Apparatus and method for facilitating service management of communications services in a communications network

• US 8,139,742 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2006
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Klos, Timothy, Gilmore, Terry, Martens, Gary, Merz, Sue, Vieth, Terry, Vallely, John, Leet, Randall, Bowling, William, Sexton, Mark, Clark, Mary
• Primary Examiner(s): DEANE JR, WILLIAM J
• Application Number:
  US11/535,103
• Publication Number:
  US 20070121850A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,002 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201.12, 379/201.01, 379/201.04, 37926501-26514
• US Class Current: 379/201.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/90 using Intelligent Networks [IN] or Advanced Intelligent Networks [AIN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/016 Billing using Intelligent Networks [IN] or Advanced Intelligent Networks [AIN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2263 Network management
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

A service order management system provisions service orders in a communications network having multiple network elements. The service order management system includes an order manager and an interface. The order manager, which receives requests representative of service orders for at least one communications service from dissimilar service order sources, includes an input process and an output process which determine, at least in part, service implementing information provided to the network elements to implement the at least one communications service. The interface is configured to interface the service order management system with the dissimilar service order sources.

Claims

1. A service order management system for provisioning service orders in a communications network comprising a plurality of network elements, the service order management system comprising:

an order manager for receiving requests representative of service orders for at least one communications service from a plurality of dissimilar service order sources internal to the communications network, the order manager comprising an input process and an output process which determine, at least in part, service implementing information provided to the plurality of network elements to implement the at least one communications service; and

an interface configured to interface the service order management system with the plurality of dissimilar service order sources.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the input process is configured to accept input data from the plurality of service order sources and verify that each of the inputted data contains a predetermined minimum content.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the input process is configured to populate a database with raw data associated with the requests, and wherein sequence numbers are generated and associated with the requests.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the database stores the raw data according to a hierarchical format comprising tables having fields, the tables being associated by the sequence numbers.

5. The system according to claim 2, wherein the input process is configured to correct errors determined in the requests.

6. The system according to claim 2, wherein the input process is configured to identify duplicative requests and to process only one request of the duplicative requests.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the output process is configured to send the service implementing information to queues associated with the network elements.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the output process comprises a network element implementer configured to interface with the network elements to output the service implementing information in a format appropriate for each of the network elements,

wherein the network element implementer is configured to determine a proper sequence of the service implementing information to be outputted to the network elements and outputs the service implementing information to at least one queue associated with at least one of the network elements.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the network element implementer is further configured to send a portion of the service implementing information to a local update queue in accordance with a predetermined time, such that the portion of the service implementing information is not sent to the at least one queue associated with the at least one of the network elements.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the network element implementer is further configured to update a database to indicate that the at least one communications service has been implemented by the network elements.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein the network element implementer is further configured to requeue at least one portion of the service implementing information to the network elements when an error is encountered.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the network implementer requeues a dependent portion of the at least one portion of the service implementing information automatically.

13. A service order management system for provisioning service orders in a communications network comprising a plurality of network elements, the service order management system comprising:

an order manager for receiving a request representative of a service order for at least one service associated with a directory number from at least one service order source, the order manager comprising processes which determine provisioning information that is output to at least one of the plurality of network elements to implement the at least one service, the order manager processing synchronous network element responses and asynchronous network element responses in a standardized manner; and

an interface for interfacing the order manager with the at least one service order source and the plurality of network elements.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the processes and the interface are interrupted to read a configurable parameter file in order to modify at least one of the processes and the interface.

15. A method for managing service orders in a network comprising at least one network element, the network receiving a request representative of a service order for at least one service associated with a directory number, the method comprising:

interfacing with a service order source from which the request originates;

receiving the request from the service order source;

determining service implementing information to implement the at least one service;

updating at least one of the at least one network element, the service order source and an order manager data repository;

monitoring transactions executed at predetermined times by the network; and

controlling the network in accordance with the messages.

16. The method according to claim 15, the messages comprising at least one of a query, an acknowledgment, a transaction type, a function type, a broadcast, an informational message and an error notice.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

verifying that the request includes a predetermined minimum content.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

populating a database with raw data associated with the request; and

generating an internal sequence number associated with the request.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

reformatting the raw data into a hierarchical format of the database, the hierarchical format comprising a table that can be associated using the internal sequence number.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising:

selectively updating a lock table to prevent concurrent processing of multiple requests associated with the directory number;

performing at least one of exception processing, order matching, correction order processing, order cancellation, local service provider order matching and number change processing; and

creating a first saved table in the database, the first saved table containing activity information and service order code information in accordance with the request.

21. The method according to claim 20, further comprising:

creating a second saved table containing information related to a difference of services between a current service and the at least one service which is being added, removed or modified by the request, such that the difference is implemented by the network elements; and

verifying that the services represented by the request can be provided by the network elements at a scheduled date for implementation.

22. The method according to claim 15, wherein determining service implementing information comprises routing the service implementing information to at least one queue associated with the at least one network element.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the routing comprises requeuing at least one portion of the service implementing information to the at least one network element when an error is encountered, and requeuing a dependent portion of the at least one portion of the service implementing information after manual intervention if the error is not resolved.

24. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

storing copies of the service implementing information and the messages; and

storing the request until one of a future date, a future time or a future event, after which the request is output to the network.

25. The method according to claim 24, further comprising:

storing non-implementing information related to the request which is not used in the service implementing information, the non-implementing information being associated with the directory number upon the service implementing information being output to the at least one network element.

26. The method according to claim 15, the updating further comprising:

at least one of distributing a message to at least one of the at least one network element, distributing an acknowledgement to the service order source and updating the order manager data repository.

27. The method according to claim 15, the updating further comprising:

outputting the service implementing information to the at least one network element.