Method and apparatus for providing a customized telecommunication service

• US 5,802,159 A
• Filed: 06/01/1995
• Issued: 09/01/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Smolentzov, Andre, Karlberg, Rolf Staffan Eugen
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunter, Daniel S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wolinsky, Scott
• Application Number:
  US08/457,471
• Time in Patent Office: 1,188 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201, 379/142, 379/211, 379/215, 379/216, 379/93, 379/207, 379/219, 379/220, 379/221, 379/242
• US Class Current: 379/201.03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4228 in networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1305 Software aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/135 Service creation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13502 primitives - inc. service-independent building blocks [SIBBs]
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13526 resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/007 customer-controlled

Abstract

A customized telecommunication service comprising a service related component, referred to as a service shell, and a number of customization parts open to customization by a service provider. The service shell is designed by a system vendor with due consideration taken to the fact that the service must not interfere in a non-desired way with other existing services. The service shell comprises customization points to which the customization parts are added. Each customization point comprises an individual customization interface defining the scope of actions open to customization in the service shell. The service provider selects, among the actions, those which will build the desired function of the customization part.

Claims

1. A method for designing a customized telecommunication service comprising a service shell and at least one service customization part, said method comprising the steps of:

designing, at a system vendor, said service shell with at least one customization point comprising a run time interface and an individual customization interface which defines the scope of the actions possible for said customization part by means of a first set of call associated parameters and a second set of primitives, said parameters and primitives being the only parameters and primitives available at said customization point;

storing said service shell in a telecommunication network, and providing said customization interface to a service provider;

designing, at the service provider, customer logic from a subset of said second set of primitives acting on a subset of said first set of parameters; and

storing said customer logic in the telecommunication network where said stored service shell and said stored customer logic together constitute a complete customized service.

2. A method for designing a customized telecommunication service in accordance with claim 1, wherein the primitives are generic to different telecommunication services.

3. A method of designing a customized telecommunication service in accordance with claim 1, wherein said step of designing customer logic comprises:

stating the behavior of the customer logic with regard to the possibilities given by the service shell;

finding the customization points in said service shell; and

selecting, at each found customization point, the primitive that fulfills the desired behavior of the customization logic, creating an instance of the selected primitive and binding the instance of the selected primitive to the parameters of said selected primitive.

4. A method for designing a customized telecommunication service in accordance with claim 3, wherein the customization points are found by their name.

5. A method for designing a customized telecommunication service in accordance with claim 3, wherein the parameters comprise a set of input parameters and a set of result parameters as viewed from the customer logic.

6. A method for designing a customized telecommunication service in accordance with claim 5, wherein each input and result parameter comprises at least some of the following attributes:

identity, data type, input/output category and relational rules.

7. A method for designing a customized telecommunication service in accordance with claim 6, wherein each customization interface further comprises address information relating to each of the parameters, the address information being protected and not available for use by the customer logic designer.

8. A method for designing a customized telecommunication service in accordance with claim 7, wherein said run time interface connects the customer logic to the service shell in run-time.

9. A method for designing a customized telecommunication service in accord with claim 8, wherein the customer logic comprises data.

10. A method for designing a customized telecommunication service in accordance with claim 9, wherein said data comprises address information relating to each primitive used by the customer logic, data to be used by said primitive, and links to other primitives.

11. A method for designing a customized telecommunication service in accordance with claim 10, wherein each primitive is associated with a respective primitive interface.

12. A method for designing a customized telecommunication service in accordance with claim 11, wherein each primitive interface comprises a set of input parameters and a set of result parameters as viewed from within the primitive.

13. A method for designing a customized telecommunication service in accordance with claim 12, wherein each input and result parameter of a primitive comprises the following attributes:

identity, data type, and input/result category.

14. A method for designing a customized telecommunication service in accordance with claim 13, wherein a parameter of a primitive interface is connected with a corresponding parameter of the customization interface.

15. A method for designing a customized telecommunication service in accordance with claim 14, wherein one customization interface parameter is connected to one or more parameters in one or more primitives.

16. A method for designing a customized telecommunication service in accordance with claim 15, wherein customization interfaces are defined as managed objects in an existing operation support system.

17. A method for designing a customized telecommunication service in accordance with claim 16, wherein the set of input parameters and the set of result parameters are mapped on the managed object as attributes thereof.

18. An apparatus for providing a customized telecommunication service, comprising:

a service shell, stored in a telecommunication network, adapted to be inserted in a local exchange, and

at least one service customization part stored on a computer readable medium, wherein said service shell comprises at least one customization point at which the customization part, in run time and after a call is made to the customization part, is added to the service shell, said customization point comprising a run time interface and an individual customization interface defining the scope of the actions possible for said customization part by means of a first set of call associated parameters and a second set of primitives, said parameters and primitives being the only parameters and primitives available at said customization point, said service customization part comprising customer logic (i) generated from a subset of said second set of primitives comprised in said customization interface and (ii) acting on a subset of said first set of parameters defined by said customization interface, the customer logic being provided in the form of data only.

19. An apparatus for providing a customized telecommunication service in accordance with claim 18, wherein the primitives are generic to different telecommunication services.

20. An apparatus for providing a customized telecommunication service in accordance with claim 18, wherein the parameters comprise a set of input parameters and a set of result parameters as viewed from the customer logic.

21. An apparatus for providing a customized telecommunication service in accordance with claim 18, wherein each input and result parameter comprises at least some of the following attributes:

identity, data type, input/output category and relational rules.

22. An apparatus for providing a customized telecommunication service in accordance with claim 18, wherein each customization interface further comprises address information relating to each of the parameters, the address information being protected and not available for use by the customer logic designer.

23. An apparatus for providing a customized telecommunication service in accordance with claim 22, wherein said run time interface connects the customer logic to the service shell in run-time.

24. An apparatus for providing a customized telecommunication service in accordance with claim 22, wherein each customization point comprises a first part visible through a graphical user interface of a tool used for building the customer logic and a second part non-visible through the graphical user interface, the visible part comprising the parameters and the invisible part comprising said address information.

25. An apparatus for providing a customized telecommunication service in accordance with claim 24, wherein the customer logic generated by said tool comprises data.

26. An apparatus for providing a customized telecommunication service in accordance with claim 25, wherein said data that represent the customer logic are stored in the telecommunication network allowing for the introduction of new customized services without upgrading existing software residing in the telecommunication network.

27. An apparatus for providing a customized telecommunication service in accordance with claim 26, wherein said data comprises address information relating to each primitive used by the customer logic, data to be used by said primitive, and links to other primitives.

28. An apparatus for providing a customized telecommunication service in accordance with claim 27, wherein each primitive is associated with a respective primitive interface.

29. An apparatus for providing a customized telecommunication service in accordance with claim 28, wherein each primitive interface comprises a set of input parameters and a set of result parameters as viewed from within the primitive.

30. An apparatus for providing a customized telecommunication service in accordance with claim 29, wherein each input and result parameter of a primitive comprises the following attributes:

identity, data type and input/result category.

31. An apparatus for providing a customized telecommunication service in accordance with claim 30, wherein a parameter of a primitive interface is connected with a corresponding parameter of the customization interface.

32. An apparatus for providing a customized telecommunication service in accordance with claim 31, wherein one customization interface parameter can be connected to one or more parameters in one or more primitives.

33. An apparatus for providing a customized telecommunication service in accordance with claim 32, wherein customization interfaces are defined as managed objects in an existing operation support system.

34. An apparatus for providing a customized telecommunication service in accordance with claim 33, wherein the set of input parameters and the set of result parameters are mapped on a managed object, which represents a customization interface, as attributes thereof.