Integrated systems for providing communications network management services and interactive generating invoice documents
First Claim
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1. An integrated system for providing communications network management to a customer, said system comprising:
- one or more secure web servers for managing one or more secure client sessions over a data network in response to customer entry into said system, each said one or more secure web servers supporting secure communications with a client workstation;
one or more client applications for providing a customer interface integrated within a web-based Graphical User Interface (GUI) and enabling interactive communications with one or more communications network management resources via the one or more secure web servers, wherein each of said one or more secure web servers supports communication of request message entered by said customer via said customer interface to said one or more network management resources, wherein one or more remote application resources process said request messages and provide responses to said one or more secure web servers for secure uploading to said client browser and display via said integrated customer interface, wherein at least one of the one or more network management resources comprises an authentication server for downloading a logon object to be launched within said web-based GUI, the logon object accepting logon transactions from the customer and communicating with said authentication server for authentication of said customer, wherein upon successful authentication of said customer, the logon object is configured to send a command to the authentication server to initiate a download of said one or more client applications, wherein said downloaded web-based GUI comprises a backplane object downloaded with, and launched by said web-based GUI, said backplane object launching said one or more client applications upon initiation by said customer, the backplane object further enabling inter-application communications among the client applications and also with said backplane object, wherein said backplane object and the client applications interoperate with one another to provide said integrated customer interface to a plurality of communications network management products and services subscribed by the customer, wherein upon successful authentication of said customer, the logon object is further configured to send a command to the authentication server to download said web-based GUI having the backplane object;
a user object for representing a current customer, the user object communicating with said authentication server to determine the customer'"'"'s entitlements to the web enabled communications network management services, wherein the backplane uses the entitlements to display via said integrated interface only those web enabled services and products to which the user has privilege, wherein the backplane object maintains session information received from a network management resource in static memory for the duration of a session, and enables the one or more client applications to access the static memory, wherein at least one of the one or more network management resources comprises a server for providing a customer data report management function comprising and a database for maintaining an inventory of reports associated with a customer, at least one of said one or more client applications including, a report requestor application enabling creation and scheduling of customer specific reports pertaining to usage of their switched communications networks and initiating generation of report request messages for said one or more network management resources via said integrated interface, and a report viewer application enabling display of reports in accordance with customer-entitled reporting options, wherein said report manager server accesses report items from said database according to a received report request message, and generates a response message including a metadata description of reporting items to be included in said report, wherein customer-specific data from at least one of said one or more network management resources and said metadata description of customer-selected reporting items are utilized to generate a completed report for presentation to said customer via said integrated interface, wherein at least one of the one or more network management resources further comprises a report scheduler system for initiating periodic generation of reports from other network management resources at a customer-specified frequency, wherein at least one of the one or more network management resources includes a database for storing and maintaining customer specific report data to be reported to said customer, and, a centralized inbox server for receiving a report availability response from said report management server including a metadata description for generating said report, said inbox server uploading said stored customer specific report data and the metadata description associated with the report data to said client workstation via the one or more secure web servers for generation and presentation of a customer report via said integrated interface.
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Abstract
A integrated customer interface for providing telecommunications management to a customer at a browser involves a web server and a client application. The web server manages a client session supports communication of request messages received from the browser to a network management resource. The client application is integrated for use within the browser, downloadable from the web server in accordance with a predetermined customer entitlement, and programmed to be in interactive communications with the network management resource.
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Citations
68 Claims
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1. An integrated system for providing communications network management to a customer, said system comprising:
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one or more secure web servers for managing one or more secure client sessions over a data network in response to customer entry into said system, each said one or more secure web servers supporting secure communications with a client workstation;
one or more client applications for providing a customer interface integrated within a web-based Graphical User Interface (GUI) and enabling interactive communications with one or more communications network management resources via the one or more secure web servers, wherein each of said one or more secure web servers supports communication of request message entered by said customer via said customer interface to said one or more network management resources, wherein one or more remote application resources process said request messages and provide responses to said one or more secure web servers for secure uploading to said client browser and display via said integrated customer interface, wherein at least one of the one or more network management resources comprises an authentication server for downloading a logon object to be launched within said web-based GUI, the logon object accepting logon transactions from the customer and communicating with said authentication server for authentication of said customer, wherein upon successful authentication of said customer, the logon object is configured to send a command to the authentication server to initiate a download of said one or more client applications, wherein said downloaded web-based GUI comprises a backplane object downloaded with, and launched by said web-based GUI, said backplane object launching said one or more client applications upon initiation by said customer, the backplane object further enabling inter-application communications among the client applications and also with said backplane object, wherein said backplane object and the client applications interoperate with one another to provide said integrated customer interface to a plurality of communications network management products and services subscribed by the customer, wherein upon successful authentication of said customer, the logon object is further configured to send a command to the authentication server to download said web-based GUI having the backplane object;
a user object for representing a current customer, the user object communicating with said authentication server to determine the customer'"'"'s entitlements to the web enabled communications network management services, wherein the backplane uses the entitlements to display via said integrated interface only those web enabled services and products to which the user has privilege, wherein the backplane object maintains session information received from a network management resource in static memory for the duration of a session, and enables the one or more client applications to access the static memory, wherein at least one of the one or more network management resources comprises a server for providing a customer data report management function comprising and a database for maintaining an inventory of reports associated with a customer, at least one of said one or more client applications including, a report requestor application enabling creation and scheduling of customer specific reports pertaining to usage of their switched communications networks and initiating generation of report request messages for said one or more network management resources via said integrated interface, and a report viewer application enabling display of reports in accordance with customer-entitled reporting options, wherein said report manager server accesses report items from said database according to a received report request message, and generates a response message including a metadata description of reporting items to be included in said report, wherein customer-specific data from at least one of said one or more network management resources and said metadata description of customer-selected reporting items are utilized to generate a completed report for presentation to said customer via said integrated interface, wherein at least one of the one or more network management resources further comprises a report scheduler system for initiating periodic generation of reports from other network management resources at a customer-specified frequency, wherein at least one of the one or more network management resources includes a database for storing and maintaining customer specific report data to be reported to said customer, and, a centralized inbox server for receiving a report availability response from said report management server including a metadata description for generating said report, said inbox server uploading said stored customer specific report data and the metadata description associated with the report data to said client workstation via the one or more secure web servers for generation and presentation of a customer report via said integrated interface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 63, 64, 65)
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34. A method for enabling management of communications network assets, said method comprising:
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enabling interactive communications with a customer over a data network with a protocol invoked from within a client web browser;
managing a plurality of customer sessions over the data network with a secure web server providing session encryption;
initiating a download of a web-based Graphical User Interface (GUI) from said secure web server, said downloaded web-based GUI for launching one or more of a plurality of client applications available to a customer;
providing a customer interface integrated within said web-based GUI upon which to launch a selected client application, said customer interface enabling interactive communication of request messages with one or more of a plurality of communications network management resources capable of providing a selected communications network management function;
receiving, at a communications network management resource, said request messages, generating a response, and communicating said response to said secure web server for secure uploading to said client workstation for display via said integrated interface, downloading a logon object to be launched by said web-based GUI for accepting logon transactions from the customer and communicating with said authentication server to provide said customer authentication and for sending a command to the authentication server to download said one or more client applications, upon successful authentication of the customer;
providing a dispatch server for communicating with said secure web server and each of said plurality of said network management resources, said dispatch server verifying system access and proxy generation for said system resources after said customer'"'"'s entitlements have been verified, wherein said downloaded web-based GUI comprises a backplane object downloaded with, and launched by said web based GUI, said backplane object launching said client applications programs upon initiation by said customer, wherein said backplane object and the client applications interoperate with one another to provide said integrated customer interface to a plurality of communications network management products and services subscribed by the customer;
upon succesful authentication of the customer, sending a command to the authentication server to download said web-based GUI having the backplane object;
providing a customer object for representing a current customer, the customer object communicating with said authentication server to determine the customer'"'"'s entitlements to the web enabled communications network management services, wherein the backplane uses the entitlements to display via said integrated interface only those web enabled services to which the customer has privilege;
executing one or more of said plurality of client applications directly by the backplane object when the customer selects one or more of said plurality of client applications associated with a desired communications network management service, the selected client application running in a frame independent from a web browser'"'"'s window;
maintaining session information received from at least one of said one or more network management resources in static memory for the duration of a session, and enabling the client applications to access the static memory, wherein at lest one of said one or more network management resources comprises a report manager server for providing a customer data report management function and a database for maintaining an inventory of reports associated with a customer;
providing a report requestor client application enabling creation and scheduling of customer specific reports pertaining to usage of their switched communications networks and initiating generation of report request messages for said one or more network management resources via said integrated interface;
providing a report viewer application enabling display of reports in accordance with customer-entitled reporting options;
accessing report items from said database of inventory reports according to a received report request message;
generating a response message including a metadata description of reporting items to be included in said report, wherein customer-specific data from a network management resource and said metadata description of customer-selected reporting items are utilized to generate a completed report for presentation to said customer via said integrated interface;
providing a report scheduler system for initiating periodic generation of reports from network management resources at a customer-specified frequency, wherein at least one of said one or more network management resources includes a database for storing and maintaining customer specific report data to be reported to said customer, and, a centralized inbox server for receiving a report availability response from said report management server including a metadata description for displaying said report; and
uploading said stored customer specific report data and the metadata description associated with the report data from said inbox server to said client workstation via said secure web server for generation and presentation of a customer report via said integrated interface. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 66, 67, 68)
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Specification