Method and apparatus for administration of circuit inventories in telecommunications networks

• US 20050216383A1
• Filed: 04/25/2005
• Published: 09/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Michael F. Gleason, Robert C. Kuhn
• Original Assignee: Michael F. Gleason, Robert C. Kuhn
• Inventors: Kuhn, Robert C., Gleason, Michael F.
• Granted Patent: US 7,664,240 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/04 Recording calls , or communications in printed, perforated or other permanent form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/43 Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/53 using mediation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/725 by the operator
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/745 Customizing according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. friends or family
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0104 Augmented, consolidated or itemised billing statement, e.g. additional billing information, bill presentation, layout, format, e-mail, fax, printout, itemised bill per service or per account, cumulative billing, consolidated billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0108 Customization according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. customer preferences, friends and family, selecting services or billing options, Personal Communication Systems [PCS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0164 Billing record, e.g. Call Data Record [CDR], Toll Ticket[TT], Automatic Message Accounting [AMA], Call Line Identifier [CLI], details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0172 Mediation, i.e. device or program to reformat CDRS from one or more switches in order to adapt to one or more billing programs formats
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7063 Administer via operator

Abstract

Telecommunications customers must frequently utilize the facilities of many different telecommunications service providers in order to transmit data from one location to another. When a telecommunications customer encounters a network problem, that customer usually must navigate a complicated web of service providers and equipment owners in order to receive meaningful technical assistance from a human technician. The present invention is designed and intended to facilitate human interactions for technical support and administrative tasks by associating customer, contract, circuit, equipment, key personnel, billing, and telco information in a database for efficient data presentation and information retrieval. Resolution of the logistical problem of tracking circuit information is achieved by organizing the information and displaying important data concurrently. Toward that end, the system modules comprising the invention share all of the circuit inventory data available, and graphical user interfaces for each module display relevant information together. Examples of features in the present invention include: simultaneous display of circuit and contact information for key personnel, a reminder function for tracking changes in important service characteristics, and customer-specific formatting for billing

Claims

1-14. -14. (canceled)

15. A telecommunications circuit provisioning and administration system for recording telecommunications service data comprising:

a customer submodule providing access to customer information;

a contract submodule providing access to contract information; and

a straggler information submodule for providing information regarding components of each circuit in order to isolate those legs of a circuit for which a network is in jeopardy due to an expiring or nonexistent contract.

16. A telecommunications circuit provisioning and administration system according to claim 15, further comprising a data presentation submodule providing access to a database of data presentation formats.

17. A telecommunications circuit provisioning and administration system according to claim 15, further comprising a billing submodule providing access to a database of payment request information, wherein said database of payment request information comprises a plurality of billing records, each of said billing records comprising data relating to telecommunications service charges.

18. A telecommunications circuit provisioning and administration system according to claim 17, wherein said billing submodule is capable of consolidating all billing records associated with a single contract into a single billing invoice.

19. A telecommunications circuit provisioning and administration system according to claim 15, further comprising a telecommunications service provider submodule for providing access to a database of telecommunication service provider information, wherein said database of telecommunications service provider information comprises a plurality of telecommunications service provider records, each of said telecommunications service provider records comprising data describing telecommunication service provider.

20. A telecommunications circuit provisioning and administration system according to claim 15, further comprising a key personnel submodule providing access to a database of key personnel information, wherein said database of key personnel information comprises a plurality of key personal records, each of said key personnel records comprising data beneficial for communicating with a person or group of persons.

21. A telecommunications circuit provisioning and administration system according to claim 15, further comprising a trouble ticket submodule providing access to a database of trouble ticket information, wherein said database of trouble ticket information comprises a plurality of trouble ticket records, each of said trouble ticket records comprising data describing a particular telecommunications event.

22. A telecommunications circuit provisioning and administration system according to claim 15, wherein said customer submodule provides access to a database of customer information, wherein said database of customer information comprises a plurality of customer records, each of said customer records comprising data describing a consumer of telecommunications services.

23. A telecommunications circuit provisioning and administration system according to claim 15, further comprising a circuit submodule for reminding the operator of impending changes in telecommunications service or cost related to a single circuit or component of a circuit.

24. A telecommunications circuit provisioning and administration system according to claim 16, wherein access includes the operations of entering, deleting, modifying, storing, and displaying data.

25. A telecommunications circuit provisioning and administration system according to claim 16, further comprising a security submodule providing access to a database of system operator information for regulating access to system submodules and regulating operations each operator is privileged to perform.

26. A telecommunications circuit provisioning and administration system according to claim 17, wherein said billing submodule exists as a standalone program.

27. A method of tracking telecommunications service and provisioning circuits, comprising:

entering customer description data;

entering a description of a telecommunications pathway;

entering telecommunications service charge data;

entering telecommunications service provider description data; and

reviewing, through an interactive display interface, straggler information relating to circuit components that are in jeopardy due to expired or non-existent contracts information in said contract database.

28. A method of tracking telecommunications service and provisioning circuits according to claim 27, further comprising:

entering a subdivision customer description data into a database of contract information;

entering data beneficial for communicating with a person or group of persons into a database of key personnel information; and

entering telecommunications event data into a database of trouble ticket information.

29. A method of tracking telecommunications service and provisioning circuits according to claim 27, further comprising:

reminding a system operator of impending changes in telecommunications service or cost related to a single circuit or component of a circuit.

30. A method of tracking telecommunications service and provisioning circuits according to claim 27, further comprising:

entering operator access regulation instructions into a database of system operator information; and

providing system access only to those system operators permitted according to said database of system operator information.

31. A method of tracking telecommunications service and provisioning circuits according to claim 27, further comprising:

generating monthly billing reports and payment requests in a format convenient for customer review.

32. A method of tracking telecommunications service and provisioning circuits according to claim 27, further comprising:

displaying telecommunications service data available over a network alongside previously entered data in a desired format for easy reference during human interactions concerning transitioning of an original installed service to a replacement service, including de-installation of said original installed service.

33. A method of tracking telecommunications service and provisioning circuits comprising the step of consolidating costs for a predetermine period for a plurality of telcom services into a consolidated invoice.

34. The method of tracking telecommunications service and provisioning circuits according to claim 33, wherein said plurality of telcom services is provided by a plurality of vendors.