Patent ID: 7302047

Claim:
A method for determining, at a central office site, whether or not electrical anomaly protection circuitry at a remote span-powered telecommunication unit has been properly connected to earth ground, so as to ensure that said protection circuitry will operate successfully and protect said remote span-powered telecommunication unit against electrical anomalies, said method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a controlled conduction path between earth ground and a ground connection terminal of said protection circuitry, through which said protection circuitry must be connected to earth ground in order to ensure that said protection circuitry will protect said remote span-powered telecommunication unit against electrical anomalies; (b) from said central office site, transmitting a signal to said remote span-powered telecommunication unit that causes closure of said controlled conduction path, and thereby provides a connection therethrough of earth ground to said ground connection terminal of said protection circuitry; (c) monitoring said span for the occurrence of a ground fault resulting from the closure of said controlled conduction path in step (b); and (d) in response to step (c) detecting a ground fault as a result of said closure of said controlled conduction path in step (b), interrupting delivery of a span voltage to said remote span-powered telecommunication unit, and generating an output indicating that said ground connection terminal of said protection circuitry for said remote span-powered telecommunication unit has been properly connected to earth ground, thereby ensuring that said protection circuitry is able to divert said electrical anomalies to earth ground, and thus protect said remote span-powered telecommunication unit.