on the third loop.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. A method as defined in claim 1, further including a communication distribution point of a user community including 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.

11. A method as defined in claim 1, further including a geographic area of a user community, the area including 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.

12. 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 the service activity status is an inactive status 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 second service activity status for a second subscriber line, (2) to interrogate the second subscriber line when the second service activity status is an inactive status to determine a second parameter representative of the second subscriber line, and (3) to prevent interrogation of the second subscriber line when the second 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 the first service activity status indicating the inactive status 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 the second service activity status indicating the inactive status on the second subscriber line;

approve a marketing effort of the service to a user community when a plurality of the first and second parameters indicate fewer than a threshold number of first and second loops require maintenance; and

delay the marketing effort of the service to the user community when the plurality of the first and second parameters indicate greater than the threshold number of first and second loops require maintenance.

13. A system as defined in claim 12, wherein the first network demarcation point includes:

a switch having first and second positions, 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.

14. A system as defined in claim 12, wherein the first network demarcation point includes:

a switch having first and second positions, 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.

15. A system as defined in claim 12, wherein the first parameter represents a condition of the first subscriber line that prevents the first subscriber line from supporting the communication service.

16. A system as defined in claim 12, wherein the communication distribution point includes 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.

17. A machine readable storage device 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 the service activity status indicates an inactive status associated with the service on the first loop;

interrogating the first loop to determine a first parameter representative of the first loop when the service activity status indicates the inactive status, 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 the service activity status indicates an inactive status is associated with the service on the second loop;

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 on the second loop; and

marketing the service to a user community when a plurality of the first and second parameters indicate fewer than a threshold number of first and second loops require maintenance, and preventing marketing of the service to the user community when the plurality of the first and second parameters indicate greater than the threshold number of first and second loops require maintenance.

18. The machine-readable storage device as defined in claim 17, 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 incrementing an exception count when the first loop fails to meet the criterion.

19. The machine-readable storage device as defined in claim 17, wherein the threshold includes a value representing a percentage of loops of the user community that may fail to meet a criterion associated with the communication service.

20. The machine-readable storage device as defined in claim 19, wherein the percentage is estimated based on interrogations performed on a representative set of loops associated with the user community.