Application and method for generating automated offers of service and service management system incorporating the same

• US 8,631,108 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2008
• Issued: 01/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Palkot, Thomas A., Pelley, Edward S.
• Primary Examiner(s): ALGIBHAH, HAMZA N
• Application Number:
  US12/276,281
• Publication Number:
  US 20090132693A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,880 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06313 Resource planning in a project environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5054 Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5061 characterised by the interaction between service providers and their network customers, e.g. customer relationship management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

A service management application and method. In one embodiment, the service management system includes: (1) a service description repository configured to contain service descriptions that define services in terms of a set of end points that assume roles based on at least one of capabilities and attributes thereof, the end points being selected from the group consisting of devices and systems and (2) an application associable with the service description repository and configured to compare capabilities of at least one of the end points with required capabilities expressed in at least one role of at least one of the service descriptions and present a service offering to a subscriber based thereon.

Claims

1. A service management system, comprising:

a processor;

a service description repository configured to contain service descriptions that define services in terms of a set of end points that assume roles based on at least one of capabilities and attributes of said end points, said end points being selected from the group consisting of devices and systems, wherein each of said roles defines actions to be taken with respect to each of said end points to provision said services, and selects functions, alerts, and key/value pairs of interest from each of said set of end points to perform said actions; and

an application associable with said service description repository and configured to compare capabilities of at least one of end points with required capabilities expressed in at least one of said roles of at least one of said service descriptions and present a service offering to a subscriber based thereon.

2. The service management system as recited in claim 1 wherein said at least one of said end points is a new end point associated with said subscriber, said at least one of said service descriptions corresponds to an existing service and said application is further configured to detect said new end point.

3. The service management system as recited in claim 2 wherein said application is configured to detect said new end point by receiving an indication of said end point when said end point joins a network coupled to said service management system.

4. The service management system as recited in claim 2 wherein said application is configured to detect said new end point by assessing end points associated with said describer.

5. The service management system as recited in claim 1 wherein said at least one of said end points is an existing end point, said at least one of said service descriptions corresponds to a new service and said application is further configured to compare capabilities of end points of multiple subscribers and present service offerings to said multiple subscribers based thereon.

6. The service management system as recited in claim 5 wherein said application is further configured to determine whether said subscriber is already subscribed to said service before presenting said service offering thereto.

7. The service management system as recited in claim 1 wherein said application is further configured to determine whether said at least one of said end points requires provisioning.

8. The service management system as recited in claim 1 wherein said application is further configured to calculate said service offering based on an identity of said subscriber.

9. The service management system as recited in claim 1 wherein said service descriptions contain service descriptions expressed in a selected one of:

a human readable markup language, and

binary data representations.

10. The service management system as recited in claim 1 wherein said application is further configured to cause said service offering to be delivered to said subscriber subject to a delivery preference and via one of:

an end point, and

mail.

11. A service management method, comprising:

comparing a capability of at least one of end points associated with a subscriber with at least one required capability associated with at least one of roles expressed in a service description, wherein said service description is stored in a service description repository of a service management system and wherein each of said roles defines actions to be taken with respect to each of said end points to provision said services, and selects functions, alerts, and key/value pairs of interest from each of said end points; and

presenting a service offering associated with said service description to said subscriber based thereon.

12. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein said at least one of said end points is a new end point associated with said subscriber, said at least one of said service descriptions corresponds to an existing service and said method further comprises detecting said new end point.

13. The method as recited in claim 12 wherein said detecting comprises receiving an indication of said end point when said end point joins a network coupled to said service management system.

14. The method as recited in claim 12 wherein said detecting comprises assessing end points associated with said describer.

15. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein said at least one of said end points is an existing end point, said at least one of said service descriptions corresponds to a new service and said method further comprises comparing capabilities of end points of multiple subscribers and present service offerings to said multiple subscribers based thereon.

16. The method as recited in claim 15 wherein said method further comprises determining whether said subscriber is already subscribed to said service before presenting said service offering thereto.

17. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein said method further comprises determining whether said at least one of said end points requires provisioning.

18. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein said method further comprises calculating said service offering based on an identity of said subscriber.

19. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein said service descriptions contain service descriptions expressed in a selected one of:

a human readable markup language, and

binary data representations.

20. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein said method further comprises causing said service offering to be delivered to said subscriber subject to a delivery preference and via one of:

an end point, and

mail.