Test system for remotely testing switches within a telecommunications network

• US 20030119497A1
• Filed: 02/11/2003
• Published: 06/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RcatsOne Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Casabyte, Inc. (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Inventors: Adams, David E., Keenan, Timothy Lee
• Granted Patent: US 6,788,934 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/424
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

A system for centrally and remotely testing switches of cellular and conventional telecommunications network wherein a controller located at a remote location provides instructions to Remote Call Processor (RCP) to thereby prompt the RCPs to establish a communication link from the RCP through a switch to a destination device whereby audio from said destination device is communicated, by way of the switch and the RCP, to the controller in order to verify that the switch properly routed and billed of the call. The destination device may be a service provided by such network or it may be another RCP.

Claims

1. A method for remotely testing the proper functioning of a switch in a telecommunications network comprising the steps of:

sending a control signal from a controller located at a remote user location, which is accessible to said telecommunications network, to a remote call processor (RCP) having at least one telephone, said remote call processor (RCP) located in a service area of said telecommunications network;

receiving said control signal in said remote call processor (RCP);

establishing a first communications link including said controller and said remote call processor (RCP);

processing said control signal in said remote call processor (RCP) wherein said control signal includes instructions for establishing a test telephone call from said remote call processor (RCP) through a calling area switch located in said service area to a destination telecommunications device;

establishing said test telephone call from said remote call processor (RCP) through said calling area switch to said destination telecommunications device;

receiving in said remote call processor (RCP), telecommunications signals related to said test telephone call wherein said telecommunications signals include audio signals; and

testing by said controller said telecommunications signals related to said test telephone call to verify proper operation of said calling area switch.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of testing by said controller said telecommunications signals related to said test telephone call includes measuring said audio signals for audio quality.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of establishing a first communications link including said controller and said remote call processor (RCP) is established via the Internet.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of establishing a first communications link including said controller and said remote call processor (RCP) is established through a wireless portion of said telecommunications network.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of establishing said test telephone call from said remote call processor (RCP) through said calling area switch to said destination telecommunications device is established through a wireless portion of said network.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

querying said controller with queries generated by said destination telecommunications device which are sent through said calling area switch and said remote call processor (RCP), and

receiving responses to said queries from said controller via said remote call processor (RCP) and said calling area switch.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein a further step of interrogating of said at least one telephone located in said remote call processor (RCP) provides information regarding a call history for matching to billing records or translation records for said destination telecommunications device.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of querying and receiving responses to said queries verifies a complete transmission of at least a portion of an audio portion of said audio signals in at least one direction.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of querying and receiving responses to said queries verifies proper operation of a voicemail box.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said first communications link including said remote call processor (RCP) and said controller is a secure link, and said test telephone call between said remote call processor (RCP) and said destination telecommunications device is a secure telephone call.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said destination telecommunications device is a voicemail box.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said destination telecommunications device is a second remote call processor.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said controller instructs said remote call processor (RCP) to establish said test call using said second remote call processor as said destination telecommunications device wherein if said second remote call processor does not receive said test call within a predetermined period of time, said second remote call processor will contact said controller indicating that said test call has not been received at said second remote call processor.

14. The method of claim 6, wherein the steps of querying and receiving responses to said queries, further include the step of verifying, using said audio signals, the proper operation of a function selected from the group consisting of call forwarding, call waiting, no answer transfer, voice recognition service, and messaging service.

15. A remote controller system for remotely testing at least one calling area switch of a calling area in a telecommunications network, said controller system comprising:

a controller located remotely from said at least one calling area switch of said calling area, said controller being capable of generating, sending, receiving and processing audio signals or telecommunications data signals;

a build script mode application executed by said controller which builds test calls having at least said audio signals to test proper operation of said calling area switch;

said build scripts mode application further including first commands for selecting a remote call processor (RCP), having at least one telephone, to place said test calls in said calling area through said calling area switch and second commands for recording said audio signals which are present in said test calls;

a run mode application executed by said controller for executing said first commands and said at least second commands; and

a results mode application executed by said controller to process, display, and store in a memory accessible to said controller, a result from said test calls.

16. The remote controller system of claim 15 further comprising a schedule mode application executed by said controller to execute said test calls on a predetermined schedule.

17. The remote controller system of claim 15 further comprising a configure remote call processor (RCP) mode application executed by said controller which may configure said at least one remote call processor (RCP) in said telecommunications system.

18. A telecommunications data processing system for testing the operations of switches which serve a calling area of a telecommunications network, comprising:

a controller accessible to said telecommunications network with a computer processor for at least processing telecommunications data;

a storage medium accessible to the controller for storing and retrieving said telecommunications data for processing in said controller; and

a telecommunications unit serving a particular calling area and controlled by said controller via a communications link and configured to send and receive said telecommunications data to and from a destination telecommunication device through a switch serving a calling area upon prompting by said controller.

19. The telecommunications data processing system of claim 18 wherein said controller is a central server;

and said telecommunications unit is a remote module.

20. The telecommunications data processing system of claim 18 wherein said controller directs calls according to call placement schedules.

21. The telecommunications data processing system of claim 18 wherein said controller directs said telecommunications unit to place test calls.

22. The telecommunications data processing system of claim 21 wherein said controller uses said test calls for producing an automated call detail recording.

23. The telecommunications data processing system of claim 22 wherein a compare module automatically validates said automated call detail recording against said test calls placed.

24. The telecommunications data processing system of claim 18 wherein said controller processes signals regarding omitted or duplicated calls.

25. The telecommunications data processing system of claim 18 wherein said telecommunications network is an Internet protocol network.

26. The telecommunications data processing system of claim 18 wherein said telecommunications network includes an Ethernet connection.

27. The telecommunications data processing system of claim 23 wherein said controller includes said compare module.

28. The telecommunications data processing system of claim 18 wherein said controller produces billing verification data by processing said telecommunications data.

29. The telecommunications data processing system of claim 20 wherein said controller produces said call placement schedules.

30. The telecommunications data processing system of claim 18 wherein said controller is a hub.

31. The telecommunications data processing system of claim 21 wherein said controller programs said test calls, schedules said test calls, verifies said test calls and tabulates results of said telecommunications data.