Interface for trouble report input system and trouble report resolution system

• US 6,516,055 B1
• Filed: 12/29/1999
• Issued: 02/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hill, Debbie A., Greene, H. R. Jr., Umstead, Corky, Bedeski, Robert J., Stanley, Ron D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, QUOC DUC
• Application Number:
  US09/474,369
• Time in Patent Office: 1,133 Days
• Field of Search: 379/1.01, 379/29.01, 379/29.09, 379/32.01, 379/33, 714/100, 714/1, 714/2, 714/3, 714/25, 714/27, 714/28, 714/48, 714/57, 279/2, 279/9, 279/9.03, 279/22
• US Class Current: 379/32.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2263 Network management

Abstract

A trouble report processing system provides an electronic interface between a telephone company'"'"'s trouble report input system and its trouble report resolution system. The interface eliminates the need for the trouble report input system to generate a paper ticket that must be carried to a trouble report resolution system. An operator receives a call and generates a trouble report which is stored in the trouble report input system as an electronic trouble ticket. The interface continually, periodically or as desired, monitors the trouble report input system for the presence of new electronic trouble tickets. When the interface finds a new electronic trouble ticket, it acquires the information contained therein and uses it to build a trouble ticket in a format that the trouble ticket resolution system can process. The trouble ticket resolution system provides the trouble information to a technician who either fixes the problem reported by the subscriber or determines that it must be referred to another department for resolution. The resolution of the ticket, whether fixed or referred, is forwarded by the trouble report resolution system to the trouble report input system, where the resolution of the ticket is stored. The trouble ticket is then closed out.

Claims

1. A method for processing trouble reports based on information reported to a telephone company by a subscriber, comprising the steps of:

(a) obtaining one or more input trouble tickets stored on a trouble report input system;

(b) building a resolution trouble ticket for each of the one or more input trouble tickets in a format that said trouble report resolution system can process using information obtained from the one or more input trouble tickets and storing each of the one or more resolution trouble tickets so built on said trouble report resolution system;

(c) determining which resolution trouble tickets stored on said trouble report resolution system have been processed, said determining step (c) comprising the steps of;

(c.1) storing an input trouble ticket number list containing input trouble ticket numbers corresponding to input trouble tickets that have been sent to said trouble report resolution system for processing resolution on said trouble report input system;

(c.2) storing a pending resolution trouble ticket number list containing resolution trouble ticket numbers corresponding to resolution trouble tickets pending resolution on said trouble report resolution system; and

(c.3) storing a list of resolution ticket numbers corresponding to resolution tickets having numbers appearing on said list of input trouble ticket numbers that do not appear on said list of resolution ticket numbers; and

(d) closing out input trouble tickets corresponding to resolution trouble tickets determined to have been processed.

2. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of closing input trouble tickets having input trouble ticket numbers corresponding to resolution trouble ticket numbers appearing on the list of resolution trouble ticket number stored in step c.3.

3. The method recited in claim 1, wherein step (a) comprises the step of using a terminal emulator to access said trouble report input system to obtain said one or more trouble input tickets.

4. The method recited in claim 3, further comprising the step of completing a mask to form a query to obtain the one or more input trouble tickets from said trouble report input system.

5. The method recited in claim 1, wherein step (b) comprises the steps of:

(b.1) accessing said trouble report resolution system using a terminal emulator;

(b.2) completing a mask containing fields corresponding to the information in the one or more input trouble tickets stored on the trouble report input system; and

(b.3) building a resolution trouble ticket for each of the one or more input trouble tickets for said trouble report resolution system to process in accordance with said mask.

6. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of setting a flag on said trouble report input system that indicates that an input trouble ticket has been forwarded to said trouble report resolution system for processing for each input trouble ticket forwarded to the trouble report resolution system.

7. The method recited in claim 6, further comprising the step of resetting said flag for each input trouble ticket closed out.

8. A system for processing trouble reports provided to a telephone company by subscribers of the telephone company, comprising:

a trouble report input system into which information corresponding to a trouble reported by a telephone subscriber is stored;

a trouble report resolution system which is accessed to determine what troubles need to be resolved;

an interface which communicates with said trouble report input system to access said information and provide a resolution trouble ticket to said trouble report resolution system in a format that said trouble report resolution system can process;

a process to determine which resolution trouble tickets have been processed by said trouble report resolution system and to store resolution trouble ticket numbers corresponding to those resolution trouble tickets that have been processed in a completed resolution trouble ticket number list;

a process to receive the completed resolution trouble ticket number list and close out each input trouble ticket having a trouble ticket number corresponding to a trouble ticket number on the completed resolution trouble ticket number list;

a list of pending resolution trouble ticket numbers stored on said trouble report resolution system; and

wherein said process to determine which resolution trouble tickets have been processed by said trouble report resolution system comprises a process to;

(i) compare the list of input trouble ticket numbers with the list of pending resolution trouble ticket numbers; and

(ii) store as said completed resolution trouble ticket number list those pending resolution trouble ticket numbers having numbers corresponding to trouble ticket numbers appearing on said input trouble ticket number list, but not on said pending resolution trouble ticket number list.

9. The system recited in claim 8, further comprising a terminal emulator that accesses the information that is to be provided to said trouble report resolution system.

10. The system recited in claim 8, further comprising a terminal emulator to provide the resolution trouble ticket to said trouble report resolution system in a format the trouble resolution system can process.

11. The system recited in claim 8, further comprising a process which sets a flag corresponding to an input trouble ticket on said trouble report input system that indicates that an input trouble ticket has been forwarded to said trouble report resolution system for processing for each input trouble ticket that has been forwarded to trouble report resolution system.

12. The system recited in claim 11, further comprising a process to reset each flag for each input trouble ticket that is closed out.

13. An interface for providing communication between a trouble report input system and a trouble report resolution system, comprising:

(a) a process for obtaining one or more input trouble tickets from said trouble report input system corresponding to information submitted to said trouble report input system;

(b) a process for creating a resolution trouble ticket corresponding to each of said one or more input trouble tickets in a format that said trouble report resolution system can process;

(c) a process for determining which, if any, resolution trouble tickets have been processed;

(d) a process for closing out input trouble tickets corresponding to resolution trouble tickets for which a trouble has been resolved;

wherein said process for determining which, if any, resolution trouble tickets have been processed;

(i) compares a list of input trouble ticket numbers that have been sent to said trouble report resolution system with a list of pending resolution trouble ticket numbers stored on said trouble report resolution system; and

(ii) stores a list of those pending resolution trouble ticket numbers having numbers corresponding to trouble ticket numbers appearing on said list of input trouble ticket numbers, but not on said list of pending resolution trouble ticket numbers on said trouble report resolution system.

14. The interface recited in claim 13, wherein said process for obtaining one or more input trouble tickets obtains said one or more input trouble tickets using a terminal emulator.

15. The interface recited in claim 13, wherein said process for creating resolution trouble tickets in a format said trouble report resolution system can understand creates the resolution trouble tickets using a terminal emulator.

16. The interface recited in claim 13, further comprising a process that sets a flag corresponding to an input trouble ticket on said trouble report input system that indicates that an input trouble ticket has been forwarded to said trouble report resolution system for processing for each input trouble ticket that has been forwarded to trouble report resolution system.

17. The interface recited in claim 16, further comprising a process to reset each flag for each input trouble ticket that is closed out.