Inter-tel, Inc.

Frank B Lezotte

Jerry L Holsinger

Don I Falkenstein

David E Williams

David L Lyon

A testing facility for a data communications network including modulators and demodulators, or modems, at central sites, at intermediate, or hubbing, sites, and at remote sites. Hubbing site testing units connect to respective host modems at the intermediate sites. The central testing unit transmits control words containing line address, drop address, and command characters. A configuration control circuit in each hubbing site testing unit generates signals that designate the particular location of the testing unit at the hubbing site. A validation circuit in each testing unit enables the testing unit to respond to the command character if two valid control words are received in succession. Thereafter the testing unit transmits back to the central testing unit signals in response to the test defined by the command character. If the line and drop address characters do not designate that specific hubbing site testing unit, it repeats the command to other units as an outbound request and repeats inbound responses to the central testing unit. Circuitry for substituting command characters under special conditions and for altering the inbound responses are also included.

Data communications network testing system

A device for measuring the power of analog signals on telephone lines in a data communications network. A selection circuit couples a selected analog signal from one of the telephone lines to a measuring circuit. A full-wave rectifier and a low pass filter process and convey the selected signal to a plurality of open-loop comparators. Each comparator produces a binary signal that indicates whether the selected signal is greater or less than a reference power that corresponds to a predetermined power level. Each comparator energizes an inverter and driver that in turn energizes a light-emitting diode thereby to indicate the line signal power visually. However, the drivers are interconnected so only one light-emitting diode is energized at any given time. A blanking circuit disables the light-emitting diodes when rapid signal level changes occur. A self-testing circuit includes a damped oscillator for testing all the circuitry in the measuring device.

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Chelmsford, MA, United States of America

Frank B Lezotte