Common service platform and software

• US 20030139174A1
• Filed: 12/11/2002
• Published: 07/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Far Eastone Telecommunications Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Far Eastone Telecommunications Company Limited
• Inventors: Rao, Herman
• Granted Patent: US 7,088,995 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2871 Implementation details of single intermediate entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/085 specially adapted for interworking of IP-based networks with other networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13003 Constructional details of switching devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1305 Software aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13098 Mobile subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13175 Graphical user interface [GUI], WWW interface, visual indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13196 Connection circuit/link/trunk/junction, bridge, router, gateway
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13336 Store & forward, messaging systems email H04Q2213/13375
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13375 Electronic mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13376 Information service, downloading of information, 0800/0900 services
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 : LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 : Provisions for intelligent networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 : Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 : Gateway arrangements

Abstract

The invention advantageously provides a mobile common service platform and software in telecommunications systems. A common service platform (CSP) according to the invention is an integrated platform that supports both wireless and landline mobile services and business transactions. A CSP system according to the invention includes a common service platform or CSP for integrating a plurality of applications into a single platform for multiple uses in a plurality of communications systems. The CSP is connected with the plurality of applications and a plurality of users. Multiple users in different communications systems having varied communications protocols can utilize generally the same application (as selected by the users) through the CSP. Requests for uses in different communications system are transferred to the CSP for conversion into generally the same format that is acceptable by a selected application. Outputs from the selected application are transferred into formats that are acceptable by the requesting user. The CSP system advantageously enables a communications system to be quickly offered to market in conjunction with value-added services through applications rendered by third party service providers.

Claims

1. A common service platform (CSP) system comprising:

a telecommunications network;

a common service platform (CSP) communicable with a plurality of applications and a plurality of end users through said telecommunications network;

a plurality of user requests from said end users to said common service platform (CSP);

a gateway communicable with said end users and said telecommunications network and converting protocols therebetween;

a plurality of converters converting content formats into a same format acceptable by one selected application out of said applications in response to said user requests;

wherein data are output from said selected application in a transferred format acceptable to said end users.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said applications further comprise at least one application program interface (API) common to all of said end users.

3. The system of claim 1, said common service platform (CSP) further comprising:

a service network;

a plurality of application service providers (ASPs) communicable with said service network;

a core network further comprising a plurality of home location registers (HLRs) and visitor location registers (VLRs); and

an access network communicable with said core network.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said access network is communicable with a network further comprising the Internet, public switched telephone network (PSTN), integrated services digital network (ISDN), global system for mobile communications (GSM) and universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS).

5. The system of claim 3, said service network further comprising a services/application layer communicable with said core network, which serves as a platform for Internet protocol (IP) applications.

6. The system of claim 3, said core network further comprising:

a control layer providing call control, session management and mobility management for terminal devices; and

a connectivity layer handling user data.

7. The system of claim 6, said user data further comprising transport, switching and routing data.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said common service platform (CSP) is communicable with a plurality of user terminal devices comprising mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), pagers, handheld computers, palmtop computers, pocket computers, and notebook computers.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a backend system communicable with said common service platform (CSP);

a standardized platform; and

a plurality of application service provider (ASP) servers interfacing with said standardized platform and said backend system.

10. The system of claim 3, said common service platform (CSP) providing device abstraction for a plurality of terminal devices wherein all of said terminal devices are treated as an abstract entity in hiding complexities of said core network and said access network from said application service providers.

11. The system of claim 10, said common service platform (CSP) providing unified application programming interfaces for network resources and backend systems.

12. The system of claim 1, said applications further comprising user service, location service, content service, access service, application registration service, charging service, event service, payment service, backend system service, system management and administration service.

13. The system of claim 12, said user service further comprising user profiles for said end users for end user identification, personalization and authentication.

14. The system of claim 12, said location service further comprising location information for devices of said end users.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein said system management and administration service administers said user profiles.

16. The system of claim 12, said location service further comprising location information supporting location-dependent applications for different mobile networks and Internet protocol (IP)-based telephony.

17. The system of claim 12, said content service storing information about a plurality of content providers.

18. The system of claim 12, said access service providing developer access for application developers independent from access by said end users.

19. The system of claim 12, said access service providing setup, maintenance and release of communications between said end users and said applications.

20. The system of claim 12, said application registration service supporting said charging service by providing charging rates of said applications.

21. The system of claim 12, said charging service supporting revenue sharing among a plurality of application developers for said applications wherein a post processing system respectively bills said end users.

22. The system of claim 12, said charging service generating and logging charging details.

23. The system of claim 12, said event service further comprising:

a plurality of simple events;

a plurality of complex events as combinations of a number of said simple events; and

a plurality of triggers causing specified responses from said system.

24. The system of claim 23, said triggers further comprising time-critical triggers and non-time-critical triggers.

25. The system of claim 12, through said event service, said applications defining a plurality of simple events and specifying information to be logged when said defined events occur.

26. The system of claim 12, through said event service, said applications defining a plurality of triggers and actions respectively associated with said triggers.

27. The system of claim 1 further comprising a network resource service providing call processing capabilities in said system.

28. The system of claim 12, said system management and administration service further supporting performance management, fault management, configuration management, and security management.

29. The system of claim 12, said payment service further managing merchant records, reporting payment transactions, managing data mining and call center operations.

30. The system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of severity levels including a fatal level, a critical level, a warning level, and a harmless level.

31. A software structure of a common service platform (CSP) system comprising:

a plurality of communications systems;

a common service platform (CSP) in said system integrating a plurality of applications and a plurality of end users through said communications systems;

a plurality of user requests from said end users to said common service platform (CSP);

a plurality of converters converting content formats into a same format acceptable by one selected application out of said applications in response to said user requests, wherein data are output from said selected application in a transferred format acceptable to said end users;

a client layer having a plurality of client devices accessing said applications;

a presentation and channel layer providing presentation functions and communications channel management;

a business logic layer providing business applications;

an infrastructure layer;

a peripheral layer having a plurality of peripheral devices; and

a universal layer providing security services and system management.

32. The structure of claim 31, said presentation and channel layer further supporting hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) requests.

33. The structure of claim 31, said presentation and channel layer further managing collating and servicing hypertext markup language (HTML) pages having static and dynamic content.

34. The structure of claim 31, said presentation and channel layer further supporting server processing through common gateway interface (CGI) scripts and Java servlets, and supporting secure sockets layer (SSL) security.

35. The structure of claim 31 further comprising personalization services maintaining and providing information for said end users.

36. The structure of claim 31, said business logic layer further comprising a plurality of business processes incorporating business logic.

37. The structure of claim 36, said business processes further comprising service management, customer management, and device management.

38. The structure of claim 31, said business logic layer further comprising access control services, user authentication, resource access authorization control, and process authorization control.

39. The structure of claim 31, said business logic layer further comprising activity dispatch and control services in determining which activity to implement and which process to invoke corresponding to said user requests.

40. The structure of claim 31, said infrastructure layer further comprising a plurality of administration services including third party applications administration, platform configuration and fine tuning, log file maintenance and archival, monitoring and housekeeping.

41. The structure of claim 31, said infrastructure layer further comprising transaction services in logging, propagating and verifying results of each transaction.

42. The structure of claim 31, said infrastructure layer further comprising messaging services allowing transmission, reception and holding of messages between said applications.

43. The structure of claim 31, said infrastructure layer further comprising directory services managing network directories in said system.

44. The structure of claim 31, said infrastructure layer further comprising synchronization services in synchronizing data among multiple data repositories.

45. The structure of claim 31, said infrastructure layer further comprising database services in processing and managing data for a plurality of database systems.

46. The structure of claim 31, said infrastructure layer further comprising logging services in producing logs for analysis by data warehouse systems, system administration tools and billing systems.

47. The structure of claim 31, said universal layer further comprising security services preventing business risks including impersonation of said end users, disclosure of information and data corruption.

48. The structure of claim 31 further comprising a management framework supporting communication between a plurality of management agents and management applications.

49. The structure of claim 31, said applications further comprising user service, location service, content service, access service, application registration service, charging service, event service, payment service, backend system service, system management and administration service.

50. The structure of claim 31 further comprising:

a backend system communicable with said common service platform (CSP);

a standardized platform; and

a plurality of application service provider (ASP) servers interfacing with said standardized platform and said backend system.