Importance

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Abstract

A system and method for registering and tracking network equipment at the circuit card level. A computer network server is coupled with an equipment database that contains location and identification data for telecommunication network assets. A hand-held client, comprising a display, keyboard, bar code scanner and printer is coupled, via a radio link, to the computer network server. The hand-held client is used to register network assets and to query the equipment database for information relating to network assets. Users visit remote sites and register network assets in real-time, while walking through the equipment bays. In one embodiment, bar codes are used to display part numbers and serial numbers on circuit cards. In addition, bar codes are used to identify circuit card locations in terms of predefined identification numbers for the site, equipment bay, rack, shelf and slot. In other embodiments, some or all of the preceding information is entered into the keyboard of the hand-held client. The user begins the registration process by entering a starting location into the hand-held client. Next, beginning at the starting point, each circuit card is registered by scanning the part and/or serial number(s) into the hand-held client. After such numbers are entered, the equipment database is updated in real time with the new information. After data for one slot position is entered, the display screen on the hand-held client is automatically updated with location information for the next slot position, so that the registration process can continue in a step-by-step fashion.

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First Claim