Method and system for provisioning telecommunications services

• US 6,104,796 A
• Filed: 10/29/1997
• Issued: 08/15/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel USA Sourcing L.P. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Kasrai, Shahrooz S.
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, CREIGHTON H
• Application Number:
  US08/960,326
• Time in Patent Office: 1,021 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201, 379/207, 379/219, 379/220, 379/229, 379/230
• US Class Current: 379/201.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4228 in networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0033 customer-controlled

Abstract

A method of provisioning telecommunications services includes receiving a first provisioning command comprising a first set of provisioning information. The provisioning command is received according to a generic provisioning protocol. The method also includes transmitting the first set of provisioning information to a telephony database to provision the telephony database. The method also includes modifying the telephony database to produce a modified database and receiving a second provisioning command comprising a second set of provisioning information. The second provisioning command is received according to the generic provisioning protocol. The method further includes transmitting the second set of provisioning information to the telephony database to provision the modified database. Receiving the first provision command and the second provisioning command according to the generic provisioning protocol allows provisioning of the telephony database and the modified database without modifying the generic provisioning protocol.

Claims

1. A method of provisioning telecommunications services, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a first provisioning command from a user having a first set of provisioning information, the provisioning command having a generic provisioning protocol;

transmitting the first set of provisioning information in the generic provisioning protocol to a telephony database to provision the telephony database;

modifying the telephony database to produce a modified database;

receiving a second provisioning command from a user having a second set of provisioning information, the second provisioning command having the generic provisioning protocol;

transmitting the second set of provisioning information in the generic provisioning protocol to the telephony database to provision the modified database; and

wherein receiving the first provisioning command and the second provisioning command with the generic provisioning protocol allows provisioning the telephony database and the modified database without modifying the generic provisioning protocol.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the telephony database comprises a first table having a first table structure;

the step of modifying the telephony database to produce a modified database comprises modifying the first table structure such that the first table has a second table structure associated with a modified telephony service; and

wherein the steps of receiving a first provisioning command according to the generic provisioning protocol and receiving a second provisioning command according to the generic provisioning protocol allow provisioning of the first table after modifying the structure of the first table without modification of the generic provisioning protocol, thereby facilitating modification of a telephony service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the telephony database comprises a table;

the step of modifying the database comprises adding an added table to the telephony database to facilitate implementation of a new telephony service; and

the steps of receiving a first provisioning command according to the generic provisioning protocol and receiving a second provisioning command according to the generic provisioning protocol allow provisioning of the added table after addition of the added table to the telephony without modification of the generic provisioning protocol, thereby facilitating implementation of a new telephony service.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of receiving a first provisioning command and receiving a second provisioning command comprises receiving a first provisioning command and a second provisioning command at a generic provisioning unit, the generic provisioning unit operable to receive provisioning messages according to the generic provisioning protocol and provide information to the database in a format understandable by the telephony database.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the first table structure defines a plurality of rows and columns and wherein the step of modifying the first table structure comprises adding a column to the table.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving a first provisioning command comprises receiving a first provisioning command that is transmitted by a user of a telecommunications network to a node of a telecommunications network.

7. The method of claim 1, and further comprising the steps of:

receiving, at a second generic provisioning unit, a provisioning command provided by a user;

replicating, by the second generic provisioning unit, the provisioning command to produce the first provisioning command;

transmitting the first provisioning command to a plurality of generic provisioning units, each of the plurality of generic provisioning units residing in a service control point system of the telecommunications network; and

wherein the step of receiving a first provisioning command comprises receiving the first provisioning command at a generic provisioning unit residing in a service control point system of the telecommunications network.

8. A method of provisioning telecommunications services, the method comprising the steps of:

providing, in a telecommunications network, a generic provisioning unit operable to receive provisioning commands according to a generic provisioning protocol;

receiving, at the generic provisioning unit, a first provisioning command from a user having a first set of provisioning information, the provisioning command having the generic provisioning protocol;

transmitting the first set of provisioning information in the generic provisioning protocol to a telephony database to provision the database;

modifying the telephony database to produce a modified database;

receiving, at the generic provisioning unit, a second provisioning command from a user having a second set of provisioning information, the second provisioning command having the generic provisioning protocol;

transmitting the second set of provisioning information in the generic provisioning protocol to the modified database to provision the database; and

wherein receiving the first provisioning command and the second provisioning command with the generic provisioning protocol allows provisioning of the modified database without modifying the generic provisioning protocol.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the telephony database comprises a first table having a first table structure;

the step of modifying the telephony database to produce a modified database comprises modifying the first table structure such that the first table has a second table structure associated with a modified telephony service; and

wherein the steps of receiving a first provisioning command according to the generic provisioning protocol and receiving a second provisioning command according to the generic provisioning protocol allow provisioning of the first table after modifying the structure of the first table without modification of the generic provisioning protocol, thereby facilitating modification of a telephony service.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the telephony database comprises a table;

the step of modifying the database comprises adding an added table to the telephony database to facilitate implementation of a new telephony service; and

the steps of receiving a first provisioning command according to the generic provisioning protocol and receiving a second provisioning command according to the generic provisioning protocol allow provisioning of the added table after addition of the added table to the telephony without modification of the generic provisioning protocol, thereby facilitating implementation of a new telephony service.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of receiving a first provisioning command comprises receiving a first provisioning command at a service control point in the telecommunications network, the service control point operable to provide information associated with telephony services to a service transfer point in the telecommunications network, the service transfer point in selective communication with a service switching point in the telecommunications network.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the step of receiving a first provisioning command comprises receiving a provisioning command from a first user in the telecommunications network; and

the step of receiving a second provisioning command comprises receiving a provisioning command from a second user in the telecommunications network.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of receiving a first provisioning command comprises receiving a provisioning command from a second generic provisioning unit, the second provisioning unit residing in a service management system of a telecommunications network, the service management system in selective communication with a user of the telecommunications system.

14. A telecommunications system comprising:

a user;

a plurality of service switching point systems;

a plurality of service transfer point systems in selective communication with the plurality of service switching point systems;

a plurality of service control point systems connected to the service transfer point systems and connected to the user, at least one of the service control point systems comprising;

a database for storing information associated with telephony services, the database comprising a plurality of tables, the tables each having a table structure; and

a generic provisioning unit in communication with the database, the generic provisioning unit operable to receive provisioning commands generated by the user, the provisioning commands for provisioning the database, the provisioning commands having a generic protocol with a format sufficient to allow provisioning of the database after modification of the database without modification of the generic protocol, the generic provisioning unit operable to provide the provisioning commands to the database in the generic protocol; and

a service management system connected to the plurality of service control points and connected to the user.

15. The telecommunications system of claim 14, wherein a plurality of the service control points comprises:

a database for storing information associated with telephony services, the database comprising a plurality of tables, the tables each having a table structure; and

a generic provisioning unit in communication with the database, the generic provisioning unit operable to receive provisioning commands generated by the user, the provisioning commands for provisioning the database, the provisioning command having a generic protocol having a format sufficient to allow provisioning of the database after modification of the database without modification of the generic protocol.

16. The telecommunications system of claim 15, wherein the service management system comprises a generic provisioning unit operable to replicate a provisioning command generated by the user and transmit the replications to each of the plurality of service control points that comprise a generic provisioning unit.

17. The telecommunications system of claim 14, wherein the database comprises a plurality of tables.

18. The telecommunication system of claim 14, wherein the at least one service control point system comprises:

a service provisioning portion;

a call processing portion; and

a service deployment portion.

19. The telecommunications system of claim 14, and further comprising a plurality of users connected to the service management system.

20. The telecommunication system of claim 14, and further comprising at least one user connected to the at least one service control point system.