Intelligent network providing network access services (INP-NAS)

• US 20040249927A1
• Filed: 07/01/2004
• Published: 12/09/2004
• 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: Pezutti, David
• Granted Patent: US 7,496,652 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/173 using an interconnection network, e.g. matrix, shuffle, pyramid, star, snowflake
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2898 Subscriber equipments DSL modems H04M11/062; cable modems H04L12/2801
• 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 41/0843 based on generic templates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5006 Creating or negotiating SLA contracts, guarantees or penalties
• 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 open Information Services network architecture is disclosed which enables multiple business entities to assume specialized roles of access provider, service provider, and service retailer. The disclosed invention provides instant plug-and-play service, decouples access and service networks and provides seamless (single step) access enabling customers to maintain service account regardless of location. The benefits of the disclosed investigation, amount others, include:

Multi-level and multi-ser vice registration; Broker Service providing customer with choice of provider; Security Services relating to distribution; Revenue Assurance services, Gentle Reminder/Gentle Touch; Revenue Assurance services pertaining to usage integrity verification upon registration; mobile services derived from G-ISN; and claim benefits pertaining to LNP services derived from G-ISN.

Claims

1. Global information services architecture network comprised of a plurality of functional entities establishing a virtual services network comprising:

a first service retailer entity performing customer service account management and establishing service and network contracts pertaining to service rendering and entity interoperability, service retailer maintaining brand identity, determining, service bundling, and establishing the terms and conditions for purchase, billing, and customer servicing;

a second service network entity providing customer information services including data, information, telephony, video, and applications services;

a third access network entity providing access services to customers pertaining to registration, service binding, procedures to obtain services, said third access network entity providing integrated access and transport to a service network.

2. A network access service according to claim 1, said network access service providing fully automatic and transparent access service and performing multi-level and multi-network registration between first access network and second service network enabling seamless interoperation, registration establishing association a binding between customer and the service network which automatically occurs at data, transport, network and service layers, relations by said network access service providing plug and play service without first needing to create an account with either an access or service provider and without need to first request to pre-register or pre-provision customer, equipment, or other account details or perform manual operation from an access point.

3. A method according to claim 2 by which a telephony customer achieves telephone number portability without service provider needing network level management and without needing service of number portability administrator center to coordinate inter-enterprise commitments, comprising the acts of decoupling physical location of customer by maintaining same service network and, within the global information service network maintaining identical customer telephone number via any access arrangement.

4. A method according to claim 2 of providing security services comprising the acts of providing full exposure to surreptitious activities on a network access by characterizing fully said intervener'"'"'s access and network address and delivering an intervener to a service point and when a discovered object is in an unrecognized state or not in service-active state, including verifying that the discovered object is not simultaneously elsewhere active, including when a user or equipment falsely assumes the identity of a legitimate device for the purpose of service theft.

5. A method according to claim 2 by which intelligent network subscription services are provided comprising the acts of registration generates and automatically downloads a configuration file customizing each device access port to provide normal service access for registered ports and provide pre-service access to business office for non-registered ports.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the configuration file is selected from the group consisting of a dial up script, a traditional initialization file, or a browser cookie enabling subsequent recognition by immediate network access service.

7. A provision method according to claim 5 wherein the generated device configuration file is generated by merging or recompiling registration data for device ports simultaneously associated with multiple providers.

8. A method according to claim 2 of providing network access mobility service comprising the acts of automatic registration of a moved device within a service area by re-provisioning the device at the new access point.

9. A method according to claim 2 providing network revenue assurance services comprising the acts of providing compensatory network access services, accommodating detection of registration charges in the service and generating a verification of transaction whenever registration change is detected to ensure integrity of usage accounting detail.

10. A method according to claim 2 of providing network access services comprising the acts of establishing policy based originating call intercepts, notifying a customer of delinquency, fraud and other account issues and permitting customer to resolve account issues with a simple one-touch transfer, and returning the customer line to normal active service.

11. A method according to claims 2 and 8 in the context of wireless network access, providing mobile session bridging services comprising the acts of providing a session agent that maintains the call in progress and monitors for loss of signal disconnect, the session agent automatically reestablishing the last call in-progress when a new discovered object registration event is detected, eliminating need for a customer to reestablish the call.

12. A method according to claim 11 further comprising the act of bridging service across at least two access networks when a customer migrates from one to another, and bridged for accounting and billing using session data thereby eliminating several conventional usage records and minimum time charges.

13. The architecture of claim 1 further comprising structure identifying access network and service network functions operating in accord with trading partner agreements, the access network supplying access services and providing binding and transparent connectivity to the service network, the service network providing service for both local and remote access, being differentiated from other architectures including cellular networks whereby a remote or foreign network assumes a role of host provider when authorized by a home provider.

14. The architecture of claim 1 further comprising the act of enabling service binding interworking between primary service and primary or foreign access provider type networks.

15. A method according to claim 2 of providing network access services comprising the acts of discovered object registration in both access and service networks, with the access network providing registration services coupled to registration services of the service network, the access network furnishing registration management information base to primary provider and the service network as needed.

16. The primary architecture of claim 1 comprising the further act of containing an accounting collection module in the service network and providing a billing processor issuing accounting back to the primary provider.

17. The architecture of claim 1 further comprising providing a primary or foreign access network containing an accounting collection module, and an accounting server issuing accounting back to the primary provider.

18. A method according to claim 2 of coordination of networks comprising the acts of providing capacity for service accounting exchange between and access network and a service network function and exchanging payments from the service network and the access network for service rendered to a specific authorized object.

19. A method according to claim 2 of network access operation comprising the acts of:

authenticating the identity of an internet service network and thereafter authorizing customer access via any type of access network, regardless of whether foreign or host.

20. A method according to claim 19 wherein, after accepting authorization, establishing a persistent association, via provisioning, between the object and a service provider network.

21. A method according to claim 20 further comprising the act of recording in Registration management information base current and past associations of authorization between the object and the service provider networks.

22. A method according to claim 20 further comprising the acts of causing service, determining altered binding between object and service when if a new access network association is authorized, releasing notification being sent to a previously authorized access network to terminate service binding and usage billing therein.

23. A method according to claim 20 further comprising the act of automatically initiating service orders for work to be performed by existing service systems.

24. A method according to claim 21 comprising the act of supporting registrations having various time durations of service including long term, monthly, specified interval, or event based.

25. A method according to claim 2 of providing access services comprising the acts of:

managing access services including interconnection binding, access denial of service, conducting surveillance and intercepting treatments, billing and usage exchanges.

26. A method according to claims 7 and 25 comprising the further acts of:

simultaneously managing independent service binding from objects to several service networks, the binding being between device-port objects where one line may be registered as a virtual private network including a remote business line and other lines may provide a primary line service from a home while another line may connect to low cost a secondary line service at a lesser rate. This is same as new item above.

27. A method according to claims 2 and 26 comprising the further acts of providing a plurality of cascaded registrations at service layers including physical access, device, object, data, network, transport, session, presentation, and application layers within and across interconnected access and provider networks, the layered registrations including specific and related information pertaining to service such as network related detail pertaining to discovered object.

28. A method according to claim 26 comprising the further act of establishing policy based registration services that require telephony service retailers to respond to offers and exchanges in a manner consistent with interconnect agreements.

29. A method according to claim 26 comprising the further act of identifying service retailers via reference to registration management information base and where if service retailers are not explicitly identified in registration management information base, multicasting request to service retailers.

30. A method according to claim 2 of providing internet access services, comprising the further act of:

providing an access authorization mechanism via Offer/Accept exchange thereby validating interconnect binding or designate access treatment including denial and intercept.

31. A method according to claim 26 further comprising the act of determining access telephone provider status for acceptance of remote registration requests.

32. A method according to claim 31, comprising the further act of:

performing security checks to determine access status for service access, denial, and intercept purposes.

33. A method according to claim 31, comprising the further act of:

providing access authorization to registering object whose associated account is in good standing and, alternatively, providing appropriate service treatment including denial of service and intercept.

34. A method according to claim 5, for pre-service arrangement comprising the further acts of offering local service establishment with brokerage service, allowing a customer to select a desired service network as primary provider from a plurality of service networks, each service network identifying service bundles, “

terms and pricing” and

other incentives available to the customer in making final service network selection.

35. A method according to claims 2 and 34, comprising providing immediate network service comprising emergency service with automatic determination of jurisdictional public service answering point for customer'"'"'s physical location which is determined by the access network and first stored in a the access network registry upon object discovery and registration, internetwork binding transferring said public service answering point address to those service networks for storage and optionally provisions local digital switch to ensure accurate service to jurisdictional public service answering point, mobile customers entail registration chaining, requiring public service answering point addresses to be dynamically updated.

36. A method of expanding network services without changing network service provider comprising the acts of:

creating a relationship between a customer and a service provider;

obtaining undelayed access to the network services through any one of a plurality of access providers without changing the provision of services by the service provider.

37. A method according to claim 36 wherein the obtaining act is automatically facilitated by the service provider without need to establish a relationship between the customer and at least some of the access providers.

38. A method of obtaining network services of global scope comprising the acts of:

creating a relationship between a customer and an entity through which network services are obtained;

accessing by the customer directly to the network services when the customer is within the normal operative scope of the network services;

accessing by the customer indirectly through a new access entity to the services when the customer is outside the normal operative scope of the network services.

39. A method of network communications comprising the acts of:

contracting for network services by a customer;

accessing through one entity to the network services when the customer is within the scope of the network services;

accessing through another entity, to the network services when the customer is not within the scope of the network services.

40. A method by which network services are provisioned, comprising the acts of:

creating a relationship between a customer and an entity for network services;

based on the relationship, accessing without substantial delay to the network services absent any constraint to use the access services of any specific provider and with or without a pre-arrangement for doing so.

41. A method according to claim 40 wherein the entity is a retailer.

42. A method according to claim 41 wherein the retailer also provides access to the network services.

43. A method according to claim 41 wherein the retailer accommodates but does not provide access to the network services.

44. A method according to claim 40 wherein the retailer provides the network services.

45. A method according to claim 40, wherein the retailer accommodates but does not provide the network services.

46. A method of providing portable network communication services comprising the acts of:

obtaining by a customer of contract network services through registration from a network access and service provider operative, at a first location;

reprovisioning the network services from the provider for the customer at a second location through the same adaptor through automatic network registration thereby avoiding disconnection, termination and the burden of customer re-registration.