System and method for resource management

• US 7,142,650 B1
• Filed: 06/12/1998
• Issued: 11/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MCI Communications Corporation (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Kult, George, Vijay, Sharadha
• Primary Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US09/096,939
• Time in Patent Office: 3,091 Days
• Field of Search: 379/112, 379/113, 379/115, 379/130, 379/133, 379/134, 379/201, 379/220, 379/221, 379/265, 379/266, 379/309, 379/223, 379/111, 379/112.01, 379/112.06, 379/114.03, 379/127.02, 379/201.01, 379/201.03, 379/201.05, 379/201.12, 379/219, 379/221.03, 379/221.04, 379/221.06, 379/221.07
• US Class Current: 379/112.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/24 with provision for checking the normal operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0054 Service creation techniques

Abstract

A system and method of resource management is described. Within a telecommunications network, resources are sources of assistance in performing functions needed to process calls. The present invention is a system-wide approach to resource management that provides controlled access to information about resources. A resource management routine is described that comprises electronic libraries residing in memory of a computer system that store information about resources and resource management application programmer interfaces that are used to access the stored information.

Claims

1. A computer in a telecommunications network, comprising:

a processor; and

a resource management means for enabling said processor to provide standardized management of multiple resources including internal operational resources, external components, and applications processing data,

wherein said resource management means comprises one or more resource managers, said resource managers being one of;

a semaphore resource manager;

a switch controller resource manager;

an agent resource manager;

a call data block resource manager;

a service logic resource manager;

or

a switch resource resource manager;

wherein each of said resource managers comprises;

one or more resource manager application program interfaces that manage said internal operational resources, said external components, and said applications processing data; and

one or more data storing means for enabling said processor to store data in table format related to said internal operational resources, said external components, and said applications processing data, said application interfaces manipulating the data to reflect the current resource state.

2. The computer of claim 1, wherein said data within said data storing means comprises one of:

switch controller data;

call data block data;

or service logic program data.

3. The computer of claim 1, wherein said resource management means further comprises:

a table manager resource manager;

a queue logic manager resource manager;

a system manager resource manager; and

a shared memory manager resource manager.

4. The computer of claim 2, wherein said data comprises one or more of:

switch controller IPC data;

switch controller CPU availability data;

switch controller disk availability data;

agent operational measurement count data, wherein said agent operational measurement count data is data collected for one or more agents controlled by a switch controller;

a switch port operational measurement count data, wherein said switch port operational measurement count data collected for one or more switches controlled by said switch controller;

control table data for control tables within said switch controller;

or heartbeat data for heartbeating of routines within said switch controller.

5. The computer of claim 2, wherein said data stored in said table format comprises:

call identifying information;

calling number;

called number;

call leg information; and

billing time point information.

6. A computer in a telecommunications network, comprising:

a processor; and

plurality of application program interface means for enabling said processor which is connected to a memory, to provide an interface between one or more resource requesters and data organized in a plurality of tables, each of said plurality of tables corresponding to one of a plurality of resources, each of said plurality of application program interface means comprising;

sending means for sending a query; and

managing means for managing data stored in said memory and organized in table format using said query;

wherein said application program interface means provides system-wide interface with said data;

wherein each of said plurality of application program interface means complies with a common standard for application programmer interfaces;

wherein each of said plurality of application program interface means manipulating the data to reflect the current resource state.

7. The computer of claim 6, wherein said data comprises one or more of:

semaphore data;

switch controller data;

agent data;

call data block data;

service logic program data;

or

switch data.

8. The computer of claim 6, wherein one of said application programmer interface means is one of:

create table semaphore;

initialize table semaphore;

create semaphore;

initialize semaphore;

delete semaphore;

attach semaphore;

lock semaphore table;

unlock semaphore table;

lock semaphore table entry;

unlock semaphore table entry;

lock semaphore one entry;

unlock semaphore one entry;

recover table semaphore;

get semaphore size;

get table semaphore value;

or

print semaphore.

9. The computer of claim 6, wherein one of said application programmer interface means is one of:

create switch controller common library memory segment;

delete switch controller common library memory segment;

attach switch controller common library memory segment; and

detach switch controller common library memory segment.

10. The computer of claim 6, wherein one of said application programmer interface means is one of:

set up an operational measurements IPC;

update an operational measurements IPC;

print an operational measurements IPC;

get an operational measurements attribute;

or

set an operational measurements attribute.

11. The computer of claim 6, wherein one of said application programmer interface means is one of:

get time;

create a heartbeat table;

delete a heartbeat table;

attach to a heartbeat table;

detach from a heartbeat table;

create a heartbeat entry;

delete a heartbeat entry;

get a heartbeat handle;

request heartbeat;

respond heartbeat;

set heartbeat interval;

get heartbeat attributes;

or

print heartbeat table.

12. The computer of claim 6, wherein one of said application programmer interface means is one of:

create agent segment;

delete agent segment;

attach agent segment;

or

detach agent segment.

13. The computer of claim 6, wherein one of said application programmer interface means is one of:

create agent entry;

delete agent entry;

update agent state;

agent select;

agent destination number to terminal identifier conversion;

get agent data;

set agent data;

get agent attribute;

set agent attribute;

get agent handle;

get agent counts;

print agent table;

print agent entry;

or

print agent search table.

14. The computer of claim 6, wherein one of said application programmer interface means is one of:

create group entry;

delete group entry;

get group handle;

get group data;

set group data;

increase calls queued on group;

decrease calls queued on group;

get group count;

print group table;

print group entry;

or

print group search table.

15. The computer of claim 6, wherein one of said application programmer interface means is one of:

create assign entry;

delete assign entry by keys;

delete agent assign;

delete group assign;

get assign by keys;

get assign count;

get agent assign count;

get group assign count;

or

print assign table.

16. The computer of claim 6, wherein one of said application programmer interface means is one of:

create call data block table;

delete call data block table;

attach call data block table;

detach call data block table;

create call data block entry;

delete call data block entry;

call data block search call identifier by port identifiers;

get call data block data;

set call data block data;

print call data block data;

return call data block attribute;

set call data block attribute;

get number call data block entries;

print call data block table;

or

print call data block entry.

17. The computer of claim 6, wherein one of said application programmer interface means is one of:

create service logic program table;

delete service logic program table;

attach service logic program table;

detach service logic program table;

create service logic program entry;

delete service logic program entry;

get service logic program data;

set service logic program data;

print service logic program data;

get service logic program attribute;

set service logic program attribute;

service logic program search call identifier by terminal identifier;

get service logic program count;

print service logic program table;

or

print service logic program entry.