Back to results
US 2003/0194059 A1Published application
In-line telephony data protector with line condition announce
AssigneeNone recorded
InventorsDaryl E. Ingalsbe, Douglas H. Ferguson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeNone recorded
InventorsDaryl E. Ingalsbe, Douglas H. Ferguson
Estimating the term…
A data protector for telephony test equipment, comprising a relay for selectively connecting the telephony test equipment to a telecommunication line, and electronic circuitry. The electronic circuitry includes a detector portion adapted for detecting signals within a continuous band of frequencies present on the telecommunication line, and a microcontroller. The microcontroller has a frequency counter function for determining whether data is present on the telecommunication line, a relay connect control function for selectively controlling the relay to connect the telephony test equipment to the telecommunication line, and an alert operator function for producing a signal if the detected frequency is above a predetermined threshold. A method for preventing telephony test equipment from unintentionally disrupting signals on telecommunication lines, comprising the steps of: providing a relay between the telecommunication test equipment and the telecommunication line; providing electronic circuitry including a single band frequency counter; determining whether data signals are present on the telecommunication line using the single band frequency counter; in response to determining that data signals are not present on the line, closing the relay to connect the telecommunication test equipment to the telecommunication line; and in response to determining that data signals are present on the line, providing an indication to the technician that data is present and preventing connection between the telecommunication test equipment and the telecommunication line.
Search is unavailable right now. Please try again in a moment.
A data protector for telephony test equipment, comprising:
A ADSL-compatible data protector with line condition announce for telephony test equipment, comprising:
A ADSL-compatible data protector with line condition announce for telephony test equipment, comprising:
A method for preventing telephony test equipment from unintentionally disrupting signals on telecommunication lines, comprising the steps of:
A method for preventing telephony test equipment from unintentionally disrupting signals on telecommunication lines, comprising the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Backward citations are indexed for grants only.
For subscriber's lines , for the local loop: craftsperson test terminals
For subscriber's lines , for the local loop: testing of physical copper line parameters, e.g. capacitance or resistance
Electronic components, circuits, software, systems or apparatus used in telephone systems: counting circuits
Telephonic communication
Term end not estimated
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, generally, to testing apparatus and methods within the telephony industry. More particularly, the invention relates to telephone test set equipment, and has particular utility as an apparatus and method for preventing the unintentional disruption of high-speed data traffic on telecommunication lines, for integrating field service test equipment into one test set, and for providing audible line condition announcements.
2. Background Information.
FIG. 1 is an illustration of the in-line telephony data protector of the present invention used as an add-on in conjunction with a test set.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the electronic circuitry for the in-line data protector with voice announce.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for the DC Current Sensor Portion and Voltage Sensor Portion of the electronic circuitry of FIG. 2.
Referring to FIGS. 1-13, an example of the preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated and generally indicated by the reference numeral 10. The data protector 10 may be incorporated into the design of a variety of telephony test equipment. As shown in FIG. 1, the in-line telephony data protector, or data protector 10, may be used in conjunction with a test set TS and generally forms a means for connecting and disconnecting the test set TS from the telecommunication line based upon the occurrence or absence of an event. The data protector 10 prevents the unintentional disruption of high speed data traffic on a telecommunication line by maintaining a disconnect between the test set TS and the telecommunication line until it can be verified that telecommunication signals are not present on the line. If data is not detected, the data protector 10 will connect the test set TS to the telecommunication line. If data is detected and a DC voltage is present on the line, the operator may consciously choose to override the disconnect and connect the test set to a line. As will be described in more detail below, this capability is desirable for DSL lines.
Referring now to the block diagram of FIG. 2, the data protector 10 generally comprises electronic circuitry 12 contained within a housing. The electronic circuitry 12 includes a microcontroller 14, a DC Current Sensor Portion 16, a Voltage Sensor Portion 18, a wide band RF Amp Portion 20 for sensing data on a telecommunication line, a Voice Production Portion 22 including a voice generator 24 and audio amplifier 26 for providing voice announcement signals to the receiver of the test set TS, a Relay 28 for selectively connecting the test set TS to the telecommunication line, an Enable Power Portion 30 for switched, regulated power to other portions of the circuitry, and a Voltage Regulator Portion 32 for providing regulated power to other portions of the circuitry. The microcontroller 14 has software that performs a frequency counter function, a relay connect control function, an alert operator function, a DC current detect function, a voltage detect function, a fuse function for preventing the connection of a test set to the line if the voltage exceeds a normal POTS line (48 V), an automatic power up function, and an automatic hold power/power down function.
The cord, shown in FIG. 1, is connected to terminals J1 and J3 and the test set TS is connected to terminals J2 and J4. A conductor 34 extends between terminals J1 and J3 and another conductor 36 extends between terminals J2 and J4, and together provide means for connecting the test set TS to the Tip and Ring conductors of a circuit in a telecommunication line. The disconnect/connect function between the test set TS and the cord and ultimately the telecommunication line is performed by the relay 28, which is specially designed for telecom hookswitch applications, and is rated for the full range of DC and AC loads encountered in such situations. The relay 28 is normally open, thus normally disconnecting the test set TS from the telecommunication line, and is closed only by applying a control signal from the microcontroller 14. As will be described in more detail below, the microcontroller 14 only provides this control signal to close the relay 28 and connect the test set TS to the telecommunication line if (1) during its automatic monitoring of the line, no data signal is detected, or (2) the technician consciously overrides the disconnect when data is present on a DC powered line.