IP Library Granted Patent US 8,520,532
Granted Patent B2
US 8,520,532 · App. 13/024,055 · Granted Aug 27, 2013

Method and system of diagnosing a video condition experienced at a customer premises

Inventors: Sam Russell (Tinton Falls, NJ); Paritosh Bajpay (Edison, NJ); David H. Lu (Morganville, NJ); Shiu Y. Chong (Fair Haven, NJ)
Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, LP
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,520,532
App. No.
13/024,055
Granted
Aug 27, 2013
Kind
B2
Abstract

A system and method for diagnosing video conditions experienced at one or more customer premises is disclosed. A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, network device including a port coupled with a first customer premises over a network, a memory storing computer instructions, and a controller. The controller can execute the computer instructions for identifying a video condition experienced at the first customer premises where the video condition is associated with video content transmitted over the network, sending a first query to first equipment at the first customer premises, receiving first responses to the first query from the first equipment, sending a second query to second equipment at a second customer premises, receiving second responses to the second query from the second equipment, and associating a cause of the video condition with the first customer premises in response to receiving the second responses. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims (38)

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer instructions which, responsive to being executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

identifying a video condition experienced at a first customer premises, the video condition being associated with video content transmitted over a network;

sending a first query to first equipment at the first customer premises;

receiving first responses to the first query from the first equipment at the first customer premises;

sending a second query to second equipment at a second customer premises; receiving second responses to the second query from the second equipment at the second customer premises; and

isolating a cause of the video condition in response to receiving the second responses.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the identifying of the video condition is based on receiving a notification of the video condition at the first customer premises.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the first query comprises requesting information to detect channels at the first customer premises that are experiencing the video condition.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the first query comprises requesting information to identify channels at the first customer premises that are not displaying video signals.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the first query comprises requesting information to identify channels at the first customer premises that are displaying distorted video signals.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the first equipment is located within a building at the first customer premises.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the video condition is related to a packetized video broadcast stream.

8. A device located at a customer premises, the device comprising:

a memory to store computer instructions; and

a controller coupled with the memory, wherein the controller, responsive to executing the computer instructions performs operations comprising:

receiving a query from a test controller that is remote from the controller, the query being associated with a video condition being experienced at the customer premises, the device being connected with a network; and

transmitting a response to the query to the test controller; wherein the response to the query is utilized by the test controller in isolating a cause of the video condition to a portion of the network,

wherein the isolating of the cause comprises: when channels affected are national broadcast channels, the portion of the network comprises transmission equipment used to transmit the national broadcast channels to the customer premises; when the channels affected are local broadcast channels, the portion of the network comprises transmission equipment used to transmit the national broadcast channels to the customer premises; and when the local broadcast channels and the national broadcast channels are not affected, the portion of the network comprises a video-on-demand system.

9. The device of claim 8 , wherein the controller executes the computer instructions to provide a notification of the video condition to the test controller.

10. The device of claim 9 , wherein the query is received by the controller in response to providing the notification of the video condition.

11. The device of claim 8 , wherein the query comprises requesting information to detect channels experiencing the video condition.

12. The device of claim 8 , wherein the query comprises requesting information to identify channels that are not displaying video signals.

13. The device of claim 8 , wherein the query comprises requesting information to identify channels that are displaying distorted video signals.

14. The device of claim 8 , wherein the controller is located within a building at the customer premises.

15. The device of claim 8 , wherein the video condition is related to a packetized video broadcast stream.

16. A network device comprising:

a port coupled with a first customer premises over a network;

a memory to store computer instructions; and

a controller which executes the computer instructions to perform operations comprising:

identifying a video condition experienced at the first customer premises, the video condition being associated with video content transmitted over the network;

sending a first query to first equipment at the first customer premises;

receiving first responses to the first query from the first equipment; send a second query to second equipment at a second customer premises;

receiving second responses to the second query from the second equipment; and

associating a cause of the video condition with the first customer premises in response to receiving the second responses.

17. The network device of claim 16 , wherein the associating of the cause of the video condition with the first customer premises comprises isolating the cause to the first equipment.

18. The network device of claim 16 , wherein the video condition is related to a packetized video broadcast stream.

19. The network device of claim 16 , wherein the first equipment is not located within a building at the first customer premises.

20. The network device of claim 16 , wherein the first query comprises identifying channels at the first customer premises that are not displaying video signals.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Sep 11, 2014
From: AT&T KNOWLEDGE VENTURES, L.P.
To: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, LP
Reel/Frame 033726/0063 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 9, 2011
From: RUSSELL, SAM; BAJPAY, PARITOSH; LU, DAVID H.; CHONG, SHIU Y.
To: AT&T KNOWLEDGE VENTURES, L.P.
Reel/Frame 025794/0595 →
Continuity (2)
Continuation 11970934 · Jan 8, 2008
Related Publication 20110128880A1 · Jun 2, 2011