Global service management system for an advanced intelligent network

• US 6,330,598 B1
• Filed: 06/23/1998
• Issued: 12/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: Ameritech Corp. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Beckwith, Scott Alan, McMillan, Keith Allen, Mather, Steven Louis, Layman, Mark Wade, Ginter, Ronald Joseph, Curtis, John D
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrell, Robert B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): YUAN, ALMARI ROMERO
• Application Number:
  US09/103,286
• Time in Patent Office: 1,267 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709/246, 709/205, 370/401, 370/352, 379/207, 379/15.02, 379/34, 707/10, 707/104
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

A global service management system (GSMS) for use in an advanced intelligent network is provided. The GSMS is adapted to communicate with two or more network element managers servicing SCPs and operating pursuant to different protocols. Upon receiving an update request message, the GSMS identifies the destination(s) of the message, translates the message into the protocol(s) used at the destination(s) as needed, and routes the translated message to the identified destination(s). In some embodiments, the GSMS is adapted to develop an indication of a status of a service package in response to a request message. The indication includes data identifying any changes in the service package occurring within a predefined time period.

Claims

1. For use in an advanced intelligent network having a global service management system, a first service control point (SCP) of a first vendor, the first SCP being serviced by a first network element manager in communication with the global service management system, the first service control point and the first network element manager operating under a first protocol of the first vendor, and a second service control point of a second vendor, the second SCP being serviced by a second network element manager in communication with the global service management system, the second service control point and the second network element manager operating under a second protocol of the second vendor, the first protocol being incompatible with the second protocol and the second SCP, each of the first and second service control points having a database, a method for selectively updating the databases of the first and second service control points comprising:

receiving at the global service management system an update request message developed pursuant to a third protocol;

identifying at the global service management system the update request message as being directed to the first service control point and the second service control point;

at the global service management system, translating the update request message from the third protocol to the first protocol and from the third protocol to the second protocol;

delivering the translated update request message from the global service management system to the first network element manager in accordance with the first protocol and delivering the translated update request message from the global service management system to the second network element manager in accordance with the second protocol;

communicating the translated update request message from the first network element manager to the first SCP in accordance with the first protocol; and

communicating the translated update request message from the second network element manager to the second SCP in accordance with the second protocol, thereby updating both the first SCP of the first vendor and second SCP of the second vendor in response to the update request message.

2. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the second protocol is identical to the third protocol.

3. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising:

permitting a customer to enter an update request message to the global service management system via the internet.

4. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising:

employing a cryptographic at the global service management system technique to restrict access to the first and second control points.

5. For use in an advanced intelligent network having a first service control point serviced by a first network element manager, the first service control point and the first network element manager operating under a first protocol which is specific to a vendor of the first service control point, and a second service control point serviced by a second network element manager, the second service control point and the second network element manager operating under a second protocol which is specific to a vendor of the second service control point, the first protocol being different from and incompatible with the second protocol, each of the first and second service control points having a database, a service management system in communication with both the first network element manager and the second network element manager and comprising:

an input device for receiving an update request message developed pursuant to a third protocol;

means for identifying at least one of the first and second service control points as a destination of the update request message, including means for identifying one or more vendor-specific protocols associated with the at least one of the first and second service control points for operation of the at least one of the first and second service control points in accordance with the update request message; and

a translator for translating the update request message to at least one of the first and second protocols for communication from the service management system to at least one of the first network element manager and the second network element manager.

6. A service management system as defined in claim 5 wherein, when the identifying means identifies the destination of the update request message as the first service control point, the translator translates the update request message from the third protocol to the first protocol and the translated message is delivered to the first service control point.

7. A service management system as defined in claim 5 wherein, when the identifying means identifies the destination of the update request message as the second service control point, the translator translates the update request message from the third protocol to the second protocol and the translated message is delivered to the second service control point.

8. A service management system as defined in claim 5 wherein, when the identifying means identifies the destination of the update request message as both the first and the second service control points, the translator translates the update request message from the third protocol to both the first and the second protocols and the output device delivers the translated messages to corresponding ones of the first and the second service control points.

9. A service management system as defined in claim 5 wherein the second protocol is identical to the third protocol.

10. A service management system as defined in claim 5 wherein the first protocol is identical to the third protocol.

11. A service management system as defined in claim 5 wherein the identification means accesses a system database to identify the at least one service control point as the destination.

12. A service management system as defined in claim 5 wherein the translator is associated with a translation database for translating the update request message.

13. A service management system as defined in claim 5 further comprising an output device for delivering the update request message to a destination at at least one of the first network element manager and the second network element manager.

14. A service management system as defined in claim 13 wherein the output device comprises a communication cable for communicating the output of the translator to a network element manager associated with the destination.

15. For use in an advanced intelligent network having a first service control point serviced by a first network element manager and other service control points, the first service control point having an SCP database, a service management system in communication with the first network element manager and comprising:

an input device for receiving a request message; and

a processor in communication with the input device and the first network element manager for developing an indication of a status of a service at a predefined time in response to the request message, the processor and the first network element manager cooperating in accordance with a vendor-specific protocol associated with the first service control point, the vendor specific protocol being different from other protocols of other vendors of the other service control points.

16. A service management system as defined in claim 15 further comprising a local database duplicating data indicating the status of predefined services stored in the SCP database.

17. A service management system as defined in claim 16 wherein the processor manages the size of the local database by periodically deleting stale data.

18. A service management system as defined in claim 17 wherein the processor identifies stale data by determining if it has been accessed within a predetermined time frame.

19. A service management system as defined in claim 16 wherein the processor accesses data stored in the SCP database when the status data is unavailable on the local database.

20. A global service management system for processing update messages requesting modifications to an advanced intelligent network employing service control points of different vendors having network element managers communicating data with the global service management system for updating the network element managers by the global service management system, at least a first service control point operating according to a first vendor-specific format and at least a second service control point operating according to a second vendor-specific format, the global service management system comprising:

at least one message receiver for receiving update request messages;

a first primary controller for processing update request messages requesting modifications relating to a first business function of the advanced intelligent network;

a second primary controller for processing update request messages requesting modifications relating to a second business function of the advanced intelligent network;

at least one system flow controller interfacing with the at least one message receiver and with at least one of the first and second primary controllers for managing the first and second primary controllers to process update request messages received by the at least one message receiver; and

at least one translator associated with at least one first service control point for translating the processed update request messages into the first vendor-specific format usable by the network element manager of the at least one first service control point for communication from the global service management system to the network element manager.

21. A system as defined in claim 20 wherein the at least one message receiver comprises an audio response receiver for receiving update request messages in an audio response unit format from an audio response unit.

22. A system as defined in claim 21 wherein the audio response receiver is adapted to translate received update request messages from the audio response unit format to a format which is understandable to the first and second primary controllers and to the at least one system flow controller.

23. A system as defined in claim 22 wherein the understandable format comprises CORBA IIOP.

24. A system as defined in claim 20 wherein the at least one message receiver comprises an automatic provisioning message receiver for receiving update request messages in an automatic provisioning system format from an automatic provisioning system.

25. A system as defined in claim 24 wherein the automatic provisioning message receiver is adapted to translate received update request messages from the automatic provisioning system format to a format which is understandable to the first and second primary controllers and to the at least one system flow controller.

26. A system as defined in claim 20 wherein the understandable format comprises CORBA IIOP.

27. A system as defined in claim 20 wherein the at least one message receiver comprises a network provisioning message receiver for receiving update request messages in a network provisioning format from a network.

28. A system as defined in claim 27 wherein the network comprises a local area network.

29. A system as defined in claim 27 wherein the network comprises the internet.

30. A system as defined in claim 20 wherein the at least one message receiver comprises an oversight controller for order creation.

31. A global service management system for managing a plurality of incompatible service control points (SCPs) in a telecommunications network, the global service management system comprising:

a system core which controls the global service management system in response to received messages;

a system database coupled with the system core which stores the received messages;

a first translator coupled with the system core and configured for communication with a first SCP, the first SCP including a first SCP database, the first translator translating an update request message in a common format to a first format usable by the first SCP for updating the first SCP database; and

a second translator coupled with the system core and configured for communication with a second SCP, the second SCP including a second SCP database, the second translator translating the update request message in the common format to a second format usable by the second SCP for updating the second SCP database, the second format being incompatible with the first format and the first SCP.

32. The global service management system of claim 31 wherein the system database stores the received messages in the common format.

33. The global service management system of claim 32 wherein the receives the received messages in the common format.

34. A method for operating a global service management system in conjunction with a first service control point (SCP) of a first vendor and a second service control point of a second vendor in a telecommunications system, the method comprising:

receiving an update request message from a user;

storing the update request message in a standard message format;

scheduling delivery of the update request message;

when scheduled, translating the update request message to a first translated message and a second translated message, each message having a respective vendor-specific message format associated with a vendor of a respective SCP;

delivering the first translated message and the second translated message when scheduled to respective network element managers, each respective network element manager being associated with a respective SCP and configured to communicate with the respective SCP according to the respective vendor-specific message format;

when an error occurs, receiving an error indication from a network element manager;

notifying the user of an error condition; and

if no error indication is received, applying the translated first translated message and the second translated message to respective SCPs.

35. The method of claim 34 further comprising:

determining if the user withdrew the update request message; and

if so, deleting the update request message.