Portable connection diagnostic device

• US 9,749,039 B1
• Filed: 06/10/2013
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chen, Po-Chun, Lennon, David Brian, Cullen, Patrick Brigham, Robinson, Daniel Thomas, Mohamed, Jawash, Penney, Alexander Justin, Miller, Kevin Christopher, Oweis, Marwan Salah
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Uyen Chau N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith, Chad
• Application Number:
  US13/913,763
• Time in Patent Office: 1,541 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/30 Authentication, i.e. establishing the identity or authorisation of security principals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/07 Arrangements for monitoring or testing transmission systems; Arrangements for fault measurement of transmission systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/073 using an out-of-service signal H04B10/071 takes precedence

Abstract

A portable device is brought into a data center for testing connectivity between a customer and a service provider. A user of the device uses the device to requests ticket and customer information from a service provider in order to obtain more information about a particular task. The user plugs a cable into the device and performs a series of diagnostic tests on the connection. The device is configured to display the results of the diagnostic tests and any associated errors. The user of the device performs one or more actions based on the results of the diagnostic tests.

Claims

1. A handheld fiber-optic diagnostic device comprising:

a housing configured to allow the handheld fiber-optic diagnostic device to be held by a human hand;

a port configured to removably receive a fiber-optic cable from outside of the housing;

a display unit engaged with the housing so as to be visible from outside of the housing;

a transceiver configured to access a system of a service provider;

one or more processors that are operatively coupled with the display unit, the transceiver and the port; and

memory including instructions executable by the one or more processors that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to;

receive a first set of information that is based at least in part on optical signals transmitted through the fiber-optic cable removably received by the port;

receive a second set of information from the transceiver based at least in part on information received from the system of the service provider;

determine, based at least in part on the second set of information, one or more security protocols for displaying diagnostic information through the display; and

cause the display to display the diagnostic information in accordance with the one or more security protocols, the diagnostic information based at least in part on the first set of information, the second set of information and one or more analyses performed based at least in part on the first set of information and the second set of information.

2. The handheld fiber-optic diagnostic device of claim 1 wherein:

the first set of information includes information extracted from a data packet that is received from optical signals transmitted through a fiber-optic cable connected to a customer router and signal strength based at least in part on the optical signals;

the one or more processors further analyze the data packet and extract information from the data packet; and

the diagnostic information displayed on the display includes the information from the data packet and the signal strength.

3. The handheld fiber-optic diagnostic device of claim 2 wherein the data packet includes a virtual local area network tag associated with a customer of the service provider.

4. The handheld fiber-optic diagnostic device of claim 1, wherein the second set of information includes an expected virtual local area network tag associated with a customer of the service provider, information for identifying the customer of the service provider and information regarding a service ticket.

5. The handheld fiber-optic diagnostic device of claim 1, wherein the one or more security protocols cause the display to not display diagnostic information based at least in part on the one or more security protocols.

6. The handheld fiber-optic diagnostic device of claim 1, the transceiver is operatively configured to access the system of the service provider using one or more wireless communications protocols.

7. A diagnostic device comprising:

a housing;

a port configured to removably receive a cable from at least a pair of cables of a communication circuit that each have a separate connector;

a display unit engaged with the housing so as to be visible from outside of the housing;

one or more processors that are operatively coupled with the display unit and the port; and

memory including instructions executable by the one or more processors that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to;

receive a signal through the cable that encodes information;

extract the encoded information from the signal;

analyze, based at least in part on a set of information received from a remote system, the encoded information;

determine, based at least in part on the set of information received from the remote system, one or more security protocols for displaying information through the display; and

cause the display to display, in accordance with the one or more security protocols, information that distinguishes the cable from one or more remaining cables of the at least a pair of cables, information that includes the encoded information and information based at least in part on the comparison between the encoded information and the set of information received from the remote system.

8. The diagnostic device of claim 7, wherein:

the cable is a fiber-optic cable; and

the diagnostic device is configured to perform diagnostic tests on a fiber-optic connection.

9. The diagnostic device of claim 7, wherein:

the diagnostic device further comprises a transceiver that is configured to communicate with the remote system using one or more wireless communications protocols; and

the set of information received from the remote system is received through the transceiver.

10. The diagnostic device of claim 9, wherein the analysis includes performing one or more tests to compare the set of information that is received through the transceiver and the information from the signal received through the cable.

11. The diagnostic device of claim 7, wherein the information displayed on the display indicates whether the cable is one from the at least a pair that is connected at one end to the transmission port of a customer router.

12. The diagnostic device of claim 7, wherein the information displayed on the display includes at least one of customer and service ticket information, signal characteristics, or one or more error messages if the device detects one or more errors.

13. A computer-implemented method for diagnosing a connection, comprising:

under the control of a portable diagnostic device configured with executable instructions,

determining if one or more signals are being transmitted through a cable;

displaying a message on a display unit when no signals are being transmitted through the cable;

receiving, to the portable diagnostic device, one or more signals through the cable;

extracting a first set of information from the one or more signals;

obtaining a second set of information from a remote system;

determining, based at least in part on the second set of information from the remote system, one or more security protocols for displaying information through the display;

performing one or more tests based at least in part on the first set of information and the second set of information; and

displaying results of the one or more tests on the display unit of the portable diagnostic device in accordance with the one or more security protocols.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein obtaining the second set of information from a remote system is receiving the second set of information through a transceiver on the portable diagnostic device.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the one or more tests includes comparing the set of information from the one or more signals and the second set of information and determining one or more characteristics of the one or more signals.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the set of information from the one or more signals includes one or more data packets collectively comprising one or more virtual local area network tags associated with a customer and signal characteristics.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the second set of information includes customer and service ticket information and an expected virtual local area network tag associated with the customer.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the one or more security protocols cause the display to prevent information from the first set of information from being displayed if the information does not satisfy the one or more security protocols.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a portable diagnostic device, cause the portable diagnostic device to:

process one or more signals received through at least one cable from a set of cables connected to obtain information encoded by the one or more signals;

process a set of information from a remote system;

determine, based at least in part on the set of information, one or more security protocols for displaying information through a display;

perform one or more tests based at least in part on the encoded information and the set of information; and

cause the display to display information based at least in part on results from the one or more tests and in accordance with the one or more security protocols.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 19, wherein the set of information from the remote system is received through a transceiver on the portable diagnostic device.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 19, wherein the set of information includes information based at least in part on a customer of a remote system, a description of a task to be performed and an expected virtual local area network tag associated with the customer.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 21, wherein the information based at least in part on the one or more tests includes characteristics of the one or more signals and a comparison of the virtual local area network tag from the encoded information and the expected virtual local area network tag.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 19, wherein the one or more security protocols cause the display to not display information that does not satisfy the one or more security protocols.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 19, wherein the one or more tests are diagnostic tests for determining signal characteristics based at least in part on the one or more signals received through the at least one cable.