Order entry system for telecommunications network service

• US 10,417,587 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2011
• Issued: 09/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wall, Richard L., Gelner, Kendall, Sullivan, Brendan, Singhal, Sanjay
• Primary Examiner(s): Rotaru, Octavian
• Application Number:
  US13/102,960
• Publication Number:
  US 20110211686A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,056 Days
• Field of Search: 37920105, 705 264, 705346
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0281 Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/18 Delegation of network management function, e.g. customer network management [CNM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

An order entry system communicates with the customer over a user interface and at the same time works with an automated installation system for installing network service. The order entry system prompts the customer to place a new service order. The service parameters of the new service order are passed to the installation system. The order entry system notifies the customer of the route and prompts the customer to add a service order for the route to the customer order. If the customer adds the service order to the customer order, the order entry system prompts the customer to reserve the service order or to submit an order for the service. If the customer reserves or submits an order for the service, the order entry system requests the installation system to design an actual communication line circuit to satisfy the order.

Claims

1. A system for ordering, testing and installing a network service over a telecommunications network for a customer, the system comprising:

a capacity check module, executed by a computer to;

receive, from the customer, service order parameters comprising at least;

a start date of the network service, a service term of the network service, a bandwidth of the network service, at least one geographical region of the network service, and at least one gateway of the network service;

send the service order parameters to a command control engine to check availability and capacity of the network service for a route of the network service based on the service order parameters; and

when the network service is available for the route, send a message indicating the availability, the capacity and a price of the network service to the customer;

a reservation and order module, executed by the computer to display the service order to the customer, and prompt the customer to order the network service in the service order when the network service is available;

an installation system, executed by the computer to install the network service in response to ordering of the network service, and complete a design of network components for the network service and return a design complete message as a circuit layout record; and

a workflow management module, that, in response to the design complete message resulting from the ordering of the network service, is executed by the computer to;

send a request to configure and activate the network service to the command control engine,

receive a list of the network components associated with the at least one gateway of the network service,

analyze the received list of the network components, to further generate a work site task list,

schedule the installation of the network service between the customer'"'"'s equipment and the at least one gateway according to the work site task list,

test and activate, after the installation, the network service between the customer'"'"'s equipment and the at least one gateway,

notify, after the testing and activating, the customer that the network service is ready and prompt the customer to accept the network service,

when the customer has accepted the network service, enable alarms along the route of the network service to detect faults, and

initiate repair of the detected faults using a network operation center;

wherein the reservation and order module is further executed by the computer to display the circuit layout record to the customer.

2. The system as recited claim 1, further comprising:

a confirmation device executed by the computer to, in response to the design complete message resulting from the ordering of the network service, send an order confirmation to the customer.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the capacity check module is further executed by the computer to, in response to a reserve request or an order request, recheck the capacity of the network service to satisfy the service order before the installation system completes the design of the network components for the network service.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a pending reservation module executed by the computer to;

monitor a reservation status of the service order when the customer reserved the network service; and

prompt the customer to renew the reservation when the reservation expires.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the workflow management module is further executed by the computer to manage the installation of the network components in the design of the network components for the network service.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the list of network components comprises at least two uncontrolled network components at the originating and terminating end points of the telecommunication network.

7. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein the at least two uncontrolled network components requires manual installation to the telecommunications network.

8. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein the work site task list is generated for a technician to manually install the at least two uncontrolled network components to the telecommunications network.

9. A computer-implemented method for ordering, testing and installing a network service over a telecommunications network for a customer, the computer implemented method comprising:

receiving, from the customer, service order parameters comprising at least;

a start date of the network service, a service term of the network service, a bandwidth of the network service, at least one geographical region of the network service, and at least one gateway of the network service;

sending, by a computer, the service order parameters to a command control engine to check availability and capacity of the network service for a route of the network service based on the service order parameters;

when the network service is available for the route, sending a message indicating the availability, the capacity and a price of the network service to the customer;

displaying, by the computer, the service order to the customer, and prompting the customer to order the network service in the service order when the network service is available;

installing, by the computer, the network service in response to ordering of the network service, and completing a design of network components for the network service and returning a design complete message as a circuit layout record; and

in response to the design complete message resulting from the ordering of the network service;

sending, by the computer, a request to configure and activate the network service to the command control engine,

receiving, by the computer, a list of the network components associated with the at least one gateway of the network service,

analyzing, by the computer, the received list of the network components, to further generate a work site task list,

scheduling, by the computer, the installation of the network service between the customer'"'"'s equipment and the at least one gateway according to the work site task list,

testing and activating, by the computer, after the installation, the network service between the customer'"'"'s equipment and the at least one gateway,

notifying, by the computer, after the testing and activating, the customer that the network service is ready and prompt the customer to accept the network service,

enabling, by the computer, alarms along the route of the network service to detect faults when the customer has accepted the network service,

initiating, by the computer, repair of the detected faults using a network operation center, and

displaying, by the computer, the circuit layout record to the customer.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

sending, by the computer, an order confirmation to the customer resulting from the ordering of the network service.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

rechecking, by the computer, the capacity of the network service to satisfy the service order before completion of the design of network components for the network service in response to a reserve request or an order request.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

monitoring, by the computer, a reservation status of the service order when the customer reserved the network service; and

prompting, by the computer, the customer to renew the reservation when the reservation expires.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

managing the installation of the network components in the design of the network components for the network service.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the list of network components comprises at least two uncontrolled network components at the originating and terminating end points of the telecommunication network.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the at least two uncontrolled network components requires manual installation to the telecommunications network.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the work site task list is generated for a technician to manually install the at least two uncontrolled network components to the telecommunications network.