Method and apparatus for automating the creation of service activation requests
First Claim
1. A method of responding to a service activation request comprising the steps of:
- analyzing a service activation module (SAM) having one or more elements;
identifying zero or more repeating elements in said SAM, said repeating elements each having a quality of service;
determining a life cycle of said SAM, said life cycle having a beginning time and an ending time; and
determining a trigger time for each said repeating element;
wherein said life cycle beginning time, said life cycle ending time, and said trigger times are recorded in a data structure for each SAM.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An automated method and apparatus for classifying a customer service activation request (SAR) according to whether repeatable, schedulable, or scaleable elements are present. When the request has no repeating elements, a traditional SAR is forwarded and serviced by the network management system according to provisions well-known in the art. In the more complex case, however, a SAR comprises elements that are both repeatable and schedulable and is thus classified as a service activation module (SAM). An automated process first determines the starting quality of service (QoS) level at the beginning of the service life cycle requested by the customer. The process next determines the life cycle ending time as well as the trigger times at which elements repeat or are reinitiated. In some embodiments of the present invention, the SAM is examined for resource availability. If one or more resources are not available during the service life cycle, the process generates a report. In a further alternate embodiment, a set of templates representing various QoS levels are constructed and modified to reflect the fact that certain services are not available. If all resources are available, the elements of the SAM are transmitted to a well-known provisioning process for fulfillment. The present invention thus provides faster and more reliable service provisioning for extremely complex, time-dependent SARs including repeating sub-elements and the necessary scaling to enable expansion and enhancement of customer service.
-
Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A method of responding to a service activation request comprising the steps of:
-
analyzing a service activation module (SAM) having one or more elements;
identifying zero or more repeating elements in said SAM, said repeating elements each having a quality of service;
determining a life cycle of said SAM, said life cycle having a beginning time and an ending time; and
determining a trigger time for each said repeating element;
wherein said life cycle beginning time, said life cycle ending time, and said trigger times are recorded in a data structure for each SAM. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
-
-
6. A computer system for responding to a service activation request, comprising computer instructions for:
-
analyzing a service activation module (SAM) having one or more elements;
identifying zero or more repeating elements in said SAM, said repeating elements each having a quality of service;
determining a life cycle of said SAM, said life cycle having a beginning time and an ending time; and
determining a trigger time for each said repeating element;
wherein said life cycle beginning time, said life cycle ending time, and said trigger times are recorded in a data structure for each SAM. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
-
-
11. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising computer instructions for:
-
analyzing a service activation module (SAM) having one or more elements;
identifying zero or more repeating elements in said SAM, said repeating elements each having a quality of service;
determining a life cycle of said SAM, said life cycle having a beginning time and an ending time; and
determining a trigger time for each said repeating element;
wherein said life cycle beginning time, said life cycle ending time, and said trigger times are recorded in a data structure for each SAM. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
-
-
16. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave, comprising computer instructions for:
-
analyzing a service activation module (SAM) having one or more elements;
identifying zero or more repeating elements in said SAM, said repeating elements each having a quality of service;
determining a life cycle of said SAM, said life cycle having a beginning time and an ending time; and
determining a trigger time for each said repeating element;
wherein said life cycle beginning time, said life cycle ending time, and said trigger times are recorded in a data structure for each SAM. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
-
Specification