Automated service provisioning in combination of vertical services and digital subscriber line domains

• US 6,778,525 B1
• Filed: 08/31/2000
• Issued: 08/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rakuten, Inc. (Rakuten Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Communications Inc.
• Inventors: Voit, Eric A., Baum, Robert T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hsu, Alpus H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TOAN D
• Application Number:
  US09/652,140
• Time in Patent Office: 1,447 Days
• Field of Search: 370/394, 370/395, 370/397, 370/399, 370/401, 370/409, 370/412, 370/465, 370/466, 370/467, 370/470, 370/474, 370/252, 370/420
• US Class Current: 370/351
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/561 Star, e.g. cross-connect, concentrator, subscriber group equipment, remote electronics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5632 Bandwidth allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5658 using the AAL5
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5667 IP over ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5672 Multiplexing, e.g. coding, scrambling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2408 for supporting different services, e.g. a differentiated services [DiffServ] type of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0478 Provisions for broadband connections

Abstract

Offering vertical services to subscribers and service providers is an avenue to immediately improve the competitiveness of digital subscriber line access service, for example of the type offered by a local exchange carrier. To deliver high-quality vertical services, however, the underlying ADSL Data Network (ADN) or the like needs to establish Quality of Service (QoS) as a core characteristic and offer an efficient mechanism for insertion of the vertical services. The inventive network architecture introduces QoS into the ADN, in a manner that enables the delivery of sophisticated and demanding IP-based services to subscribers, does not affect existing Internet tiers of service, and is cost-effective in terms of initial costs, build-out, and ongoing operations. The architecture utilizes a switch capable of examining and selectively forwarding packets or frames based on higher layer information in the protocol stack, that is to say on information that is encapsulated in the layer-2 information utilized to define normal connectivity through the network. The switch enables segregation of upstream traffic by type and downstream aggregation of Internet traffic together with traffic from a local vertical services domain. Systems coupled to the network and software in a user'"'"'s computer enable a method for automated, end-to-end provisioning of a logical data circuit, in response to a customer'"'"'s request for bundled broadband services.

Claims

1. In an access data network, comprising:

a communication access node coupled to a wide area internetwork;

a plurality of digital subscriber line transceivers coupled to network ends of subscriber lines, for data communication with transceivers coupled to respective customer premises ends of respective subscriber lines;

an access switch coupled for data communications with the digital subscriber line transceivers, for receiving data from customer premises equipment via respective ones of the digital subscriber line transceivers and for supplying data intended for transmission to predetermined customer premises equipment to the respective ones of the digital subscriber line transceivers;

a high-speed data link between the access switch and the communication access node;

a vertical services network coupled locally to the access switch, wherein the access switch segregates upstream traffic from the respective customer premises equipment between the vertical services network and the high-speed data link to the communication access node, and the access switch aggregate downstream traffic from the vertical services network and the high-speed data link from the communication access node for transmission to the respective customer premises equipment,

a method of establishing services for one of the customers in said access data network, comprising the steps of;

conducting an interactive session between customer premises equipment of the one customer and a server coupled to the vertical services network, to obtain customer service selection data from the one customer;

automatically determining a capability of the access data network to provide a service to the customer premises equipment of the one customer; and

automatically provisioning a logical circuit for the one customer extending from the customer premises equipment of the one customer to the access node via the access switch and the high-speed data link, in accord with an appropriate one or more of the determined capability and the customer service selection data.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein the logical circuit comprises a layer-2 protocol logical communication circuit provisioned through the access switch and the high-speed data link.

3. A method as in claim 2, wherein the layer-2 protocol logical communication circuit comprises an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) virtual circuit.

4. A method as in claim 1, further comprising automatically provisioning at least one additional service provided from the vertical services network in response to at least a portion of the customer service selection data.

5. A method as in claim 1, wherein the provisioning of the logical circuit comprises setting a peak rate for the logical service that is no less than:

(1) a metered maximum rate for service to the customer premises equipment of the one customer found in the determining step, and (2) a rate associated with a customer selected service identified in the customer service selection data.

6. A communication system with automated service provisioning capabilities, comprising:

an access data network, for providing access services to at least two different network domains; and

a web server, coupled to a first one of the domains of the access data network, for interactive communication with a customer subscribing to services; and

means responsive to customer service selection data obtained via the interactive communication with the web server, for automatically determining capabilities of the access data network to provide service for the customer and for automatically provisioning at least a virtual circuit through the access data network to a second one of the domains in accord with an appropriate one or more of the determined capabilities and the customer service selection data.

7. A communication system with automated service provisioning capabilities, comprising:

an access data network, for providing access services to at least two different network domains;

a web server, coupled to a first one of the domains of the access data network, for interactive communication with a customer subscribing to services; and

means responsive to customer service selection data obtained via the interactive communication with the web server, for automatically determining capabilities of the access data network to provide service for the customer and for automatically provisioning at least a virtual circuit through the access data network to a second one of the domains in accord with an appropriate one or more of the determined capabilities and the customer service selection data,

wherein said means provisions the virtual circuit to have a peak allowable rate at or above the lower of;

(1) a rate corresponding to a customer-selected service identified in the customer service selection data, and a metered maximum rate for service to equipment of the customer found by the automatic determination of the capabilities of the access data network.

8. A software product enabling automated service provisioning of an access data communication network, the software product comprising:

at least one machine readable medium;

programming code, carried by the at least one machine readable medium, for execution by at least one computer, wherein the programming code comprises;

a services application for implementing interactive communication with a customer subscribing to services of the access data communication network to obtain service selection information from the customer;

a metering application for automatically determining capabilities of the access data communication network to provide service for the customer; and

a provisioning application for provisioning a logical circuit through the access data communication network in accord with an appropriate one or more of the service selection information and the determined capabilities.

9. A software product enabling automated service provisioning of an access data communication network, the software product comprising:

at least one machine readable medium;

programming code, carried by the at least one machine readable medium, for execution by at least one computer, wherein the programming code comprises;

a services application for implementing interactive communication with a customer subscribing to services of the access data communication network to obtain service selection information from the customer, the service selection information including a customer-selected service having an associated rate of service through the access data communication network;

a metering application for automatically determining capabilities of the access data communication network to provide service for the customer, the determined capabilities including a metered maximum rate of data communication that my be supported by the access data communication network to equipment of the customer; and

a provisioning application for provisioning a logical circuit through the access data communication network in accord with an appropriate one or more of the service selection information and the determined capabilities,

wherein the provisioning application provisions the logical circuit to allow a peak rate no less than the lower of the rate of service associated with the a customer-selected service and the metered maximum rate.

10. A method for automated service provisioning in an access data communication network, comprising the steps of:

interacting through the access data communication network to obtain service selection information from a customer;

automatically determining capabilities of the access data communication network to provide service for the customer; and

automatically provisioning a logical circuit through the access data communication network in accord with an appropriate one or more of the determined capabilities and the customer service selection data.