Systems and methods for facilitating information retrieval in a telecommunications environment

• US 20040148314A1
• Filed: 01/29/2003
• Published: 07/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wright, Robert Hollis, Thacker, Terry D., Raymond, Charles Emil
• Granted Patent: US 7,139,776 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/104.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A method of providing documentation from a source of telecommunications documentation. The method includes receiving a list of telecommunications work items and creating a report based on the list of work items, wherein the report includes a link to a source of telecommunications documentation associated with a work item on the list. The method also includes providing the report to a user and retrieving the documentation from the source of telecommunications documentation when the user selects the link.

Claims

1. A method of providing documentation from a source of telecommunications documentation, comprising:

receiving a list of telecommunications work items;

creating a report based on the list of work items, wherein the report includes a link to a source of telecommunications documentation associated with a work item on the list;

providing the report to a user; and

retrieving the documentation from the source of telecommunications documentation when the user selects the link.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving a list of telecommunications work items includes retrieving a list of telecommunications work items from a work control module.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the work control module includes a work force administration system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the report includes a technician report.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the report in a file server.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the link includes a uniform resource locator (URL) address.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving the documentation from the source of telecommunications documentation when the user selects the link includes retrieving the documentation from an automated routing and trunking system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving the documentation from the source of telecommunications documentation when the user selects the link includes retrieving the documentation from an interconnection facility ordering system.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether a link should be associated with a work item.

10. A system for providing documentation from a source of telecommunications documentation, comprising:

a relay computer for receiving a list of work items, each work item associated with a task to be performed by a telecommunications worker, and for creating a report having a link associated with a work item from the list of work items;

a source of telecommunications documentation in communication with the relay computer; and

a user terminal in communication with the source of telecommunications documentation for enabling a user to select the link in order to retrieve documentation from the source of telecommunications documentation.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a work control module in communication with the relay computer.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the work control module includes a work force administration system.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising a file server in communication with the relay computer and the user terminal.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the source of telecommunications documentation includes an automated routing and trunking system.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the source of telecommunications documentation includes an interconnection facility ordering system.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the file server includes a web server.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the user terminal includes a workstation.

18. A computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

receive a list of telecommunications work items;

create a report based on the list of work items, wherein the report includes a link to a source of telecommunications documentation associated with a work item on the list;

provide the report to a user; and

retrieve the documentation from the source of telecommunications documentation when the user selects the link.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, having stored thereon instructions which cause the processor to determine whether a link should be associated with a work item.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 18, having stored thereon instructions which cause the processor to retrieve the documentation from one of an automated routing and trunking system and an interconnection facility ordering system.