A method of processing a phone call from a caller (112) in a network-based telephone system (100), the network-based telephone system (100) including a plurality of switches (108) and an intelligent peripheral (IP) (104) for interfacing the plurality of switches (108) to a service control point (SCP) (102). When a phone call is received at one of the plurality of switches (108), the call is sent to the IP (104). The IP (104) then requests that the SCP (102) perform a call processing request. Service logic within the SCP (102) is accessed in order to process the phone call according to the call processing request. The service logic then requests and receives account information from one or more external systems (106). The phone call is routed to a selected telephone (117) based on the account information received from the one or more external systems (106). The received account information is routed to the selected telephone (117).

A network-based telephone system providing coordinated voice and data delivery

In an administration system for a public switched telephone network, a service analysis system is provided for proactively analyzing the working status of customer network facilities including a communication line in a communication cable associated with a customer The service analysis system includes an automatic line insulation test (ALIT) system testing the communication line in the communication cable associated with the customer producing trouble indicators indicating a potentially defective communication line, and a mechanized loop testing (MLT) system testing groups prioritized for the communication line The service analysis system also includes a data processor filtering the trouble indicators received from the ALIT system from predetermined communication services associated with the communication line that provide potentially false trouble indicators producing valid trouble indicators, and generating a list of the valid trouble indicators to be considered when determining whether the communication line is potentially defective The data processor generates a report to be used for examining the potentially defective communication line using the prioritized groups

System for proactively maintaining telephone network facilities in a public switched telephone network

In an administration system for a public switched telephone network, a method of provisioning and maintaining the working status of customer network facilities is provided. The method includes the steps of receiving a service request from a customer at a living unit requesting service, and determining whether the service request from the living unit is eligible for processing by the adjunct processor. When the service request is eligible, the method automatically provisions customer equipment to execute the service request based upon information including customer identification data and customer facilities. The information is generally maintained without altering the customer facilities when a subsequent disconnect request is received from the customer. The method also includes one or more of receiving a customer request, retrieving related customer profile information, obtaining a description of the customer trouble and entering a trouble type associated therewith, building a trouble report, testing the communication line and generating test results. The method also includes the steps of grouping related open work requests and proactively determined troubles with the trouble report based on grouping rules, and building a work load for a technician.

Combination system for provisioning and maintaining telephone network facilities in a public switched telephone network

A telecommunication services test system which can be used to automatically test services that include intelligent network elements such as automated response units, and manual network elements such as manual operator consoles and the like. The test system provides a means to automate test cases for services that previously could not be automated due to the requirement of human interaction. A controller (100) is coupled with a call generator. The call generator includes a voice means. Accordingly, the controller can respond to ARUs (106) and the like with vocal responses. The controller is also coupled with operator services, including manual operator consoles (108) and ARUs, with a two way communication means. The communication means is used to receive status messages from the operator service devices. In addition, the communication means is used to send input messages to the operator service devices. Accordingly, the system provides a means to control manual operator consoles in response to messages sent by the controller. Similarly, the system provides a means to monitor the progress of test calls by receiving status messages from ARUs and operator console devices. In addition, the test system provides a means to verify billing records (120) within the telecommunications network.

Intelligent services network test system

A full duplex speakerphone employing adaptive filters and having application in radiotelephone systems. To cancel acoustic feedback echo of the receive signal, a representation of the receive signal generated via an A/D converter (601) and an adaptive filter (301) is subtracted by a summer (303) from the transmit signal generated by the speakerphone microphone (115). Adaptive filter receive signal representation coefficients employed in the receive signal adaptive filter (301) are modified when the receive signal is detected in a land party signal detector (225). Likewise, to cancel electronic echo of the transmit signal, a representation of the transmit signal generated via an A/D converter (605) and an adaptive filter (305) is subtracted from the receive signal by a summer (307). The adaptive filter transmit signal representation coefficients employed in the transmit signal adaptive filter (305) are modified when the transmit signal is detected.

Full duplex speakerphone for radio and landline telephones

The detection sensitivity and noise rejection of an arrangement for detecting speech in the presence of noise is improved by accumulating the weighted differences between input signal samples and their short-term running average. The detector thus tracks ambient noise, providing an adaptive detection threshold such that detection sensitivity is increased in low noise environments without excessive false operation on high level noise. The peak average attained during an interval of speech is used to provide variable hangover upon cessation of speech, yielding greater hangover for weak talkers than for loud talkers. In an illustrative embodiment of the speech detector used in a speech interpolation system, protection is afforded also against false transmission path operation due to detection of speech echo.

Digital speech detector

A system and method for testing subscriber's services and sectionalizing service trouble in distributed networks, such as Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN), includes a test call set-up component, which enables a tester to set-up a test call. A test call can be set up by the tester by interactively defining the test environment and other information to emulate a call from a subscriber's communication line. A test call can also be set-up by marking triggers in the subscriber's trigger criteria and by marking the subscriber's subscription data at the service control point/adjunct. The test call set-up component also establishes a maintenance parameter which defines the environment in which a test call is to be processed and the data to be collected, if any, during the test call. Our testing system and method also include a call history log component, which is used to collect actual data associated with the processing of a test call at each network node in the form of an actual call history log, which can be retrieved by the tester. Also, an expected call history log for each network node can be generated. The actual and expected call history logs generated at each processing node can be used by the tester to provide an end-to-end view of processing activity for the test call and to sectionalize trouble in the network.

Testing of distributed communications networks

ADAPTIVE FILTER INCLUDING AFAR END ENERGY DISCRIMINATOR Abstract of the Disclosure An energy discriminator is employed in conjunction with an adaptive filter to control updating of the filter transfer function characteristic. Specifically, the discriminator is employed to distinguish whether any significant received far end energy is only partial band or whole band. If the received energy is partial band the adaptive filter is inhibited from updating the transfer function characteristic during intervals that such energy is being received. On the other hand, if the received energy is determined not to be partial band and, hence, is whole band, the filter is enabled to update the transfer function characteristic during intervals that such energy is being received. In a specific example, the discriminator is employed in an adaptive echo canceler to inhibit updating an echo path estimate being generated by an adaptive transversal filter when partial band energy is being received and enabling updating of the echo path estimate when whole band energy is being received.

Adaptive filter including a far end energy discriminator

In a communications system such as a time assignment speech interpolation (TASI) system for concentrating signals from N trunks onto C channels (C < N), and for expanding same, it is common for a speech signal to pass through a plurality of transmitter/receiver terminals, perhaps connected for tandem operation. Unfortunately, transmitter speech detector clipping of the speech signal leads to a distortion accumulation problem. Also, while a calling trunk is inactive, an inserted noise signal is commonly furnished by a receiver to the called trunk to avoid an aural "too quiet" condition. Unfortunately, actual calling trunk noise and the called trunk inserted noise may differ, leading to a noise signal contrast problem. To mitigate the signal contrast problem, communications apparatus including an improved noise signal inserting arrangement, responsive to a measure of calling trunk noise, supplies an adaptively adjusted, deterministic, pseudorandom noise signal to the called trunk. Thereafter, the presence or absence of the deterministic signal may be detected at a tandem transmitter and, responsive to its absence, the speech detector, at the tandem transmitter is overridden to mitigate the distortion accumulation of speech signal clipping.

Apparatus for mitigating signal distortion and noise signal contrast in a communications system

Energy in a received signal is distinguished as being whole band energy or partial band energy by comparing an average value of the received signal to a modified magnitude value of the received signal. When the modified magnitude value exceeds the average value, the received signal includes whole band energy, otherwise the received signal includes only partial band energy. This technique is employed in an echo canceler to enable updating an echo path estimate during intervals that the received signal includes whole band energy and to inhibit updating of the echo estimate being generated when the received signal includes only partial band energy

Timothy James Zebo

Papers

Digital speech detector

Testing of distributed communications networks

Adaptive filter including a far end energy discriminator

Apparatus for mitigating signal distortion and noise signal contrast in a communications system

Echo canceler far end energy discriminator