Method for validating customized telephone services

• US 5,241,580 A
• Filed: 12/18/1990
• Issued: 08/31/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TTI Inventions B LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Bell Communications Research, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Babson, David L. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Dwyer, James L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hong, Harry S.
• Application Number:
  US07/629,389
• Time in Patent Office: 987 Days
• Field of Search: 379/9, 379/10, 379/11, 379/201, 379/15, 395/51, 395/75, 395/917, 395/922
• US Class Current: 379/10.03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4228 in networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/428 Arrangements for placing incoming calls on hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/135 Service creation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13501 Feature interactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13503 object-oriented systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13525 GUI - graphical user interface, inc. for service creation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0016 Arrangements providing connection between exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0033 customer-controlled
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 706/917 Communication
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 706/922 Computer program preparation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/967 Visual or iconic programming

Abstract

A method for using an expert system to validate the customized call processing information (CCPI) records which permit a customer to customize services in a telephone network. The information corresponding to a CCPI record is converted into a set of "schemas" for evaluation by the expert system. These "schemas" are tested against a set of rules by the expert system which indicates errors in the CCPI record.

Claims

1. A method for validating a procedure for providing customized services to a customer of a telephone network, the procedure being embodied in a data structure having data and instructions executable by a data processor, the method comprising the steps, executed by a data processor, of:

converting the procedure in the data structure into a schema for evaluation by an expert system, the step of converting including the substep of

extracting the instructions and data for the procedure from the data structure;

inputting said schema for evaluation into the expert system for testing the extracted procedure instructions and data against a set of rules indicating proper use of the instructions;

identifying by said expert system invalid ones of the instructions and data which violate the set of rules; and

placing an indicator by said expert system in the data structure for the specific invalid instructions and data.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the procedure is displayed in a graph having portions which correspond to sets of the instructions and data,

wherein the step of placing an indicator in the data structure for the invalid instructions and data includes the substep of

placing error flags in the data structure at locations corresponding to the sets of instructions and data containing the invalid instructions or data, and wherein the method includes the steps of

displaying the graph according to the sets of instructions and data, and

displaying an indication of which portions correspond to sets of instructions and data having invalid instructions or data.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of displaying the graph according to the sets of instructions and data includes the substep of

displaying the graph portions as geometric shapes, and

wherein the step of displaying an indication of which portions correspond to sets of instructions and data having invalid instructions or data includes the substep of

displaying the indication by changing the color of the geometric shapes of the graph portions corresponding to the sets of instructions and data having invalid instructions or data.