CUSTOMER-DRIVEN QOS IN HYBRID COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20020133328A1
• Filed: 06/02/1999
• Published: 09/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture LLP (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: BOWMAN-AMUAH, MICHEL K.
• Granted Patent: US 6,449,588 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0604 using filtering, e.g. reduction of information by using priority, element types, position or time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/18 Delegation of network management function, e.g. customer network management [CNM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5032 Generating service level reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5064 Customer relationship management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5067 Customer-centric QoS measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems

Abstract

According to a broad aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, a Customer Quality of Service Management system is provided. First, a hybrid network event is received which may include customer inquiries, required reports, completion notification, quality of service terms, service level agreement terms, service problem data, quality data, network performance data, and/or network configuration data. Next, the system determines customer reports to be generated and generates the customer reports accordingly based on the event received.

Claims

1. A method for managing customer quality of service in a hybrid network architecture, comprising the steps of:

a) receiving a hybrid network event selected from the group of events consisting essentially of customer inquiries, required reports, completion notification, quality of service terms, service level agreement terms, service problem data, quality data, network performance data, and network configuration data;

b) determining customer reports to be generated; and

c) generating the customer reports based on the hybrid network event received.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the customer report is a planning report.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the customer report is a service level violation report.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the customer report is a quality of service violation report.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the received event includes service problem data.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the received event includes quality of service terms.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the received event includes a customer inquiry.

8. A system for managing customer quality of service in a hybrid network architecture, comprising:

a) logic that receives a hybrid network event selected from the group of events consisting essentially of customer inquiries, required reports, completion notification, quality of service terms, service level agreement terms, service problem data, quality data, network performance data, and network configuration data;

b) logic that determines customer reports to be generated; and

c) logic that generates the customer reports based on the hybrid network event received.

9. A system as recited in claim 8, wherein the customer report is a planning report.

10. A system as recited in claim 8, wherein the customer report is a service level violation report.

11. A system as recited in claim 8, wherein the customer report is a quality of service violation report.

12. A system as recited in claim 8, wherein the received event includes service problem data.

13. A system as recited in claim 8, wherein the received event includes quality of service terms.

14. A system as recited in claim 8, wherein the received event includes a customer inquiry.

16. A computer program as recited in claim 15, wherein the customer report is a planning report.

17. A computer program as recited in claim 15, wherein the customer report is a service level violation report.

18. A computer program as recited in claim 15, wherein the customer report is a quality of service violation report.

19. A computer program as recited in claim 15, wherein the received event includes service problem data.

20. A computer program as recited in claim 15, wherein the received event includes quality of service terms.

21. A computer program as recited in claim 15, wherein the received event includes a customer inquiry.

15. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for managing customer quality of service in a hybrid network architecture, comprising:

a) a code segment that receives a hybrid network event selected from the group of events consisting essentially of customer inquiries, required reports, completion notification, quality of service terms, service level agreement terms, service problem data, quality data, network performance data, and network configuration data;

b) a code segment that determines customer reports to be generated; and

c) a code segment that generates the customer reports based on the hybrid network event received.