APPLICATION AND METHOD FOR DYNAMICALLY PRESENTING DATA REGARDING AN END POINT OR A SERVICE AND SERVICE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM INCORPORATING THE SAME

• US 20090132709A1
• Filed: 11/21/2008
• Published: 05/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Motive Incorporated (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Pelley, Edward S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,527,889 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06313 Resource planning in a project environment
• 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 41/5061 characterised by the interaction between service providers and their network customers, e.g. customer relationship management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

An application and method for dynamically presenting data regarding end points and services relative to a subscriber. In one embodiment, the application is operable with a service management system and is configured to employ the service management system to determine relationships between a subscriber and services and end points associated therewith and generate a user interface that provides a view, based on the relationships, of at least one of: (1) one of the services in terms of end points that play roles in the one of the services and (2) one of the end points in terms of services in which the one of the end points plays a role.

Yet another aspect provides a method of dynamically presenting data regarding end points and roles. In one embodiment, the method includes: (1) collecting end points associated with a subscriber, (2) associating the end points with roles in a service, (3) determining which of the end points plays a role in the service, (4) determining whether each of a plurality of user interface templates is to be shown based on the role or data associated therewith and (5) rendering a user interface element in a dynamic user interface in context of the end point using each of the plurality of user interface templates.

In another embodiment, the method includes: (1) collecting services to which a subscriber has a subscription, (2) associating an end point with roles for the services, (3) for each of the services in which the end point has a role and for each of a plurality of user interface templates, determining whether the user interface template is to be included in a user interface based on whether each of the plurality of user interface templates supports the current role and service for the end point and (3) rendering a user interface element in the dynamic user interface in the context of the end point, role and service using the user interface template if the user interface template is to be included in the user interface.

Claims

1. An application operable with a service management system and configured to employ said service management system to determine relationships between a subscriber and services and end points associated therewith and generate a user interface that provides a view, based on said relationships, of at least one of:

one of said services in terms of end points that play roles in said one of said services, and

one of said end points in terms of services in which said one of said end points plays a role.

2. The application as recited in claim 1 wherein said application is further configured to use said relationships to determine whether elements of said user interface are to be shown or hidden.

3. The application as recited in claim 1 wherein said application is further configured to employ roles to present actions in said user interface that may be taken with respect to said end points in said user interface.

4. The application as recited in claim 1 wherein said application is further configured to include views of data in said user interface for said one of said end points based on whether said one of said end points supports a role in said one of said services.

5. The application as recited in claim 1 wherein said application is further configured to include views of data in said user interface for said one of said services based on whether said one of said services is provided through said one of said end points.

6. The application as recited in claim 1 wherein said application is further configured to configure a user interface to include user interface elements based on a role that said one of said end points has within said one of said services.

7. The application as recited in claim 1 wherein said user interface allows a user to hide, show and update user interface elements, including:

views of information and controls,

individual control elements, and

pieces of data.

8. The application as recited in claim 1 wherein said application is further configured to define views of data in a service based on roles and subsequently dynamically populate user interface elements based end points mapped into said roles.

9. The application as recited in claim 1 wherein said application is further configured to define user interface templates used in conjunction with a service definition and associated end points of said subscriber to instantiate instances of said user interface templates.

10. The application as recited in claim 1 wherein said application is further configured to use a service definition to specify key/value pairs to collect from said end points based on roles relative to said service description and use said key/value pairs to determine whether and how a given user interface element should be shown in said user interface.

11. A method of dynamically presenting data regarding end points and roles, comprising:

collecting end points associated with a subscriber;

associating said end points with roles in a service;

determining which of said end points plays a role in said service;

determining whether each of a plurality of user interface templates is to be shown based on said role or data associated therewith; and

rendering a user interface element in a dynamic user interface in context of said end point using said each of said plurality of user interface templates.

12. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein said associating comprises employing a service management system to associate said end points with said roles.

13. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein said end points are selected from the group consisting of:

devices, and

systems.

14. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein said user interface contains a window and tabs representing different services.

18. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein said user interface contains a window and tabs representing data about a given service.

15. A method of dynamically presenting data regarding end points and roles, comprising:

collecting services to which a subscriber has a subscription;

associating an end point with roles for said services;

for each of said services in which said end point has a role and for each of a plurality of user interface templates, determining whether said user interface template is to be included in a user interface based on whether said each of said plurality of user interface templates supports said current role and service for said end point; and

rendering a user interface element in said dynamic user interface in said context of said end point, role and service using said user interface template if said user interface template is to be included in said user interface.

16. The method as recited in claim 15 wherein said associating comprises employing a service management system to associate said end points with said roles.

17. The method as recited in claim 15 wherein said end points are selected from the group consisting of:

devices, and

systems.