Intelligent network providing network accss services (INP-NAS)

• US 20020032765A1
• Filed: 07/13/2001
• Published: 03/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AI-CORE TECHNOLOGIES, LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Teleservices Solutions Incorporated
• Inventors: Pezzutti, David
• Granted Patent: US 6,760,762 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/065 involving logical or physical relationship, e.g. grouping and hierarchies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0686 Additional information in the notification, e.g. enhancement of specific meta-data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5054 Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

An Intelligent Network Providing Network Access Services (INP-NAS) is disclosed, which utilizes a network platform containing applications controller. The invention uses Object and Network Discovery techniques to activate applications providing a class of useful network services that reduce service provision intervals, improve service provisioning, installation, service quality, improve security, and network engineering and thereby improve customer satisfaction.

NAS implement Intelligent Network applications to provide or enable services such as, but not limited to: network access with registration and navigation, service negotiation, “service-on-demand”, disconnect services, rearrangement and move services, installation (technician and customer self-install), service activation, and provisioning, repair, “self-healing” network services such as recovery and restoration, and engineering rearrangement and network management services.

Benefits attributable to INP-NAS include offering instant services, reduced data lifecycle costs, improved data and process quality, faster network deployments through the elimination of data precollection and scrubbing, and higher quality of network based services resulting in lower operating costs and higher customer satisfaction.

The disclosed systems and methods apply to all network types such as point-to-point, point-to-multipoint, and bus architectures, wireline, wireless, fiber, radio, and optical network technologies. Communication technologies such as analog, and digital, circuit and VoIP and HSD type packet utilizing protocols such as Internet Protocol benefit from this method. INP-NAS extends the information models used for Loop Carrier systems, CATV cable systems. It applies to voice data image and video services. XDSL, POTS, ISDN switching networks.

Claims

1. A method of providing low human involvement access to a network comprising the acts of:

automatically detecting at a site of a network accessing system an accessing event by a user or installer;

automatically classifying the event;

automatically provisioning a temporary service line from the site into the system;

automatically categorizing the accessing event across an activated terminal as a previously registered site or a non-registered site;

automatically registering data within the system characterizing the site to a network access control of the system;

correlating an identifiable order authorizing access from the site to the system;

automatically associating the registered data with the order to provide permanent access service from the site into the system.

2. A method of providing low human involvement access to a network, comprising the acts of:

connecting a device to and thereby activating an identified network access unit;

establishing at least one temporary communications path, without human intervention, between the device across the network access unit to a network access system by which information concerning the device and the network access unit is communicated to and registered within the system;

creating an identifiable order comprising registered data;

correlating, without human intervention, the registered order data and the registered information;

provisioning of a compensible communication path between the device and the network through the system based upon the correlated data and information.

3. A method of accessing to a network which is obtained more rapidly and has significantly lower human involvement than in the past, comprising the acts of:

correlating (a) information, communicated to a network access system along a temporary path and automatically registered within the system, which information identifies a discovered object with (b) data electronically entered in the system comprising an identifiable order for network services to be provided to the discovered object;

automatically providing a non-temporary path by which communication services between the object and the network through the system are provided on a compensatory basis.

4. A method according to claim 3 further comprising the act of automatically restoring service after service is inadvertently lost, by use of the information and data.

5. A method according to claim 3 wherein the object is discovered electrically, optically, by radio communication.

6. A method according to claim 3 comprising the acts of establishing at least two paths within the system, one an object path and the other a service path.

7. A method according to claim 3 wherein the system comprises an object state model which classifies services being obtained or terminated as new, pending, active and disconnect based upon state transitions pertaining to the discovery of the object.

8. A method according to claim 3 wherein the system sequencing all installation, restore, recovery and repair activities to reduce labor requirements.

9. A method according to claim 3 wherein the system comprises at least some of:

a local digital switch, a host digital terminal, a network access unit and a remote terminal.

10. A method according to claim 3 further comprising the act of replacing the object with another object without disrupting service and automatically registering information identifying the other object.

11. A method according to claim 3 wherein the non-temporary path is discontinued after a short term comprising one or a few compensatory uses.

12. A method according to claim 3 wherein newly discovered object data is correlated to previously registered data pertaining to the object to rapidly effect accurate replacement, upgrades and substitution of another object for the first object.

14. A method according to claim 13 wherein the correlating act comprises use by a technician of an integrated voice response unit.

15. A method according to claim 13 where the correlating act comprises automatic association of object and order data.

16. A method according to claim 13 further comprising the act of automatically releasing the temporary connection upon the automatic implementation of the non-temporary service.

13. An auto discovery method of providing highly automated access through a network access system to a network, comprising the acts of:

automatically discovering an object added to the system at a network access unit;

automatically classifying the type of network access unit;

automatically temporarily connecting the object to the system for system processing purposes;

automatically determining the object state as between a previously registered object, a non-registered but registerable object and a non-registerable object;

automatically registering the non-registered but registerable object without issuing an alarm;

issuing an alarm for the non-registerable object;

creating a customer-derived order for communication services;

automatically correlating information of the order with the corresponding previously registered or newly registered object;

automatically creating a non-temporary service communication path for services, the service comprising provisioning, repair, recovery, restoration, rearrangement and disconnect.