Telcordia Technologies, Inc.

Bell Communications Research, Inc.

Frederick C Link

Stanley Pietrowicz

Barry K Schwartz

Hala E Mowafy

Steve M-c Lin

Hamilton Rothrock

Douglas Allport

Utility failures are automatically detected and potential causes for these failures are automatically located and identified without having to physically search a utility provider's network. Detection systems capable of monitoring utility status are located at each, or a subset, of the customer premises serviced by a utility provider. A monitoring system, capable of correlating the geographical location of the detection systems with the geographical location of the equipment that comprises the utility provider's network, is located at a utility provider and interconnects with the detection systems through a communications network. The monitoring system queries the detection systems to determine utility status and to subsequently locate an outage and deduce a possible cause for the outage. Detection systems can also be configured to automatically contact the monitoring system to report utility status. The monitoring system is also capable of sending customer based information messages to the detection systems.

System and method for surveying utility outages

A method which, in response to an alerting signal from a source, manages a data transfer from the source, via a communications link, to at least two terminals coupled with the communications link. The method (a) dynamically designates one of the at least two terminals as a token terminal, (b) generates an acknowledgment signal with the token terminal, and (c) terminates the communications link during the data transfer with the token terminal. The dynamic designation of the token terminal is performed by (a) assigning a time delay for each of the terminals, and (b) determining, with each of the terminals, after the assigned time delay, whether the terminal will accept the data transfer from the source based on a condition of the communications link.

Methods and apparatus for managing an in-band data transmission via a

A broadband customer premises equipment ('CPE') interface device interfaces with conventional telephones, screen phones, and broadband data and video devices. The interface device includes circuitry to connect with a telephone network via a first telephone connection and circuitry to connect with a broadband network via a second, broadband connection. The interface device can provide control of video information being pumped to the CPE via the broadband network by sending control signals to a video server via the telephone network. In addition, the interface device includes ADSI off-hook alerting ('AOHA') circuitry and adds ADSI script management server ('ASMS') circuitry to provide noninvasive programming of screen phone-type CPE devices. ASMS programming information for a CPE device is transferred to the interface device via the broadband network and stored in the interface device. The AOHA and ASMS circuitry requests the CPE device to go off-hook when idle, without ringing the CPE device like a conventional telephone call. When the CPE is idle, the AOHA and ASMS circuitry routes the programming information from storage into the CPE.

System and method for customer premises broadband interface with on-hook

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Red Bank, NJ, United States of America

Frederick C Link