Method and system for notification of maintenance information using portable terminal and computer program product

• US 20030046329A1
• Filed: 07/17/2001
• Published: 03/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Hayashi, Hiroyuki, Fukui, Shingo, Uemura, Yasuhiro, Kawano, Toshibumi, Sasabe, Susumu, Hayano, Shin-Ichiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,120,686 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/026 using e-messaging for transporting management information, e.g. email, instant messaging or chat
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/18 Delegation of network management function, e.g. customer network management [CNM]

Abstract

A maintenance information providing server (Web server) 20 that transmits maintenance information to a portable terminal carried by a vendor or a customer is appended to the network management system (NMS) 21 supervising the network 2, server 20 on receipt of malfunction information from the NMS 21, notifying the malfunction to one or more pre-registered portable terminals (23, 13, 33) of a communication service purveyor, vendor or the customer.

Claims

1. A method for providing maintenance information of a network employing at least a portable terminal wherein on occurrence of a malfunction on the network the malfunction is notified to one or more pre-registered portable terminals from a maintenance information providing server which has acquired malfunction information of the network.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein on occurrence of the malfunction in the network, said network comprised of a plurality of network elements interconnected, the malfunction is notified from the maintenance information providing server to at least one of portable terminals of a group of portable terminals pre-registered in said maintenance information providing server,

said group of portable terminals consisting of:

one or more portable terminals of one or more maintenance personnels of a communication service provider for managing the network;

one or more portable terminals of one or more maintenance personnels of a vendor for supplying the network equipment making up said network; and

one or more portable terminals of one or more personnels in charge of a customer connected to said network.

3. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the malfunction is notified from said maintenance information providing server over a mobile communication network to said portable terminal.

4. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein said maintenance information providing server has a function for communicating with a base station over a wireless link connection;

and

wherein malfunction information of the network is transmitted over said mobile communication network to said portable terminal.

5. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein said maintenance information providing server is connected to a portable telephone terminal over a preset interface;

and

wherein from said portable telephone terminal malfunction information of the network is transmitted over a mobile communication network to said portable terminal.

6. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein said maintenance information providing server performs control to cause ringing tone of said portable terminal announcing an incoming call depending on seriousness of the malfunction.

7. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein malfunction information of the network is notified from said maintenance information providing server to said portable terminal with an electronic mail or with an electronic mail and a telephone communication.

8. The method as defined claim 1 wherein malfunction information of the network is notified from said maintenance information providing server to said portable terminal with an electronic mail, a plurality of said electronic mails notifying the malfunction being sent in a Simultaneous mode from said maintenance information providing server to a plurality of portable terminals.

9. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein malfunction information is notified from said maintenance information providing server to said portable terminal with an electronic mail or with an electronic mail and a telephone communication;

and

wherein said portable terminal reads out said electronic mail sent from said maintenance information providing server, extracts a location information appended in said electronic mail by said maintenance information providing server, and acquires the network malfunction information with using the location information extracted.

10. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein when said portable terminal accesses said maintenance information providing server, a password is input from said portable terminal;

and wherein if, as a result of an authentication of the password on said maintenance information providing server which has received said password, the password is valid, the malfunction information is transmitted by said maintenance information providing server to said portable terminal.

11. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein said maintenance information providing server sorts and transmits information to be notified to said portable terminal depending on which to one of a communication service provider managing said network, a vendor of a network equipment, a plurality of said network equipments being interconnected to make up said network, and a customer connected to said network belongs said portable terminal.

12. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein a demand of a maintenance service of a malfunctioning network equipment, a plurality of network equipments being interconnected to make up said network, is notified to a vendor for supplying said network equipment;

and

wherein state of occurrence or state of recovery of the malfunction is notified to a customer connected to said network.

13. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein said maintenance information providing server is made up of a plurality of servers and wherein said servers perform processings of notifying the malfunction information to a communication service provider managing said network, a vendor of a network equipment, a plurality of said network equipments being interconnected to constitute said network, and to a customer connected to said network respectively in a way of a distributed processing.

14. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein said maintenance information providing server receives the network malfunction information from a network management system managing said network.

15. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein said maintenance information providing server is connected for communication to a network management server of a network management system arranged in a communication service provider managing and supervising said network;

said network management server collecting data of operating state of network equipment or the network; and

wherein on occurrence of a malfunction on said network, the malfunction information of said network is transferred from said network management server to said maintenance information providing server.

16. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein said maintenance information providing server is not connected for communication to a network management server collecting state of operation of a network equipment, a plurality of network equipments being interconnected to make up said network, and/or said network, said network management server accommodated in a network management system arranged in a communication service provider managing and supervising said network;

and

wherein said maintenance information providing server inputs in an offline mode the network malfunction information acquired by said network management server.

17. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein said portable terminal has a browser function for browsing a Web server on the Internet;

and wherein said portable terminal specifies a URL (uniform resource locator) of said maintenance information providing server functioning as a Web server to access the malfunction information furnished by said maintenance information providing server.

18. The method as defined in claim 17 comprising:

a step for said maintenance information providing server to prompt said portable terminal to input a password prior to said portable terminal browsing said malfunction information;

a step for said maintenance information providing server having received said password at a time of inputting of a password from said portable terminal to authenticate said password; and

a step of transmitting the malfunction information to said portable terminal when said password is proper.

19. The method as defined in claim 18 wherein the malfunction information displayed on a screen of a portable terminal of said communication service provider and/or of a vendor of said network equipment contains at least one of name, place, device number or device name of a station where is located the malfunctioning network equipment.

20. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein a maintenance operation of said maintenance personnel performing a preset operation from an input device of carry out network said portable terminal.

21. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein said maintenance information providing server is constructed by implementing maintenance information providing function of said maintenance information providing server on a pre-existing Web server.

22. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein said maintenance information providing server is arranged on a vendor for supplying a network equipment, a plurality of said network equipments being interconnected to constitute said network, and is managed and supervised by said vendor or by a maintenance service business company.

23. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein said maintenance information providing server is installed in a premises of a maintenance service business company different from a vendor for furnishing a network equipment, a plurality of said network equipments being interconnected to constitute said network.

24. The method as defined in claim 23 wherein said maintenance information providing server is managed and supervised by said maintenance service business company or a different maintenance service business company which has undertaken maintenance for the first-stated maintenance service business company.

25. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein said maintenance information providing server furnishes the maintenance information pertinent to testing and/or construction of said network in place of or in addition to said network maintenance information to said portable terminal.

28. The system as defined in claim 1 wherein on occurrence of the malfunction in said network, the malfunction is notified from said maintenance information providing server to at least one of portable terminals of a group of portable terminals pre-registered in said maintenance information providing server, said group of the portable terminals being comprised of:

one or more portable terminals of one or more personnels in charge of a maintenance of a communication service provider managing said network;

one or more portable terminals of one or more personnels in charge of maintenance of a vendor of the equipment forming said network; and

one or more portable terminals of one or more personnels in charge of a customer connected to said network.

29. The system as defined in claim 28 wherein said maintenance information providing server comprises means for connecting with a radio base station over a wireless connection link and notifies the malfunction to said portable terminal over a mobile communication network.

30. The system as defined in claim 28 wherein said maintenance information providing server is connected over a preset interface to a portable telephone terminal;

and

wherein said maintenance information providing server notifies the malfunction from said portable telephone terminal over a radio base station to said portable terminal.

35. The system as defined in claim 28 wherein said maintenance information providing server comprises means for sorting and transmitting information to be notified to said portable terminal depending on which to one of the communication service provider managing said network, vendor of the network equipment and the customer connecting to said network belong said portable terminal.

36. The system as defined in claim 28 wherein said maintenance information providing server is made up of a plurality of servers;

and

wherein said servers perform processings of notifying the malfunction information to the communication service provider, the vendor and to the customers connected to said network in a way of a distributed processing.

37. The system as defined in claim 28 wherein said maintenance information providing server is connected for communication to a network management server of said network management system arranged in the communication service provider managing and supervising said network, said network management server collecting data of operating state of said network equipment and/or the network;

wherein on occurrence of a malfunction on said network; and

wherein the malfunction information of said network is transferred from said network management server to said maintenance information providing server.

38. The system as defined in claim 28 wherein said maintenance information providing server is not connected for on-line communication to a network management system arranged in the communication service provider managing and supervising said network, said network management server collecting state of operation of said network equipment and/or the network;

and

wherein said maintenance information providing server in off line mode receives the network malfunction information acquired by said network management server.

26. The method as defined in a claim I wherein the maintenance information pertinent to testing and/or construction of the network, said network comprised of a plurality of network elements interconnected, is provided to at least one of portable terminals of a group of portable terminals pre-registered in said maintenance information providing server, said group of portable terminals comprising:

one or more portable terminals of one or more personnels in charge of maintenance and/or construction of a communication service provider managing said network;

one or more portable terminals of one or more personnels in charge of maintenance and/or construction of a vendor of network equipment making up said network;

one or more portable terminals of one or more personnels in charge of a customer connected to said network; and

one or more portable terminals of one or more personnels in charge of maintenance and/or construction of a different maintenance or construction undertaking business company who has undertaken the maintenance from a maintenance service business company.

27. A system for providing network maintenance information comprising:

a network management system for managing a network; and

a maintenance information providing server for receiving malfunction information of the network acquired by said network management system, said maintenance information providing server comprising means for notifying the malfunction to one or more pre-registered portable terminals on receipt of said malfunction information.

31. The system as defined in claim 27 wherein said maintenance information providing server comprises means for transmitting and receiving an electronic mail;

and

wherein said maintenance information providing server notifies the malfunction information to said portable terminal with an electronic mail or with an electronic mail and a telephone communication.

32. The system as defined in claim 31 wherein a plurality of said electronic mails notifying the malfunction are sent in a broadcast mode from said maintenance information providing server to a plurality of portable terminals.

33. The system as defined in claim 31 wherein said portable terminal acquires a location information of the maintenance information appended to said electronic mail notifying the malfunction from said maintenance information providing server to access said maintenance information to acquire the malfunction information.

34. The system as defined in claim 33 wherein said maintenance information providing server requests said portable terminal accessing said malfunction information to input a password to authenticate the password entered from said portable terminal;

and

wherein said maintenance information providing server transmits the malfunction information to said portable terminal if a result of authentication of the password indicates that the password is proper.

39. The system as defined in claim 27 wherein said portable terminal has a browser function for browsing a Web server on the Internet;

and

wherein said portable terminal comprise means for accessing and browsing a Web server on the Internet to specify a URL (uniform resource locator) of said maintenance information providing server functioning as the Web server to browse details of the malfunction information.

40. The system as defined in claim 39 wherein said maintenance information providing server prompts said portable terminal to input a password prior to said portable terminal browsing said malfunction information;

said system comprising;

means for authenticating said password when a password is input from said portable terminal; and

means for transmitting the malfunction information to said portable terminal when said password is proper.

41. The system as defined in claim 40 wherein the malfunction information displayed on a screen of a portable terminal of said communication service provider and/or of a vendor of said network equipment contains at least one of name, place, device number or device name of a station where is arranged the malfunctioning network equipment.

42. The system as defined in claim 27 wherein maintenance operation of the network is carried out by inputting operation from said portable terminal through said maintenance information providing server and said network management system.

43. The system as defined in claim 27 wherein said maintenance information providing server performs control to cause ringing tone of said portable terminal announcing an incoming call depending on seriousness of the malfunction.

44. The system as defined in claim 27 wherein said maintenance information providing server provides the maintenance information pertinent to testing and/or construction of said network in place of or in addition to said network maintenance information to said portable terminal.

45. A maintenance information providing server apparatus for providing network maintenance information comprising:

means for receiving malfunction information acquired by a network management system monitoring a network comprised of a plurality of network equipment interconnected;

storage means having stored therein telephone number of a portable terminal and/or an electronic mail address of a maintenance personnel notifying the network malfunction; and

means for notifying the malfunction to a portable terminal of a maintenance personnel stored in said storage means by auto-dialing and/or transmitting an electronic mail to said portable terminal, on receipt of the malfunction information of said network maintenance information from said network management system, to notify malfunction.

47. The maintenance information providing server apparatus as defined in claim 45 wherein said maintenance information providing server is made up of a plurality of servers and wherein said servers perform the processing of notifying the malfunction information to communication service providers, managing said network, vendors of the network equipment and to the customers connected to said network.

48. The maintenance information providing server apparatus as defined in claim 45 comprising means for sorting and transmitting information to be notified to said portable terminal depending on to which one of the communication service provider managing said network, vendor of the network equipment and the customer connecting to said network belongs said portable terminal.

49. The maintenance information providing server apparatus as defined in claim 45 comprising wireless communication means for establishing communication connection with a radio base station over a wireless network and notifies a malfunction to said portable terminal over a mobile communication network.

50. The maintenance information providing server apparatus as defined in claim 45 wherein the maintenance information providing server is connected over a preset interface to a portable telephone terminal;

and

wherein the malfunction is notified from said portable telephone terminal to said portable terminal over a mobile communication network.

51. The maintenance information providing server apparatus as defined in claim 45 comprising means for providing the maintenance information pertinent to testing and/or construction of said network in place of or in addition to said network maintenance information to said portable terminal.

46. A maintenance information providing server apparatus for providing malfunction information of a network comprised of a plurality of network equipment interconnected to a portable terminal having browser function, comprising:

means for receiving the malfunction information acquired by a network management system monitoring the network;

storage means storing an electronic mail address of a portable terminal of a maintenance personnel notifying the malfunction of said network;

means for appending a URL (uniform resource locator) specifying the maintenance information to a notification information of the network malfunction for transmission by an electronic mail;

means for displaying a screen prompting password inputting on a display device of said portable terminal to authenticate the input password when a browser of a portable terminal receiving said electronic mail designates said URL to browse said maintenance information; and

means for sending the malfunction information to said portable terminal if the result of password authentication indicates the maintenance personnel being valid.

52. A computer program product recorded on a computer readable medium for causing a computer constituting a maintenance information providing server to execute the steps of

(a) inputting malfunction information of a network acquired in a network management system monitoring the network comprised of a plurality of interconnected network equipment;

and

(b) on receipt of the malfunction information of said network from said network management system by a maintenance information providing server, notifying the malfunction to a portable terminal of a maintenance personnel, a telephone number and/or an electronic mail address of said a portable terminal being stored in storage means by auto-dialing and/or sending an electronic mail to said portable terminal.

54. The computer product as defined in claim 52 comprising the step of

sorting and transmitting the information to be notified to said portable terminal depending on which to one of the communication service provider managing said network, vendor of the network equipment and the customer connecting to said network belong said portable terminal.

55. The computer product as defined in claim 52 comprising the step of

transmitting by said maintenance information providing server the maintenance information pertinent to testing and/or construction of said network in place of or in addition to said network maintenance information to said portable terminal.

53. A computer program product recorded on a computer readable medium for causing a computer constituting a maintenance information providing server to execute the steps of

(a) inputting the malfunction information acquired in a network management system monitoring the network comprised of a plurality of interconnected network equipment;

(b) appending a URL specifying the maintenance information to the network malfunction information to send resultant information by an electronic mail to a portable terminal of a maintenance personnel notifying said network malfunction, said electronic mail address of the portable terminal of the maintenance personnel being stored in storage means;

(c) prompting inputting of a password when a browser of a portable terminal on receipt of said electronic mail specifies said URL to browse said maintenance information to authenticate the input password; and

(d) sending the malfunction information to said portable terminal if the result of password authentication indicates the maintenance personnel being valid.