Network data visualization system and method for downloading visualization software to a user station after user authentication

• US 6,240,450 B1
• Filed: 07/22/1997
• Issued: 05/29/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Sharples, Peter A., Fauth, Marco J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): CALDWELL, ANDREW T
• Application Number:
  US08/898,284
• Time in Patent Office: 1,407 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223-225, 709/229, 709/246, 709/250, 713/201, 714/47, 379/9, 379/32-33, 370/241
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

A network data visualization system and method are disclosed. In a specific embodiment, a user accesses a web page using a browser. Before returning the web page, the server authenticates the user by returning an authorization page that prompts the user for a password. If the user enters a valid password, the server returns a web page containing data visualization software in the form of one or more applets. The data visualization software running on the user station retrieves network data from a database, processes the retrieved network data for visualization, and displays the network data to the user. The network data may include telephone call records, traffic data, or traffic management statistics. The displayed information may be arranged temporally or spatially. The displayed information may be limited to that of one or more specific telephone numbers. The data visualization software allows the user to monitor events almost in realtime.

Claims

1. A remote data access system comprising:

a data store accessible by means of a data access network, and

a data browser for locating data in the data store and downloading it over the network to a user station,

wherein there is further provided data visualisation software for selecting and controlling presentation of the data, the data browser being adapted to download the data visualisation software over a network, and to run said software at the user station to select and control presentation of data downloaded from the data store; and

wherein the data store comprises call records in respect of a communications network.

2. A system as in claim 1 wherein the communications network is a different network with respect to the data access network.

3. A system as in claim 1 wherein the data sets each carry the call records for a respective service provider making services available over the communications network.

4. A system as in claim 1 wherein said call records are updated at intervals of no more than twenty four hours such that the system is able to provide a near realtime view to the user station.

5. A system as in claim 1 wherein:

the communications network is provided with a billing system for outputting bills to users of the network, and

the data store of the remote data access system comprises at least part of a call record store used to store and output call data to the billing system in respect of the communications network.

6. A data visualisation system for enabling remote access by a user to a database, the user having a user station equipped with a browser capable of downloading and running software, the data visualisation system comprising:

i) a computer system provided with one or more modules of software for use in visualising data, and provided with means responsive to a request from the user station to output or copy one or more of said modules of software to the user station; and

ii) a database accessible by the user under the control of the computer system to output data to the user station, and comprising data stored in a form which can be queried by the one or more modules of software when downloaded together with the software to the user station;

the arrangement being such that data can be downloaded from the database to the user station, under control of the computer system in response to user inputs at the user station, the computer system also providing one or more of said modules of software to the user station, such that the user can visualise the data by means of said one or more modules at the user station;

wherein the data comprises communications traffic data.

7. A system as in claim 6 wherein the one or more modules of software comprise data visualisation software for visualising communications traffic in a communications network.

8. A system as in claim 7 wherein the spatial distribution of the traffic in the network can be visualised.

9. A system as in claim 7 wherein the temporal distribution of the traffic data can be visualised.

10. A system as in claim 7 wherein the data is arranged at least in part in data sets, each data set comprising traffic data accumulated over an interval of time.

11. A system as in claim 7 wherein data to be downloaded to the user station relates to a common destination number, or set of numbers, in a communications network.

12. A system as in claim 7 wherein the computer system also provides network management of a communications network and the data relates to traffic in that network.

13. A system as in claim 7 wherein the computer system comprises means for processing the data prior to downloading to the user station so as to reduce the transmission capacity required for said downloading.

14. A system as in claim 7 wherein the computer system is provided with means to authenticate a request by a user for data to be downloaded.

15. A method of providing data visualisation to a remote user, of data stored in a database in a form which can be queried by a data visualisation software tool, which method comprises:

storing the data visualisation software tool in a computer system,

receiving a request to the computer system from a remote user for the tool,

authenticating the request and outputting or copying the tool to the user,

receiving a request from the user for data from the database by means of the tool,

accessing the database, and

providing the data to the user,

wherein the data comprises communications traffic data in a network.

16. A method as in claim 15 wherein the network to which the data is relevant is used at least in part to transmit the data to the user station and the computer system provides network management of said network.

17. A remote access data visualisation system comprising:

i) a communications network;

ii) access means for use in accessing a database;

iii) means for receiving a user request in relation to visualisation of data stored in the database; and

iv) a data visualisation software tool stored, when not in use by a user, in relation to the network so as to be downloadable over the network to a user location,

wherein the system is adapted to respond to a received user request in relation to data visualisation by downloading;

a) the data visualisation tool; and

b) location information for data for use by the tool in visualisation, to the user location;

wherein the database holds traffic management statistics in relation to a communications network and the means for receiving a user request comprises means for reading an identifier for one or more telephone numbers of the network, the or each data visualisation tool downloaded in response to a request thereafter being enabled only to visualise traffic data in relation to the telephone number(s) identified in that request.

18. A data visualisation system for enabling remote access by a user to a database, the user having a user station equipped with a browser capable of downloading and running software, the data visualisation system comprising:

i) a computer system provided with data visualisation software, data retrieval software, means responsive to one or more requests from the user station to output data visualisation software to the user station, and means to authenticate a request by a user in respect of data to be downloaded; and

ii) a database accessible by the data retrieval software of said computer system for retrieval and output of data to the user station;

the data visualisation system being arranged such that;

iii) in response to a user input at the user station transmitted to the computer system data visualisation software is downloaded by the computer system to the user station; and

iv) in response to an authenticated request by a user in respect of data to be downloaded at the user station, said request being transmitted to the computer system by the downloaded data visualisation software, said data can be selected and retrieved from the database by said data retrieval software and downloaded to said user station for visualisation by use of said downloaded data visualisation software;

wherein the data comprises communications traffic data and said data visualisation software comprises software for visualising communications traffic in a communications network.

19. A system as in claim 18 wherein the spatial distribution of the traffic in the network can be visualised.

20. A system as in claim 18 wherein the temporal distribution of the traffic data can be visualised.

21. A system as in claim 18 wherein said database comprises at least two storage locations, data being input by the communications network to a first of said locations and the computer system being further provided with data processing software for selecting and processing data from said first location and storing the selected and processed data at a second of said locations, said data retrieval software being connected for data retrieval from said second location.

22. A system as in claim 21 which further comprises means for updating data stored at said second location at a predetermined interval.

23. A system as in claim 21 wherein the selected and processed data comprises traffic data accumulated over one or more intervals of time.

24. A system as in claim 18 wherein the computer system also provides network management of a communications network and the data relates to traffic in that network.

25. A data visualisation system for enabling remote access by a user to a database, the user having a user station equipped with a browser capable of downloading and running software, the data visualisation system comprising:

i) a computer system provided with data visualisation software, data retrieval software, means responsive to one or more requests from the user station to output data visualisation software to the user station, and means to authenticate a request by a user in respect of data to be downloaded; and

ii) a database accessible by the data retrieval software of said computer system for retrieval and output of data to the user station;

the data visualisation system being arranged such that;

iii) in response to a user input at the user station transmitted to the computer system data visualisation software is downloaded by the computer system to the user station; and

iv) in response to an authenticated request by a user in respect of data to be downloaded at the user station, said request being transmitted to the computer system by the downloaded data visualisation software, said data can be selected and retrieved from the database by said data retrieval software and downloaded to said user station for visualisation by use of said downloaded data visualisation software,

wherein data downloaded to the user station in response to a user input at the user station transmitted to the computer system by either the downloaded user interface software or the downloaded data visualisation software, relates to a common destination number, or set of numbers, in a communications network, which number or numbers is identified by said user input.

26. A method of providing data visualisation to a remote user station, of data stored in a database in a form which can be queried by a data visualisation software tool, which method comprises:

i) storing the data visualisation software tool in a computer system,

ii) receiving a request to the computer system from a remote user station for the tool,

iii) authenticating the request and outputting or copying the tool to the user station,

iv) receiving a request from the user station for data from the database by means of the tool,

v) accessing the database and providing the data to the user station for processing the received data by said tool to provide said data visualisation at the user station,

wherein the data comprises communications traffic data in a network.

27. A method as in claim 26 wherein the network to which the data is relevant is used at least in part to transmit the data to the user station and the computer system provides network management of said network.