System, method and computer program product for achieving local number portability costing support

• US 6,438,219 B1
• Filed: 08/31/1999
• Issued: 08/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: WorldCom, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Karau, John, Turner, Anne, Bauer, Deborah, Usiskin, Greg
• Primary Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US09/386,595
• Time in Patent Office: 1,085 Days
• Field of Search: 379/111, 379/112, 379/113, 379/115, 379/133, 379/134, 379/136, 379/140, 379/141, 379/207, 379/219, 379/220, 379/221, 379/229, 379/230, 358/450, 707/517
• US Class Current: 379/112.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/005 Personal communication services, e.g. provisions for portability of subscriber numbers

Abstract

A system, method and computer program product for achieving local number portability (LNP) costing and network management support is disclosed. The disclosure includes a LNP graphical user interface (GUI) implemented as, for example, a WEB or Internet based tool to audit related charges, and to enable users to determine ported number status on a real-time basis.

Claims

1. An interface to a local number portability (LNP) network, comprising:

a communications link;

an engine interface;

a graphical user interface (GUI) coupled to said engine interface via said communications link;

said engine interface for transmitting data from said LNP network to said GUI via said communications link and transmitting data received from said GUI to said LNP network;

said GUI comprising means for providing screen displays to a user for performing reconciling with a number portability administration center (NPAC) functions including at least one of initiating a NPAC audit, and querying a NPAC audit; and

said GUI comprising means for providing screen displays to a user for performing viewing of LNP notifications functions including at least one of viewing operational information notifications, viewing cancellation acknowledge notifications, viewing customer disconnect notifications, viewing create request notifications, viewing concurrence request notifications, viewing subscription version (SV) status change notifications, viewing final concurrence notifications, and viewing a first use of numbering plan area-telephone number exchange (NPA-NXX) notifications;

wherein said engine interface comprises a service order administration (SOA) engine interface that routes one of LNP transactions and LNP messages received from said LNP GUI to destinations including regional SOA subsystems.

2. The interface to a LNP network of claim 1, wherein said GUI screen display for initiating a NPAC audit comprises:

an initiate NPAC audit screen display for initiating a NPAC audit, including,

fields for inputting audit information including a service provide (SP) to be audited, an audit name, a custom local area signaling services (CLASS) indication, a caller identification with name (CNAM) indication, a line information database (LIDB) indication, an inter-switch voice mail (ISVM) indication, local routing number (LRN) indication, and a all CLASS, CNAM, LIDB, ISVM, and LRN indication, a telephone number (TN) range including a TN start and a TN end, an activation date range including an activation date start and an activation date end, and a region,

means for submitting said audit information to said engine interface, and

means for clearing input audit information.

3. The interface to a LNP network of claim 1, wherein said GUI screen display for querying a NPAC audit comprises:

query audit screen display for querying a NPAC audit, including,

fields for inputting query criteria including a user identification, a audit identification, an audit name, a region, and an audit start date range including an audit date start and an audit date end,

a means for submitting said query criteria to said engine interface, and a means for clearing input query criteria,

an audit status summary window for displaying query results received from said engine interface based on said query criteria and including a date and time of query, query results window, a query results row count indicator, a means for cancelling query results, a means for printing said query results, and a means for providing query results details,

wherein said means for cancelling query results cancels a query result selected from said query results window,

said means for providing query results details provides details of a query result selected from said query results window including an audit identification, an audit name, a user identification, a SP identification, and

said means for providing query results details further includes a general information form for providing audit status information, a discrepancy report form for providing audit discrepancy information, and a scope of audit form for providing scope of audit information.

4. The interface to a LNP network of claim 1, wherein said GUI screen display for viewing operational information notifications, said means for viewing cancellation acknowledge notifications, said means for viewing customer disconnect notifications, said means for viewing create request notifications, said means for viewing concurrence request notifications, said means for viewing SV status change notifications, said means for viewing final concurrence notifications, and said means for viewing said first use of NPA-NXX notifications, each comprise:

a screen display for displaying information, based on query criteria including fields for inputting a date and time range including a date and time start and a date and time end, and a region,

a means for submitting said query criteria to said engine interface, and

a query results window for displaying query results received from said engine interface based on said query criteria,

means for printing said query results, and

means for clearing input query criteria,

wherein said means for viewing SV status change notifications further includes a notification results form for displaying SV status change notification results and a failed service provider (SP) form for displaying failed SP information.

5. A method for interfacing to a local number portability (LNP) network, comprising:

coupling a graphical user interface (GUI) to an engine interface via a communications link;

transmitting, via said engine interface, data from said LNP network to said GUI via said communications link and transmitting data received from said GUI to said LNP network;

providing screen displays to a user, via said GUI, for performing reconciling with a number portability administration center (NPAC) functions including at least one of initiating a NPAC audit, and querying a NPAC audit; and

providing screen displays to a user, via said GUI, for performing viewing of LNP notifications functions including at least one of viewing operational information notifications, viewing cancellation acknowledge notifications, viewing customer disconnect notifications, viewing create request notifications, viewing concurrence request notifications, viewing subscription version (SV) status change notifications, viewing final concurrence notifications, and viewing a first use of numbering plan area-telephone number exchange (NPA-NXX) notifications;

wherein said engine interface comprises a service order administration (SOA) engine interface that routes one of LNP transactions and LNP messages received from said LNP GUI to destinations including regional SOA systems.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said step of providing a screen display for initiating a NPAC audit comprises:

providing an initiate NPAC audit screen display for initiating a NPAC audit, including,

providing fields for inputting audit information including a service provide (SP) to be audited, an audit name, a custom local area signaling services (CLASS) indication, a caller identification with name (CNAM) indication, a line information database (LIDB) indication, an inter-switch voice mail (ISVM) indication, local routing number (LRN) indication, and a all CLASS, CNAM, LIDB, ISVM, and LRN indication, a telephone number (TN) range including a TN start and a TN end, an activation date range including an activation date start and an activation date end, and a region,

providing means for submitting said audit information to said engine interface, and

providing means for clearing input audit information.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said step of providing screen display for querying a NPAC audit comprises:

providing query audit screen display for querying a NPAC audit, including,

providing fields for inputting query criteria including a user identification, a audit identification, an audit name, a region, and an audit start date range including an audit date start and an audit date end, a means for submitting said query criteria to said engine interface, and a means for clearing input query criteria,

providing an audit status summary window for displaying query results received from said engine interface based on said query criteria and including a date and time of query, query results window, a query results row count indicator, a means for cancelling query results, a means for printing said query results, and a means for providing query results details,

wherein said means for cancelling query results cancels a query result selected from said query results window,

said means for providing query results details provides details of a query result selected from said query results window including an audit identification, an audit name, a user identification, a SP identification, and

said step of providing means for providing query results details further includes providing a general information form for providing audit status information, a discrepancy report form for providing audit discrepancy information, and a scope of audit form for providing scope of audit information.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein said steps of providing a screen display for viewing operational information notifications, for viewing cancellation acknowledge notifications, said means for viewing customer disconnect notifications, for viewing create request notifications said means for viewing concurrence request notifications, for viewing SV status change notifications, for viewing final concurrence notifications, and for viewing said first use of NPA-NXX notifications, each comprise:

providing a screen display for displaying information, based on query criteria including providing fields for inputting a date and time range including a date and time start and a date and time end, and a region,

providing a means for submitting said query criteria to said engine interface, and

providing a query results window for displaying query results received from said engine interface based on said query criteria,

providing means for printing said query results, and

providing means for clearing input query criteria,

wherein said step of providing means for viewing SV status change notifications further includes providing a notification results form for displaying SV status change notification results and a failed service provider (SP) form for displaying failed SP information.

9. A computer readable medium storing computer instructions for interfacing to a local number portability (LNP) network, by performing the steps of:

coupling a graphical user interface (GUI) to an engine interface via a communications link;

transmitting, via said engine interface, data from said LNP network to said GUI via said communications link and transmitting data received from said GUI to said LNP network;

providing screen displays to a user, via said GUI, for performing reconciling with a number portability administration center (NPAC) functions including at least one of initiating a NPAC audit, and querying a NPAC audit; and

providing screen displays to a user, via a said GUI, for performing viewing of LNP notifications functions including at least one of viewing operational information notifications, viewing cancellation acknowledge notifications, viewing customer disconnect notifications, viewing create request notifications, viewing concurrence request notifications, viewing subscription version (SV) status change notifications, viewing final concurrence notifications, and viewing a first use of numbering plan area-telephone number exchange (NPA-NXX) notifications;

wherein said engine interface comprises a service order administration (SOA) engine interface that routes one of LNP transactions and LNP messages received from said LNP GUI to destinations including regional SOA subsystems.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9, further storing computer instructions, for performing the step of providing a screen display for initiating a NPAC audit, comprising:

providing an initiate NPAC audit screen display for initiating a NPAC audit, including,

providing fields for inputting audit information including a service provide (SP) to be audited, an audit name, a custom local area signaling services (CLASS) indication, a caller identification with name (CNAM) indication, a line information database (LIDB) indication, an inter-switch voice mail (ISVM) indication, local routing number (LRN) indication, and a all CLASS, CNAM, LIDB, ISVM, and LRN indication, a telephone number (TN) range including a TN start and a TN end, an activation date range including an activation date start and an activation date end, and a region,

providing means for submitting said audit information to said engine interface, and

providing means for clearing input audit information.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 9, further storing computer instructions, for performing the step of providing screen display for querying a NPAC audit, comprising:

providing query audit screen display for querying a NPAC audit, including,

providing fields for inputting query criteria including a user identification, a audit identification, an audit name, a region, and an audit start date range including an audit date start and an audit date end, a means for submitting said query criteria to said engine interface, and a means for clearing input query criteria,

providing an audit status summary window for displaying query results received from said engine interface based on said query criteria and including a date and time of query, query results window, a query results row count indicator, a means for cancelling query results, a means for printing said query results, and a means for providing query results details,

wherein said means for cancelling query results cancels a query result selected from said query results window,

said means for providing query results details provides details of a query result selected from said query results window including an audit identification, an audit name, a user identification, a SP identification, and

said step of providing means for providing query results details further includes providing a general information form for providing audit status information, a discrepancy report form for providing audit discrepancy information, and a scope of audit form for providing scope of audit information.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 9, further storing computer instructions, for performing the steps of providing a screen display for viewing operational information notifications, for viewing cancellation acknowledge notifications, said means for viewing customer disconnect notifications, for viewing create request notifications, said means for viewing concurrence request notifications, for viewing SV status change notifications, for viewing final concurrence notifications, and for viewing said first use of NPA-NXX notifications, each comprising:

providing a screen display for displaying information, based on query criteria including providing fields for inputting a date and time range including a date and time start and a date and time end, and a region,

providing a means for submitting said query criteria to said engine interface, and

providing a query results window for displaying query results received from said engine interface based on said query criteria,

providing means for printing said query results, and

providing means for clearing input query criteria,

wherein said step of providing means for viewing SV status change notifications further includes providing a notification results form for displaying SV status change notification results and a failed service provider (SP) form for displaying failed SP information.