System for providing online service reports

• US 7,765,297 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2001
• Issued: 07/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Omnitracs LLC (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Harvey, John, Heil, Mark, Rassenti, Joe, Chow, Catherine, Walters, John, Erlandson, Peggy A., Yashpal, Vikram, Wolfe, Chris A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne; Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): ANYAN, BARBARA BURGESS
• Application Number:
  US10/010,587
• Publication Number:
  US 20030093554A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,178 Days
• Field of Search: 709/225, 709/203, 709/206, 709/207, 709/224, 709/227, 709/229, 705/1, 705/22, 705/28, 705/8, 705/29, 705/44
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• 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 for providing online service reports to user subscribers. The service reports contain service information about services rendered by one or more service providers operating at the direction of a service administrator. The system includes a service hub coupled between the service administrator and the one or more service providers. The service hub receives an access message that defines access rights for the user subscribers. A decoder decodes the service information from one or more operational messages exchanged between the service administrator and the one or more service providers. A network server is coupled between the service hub and the user subscribers via a communication network. The network server receives a request from a selected user subscriber, and in response, provides at least a portion of the selected service information to the selected user subscriber based on the access rights.

Claims

1. System for providing online service reports to user subscribers, wherein the service reports contain service information about services rendered by one or more service providers operating, using wireless communications, at the direction of a service administrator, the system comprising:

a service hub coupled between the service administrator and the one or more service providers, the service hub including a receiver that receives one or more access messages that define access rights for the user subscribers and receives a control message containing definitions for macro messages, the service hub also including a decoder that decodes the service information from one or more operational messages comprising one or more of the macro messages to convey the service information exchanged between the service administrator and the one or more service providers, the macro messages being defined according to the one or more service providers, the same macro message being capable of a different meaning among the one or more service providers, wherein the decoder decodes the macro messages based on the definitions contained in the control message to determine the service information; and

a network server coupled between the service hub and the user subscribers via a communication network, the network server including logic to receive a request from a selected user subscriber, and in response, provide at least a portion of the selected service information associated with at least one of the macro messages to the selected user subscriber when a trigger event occurs based on the access rights defined in the one or more access messages as defined by one or more access macro codes comprising the one or more access messages, wherein the access macro codes correspond to the at least one macro message.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the service hub includes a memory and logic to maintain a master status table that contains the service information describing services rendered by the one or more service providers.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the network server includes logic to authenticate the selected user subscriber that makes the request.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the network server is coupled to the service hub via the communication network.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the service hub is coupled to multiple service administrators associated with multiple service businesses.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the operational messages include access rights for the user subscribers.

7. A service hub that is operable to provide online service reports to user subscribers, wherein the service reports contain service information about services rendered by a service provider operating, using wireless communications, at the direction of a service administrator, the service hub comprising:

a processor operable to receive at least one access message that defines access rights for the user subscribers and associates the service information with the user subscribers and to receive a control message containing definitions for macro messages, the processor also includes logic to exchange operational messages, comprising one or more of the macro messages to convey the service information, between the service provider and the service administrator, the macro messages being defined according to the one or more service providers, each macro message being capable of different meanings among the one or more service providers;

a decoder coupled to the processor and operable to decode the operational messages and the macro messages based on the definitions contained in the control message to extract the service information; and

a server interface operable to receive a request for service information from at least one of the user subscribers and provide selected service information associated with at least one of the macro messages to the at least one user subscriber when a trigger event occurs based on the access rights defined in the at least one access message as defined by one or more access macro codes comprising the at least one access message, wherein the access macro codes correspond to the at least one macro message.

8. The service hub of claim 7, wherein the service hub includes a memory and logic to maintain a master status table that contains the service information describing services rendered by the one or more service providers.

9. The service hub of claim 7, wherein the processor further includes logic to authenticate the at least one user subscriber that makes the request.

10. The service hub of claim 7, wherein the network server is coupled to the service hub via the communication network.

11. The service hub of claim 7, wherein the service hub is coupled to multiple service administrators associated with multiple service businesses.

12. The service hub of claim 7, wherein the operational messages include access rights for the user subscribers.

13. A method for providing online service reports to user subscribers, wherein the service reports contain service information about services rendered by a service provider and coordinated, using wireless communications, by a service administrator, the method comprising steps of:

receiving at least one access message and determining from the at least one access message access rights that associate the service information with the user subscribers;

receiving a control message containing definitions that associate macro messages with the service information;

exchanging at least one operational message between the service provider and the service administrator, the at least one operational message comprising one or more of the macro messages that represent the service information, the macro messages being defined according to the one or more service providers, each macro message being capable of different meanings among the one or more service providers;

decoding the operational message and the macro messages based on the definitions to extract the service information;

receiving a request from a selected user subscriber; and

providing, by a server, selected service information associated with at least one of the macro messages to the selected user subscriber when a trigger event occurs, wherein the selected service information is derived from the service information based on the access rights as defined by one or more access macro codes comprising the at least one access message, and the access macro codes correspond to the at least one macro message.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of determining is a step of receiving the at least one access message at a service hub.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of determining is a step of determining the access rights from the at least one operational message.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of receiving a request further includes a step of authenticating the request.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of receiving a request is a step of receiving the request from the selected user subscriber via a communication network.

18. An apparatus for providing online service reports to user subscribers, wherein the service reports contain service information about services rendered by a service provider and coordinated, using wireless communications, by a service administrator, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving at least one access message and determining from the at least one access message access rights that associate said service information with said user subscribers;

means for receiving a control message containing definitions that associate macro messages with the service information;

means for exchanging at least one operational message between said service provider and said service administrator, said at least one operational message comprising one or more of the macro messages that represent the service information, said macro messages being defined according to said one or more service providers, each said macro message being capable of different meanings among said one or more service providers;

means for decoding said operational message and the macro messages based on the definitions to extract said service information;

means for receiving a request from a selected user subscriber; and

means for providing selected service information associated with at least one of the macro messages to said selected user subscriber when a trigger even occurs, wherein said selected service information is derived from said service information based on said access rights as defined by one or more access macro codes comprising the at least one access message, and the access macro codes correspond to the at least one macro message.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising means for receiving the at least one access message at a service hub.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising means for determining said access rights from said at least one operational message.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising means for authenticating said request.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising means for receiving a request from a selected user subscriber via a communication network.

23. An article comprising a memory having software stored thereon for providing online service reports to user subscribers, wherein the service reports contain service information about services rendered by a service provider and coordinated by a service administrator, which, when executed by a CPU, is adapted to enable said CPU to:

receive at least one access message and determine from the at least one access message access rights that associate said service information with said user subscribers;

receive a control message containing definitions that associate macro messages with the service information;

exchange at least one operational message between the service provider and the service administrator, said at least one operational message comprising one or more of the macro messages that represent the service information, said macro messages being defined according to said one or more service providers, each said macro message being capable of different meanings among said one or more service providers;

decode said operational message and the macro messages based on the definitions to extract the service information;

receive a request from a selected user subscriber; and

provide selected service information associated with at least one of the macro messages to the selected user subscriber when a trigger event occurs, wherein the selected service information is derived from the service information based on the access rights as defined by one or more access macro codes comprising the at least one access message, and the access macro codes correspond to the at least one macro message.

24. The article of claim 23, wherein said software, when executed by said CPU, is further adapted to enable said CPU to:

receive the at least one access message at a service hub.

25. The article of claim 23, wherein said software, if executed by said CPU, is further adapted to enable said CPU to:

determine said access rights from said at least one operational message.

26. The article of claim 23, wherein said software, if executed by said CPU, is further adapted to enable said CPU to:

authenticate said request.

27. The article of claim 23, wherein said software, when executed by said CPU, is further adapted to enable said CPU to:

receive the request from the selected user subscriber via a communication network.