System for alerting a monitoring device when call processing failures of a switch exceed a threshold level

• US 7,389,348 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2005
• Issued: 06/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: At&T Delaware Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: At&T Delaware Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Boehmke, Yuergen
• Primary Examiner(s): LUU, LE HIEN
• Application Number:
  US11/202,991
• Publication Number:
  US 20050271039A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• Field of Search: 709/225, 709/219, 709/224, 370/310, 342/457, 713/200
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/024 using relational databases for representation of network management data, e.g. managing via structured query language [SQL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system, method and apparatus is disclosed for obtaining real-time information associated with a telecommunication network. The system includes a computing system including one or more computers having one or more processors for executing logic instructions associated with one or more computer programs and a first memory for storing the logic instructions to be executed; a database server, in communication with the computing system, the database server having a second memory for storing logic instructions to be executed thereon and a storage device in communication with the database server or the computing system for storing the information associated with the telecommunication network. The method includes enabling access to the information associated with the telecommunication network to one or more computer software programs stored in a storage device that is in communication with a computing system; and enabling the one or more software programs to access the modifications on a real-time basis when any of the information associated with the telecommunication network is modified. The apparatus includes a storage device for storing one or more software programs at least one control program thereon; and a computing system coupled thereto, the computing system including one or more computers having one or more processors for executing logic instructions, the computing system being adapted for communicating with a database server; an adapter coupled to the computing system for interfacing the computing system with the telecommunication network.

Claims

1. A method for obtaining real-time information associated with a telecommunications network and for communicating alerts to monitoring devices, the method comprising:

enabling access to the information associated with the telecommunications network to one or more computer software programs stored in a storage device that is in communication with a computing system;

enabling the one or more software programs to access modifications of the information on a real time basis when any of the information associated with the telecommunications network is modified by a switch of the telecommunications network recording a call processing failure in communication records of the switch, wherein the modified information associated with the telecommunications network comprises real-time variable information regarding call processing failures recorded by the switch that are specific to a particular cell site within the telecommunications network.

monitoring in real-time the communication records of the switch that is associated with establishing connections between user devices, where the call processing failures recorded in the communication records pertain to failed attempts to establish the connections;

determining that a threshold level of call processing failures has been exceeded; and

generating a notice, the notice resulting in alerting a monitoring device that the threshold was exceeded.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold level is dependent on a time of day.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold level is dependent on a connection volume.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of starting the monitoring responsive to a court order.

5. The method claim 4, wherein the court order is communicated by an electronic message that identifies a court order number associated with the court order.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of stopping the monitoring responsive to a court order.

7. The method claim 6, wherein the court order is communicated by an electronic message that identifies a court order number associated with the court order.

8. A method for obtaining real-time information associated with a telecommunication network, comprising:

enabling access to the information associated with the telecommunication network to one or more computer software programs stored in a storage device that is in communication with a computing system; and

enabling the one of more software programs to access modifications to the information on a real time basis when any of the information associated with the telecommunication network is modified by a switch of the telecommunication network recording a call processing failure in communication records of the switch,

wherein the modified information associated with the telecommunication network comprises variable information regarding call processing failures recorded by the switch that are specific to particular cell sites within the telecommunication network; and

providing at least one user via a system with a display of the modified information associated with the telecommunication network upon the modifications to the information being accessed by the one or more software programs.