Method and system for providing software integration for a telecommunications services on-line procurement system

• US 8,364,798 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2002
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Business Global LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Felkey, Mark A., West, Tyler J., Diemer, Susan O., Marcellin, Michael E., Sabatini, Diane L., Mason, Elaine S., Braverman, David K., Boyer, Patricia A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Dustin
• Application Number:
  US10/051,180
• Publication Number:
  US 20040015824A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,025 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/1, 705/34, 705/7.14, 717/104, 379/201.01, 379/121.01, 379/207.02, 370/259, 709/223, 709/203, 709/219, 700/101
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/46 Real-time negotiation between users and providers or operators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/49 Connection to several service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/51 for resellers, retailers or service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/745 Customizing according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. friends or family
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/805 Bidding
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/42 : Graphical user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0108 : Customization according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. customer preferences, friends and family, selecting services or billing options, Personal Communication Systems [PCS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0176 : Billing arrangements using internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/46 : Connection to several service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/54 : Resellers-retail or service providers billing, e.g. agreements with telephone service operator, activation, charging/recharging of accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/56 : On line or real-time flexible agreements between service providers and telecoms operators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7457 : Biding
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 : Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 : interacting with the Internet

Abstract

A system method for providing software integration for telecommunications offerings online procurement, including a first layer configured to receive at least one of a request and a user action from a web server; and a second layer coupled to the first layer and configured to perform at least one of order management, online ordering and user management functions. At least one of the first layer and the second layer includes software objects extended to support procurement of the telecommunications offerings on-line and custom software objects created to support procuring of the telecommunications offerings on-line.

Claims

1. A system for providing software integration for on-line procurement of telecommunications services, comprising:

a web tier configured to receive a request or a user action from a web server, and to access web content; and

an application tier coupled to the web tier and including a business and integration tier configured to perform order management, online ordering and user management functions, and a presentation tier including a customer portal configured to provide to the web server customer order information, customer support information, and customer order status information, and a back office portal configured to provide requests for inventory of the telecommunications services to the web server,

a database tier, comprising a database, in communication with the application tier, and

a service availability tool (SAT) tier, in communication with the application tier, configured to pre-qualify a customer for the telecommunication services,

wherein the web tier or the application tier includes software objects extended from general-purpose software objects to support procurement of the telecommunications services on-line and custom software objects created to support procuring of the telecommunications services on-line.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the web tier includes reconfigured software objects that include reconfigured JavaServer Pages (JSPs), reconfigured transition policies, or reconfigured display objects.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the web tier includes the custom software objects that include custom JavaServer Pages (JSPs), custom transition policies, or custom display objects.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the application tier includes reconfigured software objects that include reconfigured JavaServer Pages (JSPs), reconfigured transition policies, or reconfigured display objects.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the application tier includes the custom software objects that include custom JavaServer Pages (JSPs), custom transition policies, or custom display objects.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the application tier includes an order management function for providing to the web tier the callback forms, help center information, or requests for inventory.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the application tier includes an online ordering function for providing online ordering functionality to the web tier.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the application tier includes a user management function for providing user management functionality to the web tier.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a database tier coupled to the web tier or the application tier and configured to persist data, store objects or store tables.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the web tier or the application tier is configured to generate custom tables to extend a schema of tables.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the web tier or the application tier is configured to map the custom tables to the extended software objects or the custom software objects.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the extended software objects or the custom software objects belong to an order domain configured to support an order class.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the extended software objects or the custom software objects belong to a fulfillment status domain configured to provide order fulfillment functionality.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the extended software objects or the custom software objects belong to a move, change or disconnect (MCD) domain configured to store summary information of operational support system (OSS) order entry and status applications.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the extended software objects or the custom software objects belong to an order activity domain configured to carry out business logic or application logic for order management events involving persistence, transaction-sensitive data retrieval or specialized business logic.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the extended software objects or the custom software objects belong to a helpers domain configured to create domain objects, perform specialized business logic or perform persistence of domain objects.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the extended software objects or the custom software objects belong to a customer support domain configured to provide storage for information needed to retrieve an appropriate set of contact information for back office personnel.

37. The system of claim 1, wherein the web tier includes reconfigured software objects that include reconfigured JavaServer Pages (JSPs), reconfigured transition policies, or reconfigured display objects;

wherein the application tier includes reconfigured software objects that include reconfigured JavaServer Pages (JSPs), reconfigured transition policies, or reconfigured display objects, wherein the database tier is coupled to the web tier or the application tier and configured to persist data, store objects or store tables, and wherein the extended software objects or the custom software objects belong to an order domain configured to support an order class or belong to a fulfillment status domain model configured to provide order fulfillment functionality involving a back office operator filling out a series of forms with data for each telecommunications service within an order and the backroom operator selectively generating a fulfillment letter that is then transmitted to other parties, the form data being persisted, and wherein the fulfillment status domain model represents fields of the forms and relationships of the forms to the telecommunications services and the fulfillment status domain model represents classes that include a custom class that represents a baseline user, a class that represents a telecommunications service within an order, adding information necessary for tracking at a telecommunications service level, a custom class used to hold information about a fulfillment status form as a whole, and a custom class that is used to hold key-value pairs that map directly to fulfillment status form fields and the values of those form fields.

18. A method for providing software integration for on-line procurement of telecommunications services, comprising:

receiving a request or a user action from a web server in a web tier and accessing web content responsive to the request or user action;

performing order management, online ordering and user management functions, and establishing a customer portal, producing web pages, and navigating uniform resource locators (URLs) in an application tier, and a back office portal configured to provide requests for inventory of the telecommunications services to the web server;

communicating, with a database, by the application tier, and

communicating with the application tier to pre-qualify a customer for the telecommunication services,

extending software objects from general-purpose software objects in the web tier or the application tier to support procuring of the telecommunications services on-line; and

creating custom software objects in the web tier or the application tier to support the procurement of the telecommunications services on-line,

wherein the customer portal includes the extended software objects and is configured to provide to the web server customer order information, customer support information, and customer order status information.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising reconfiguring software objects that are included in the web tier and that include reconfigured JavaServer Pages (JSPs), reconfigured transition policies, or reconfigured display objects.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising creating custom objects that are included in the web tier and that include custom JavaServer Pages (JSPs), custom transition policies, or custom display objects.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising reconfiguring software objects that are included in the application tier and that include reconfigured JavaServer Pages (JSPs), reconfigured transition policies, or reconfigured display objects.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising creating custom objects that are included in the application tier and that include custom JavaServer Pages (JSPs), custom transition policies, or custom display objects.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising including in the application tier an order management function for providing to the web tier the callback forms, help center information, or requests for inventory.

24. The method of claim 18, further comprising including in the application tier an online ordering function for providing online ordering functionality to the web tier.

25. The method of claim 18, further comprising including in the application tier a user management function for providing user management functionality to the web tier.

26. The method of claim 18, further comprising persisting data, storing objects or storing tables in a database tier coupled to the web tier or the application tier.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising generating custom tables to extend a schema of tables in the web tier or the application tier.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising mapping the custom tables to the extended software objects or the custom software objects in the web tier or the application tier.

29. The method of claim 18, further comprising configuring the extended software objects or the custom software objects in an order domain to support an order class.

30. The method of claim 18, further comprising configuring the extended software objects or the custom software objects in a fulfillment status domain to provide order fulfillment functionality.

31. The method of claim 18, further comprising configuring the extended software objects or the custom software objects in a move, change or disconnect (MCD) domain to store summary information of operational support system (OSS) order entry and status applications.

32. The method of claim 18, further comprising configuring the extended software objects or the custom software objects in an order activity domain to carry out business logic or application logic for order management events involving persistence, transaction-sensitive data retrieval or specialized business logic.

33. The method of claim 18, further comprising configuring the extended software objects or the custom software objects in a helpers domain to create domain objects, perform specialized business logic or perform persistence of domain objects.

34. The method of claim 18, further comprising configuring the extended software objects or the custom software objects in a customer support domain to provide storage for information needed to retrieve an appropriate set of contact information for back office personnel.

35. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions for performing the steps recited in claim 18.

36. A system for providing software integration for on-line procurement of telecommunications services, comprising:

means for receiving a request or a user action from a web server in a web tier and receiving web content responsive to the request or user action;

means for performing order management, online ordering and user management functions in an application tier and establishing a customer portal, producing web pages and navigating uniform resource locators (URLs), and a back office portal configured to provide requests for inventory of the telecommunications services to the web server;

a database for communicating with the application tier;

means to pre-qualify a customer for the telecommunication services;

means for extending software objects from general-purpose software objects in the web tier or the application tier to support procuring of the telecommunications services on-line; and

means for creating custom software objects in the web tier or the application tier to support the procurement of the telecommunications services on-line,

wherein the customer portal includes the extended software objects and is configured to provide to the web server customer order information, customer support information, and customer order status information.