US5615225A — Remote measurement unit containing integrated lin…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 139 words

For use with a communication system having a supervisory facility, and one or more remote sites from which network lines and subscriber termination equipment coupled thereto may be tested and conditioned, a test apparatus which is installable at a respective one of said plurality of remote sites and is operative under commands sourced from said supervisory facility for monitoring and testing said network lines and subscriber termination equipment coupled thereto, said apparatus having integrated in a shared circuit architecture remote measurement circuitry, which is operative to perform mechanized loop testing of a specified line circuit, and metallic access circuitry, which is operative to impart prescribed electrical conditions to a specified line circuit, said remote measurement circuitry and said metallic access circuitry being individually accessible and controllable by way of command messages coupled thereto by way of said supervisory facility.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 139 words

For use with a communication system having a supervisory facility, and one or more remote sites from which network lines and subscriber termination equipment coupled thereto may be tested and conditioned, a test apparatus which is installable at a respective one of said plurality of remote sites and is operative under commands sourced from said supervisory facility for monitoring and testing said network lines and subscriber termination equipment coupled thereto, said apparatus having integrated in a shared circuit architecture remote measurement circuitry, which is operative to perform mechanized loop testing of a specified line circuit, and metallic access circuitry, which is operative to impart prescribed electrical conditions to a specified line circuit, said remote measurement circuitry and said metallic access circuitry being individually accessible and controllable by way of command messages coupled thereto by way of said supervisory facility.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 39 words

An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said remote measurement circuitry is operative, in response to instructions from a loop maintenance operations system, to perform single-line demand tests on a test line circuit designated by a pair gain system.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 38 words

An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said metallic access circuitry is operative, in response to instructions from a direct access test unit, to perform line conditioning functions on a line circuit designated by a pair gain system.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 75 words

An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said remote measurement circuitry of said shared circuit architecture includes remote measurement circuitry, which is controllably operative to perform a plurality of measurements on a test line circuit, said plurality of measurements including AC and DC voltage and current measurement, resistance and capacitance measurements, analysis of rotary dial pulses, dial tone, and dual tone multi-frequency tones, and the measurement of signal transmission levels on said test line circuit.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 31 words

An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said resistance and capacitance measurements include measurements between tip and ground, ring and ground, and tip and ring portions of said test line circuit.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 45 words

An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said remote measurement circuitry of said shared circuit architecture is controllably operative to generate test tones, and to allow test personnel to establish callback and alternatively monitor, apply ringing, talk and perform tests on a separate telephone line.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 57 words

An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said metallic access circuitry of said shared circuit architecture includes metallic access circuitry which is controllably operative to place a test line in a selected one of a plurality of conditions including opening the line, shunting tip to ring, or shunting either or both of tip and ring to ground.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 47 words

An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said metallic access circuitry of said shared circuit architecture includes metallic access circuitry which is controllably operative to apply high-level metallic tones to tip and ring, or single-sided tones individually to the tip or ring side of a test line.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 43 words

An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said metallic access circuitry of said shared circuit architecture includes metallic access circuitry which is controllably operative to cause a line condition to be maintained on the line for a prescribed period of time following disconnect.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 70 words

An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said integrated circuit architecture includes a central processing unit, which is operative to execute respective instructions of operating system firmware that is stored in a memory unit including a remotely reprogrammable memory system, through the execution of which said central processing unit controls remote measurement or metallic access functionality and operation in accordance with commands communicated to said apparatus from said supervisory site.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 39 words

An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said remotely reprogrammable memory system comprises dual electronically reprogrammable flash memory systems, one of which flash memory systems is on-line, and the other of which is off-line as a quasi-redundant memory system.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 31 words

An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said remotely reprogrammable memory system comprises dual electronically reprogrammable flash memory systems, which contain respective first and second versions of said operating system firmware.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 39 words

An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said integrated circuit architecture includes a boot-up control circuit which is operative to cause said central processing unit to boot up in a prescribed given one of said dual flash memory systems.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 58 words

An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said boot-up control circuit includes a reset control circuit which is operative, in response to a modification of operating system firmware, to cause said central processing unit to execute the operating system firmware in that one of said dual flash memory system where the modification of operating system firmware has occurred.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 41 words

An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said memory unit includes auxiliary random access memory and a memory access controller which is operative to prevent corruption of the contents of said random access memory in the event of a power outages.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 32 words

An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said memory access controller is operative to couple a prescribed auxiliary power supply to said memory unit to preserve contents thereof during a power outage.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 64 words

An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said integrated circuit architecture includes a plurality of test and conditioning relays that are operated under control of said central processing unit so as to interconnect selected circuit components of said integrated circuit architecture in a prescribed functional connectivity path to a test line circuit for a given remote measurement operation or a given metallic access operation.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 50 words

An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said apparatus further includes a communication unit coupled to said central processing unit and an external communication link to which said supervisory site is coupled, and being operative to interface command and response messages between said central processing unit and said supervisory site.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 105 words

An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said communication unit includes a modem unit which is operative to carry out digital data communications between said supervisory site and said central processing unit at a selected one of a plurality of baud rates by initially its baud rate to default baud rate corresponding to the highest baud rate at which said modem is operative to communicate with said supervisory site, and then iteratively changing its baud rate, as necessary, based upon an examination of prescribed contents of a message from said supervisory site, until the baud rate of said modem matches that of said supervisory site.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 52 words

An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said communication unit further includes a data access arrangement for a telephone line interface, and additional telephone line signalling circuitry which is controllably operative to present an off-hook condition, generate dual tone multi-frequency or rotary dial signals, detect ringing signals, carrier, call-progress and answer-tone signals.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 93 words

An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said shared circuit architecture includes timer/counter circuitry which is operative under control of said central processing unit to generate a plurality of digitally sourced clock signals, and an AC signal source unit containing analog filter, amplifier and signal conditioning circuitry, which is operative generate analog tones having prescribed electrical characteristics in accordance with selected ones of said digitally sourced clock signals and thereby generate variable amplitude audio band tones, including dual tone multi-frequency tones, test tones, ring-back tones, and a reference tone for line capacitance measurements.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 42 words

An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said shared circuit architecture includes a DC source unit containing intercoupled voltage reference, digital-to-analog converter circuitry, and a selectable source resistor stage for generating a prescribed DC stimulus to be applied to a test line.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 88 words

An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said shared circuit architecture includes detector circuitry which is operative under control of said central processing units to selectively detect dual tone multi-frequency signalling, external closed-contact alarms, and an off-hook condition of a test line circuit, and selectively perform high impedance and low impedance monitoring of test line conditions over the monitor line, detect single frequency pulses employed for rotary dial analysis, or detect phase difference intervals between a reference and a delayed signal for capacitance measurements of said line circuit.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 49 words

An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said shared circuit architecture includes a termination resistor network, voltage divider and current shunt resistor networks, an AC-RMS DC converter, and an analog-to-digital converter, selectively intercoupled under control of said central processing unit for performing DC measurements of a test line circuit.

Claim 26

Dependent Claim 97 words

An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said shared circuit architecture includes a voltage divider network and an analog-to digital converter, and wherein said remote measurement circuitry is controllably operative to measure DC voltage conditions of said test line circuit through said test and conditioning relays, through which test line analog voltages are steered to said voltage divider network, with a divided analog DC voltage produced thereby being applied to said analog-to-digital converter, the output of which is coupled in the form of digital data representative of the measured analog DC voltage to said central processing unit.

Claim 27

Dependent Claim 104 words

An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said shared circuit architecture includes a voltage divider network, an AC/DC RMS converter and an analog-to-digital converter, and wherein said remote measurement circuitry is controllably operative to measure AC voltage conditions of said test line circuit through said test and conditioning relays, through which test line analog voltages are steered to said voltage divider network, with a divided analog AC voltage produced thereby being applied through said AC/DC RMS converter to said analog-to-digital converter, the output of which is coupled in the form of digital data representative of the measured analog voltage to said central processing unit.

Claim 28

Dependent Claim 94 words

An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said shared circuit architecture includes a shunt resistor network and an analog-to-digital converter, and wherein said remote measurement circuitry is controllably operative to measure DC current conditions of said test line circuit through said test and conditioning relays, through which test line analog currents are steered to said resistor network, with an analog DC voltage produced thereby being applied to said analog-to-digital converter, the output of which is coupled in the form of digital data representative of the measured analog DC voltage to said central processing unit.

Claim 29

Dependent Claim 103 words

An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said shared circuit architecture includes a shunt resistor network, an AC/DC RMS converter and an analog-to-digital converter, and wherein said remote measurement circuitry is controllably operative to measure AC current conditions of said test line circuit through said test and conditioning relays, through which test line analog currents are steered to said shunt resistor network, with an analog AC voltage produced thereby being applied through said AC/DC RMS converter to said analog-to-digital converter, the output of which is coupled in the form of digital data representative of the measured analog voltage to said central processing unit.

Claim 30

Dependent Claim 99 words

An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said shared circuit architecture includes a digital-to-analog converter, amplifier circuitry and a source resistor network, and wherein said remote measurement circuitry is controllably operative to perform a line resistance measurement by causing said digital-to-analog converter to generate an analog voltage in accordance with a digital code value sourced from said central processing unit, the output of said digital-to-analog converter being coupled to amplifier circuitry, and supplied therefrom through prescribed resistance components of a source resistance network, and applied to one side of a test line circuit through said test and conditioning relays.

Claim 31

Dependent Claim 77 words

An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said shared circuit architecture includes tone generator and phase measurement circuitry, and wherein said remote measurement circuitry is controllably operative to perform a line resistance measurement by causing said tone generator to apply a prescribed test tone signal to said test line, said phase measurement circuitry being operative to measure phase delay between the generated source tone signal and a tone signal associated with the effect of said test line.

Claim 32

Dependent Claim 39 words

An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said shared circuit architecture includes transmission level measurement circuitry which is operative to perform a measurement of a signal applied to said test line and calculates the value of the measured signal.

Claim 33

Dependent Claim 102 words

An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said shared circuit architecture includes a voltage divider network, an AC/DC RMS converter and a comparator, and wherein said shared circuit architecture is operative to detect dial tone via said test and conditioning relays, from which a dial tone signal is coupled through amplifier circuitry and band-limited by a bandpass filter for application to said voltage divider network, the output of which is converted into a DC voltage by said RMS/DC converter and sensed by said comparator, which provides a digital logic level representative of whether or not dial tone is present on said line.

Claim 34

Dependent Claim 94 words

An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said shared circuit architecture includes an off-hook comparator, and wherein said shared circuit architecture is operative to detect rotary dial signals by monitoring the make and break times of the pulses being examined on said test line, by coupling a rotary dial signal through said test and conditioning relays to said off-hook detection comparator, said off-hook comparator providing a first digital logic level during a make part of a dial pulse cycle and a second digital logic level during a break part of said dial pulse cycle.

Claim 35

Dependent Claim 41 words

An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said metallic access circuitry is operative, in response to instructions from said supervisory site, to perform line conditioning functions on a test line circuit through a circuit path including said test and conditioning relays.

Claim 36

Dependent Claim 56 words

An apparatus according to claim 34, wherein said test and conditioning relays include respective relay circuits which are selectively operative to effectively disconnect the test line, to short tip and ring together, to short tip, ring, and ground together, to short tip to ground, with ring open, and to short ring to ground, with tip open.

Claim 37

Dependent Claim 110 words

An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said shared circuit architecture includes timer/counter circuitry which is operative under control of said central processing unit to generate a plurality of digitally sourced clock signals, and an AC signal source unit containing analog filter, amplifier and signal conditioning circuitry, which is operative generate analog tones having prescribed electrical characteristics in accordance with selected ones of said digitally sourced clock signals and thereby generate variable amplitude audio band tones, and wherein said metallic access circuitry is operative to perform AC line conditioning by placing a metallic tone on the test line as a tip and ring tone, derived from said AC signal source.

Claim 38

Dependent Claim 92 words

A telephone line testing and conditioning apparatus, which is installable at a respective one of a plurality of remote sites, from which network telephone line circuits and subscriber termination equipment coupled thereto may be tested and conditioned from a supervisory facility, said telephone line testing and conditioning apparatus being operative under commands sourced from said supervisory facility to execute one of remote measurement functionality, through which mechanized loop testing of a specified line circuit is performed, and metallic access functionality, through which prescribed electrical conditions are imparted to a specified line circuit.

Claim 39

Dependent Claim 92 words

A telephone line testing and conditioning apparatus, which is installable at a respective one of a plurality of remote sites, from which network telephone line circuits and subscriber termination equipment coupled thereto may be tested and conditioned from a supervisory facility, said telephone line testing and conditioning apparatus being operative under commands sourced from said supervisory facility to execute one of remote measurement functionality, through which mechanized loop testing of a specified line circuit is performed, and metallic access functionality, through which prescribed electrical conditions are imparted to a specified line circuit.

Claim 40

Dependent Claim 31 words

An apparatus according to claim 37, wherein said remote measurement circuitry is operative, in response to instructions from said supervisory site, to perform single-line demand tests on a test line circuit.

Claim 41

Dependent Claim 31 words

An apparatus according to claim 38, wherein said metallic access circuitry is operative, in response to instructions from said supervisory site, to perform line conditioning functions on a test line circuit.

Claim 42

Dependent Claim 77 words

An apparatus according to claim 37, wherein said telephone line testing and conditioning apparatus comprises shared circuit architecture having remote measurement circuitry, which is controllably operative to perform a plurality of measurements on a test line circuit, said plurality of measurements including AC and DC voltage and current measurements, resistance and capacitance measurements, analysis of rotary dial pulses, dial tone, and dual tone multi-frequency tones, and the measurement of signal transmission levels on said test line circuit.

Claim 43

Dependent Claim 41 words

An apparatus according to claim 40, wherein said remote measurement circuitry is further controllably operative to generate test tones, and to allow test personnel to establish callback and alternatively monitor, apply ringing, talk and perform tests on a separate telephone line.

Claim 44

Dependent Claim 60 words

An apparatus according to claim 37, wherein said telephone line testing and conditioning apparatus comprises shared circuit architecture having metallic access conditioning circuitry, which is controllably operative to place a test line in a selected one of a plurality of conditions including opening the line, shunting tip to ring, or shunting either or both of tip and ring to ground.

Claim 45

Dependent Claim 47 words

An apparatus according to claim 42, wherein said metallic access circuitry of said shared circuit architecture includes metallic access circuitry which is controllably operative to apply high-level metallic tones to tip and ring, or single-sided tones individually to the tip or ring side of a test line.

Claim 46

Dependent Claim 43 words

An apparatus according to claim 42, wherein said metallic access circuitry of said shared circuit architecture includes metallic access circuitry which is controllably operative to cause a line condition to be maintained on the line for a prescribed period of time following disconnect.

Claim 47

Dependent Claim 90 words

An apparatus according to claim 37, wherein said telephone line testing and conditioning apparatus comprises shared circuit architecture having remote measurement circuitry and metallic access conditioning circuitry, said integrated circuit architecture including a central processing unit, which is operative to execute respective instructions of operating system firmware that is stored in a memory unit including a remotely reprogrammable memory system, through the execution of which said central processing unit controls remote measurement or metallic access functionality and operation in accordance with commands communicated to said apparatus from said supervisory site.

Claim 48

Dependent Claim 51 words

An apparatus according to claim 45, wherein said remotely reprogrammable memory system comprises dual electronically reprogrammable flash memory systems, which contain respective first and second versions of said operating system firmware, one of which flash memory systems is on-line, and the other of which is off-line as a quasi-redundant memory system.

Claim 49

Dependent Claim 64 words

An apparatus according to claim 45, wherein said integrated circuit architecture includes a plurality of test and conditioning relays that are operated under control of said central processing unit so as to interconnect selected circuit components of said integrated circuit architecture in a prescribed functional connectivity path to a test line circuit for a given remote measurement functionality or a given metallic access functionality.

Claim 50

Dependent Claim 104 words

An apparatus according to claim 45, wherein said apparatus includes a communication unit which is operative to carry out digital data communications between said supervisory site and said central processing unit at a selected one of a plurality of baud rates by initially its baud rate to default baud rate corresponding to the highest baud rate at which said modem is operative to communicate with said supervisory site, and then iteratively changing its baud rate, as necessary, based upon an examination of prescribed contents of a message from said supervisory site, until the baud rate of said modem matches that of said supervisory site.

Claim 51

Dependent Claim 52 words

An apparatus according to claim 48, wherein said communication unit further includes a data access arrangement for a telephone line interface, and additional telephone line signalling circuitry which is controllably operative to present an off-hook condition, generate dual tone multi-frequency or rotary dial signals, detect ringing signals, carrier, call-progress and answer-tone signals.

Claim 52

Dependent Claim 76 words

An apparatus according to claim 45, wherein said shared circuit architecture includes timer/counter circuitry which is operative under control of said central processing unit to generate a plurality of digitally sourced clock signals, and an AC signal source unit containing analog filter, amplifier and signal conditioning circuitry, which is operative generate analog tones having prescribed electrical characteristics in accordance with selected ones of said digitally sourced clock signals and thereby generate variable amplitude audio band tones.

Claim 53

Dependent Claim 42 words

An apparatus according to claim 45, wherein said shared circuit architecture includes a DC source unit containing intercoupled voltage reference, digital-to-analog converter circuitry, and a selectable source resistor stage for generating a prescribed DC stimulus to be applied to a test line.

Claim 54

Dependent Claim 88 words

An apparatus according to claim 45, wherein said shared circuit architecture includes detector circuitry which is operative under control of said central processing units to selectively detect dual tone multi-frequency signalling, external closed-contact alarms, and an off-hook condition of a test line circuit, and selectively perform high impedance and low impedance monitoring of test line conditions over the monitor line, detect single frequency pulses employed for rotary dial analysis, or detect phase difference intervals between a reference and a delayed signal for capacitance measurements of said line circuit.

Claim 55

Dependent Claim 49 words

An apparatus according to claim 45, wherein said shared circuit architecture includes a termination resistor network, voltage divider and current shunt resistor networks, an AC-RMS DC converter, and an analog-to-digital converter, selectively intercoupled under control of said central processing unit for performing DC measurements of a test line circuit.

Claim 56

Dependent Claim 99 words

An apparatus according to claim 47, wherein said shared circuit architecture includes a digital-to-analog converter, amplifier circuitry and a source resistor network, and wherein said remote measurement circuitry is controllably operative to perform a line resistance measurement by causing said digital-to-analog converter to generate an analog voltage in accordance with a digital code value sourced from said central processing unit, the output of said digital-to-analog converter being coupled to amplifier circuitry, and supplied therefrom through prescribed resistance components of a source resistance network, and applied to one side of a test line circuit through said test and conditioning relays.

Claim 57

Dependent Claim 77 words

An apparatus according to claim 47, wherein said shared circuit architecture includes tone generator and phase measurement circuitry, and wherein said remote measurement circuitry is controllably operative to perform a line resistance measurement by causing said tone generator to apply a prescribed test tone signal to said test line, said phase measurement circuitry being operative to measure phase delay between the generated source tone signal and a tone signal associated with the effect of said test line.

Claim 58

Dependent Claim 39 words

An apparatus according to claim 47, wherein said shared circuit architecture includes transmission level measurement circuitry which is operative to perform a measurement of a signal applied to said test line and calculates the value of the measured signal.

Claim 59

Dependent Claim 102 words

An apparatus according to claim 47, wherein said shared circuit architecture includes a voltage divider network, an AC/DC RMS converter and a comparator, and wherein said shared circuit architecture is operative to detect dial tone via said test and conditioning relays, from which a dial tone signal is coupled through amplifier circuitry and band-limited by a bandpass filter for application to said voltage divider network, the output of which is converted into a DC voltage by said RMS/DC converter and sensed by said comparator, which provides a digital logic level representative of whether or not dial tone is present on said line.

Claim 60

Dependent Claim 94 words

An apparatus according to claim 47, wherein said shared circuit architecture includes an off-hook comparator, and wherein said shared circuit architecture is operative to detect rotary dial signals by monitoring the make and break times of the pulses being examined on said test line, by coupling a rotary dial signal through said test and conditioning relays to said off-hook detection comparator, said off-hook comparator providing a first digital logic level during a make part of a dial pulse cycle and a second digital logic level during a break part of said dial pulse cycle.

Claim 61

Dependent Claim 41 words

An apparatus according to claim 47, wherein said metallic access circuitry is operative, in response to instructions from said supervisory site, to perform line conditioning functions on a test line circuit through a circuit path including said test and conditioning relays.

Claim 62

Dependent Claim 56 words

An apparatus according to claim 59, wherein said test and conditioning relays include respective relay circuits which are selectively operative to effectively disconnect the test line, to short tip and ring together, to short tip, ring, and ground together, to short tip to ground, with ring open, and to short ring to ground, with tip open.

Claim 63

Dependent Claim 110 words

An apparatus according to claim 45, wherein said shared circuit architecture includes timer/counter circuitry which is operative under control of said central processing unit to generate a plurality of digitally sourced clock signals, and an AC signal source unit containing analog filter, amplifier and signal conditioning circuitry, which is operative generate analog tones having prescribed electrical characteristics in accordance with selected ones of said digitally sourced clock signals and thereby generate variable amplitude audio band tones, and wherein said metallic access circuitry is operative to perform AC line conditioning by placing a metallic tone on the test line as a tip and ring tone, derived from said AC signal source.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	2000-03-24	2000-09-23	2001-03-25	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	2004-03-24	2004-09-23	2005-03-25	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2008-03-24	2008-09-23	2009-03-25	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Remote measurement unit containing integrated line measurement and conditioning functionality for performing remotely commanded testing and conditioning of telephone line circuits

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