Automated documentation system for a communications network
AssigneeCable Management International, Inc.
InventorsJohn G. Hansen, Ronald I. Forth
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for tracing a conductor connected between a terminal of one terminal block and a terminal of another terminal block within a network of conductors and terminal blocks includes a supervisor associated with each terminal block for imposing a trace signal selectively on any of the terminals of said block. The supervisor also detecting a trace signal appearing on any of said terminals. A controller communicates with the supervisors to cause a selected supervisor to impose a trace signal on one of the terminals of its associated terminal block, and receives from the supervisors a report of another terminal at which the trace signal appears.
Claims46
A system for tracing a conductor connected between a terminal of one terminal block and a terminal of another terminal block within a network of conductors and terminal blocks, comprising
- a supervisor associated with each terminal block for imposing a trace signal selectively on any of the terminals of said block, and for detecting a trace signal appearing on any of said terminals, and
- a controller in communication with said supervisors for causing a selected said supervisor to impose a trace signal on one of the terminals of its associated terminal block, and for receiving from said supervisors a report of another terminal at which said trace signal appears.
A method for tracing a conductor connected between a terminal of one terminal block and a terminal of another terminal block within a network of conductors and terminal blocks, comprising
- providing a supervisor associated with each terminal block for imposing a trace signal selectively on any of the terminals of said block, and for detecting a trace signal appearing on any of said terminals,
- sending from a controller a command to said supervisors that causes a selected said supervisor to impose a trace signal on one of the terminals of its associated terminal block, and
- causing said supervisors to send to said controller a report of another terminal at which said trace signal appears.
A supervisor for use in a system for tracing conductors in a network of conductors connected among terminal blocks, comprising
- a network connection port for connection to the terminals of one of said terminal blocks,
- a communication port, and
- control circuitry connected to said communication port and to said network connection port for:
- receiving from said communication port a command that identifies a terminal of said network, and imposing a trace signal on the identified terminal;
- and
- identifying a terminal at which a trace signal appears and sending a report of the identity of said terminal via the communication port.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.