In-line telephony data protector with line condition announce

A ADSL-compatible data protector with line condition announce for telephony test equipment, comprising:

• (a) a relay for selectively connecting the telephony test equipment to a telecommunication line;
• (b) a ADSL filter connected between the telephony test equipment and the telecommunication line, the ADSL filter being adapted for preventing the telephony test equipment from detrimentally affecting ADSL frequencies while enabling POTS frequencies to pass through to the telephony test equipment;
• and
• (c) electronic circuitry, including:
• (i) a detector portion adapted for detecting signals within a continuous band of frequencies present on the telecommunication line;
• (ii) a microcontroller having 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;
• (iii) a ADSL compatible voltage protection portion electrically connected between the telecommunication line and the detector portion, the ADSL compatible voltage protection portion being adapted for protecting against large voltage spikes and further being adapted for minimizing signal distortion that may introduce harmonic frequencies that may interfere with signals in higher frequency bands;
• and
• (iv) a voice production portion operably connected to the microcontroller, the alert operator function producing an alert signal received by the voice production portion, in response to receiving the alert signal, the voice production portion being adapted for producing a corresponding voice announcement signal to a receiver in the telephony test equipment.

A ADSL-compatible data protector with line condition announce for telephony test equipment, comprising:

• (a) a relay for selectively connecting the telephony test equipment to a telecommunication line;
• (b) a ADSL filter connected between the telephony test equipment and the telecommunication line, the ADSL filter being adapted for preventing the telephony test equipment from detrimentally affecting ADSL frequencies while enabling POTS frequencies to pass through to the telephony test equipment;
• and
• (c) electronic circuitry, including:
• (i) a detector portion adapted for detecting signals within a continuous band of frequencies present on the telecommunication line;
• (ii) a voltage sensor portion and a DC current sensor portion, each being adapted for sending a representative signal to the microcontroller, which in turn provides a voltage and current reading, both the voltage sensor portion and the DC current sensor portion having a linear response and being calibrated through software using two measured points for both negative and positive values, the voltage sensor portion and the DC current sensor portion each including a voltage absolute value portion adapted for providing a fully rectified signal to the microcontroller;
• (iii) a microcontroller having 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, an alert operator function for producing a signal if the detected frequency is above a predetermined threshold, and a software fuse function for detecting large voltages on the telecommunication line and preventing connection of the telephony test equipment to the telecommunication line;
• (iv) a ADSL compatible voltage protection portion electrically connected between the telecommunication line and the detector portion, the ADSL compatible voltage protection portion being adapted for protecting against large voltage spikes and further being adapted for minimizing signal distortion that may introduce harmonic frequencies that may interfere with signals in higher frequency bands;
• and
• (v) a voice production portion operably connected to the microcontroller, the alert operator function producing an alert signal received by the voice production portion, in response to receiving the alert signal, the voice production portion being adapted for producing a corresponding voice announcement signal to a receiver in the telephony test equipment.

A method for preventing telephony test equipment from unintentionally disrupting signals on telecommunication lines, comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a relay between the telecommunication test equipment and the telecommunication line;
• (b) providing electronic circuitry including a single band frequency counter;
• (c) determining whether data signals are present on the telecommunication line using the single band frequency counter;
• (d) 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;
• (e) 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;
• and
• (f) providing a ADSL filter between the telephony test equipment and the telecommunication line.

A method for preventing telephony test equipment from unintentionally disrupting signals on telecommunication lines, comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a relay between the telecommunication test equipment and the telecommunication line;
• (b) providing a ADSL filter between the telephony test equipment and the telecommunication line;
• (c) providing electronic circuitry including a single band frequency counter;
• (d) determining whether DC voltage is present on the telecommunication line;
• (e) in response to determining that DC voltage is present, providing power to the electronic circuitry;
• (f) determining whether data signals are present on the telecommunication line using the single band frequency counter;
• (g) 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;
• (h) in response to determining that data signals are present on the line, providing an indication to the technician by providing a voice announce signal in a receiver that data is present and preventing connection between the telecommunication test equipment and the telecommunication line;
• (i) determining whether an override command has been received;
• and
• (j) in response to determining that an override command has been received, closing the relay to connect the telecommunication test equipment to the telecommunication line.