SERVICE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD OF OPERATION THEREOF

• US 20090292664A1
• Filed: 11/21/2008
• Published: 11/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Motive Incorporated (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Nair, Vinod T., Koch, Micah K., Palkot, Thomas A., Dholakia, Neil, Pelley, Edward S., Tacker, Bryan P.
• Application Number:
  US12/276,254
• Publication Number:
  US 20090292664A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 706/47
• 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

A service management system and method. In one embodiment, the service management system includes: (1) a service description repository configured to contain service descriptions that define services in terms of a set of systems and devices that assume roles based on at least one of capabilities and attributes thereof and (2) a service management engine coupled to the service description repository and configured to employ the service description repository and at least one of the systems to deliver a service corresponding to at least one of the service descriptions via at least one of the devices.

Claims

1. A service management system, comprising:

a service description repository configured to contain service descriptions that define services in terms of systems and devices that assume roles based on at least one of capabilities and attributes thereof; and

a service management engine coupled to said service description repository and configured to employ said service description repository and at least one of said systems to deliver a service corresponding to at least one of said service descriptions via at least one of said devices.

2. The service management system as recited in claim 1 wherein said service description repository associates at least some of functions, alerts, and key/value pairs with said roles.

3. The service management system as recited in claim 1 wherein said roles are based on at least some of descriptions, capabilities and attributes of said devices.

4. The service management system as recited in claim 1 wherein said service management engine is further configured to derive additional capabilities of at least some of said device from one of inferences and predefined knowledge to determine a corresponding role in a service.

5. The service management system as recited in claim 1 wherein said service management engine is further configured to employ normalized or non-normalized functions, alerts and key/value pairs selected based on said roles, said service management system thereby configured to provide service level management functions independent of device protocols and bearer and device types.

6. The service management system as recited in claim 1 wherein said service descriptions contain service descriptions expressed in a selected one of:

a human readable markup language, and

binary data representations.

7. The service management system as recited in claim 1 wherein said service management engine includes a graphical user interface and is configured to define, manage and remove said services via said graphical user interface.

8. The service management system as recited in claim 1 wherein said service management engine is further capable of provisioning, managing and un-provisioning ones of said devices based upon said roles thereof in said service descriptions.

9. The service management system as recited in claim 1 wherein said service descriptions contain descriptions of arbitrary relationships between said roles using one of predefined rules, dynamically obtained rules and logic.

10. The service management system as recited in claim 1 wherein said service management engine is further configured to define arbitrary relationships between ones of said services using one of predefined rules, dynamically obtained rules and logic.

11. The service management system as recited in claim 10 wherein said service management engine is further configured to create business logic that employs said one of said predefined rules, said dynamically obtained rules and said logic.

12. The service management system as recited in claim 1 wherein said service descriptions contain meta-data values and service-level functions.

13. A service management method, comprising:

storing service descriptions in a service description repository, said service descriptions defining services in terms of systems and devices that assume roles based on at least one of capabilities and attributes thereof; and

employing said service description repository and at least one of said systems to enable a service provider to deliver a service corresponding to at least one of said service descriptions via at least one of said devices.

14. The method as recited in claim 13 wherein said service description repository associates at least some of functions, alerts, and key/value pairs with said roles.

15. The method as recited in claim 13 wherein said roles are based on at least some of descriptions, capabilities and attributes of said devices.

16. The method as recited in claim 13 further comprising deriving additional capabilities of at least some of said device from one of inferences and predefined knowledge to determine a corresponding role in a service.

17. The method as recited in claim 13 further comprising employing normalized or non-normalized functions, alerts and key/value pairs selected based on said roles and thereby providing service level management functions independent of device protocols and bearer and device and system types.

18. The method as recited in claim 13 wherein said service descriptions contain service descriptions expressed in a selected one of:

a human readable markup language, and

binary data representations.

19. The method as recited in claim 13 further comprising defining, managing and removing at least one of said service descriptions and installing and uninstalling at least one of said services via a graphical user interface.

20. The method as recited in claim 13 further comprising provisioning, managing and un-provisioning ones of said devices and systems based upon said roles thereof in said service descriptions.

21. The method as recited in claim 13 wherein said service descriptions contain descriptions of arbitrary relationships between said roles using one of predefined rules, dynamically obtained rules and logic.

22. The method as recited in claim 13 further comprising defining arbitrary relationships between ones of said services using one of predefined rules, dynamically obtained rules and logic.

23. The method as recited in claim 22 further comprising creating business logic that employs said one of said predefined rules, said dynamically obtained rules and said logic.

24. The method as recited in claim 13 wherein said service descriptions contain meta-data values and service-level functions.