Methods and Apparatus for Directory Enabled Network Services

• US 20090022281A1
• Filed: 09/22/2008
• Published: 01/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Eslambolchi, Hossein, Aboujaoude, Roger, McCanuel, John Robert
• Granted Patent: US 7,978,605 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/1.30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for controlling the rules of engagement between a telecommunication carrier and a customer whose network is managed by the telecommunication carrier are provided. A computer system interviews a customer by determining a set of specific questions tailored to the customer'"'"'s needs, the set of specific questions based on previously stored customer information. Answers to the asked questions are stored as an entry in a master user profile. The master user profile defines the rules of engagement of how the telecommunication carrier shall operate on behalf of the customer on each subsequent transaction without the need of the customer'"'"'s direct involvement on each element of the transaction. The entry has an associated event and a corresponding action to perform in response to the occurrence of the associated event. Upon receipt of an event occurrence, the corresponding action which includes interoperating with existing telecommunication carrier systems is performed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

responsive to a determination that a permanent virtual circuit of a customer is operating at a data rate in excess of a committed information rate, automatically reporting that the permanent virtual circuit has been automatically upgraded, the permanent virtual circuit automatically upgraded responsive based upon a defined rule stored in a master user profile, the defined rule adapted to cause an automatic addition of a DS0 channel that causes a count of DS0 channels to exceed a threshold of DS0 channels, which causes an automatic order to transfer existing DS0 channels to a new T1.5 trunk.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

for the permanent virtual circuit, automatically reporting voice circuit utilization, bandwidth utilization, and a data rate offered by the customer to a managed network versus a data rate purchased by the customer.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to customer answers to telecommunications service questions, modifying the master user profile.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating a dynamic decision tree of questions to ask the customer, the decision tree describing a progression of questions to ask the customer considering potential customer answers, the dynamic decision tree comprising an ordering decision branch, a congestion decision branch, a security division branch, and a disconnect decision branch, the disconnect decision branch adapted to automatically perform at least one action responsive to the customer unsubscribing from a particular service, the master user profile based upon answers of the customer to questions from the dynamic decision tree.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an event to be matched with an associated event stored in the master user profile; and

based upon a found rule in the master user profile corresponding to the received event, performing an action in response to the received event.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

based upon a found rule stored in the master user profile, performing an action consistent with business policies and procedures of the customer, the action determined via an event correlator adapted to filter duplicate events that arise because of an alarm caused by a failure.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing a master customer number uniquely identifying the customer in the master user profile and wherein a received event associated with the permanent virtual circuit includes the master customer number.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving the master user profile based on a stored master customer number carried in a received event associated with the permanent virtual circuit; and

selecting an action to perform upon matching the received event with an associated event in the retrieved master user profile, the action selected responsive to a detected virus condition, the virus condition detected via traffic signatures, the action comprising an alert of the detected virus condition.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending one or more requests to a private telecommunication system associated with the permanent virtual circuit for an action to be performed on the private telecommunication system, the action determined based upon a found rule of the master user profile, the found rule corresponding to a received event associated with the permanent virtual circuit.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to the master user profile, automatically detecting that a ratio of denial of service traffic relative to all traffic exceeds a customer set ratio, the customer set ratio associated with the permanent virtual circuit.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

notifying the customer to increase a subscribed data rate of the permanent virtual circuit to match an established data rate need of the customer.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

received an event defined in the master user profile, the event associated with the permanent virtual circuit, the event received from one of a billing system, an alarm system, a trouble ticket and test system, an ordering system, an inventory system, or a network of the customer.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the master user profile is adapted to define rules of engagement of how a telecommunication carrier shall operate on behalf of the customer on transactions associated with the permanent virtual circuit without subsequent direct involvement of the customer regarding the transactions.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein:

entries in the master user profile have an associated event and an action representing an operation to perform in response to an occurrence of an associated event.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein:

customer answers stored in the master user profile comprise an inventory of presently customer subscribed services, history of services purchased by the customer, or answers to previously answered questions.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein:

an event defined in the master user profile is an indication that the customer is offering data traffic over the permanent virtual circuit at data rates in excess of a subscribed data rate and wherein an action defined in the master user profile comprises automatically notifying the customer to increase the subscribed data rate to match an established data rate need of the customer.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein:

an entry of the master user profile comprises a predetermined condition to be satisfied in addition to receiving an event occurrence before performing an action, the predetermined condition comprising a determination that a combination of voice and data circuits of different customer sites achieves a cost savings and that all sites of the customer have specified disaster recovery options.

18. A method comprising:

running a wizard program, the wizard program adapted, responsive to a received indication of network congestion, cause additional network bandwidth to be automatically ordered at an end of a budget cycle of a company, the indication of network congestion received prior to the end of the budget cycle, the additional network bandwidth ordered based upon a rule defined in a master customer profile, the rule indicative of a customer-provided instruction to order additional bandwidth upon occurrence of an event indicative of network congestion, the wizard program adapted to create a reporting rule in the master customer profile, the reporting rule adapted to, responsive to an automatic detection that a ratio of denial of service traffic relative to all traffic exceeds a customer set ratio, automatically report the denial of service traffic to the customer.

19. The computer system of claim 18, further comprising:

an event correlator adapted for receiving an event and determining that the event correlates to a found rule in the master customer profile, the event correlator adapted to filter duplicate events; and

an asynchronous trigger module adapted for;

reading the master customer profile based on the event; and

automatically determining to order the additional network bandwidth.

20. A method comprising:

responsive to a determination that a permanent virtual circuit is operating at a data rate in excess of a committed information rate, automatically reporting that the permanent virtual circuit of a customer has been automatically upgraded, the permanent virtual circuit automatically upgraded responsive based upon a defined rule stored in a master user profile, the defined rule adapted to cause an addition of a channel that causes a count of channels to exceed a threshold of channels, which causes an automatic order to transfer existing channels to a new trunk.