Multi-threaded web based user inbox for report management

• US 6,385,644 B1
• Filed: 09/24/1998
• Issued: 05/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MCI WorldCom, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Devine, Carol Y., Dollar, Tammy E., Munguia, Wayne J.
• Primary Examiner(s): GECKIL, MEHMET B
• Application Number:
  US09/159,512
• Time in Patent Office: 1,321 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/266, 709/207, 709/223, 709/224, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 379/93.01, 379/93.24, 707/1, 707/2, 707/4, 707/16, 707/5, 707/6, 707/101, 707/104, 713/201, 713/202, 345/335, 345/333, 345/334
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0757 by exceeding a time limit, i.e. time-out, e.g. watchdogs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0769 Readable error formats, e.g. cross-platform generic formats, human understandable formats
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0775 Content or structure details of the error report, e.g. specific table structure, specific error fields
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0781 Error filtering or prioritizing based on a policy defined by the user or on a policy defined by a hardware/software module, e.g. according to a severity level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0784 Routing of error reports, e.g. with a specific transmission path or data flow
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/202 where processing functionality is redundant redundant communication control functionality G06F11/2005, redundant storage control functionality G06F11/2089
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/32 with visual or acoustical indication of the functioning of the machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/324 Display of status information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/327 Alarm or error message display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/328 Computer systems status display G06F11/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/41 where a single sign-on provides access to a plurality of computers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/552 involving long-term monitoring or reporting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/81 Threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/86 Event-based monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 : Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 : Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 : Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 : Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 : insuring higher security of transaction
• 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 30/0609 : Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 : Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 : Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 : Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1428 : Invoice generation, e.g. customization, lay-out, database processing, algorithms for calculating the bill or formatting invoices as WWW pages invoicing in general G06Q30/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 : Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0233 : Object-oriented techniques, for representation of network management data, e.g. common object request broker architecture [CORBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/024 : using relational databases for representation of network management data, e.g. managing via structured query language [SQL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 : using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 : Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0681 : Configuration of triggering conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/08 : Configuration management of networks or network elements address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 : Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0879 : Manual configuration through operator
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0895 : Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/122 : of virtualised topologies, e.g. software-defined networks [SDN] or network function virtualisation [NFV]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/142 : using statistical or mathematical methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/18 : Delegation of network management function, e.g. customer network management [CNM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 : comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/28 : Restricting access to network management systems or functions, e.g. using authorisation function to access network configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 : Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5022 : by giving priorities, e.g. assigning classes of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5029 : Service quality level-based billing, e.g. dependent on measured service level customer is charged more or less
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5032 : Generating service level reports
• 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 41/5064 : Customer relationship management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5067 : Customer-centric QoS measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5074 : Handling of user complaints or trouble tickets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5083 : wherein the managed service relates to web hosting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5096 : wherein the managed service relates to distributed or central networked applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 : Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/024 : by adaptive sampling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 : for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 : Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/062 : related to network traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/065 : related to network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/067 : using time frame reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0805 : by checking availability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 : by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 : by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 : Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0847 : Transmission error
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 : Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 : Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 : Throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0894 : Packet rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/091 : Measuring contribution of individual network components to actual service level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 : Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 : using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 : Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 : User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 : Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 : using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 : for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0209 : Architectural arrangements, e.g. perimeter networks or demilitarized zones
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0218 : Distributed architectures, e.g. distributed firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0236 : Filtering by address, protocol, port number or service, e.g. IP-address or URL
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 : Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 : Proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 : wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0442 : wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0464 : using hop-by-hop encryption, i.e. wherein an intermediate entity decrypts the information and re-encrypts it before forwarding it
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 : for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 : using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 : providing single-sign-on or federations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 : using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• 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 63/162 : at the data link layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/166 : at the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/168 : above the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/18 : using different networks or channels, e.g. using out of band channels cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving distinctive intermediate devices or communication paths H04L9/0827; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for authentication using a plurality of channels H04L9/3215
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 : Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 : wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 : Responding to QoS
• 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 15/41 : Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/43 : Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 : Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• 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 15/58 : based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/705 : Account settings, e.g. limits or numbers or payment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/721 : using the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/745 : Customizing according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. friends or family
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 : Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 : Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 : Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8351 : before establishing a communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/84 : Types of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0104 : Augmented, consolidated or itemised billing statement, e.g. additional billing information, bill presentation, layout, format, e-mail, fax, printout, itemised bill per service or per account, cumulative billing, consolidated billing
• 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 2215/0152 : General billing plans, rate plans, e.g. charge rates, numbering plans, rate centers, customer accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0164 : Billing record, e.g. Call Data Record [CDR], Toll Ticket[TT], Automatic Message Accounting [AMA], Call Line Identifier [CLI], details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0168 : On line or real-time flexible customization or negotiation according to wishes of subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0176 : Billing arrangements using internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/018 : On-line real-time billing, able to see billing information while in communication, e.g. via the internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0188 : Network monitoring; statistics on usage on called/calling number
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/42 : Least cost routing, i.e. provision for selecting the lowest cost tariff
• 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 2215/7009 : Account settings, e.g. users, terminals, limits, numbers or payment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7045 : Using Internet or WAP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/745 : Least cost routing, e.g. Automatic or manual, call by call or by preselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/81 : Notifying aspects, e.g. notifications or displays to the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8108 : before establishing a communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8129 : Type of notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/82 : Advice-of-Charge [AOC], i.e. notify subscriber of charges/cumulative charge; meter at the substation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 : Call or contact centers supervision arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 : interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/90 : Internet, e.g. Internet phone, webphone, internet-based telephony
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 : Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 : Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 : Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 : Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 : Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/969 : Network layout and operation interface

Abstract

An Internet/Intranet World Wide Web (Web)-based centralized common interface repository system for event notifications and report outputs generated by different server applications and/or application platforms is provided as a message center. Such message center includes a common graphical user interface to a customer for viewing and receiving the report outputs and event notifications. The report outputs and event notifications are communicated in priority order using multithreading and multiprocessing mechanism wherein multiple messages may be serviced or received simultaneously. An Internet/Intranet Web-based information delivery system infrastructure capable of providing for the secure initiation, acquisition, and presentation of information from any customer computer platform having a Web browser is also provided.

Claims

1. A centralized inbox system for providing on-line reporting, presentation, and notifications to a client workstation from one or more Intranet application services over an Internet/Intranet network, the system comprising:

a client browser application located at the client workstation for enabling interactive web-based communications with the inbox system and providing an integrated interface to the one or more Intranet application services, the client workstation identified with a customer, the client browser application further including an inbox client, the inbox client launched by the client browser application;

at least one secure server for managing client sessions over the Internet/Intranet network, the secure server supporting one or more first secure socket connections enabling encrypted communication between the client browser application and the secure server;

one or more application servers associated with the one or more Intranet application services, the application servers generating customer specific data for forwarding;

an inbox server for storing and maintaining the customer specific data, the data including report data and notification data received from the one or more Intranet application servers, the inbox server also storing a metadata description of the report data, the metadata representing report standards and options for customizing the report standards, wherein the report data and the metadata associated with the report data may be downloaded to the client browser application via the secure server for generation of reports according to the metatdata description, and presentation of the reports to the customer at the client workstation; and

the inbox server further storing a notification alert received from the one or more application servers for enabling the inbox client to retrieve and present the notification alert to the customer at the client workstation.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inbox client further includes a polling thread, the polling thread using one of the secure socket connections for detecting an incoming message from the inbox server via the secure server, the polling thread further starting a new thread upon detection of the incoming message, wherein the new thread starts and listens on a second one of the secure socket connections for detecting new messages, while the polling thread receives the incoming message on the first one of the secure socket connection,

whereby multiple messages may be downloaded simultaneously as detected.

3. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the inbox client further communicates to the client browser application to launch a client application service associated with the notification alert when the customer selects the notification alert presented at the client workstation.

4. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the inbox client further comprises a control device for upgrading and downloading of client applications, the client applications including the client browser application.

5. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the inbox server further comprises a pre-defined directory associated with each of the one or more Intranet application services, wherein each of the one or more application servers stores the report data and the notification data to its respective pre-defined directory in the inbox server.

6. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the inbox server utilizes a database storage and retrieval system for storing and retrieving the customer specific data.

7. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the system further includes an order entry server and, wherein the notification alert includes a news message from the order entry server upon addition of a new customer to the system, and the notification data includes a welcome message and a new subscription package for the new customer.

8. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the notification alert comprises an indication for error condition, and the notification data comprises an error message associated with the error condition.

9. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the customer specific data includes a time-to-live tag for representing the duration of time the customer specific data remains stored in the inbox server, the inbox server further comprising a device for detecting and deleting the customer specific data whose time-to-live tag has expired, wherein said device for detecting and deleting removes from the inbox server the customer specific data whose time-to-live has expired.

10. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the inbox server further comprises:

a device for marking the customer specific data for deletion;

a device for deleting the customer specific data, wherein the device for deleting runs periodically and deletes marked records for deletion.

11. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the inbox server further comprises a device for generating a paging message to the customer when the notification data associated with the notification alert is received.

12. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the inbox server further comprises a device for generating an e-mail message to the customer when the notification data associated with the notification alert is received.

13. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the inbox server further comprises a device for logging information related to the data received by the inbox server.

14. The system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the device for logging logs error codes occurring during processing of the inbox server.

15. The system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the device for logging records date and time of occurrence of an error.

16. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the inbox client further comprises a graphical user interface common to the integrated interface, and the inbox client presents a list of available reports to the customer via the graphical user interface.

17. The system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the graphical user interface presents to the customer a choice of options for fetching, and deleting the customer specific data stored in the inbox server, wherein when the customer selects an option, the inbox client formulates and sends a request message to the inbox server via the secure server.

18. The system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the inbox client is implemented as an applet launched from a Web browser window.

19. The system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the inbox client is implemented independently from a Web browser window, and wherein the inbox client runs in a frame outside of the Web browser window.

20. A method of providing on-line reporting, presentation, and notifications to a client workstation from one or more Intranet application services over an Internet/Intranet network, the method comprising:

enabling interactive Web-based communications between the client workstation having a client browser application, the client workstation identified with a customer, and a secure server over one or more secure socket connections, the secure socket connection enabling encrypted communication between the client browser application and the secure server;

receiving at a centralized inbox server, customer specific data, including report data having a metadata description for representing report standards and options for customizing the report standards, and notification data from the one or more Intranet application services;

storing and maintaining the report data and notification data at the centralized inbox server, wherein the report data may be downloaded to the client browser application via the secure server for generation of reports according to the metadata description, and presentation of the reports to the customer at the client workstation;

generating notification alerts from the notification data as received from the one or more Intranet application services; and

presenting the notification alert to the customer at the client workstation.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the method further comprises:

(a) listening for an incoming message on a first of the one or more secure socket connections, and when the incoming message is detected,

(i) starting a new thread and a second of the one or more secure socket connections;

(ii) listening by the new thread for a new message on the second of the one or more secure socket connections; and

(iii) receiving the incoming message on the first of the one or more secure socket connections,

wherein multiple messages are downloaded simultaneously in near real-time for presentation to the customer.

22. The method according to claim 20, wherein the method further comprises:

invoking the client application service associated with the notification alert when the customer selects the notification alert presented at the client workstation.

23. The method according to claim 20, wherein the method further comprises:

prioritizing the notification alerts according to a severity of the notification data before the step of presenting at the client workstation, wherein the notification alerts are presented to the customer in order of priority.