Service provisioning system for interactive voice response services
First Claim
1. A system to provision application and data files to a plurality of service nodes within a telecommunications network, comprising:
- a user interface for providing a user with control of the provisioning process via displays and status messages;
first interfacing means for interfacing to a service creation environment (SCE) where the application and data files are created;
managing means for performing configuration management of the application and data files;
a database for storing the application and data files;
verification means for verifying commands received from said user via said user interface;
a task analyzer for analyzing said commands received from said verification means;
communications interface means for interfacing to the service nodes, wherein each of said service nodes includes a network of a plurality of intelligent peripherals, an application server, and a storage device for storing a telecommunications application;
distribution means for distributing the application and data files to the service nodes, via said communications interface means, in response to commands from said task analyzer; and
a service control manager (SCM) which tracks the state of the plurality of service nodes.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for provisioning application and data files to a plurality of real-time processing nodes within a telecommunications network. The system comprises a user interface for accepting commands from a user to deactivate, activate, deploy, or delete application and data files, an application database for storing the application and data files, and an interface to monitor the operational state of the plurality of real-time processing nodes. The method includes the steps of using a plurality of state tables to monitor the state of the application and data files and deploying the application and data files to the plurality of real-time processing nodes according to commands received from the user interface, the plurality of state tables, and the operational state of the nodes. The invention is particularly suited to provisioning a network of advanced interactive voice response (IVR) service platforms with customer IVR application and data files.
180 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A system to provision application and data files to a plurality of service nodes within a telecommunications network, comprising:
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a user interface for providing a user with control of the provisioning process via displays and status messages;
first interfacing means for interfacing to a service creation environment (SCE) where the application and data files are created;
managing means for performing configuration management of the application and data files;
a database for storing the application and data files;
verification means for verifying commands received from said user via said user interface;
a task analyzer for analyzing said commands received from said verification means;
communications interface means for interfacing to the service nodes, wherein each of said service nodes includes a network of a plurality of intelligent peripherals, an application server, and a storage device for storing a telecommunications application;
distribution means for distributing the application and data files to the service nodes, via said communications interface means, in response to commands from said task analyzer; and
a service control manager (SCM) which tracks the state of the plurality of service nodes. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
second interfacing means for interfacing said task analyzer to said SCM, wherein said SCM notifies said task analyzer which of the plurality of service nodes are currently functioning.
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3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:
a queue manager which stores failed messages from said distribution means for each of the plurality of service nodes.
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4. The system of claim 3, further comprising:
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state tables for ensuring data integrity and synchronization of the application and data files distributed among the plurality of service nodes; and
transitioning means for transitioning the state of said state tables based on the actions of said task analyzer, said distribution means, and said queue manager.
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5. The system of claim 2, wherein the application and data files are interactive voice response (IVR) customer application files and the plurality of service nodes are IVR service platforms.
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6. A system for provisioning application and data files to a plurality of advanced interactive voice response (IVR) service platforms within a telecommunications network, comprising:
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a user interface for accepting commands from a user wherein said commands are to deactivate, activate, deploy, or delete the application and data files;
a database for storing tile application and data files;
monitoring means to monitor the operational state of the plurality of advanced IVR service platforms, wherein each of said advanced IVR service platforms includes a network of a plurality of intelligent peripherals, an application server, and a storage device for storing a telecommunications, application;
a plurality of state tables to monitor the state of the application and data files; and
deploying means for deploying the application and data files to the plurality of advanced IVR service platforms according to said monitoring means, said plurality of state tables, and said commands received from said user interface. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8)
a queue manager which stores messages for any of the plurality of advanced IVR service platforms that were offline thereby causing said deploying means to be unsuccessful.
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8. The system of claim 7, further comprising:
an alarm manager for collecting alarms generated by said queue manager, said plurality of state tables, said database, said deploying means, and said monitoring means.
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9. A method to provision application and data files to a plurality of service nodes in a telecommunications network, comprising the steps of:
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(1) receiving application and data files from a service creation environment (SCE);
(2) storing said application and data files on an application database;
(3) receiving a command from a user interface, said command specifying a task;
(4) verifying said command;
(5) analyzing said task to identify a service node from among the plurality of service nodes, wherein each of said service nodes includes a network of a plurality of intelligent peripherals, an application server, and a storage device for storing a telecommunications application;
(6) distributing said application and data files to said service node; and
(7) maintaining a state table to reflect the state of said application and data files in said service node. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
(a) interlacing with a configuration management process to determine a version of said application and data files needed to perform said command; and
(b) interfacing with said state table to ensure said version is in the proper state to perform said command.
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11. The method of claim 10, wherein step (5) comprises the steps of:
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(a) parsing said command into a series of low-level commands; and
(b) generating a series of distribution commands from said series of low-level commands.
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12. The method of claim 11, wherein step (6) comprises the steps of:
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(a) retrieving said application and data files from said application database;
(b) bundling said series of distribution commands and said application and data files into distribution messages when said real-time processing node is determined to be online;
(c) setting a response time-out for said real-time processing node;
(d) interfacing with a service control manager (SCM) to determine whether said real-time processing node is offline;
(e) sending said distribution messages to a queue when said real-time processing node is determined to be offline;
(f) distributing said distribution messages to said real-time processing node when said real-time processing node is determined to be online; and
(g) sending said distribution messages to said queue when step (f) is unsuccessful.
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13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:
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monitoring said real-time processing node when said distribution messages are placed in said queue; and
distributing said distribution messages from said queue to said real-time processing node when said real-time processing node returns online.
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14. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied in said computer usable medium for causing an application program to execute on a computer, that provisions application and data files to a plurality of service nodes within a telecommunications network, said computer readable program code means comprising:
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a first computer readable program code means for causing the computer to provide a user with control of the provisioning process via displays and status messages;
a second computer readable program code means for causing the computer to provide interface to a service creation environment (SCE) where the application and data files are created;
a third computer readable program code means for causing the computer to perform configuration management of the application and data files;
a fourth computer readable program code means for causing the computer to store the application and data files;
a fifth computer readable program code means for causing the computer to verify commands received from said user via said interface;
a sixth computer readable program code means for analyzing said verified commands received;
a seventh computer readable program code means for causing the computer to interface to the service nodes, wherein each of said service nodes includes a network of a plurality of intelligent peripherals, an application server, and a storage device for storing a telecommunications application;
an eighth computer readable program code means for causing the computer to distribute the application and data files, via said seventh computer readable program code means, to the service nodes in response to commands from said sixth computer readable program code means; and
a ninth computer readable program code means for causing the computer to interface to a service control manager (SCM) which tracks the state of the plurality of service nodes and notifies said sixth means which of the plurality of service nodes are currently functioning. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
a tenth computer readable program code means for causing the computer to interface to store failed messages from and said eighth computer readable program code means for each of the plurality of service nodes in a queue.
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16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:
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an eleventh computer readable program code means for causing the computer to interface to ensure data integrity and synchronization of the application and data files distributed among the plurality of service nodes using state tables; and
a twelfth computer readable program code means for causing the computer to transition the state of said state tables cased on the actions of said computer readable program code sixth means, said computer readable program code eighth means and said computer readable program code tenth means.
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17. A system to provision application and data files to a plurality of service nodes within a telecommunications network, comprising:
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a user interface for providing a user with control of a provisioning process via displays and status messages;
a provisioning system server for;
interfacing to a service creation environment (SCE) where the application and data files are created and distributing the application and data files to the service nodes in response to commands received from the user interface; and
a service control manager (SCM) for tracking the state of the plurality of service nodes, wherein each of said service nodes includes a network of a plurality of intelligent peripherals, an application server, and a storage device for storing a telecommunications application.
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18. A method for provisioning application and data files to a plurality of service nodes within a telecommunications network, comprising:
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presenting a user interface to control a provisioning process via displays and status messages;
interfacing to a service creation environment (SCE) where the application and data files are created and distributing the application and data files to the service nodes in response to commands received from the user interface; and
tracking the state of the plurality of service nodes, wherein each of said service nodes includes a network of a plurality of intelligent peripherals, an application server, and a storage device for storing a telecommunications application.
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Specification