Method and system for automatically requesting, generating and maintaining ATM addresses

• US 7,769,011 B1
• Filed: 12/24/2003
• Issued: 08/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Robinson, Deborah Maria, McLellan, Lisa Kay, Liston, Dana Darlene, Brown Etheridge, Mary (“Cathy”), Glover, Richard Charles, Istok, Jennifer Susan, Maas, David Eugene
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel; Jayanti K
• Assistant Examiner(s): Houshmand; Hooman
• Application Number:
  US10/746,983
• Time in Patent Office: 2,414 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5601 Transfer mode dependent, e.g. ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5685 Addressing issues
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/64 Asynchronous transfer mode [ATM] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/50 Address allocation

Abstract

A method and system for automatically generating and maintaining Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) addresses is provided. The method includes receiving a request from a requestor that includes an element identifier corresponding to a network element to be ultimately associated with the ATM address, validating the request, providing a unique identifier that corresponds to the network element, grouping the unique identifier with a set of parameters to create the ATM address without user intervention, and storing the ATM address in a repository. The system includes a Graphical User Interface (GUI) for receiving one or more parameters to be used to generate the ATM address and a set of computer-useable instructions accessible by the GUI that perform a method for generating the ATM address without user intervention based in part on the one or more parameters.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable storage media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon to be processed by a computing device and to perform a method for generating an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) address, the method comprising:

receiving a first set of data parameters, wherein the first set of data parameters includes an element identifier corresponding to a network element that is to receive the ATM address;

querying a database based on the first set of data parameters that enables a unique communications-element identifier to be generated;

determining one or more element identifiers available for assignment based upon the querying of the database, wherein determining the one or more element identifiers includes determining the most recently assigned element identifier;

generating the unique communications-element identifier from the one or more element identifiers available for assignment without user intervention, wherein generating the unique communications-element identifier includes incrementing the determined most recently assigned element identifier; and

automatically grouping the generated communications-element identifier with a second set of data parameters to create the ATM address; and

storing the ATM address in a database.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein generating the unique communications-element identifier includes selecting one of the determined one or more element identifiers available for assignment.

3. The media of claim 1, wherein the second set of data parameters include one or more selections from the following:

a country code;

a local-service-area code;

an organization format;

a peer-group identifier;

a sub-peer-group identifier;

an indication as to whether the ATM address is to be public or private;

an address-format indicator;

a data country code;

an organization identifier; and

/or

an end-system identifier.

4. The media of claim 1, further comprising computer-useable instructions embodied thereon that, when processed by the computing device, perform the method of:

presenting a graphical user interface to a user to enable the user to input the data parameters, the data parameters including address-request information that is used to determine the one or more element identifiers available for assignment.

5. The media of claim 1, wherein determining one or more element identifiers available for assignment includes identifying an element identifier that was previously part of another ATM address that has been deleted.

6. A method for automatically generating an ATM address incident to a request from a requestor, the method comprising:

receiving the request at a server, wherein the request includes an element identifier corresponding to a network element to be ultimately associated with the ATM address;

validating the request by the server, wherein validating the request includes determining whether the requestor has authority to submit the request, wherein determining whether the requestor has authority to submit the request includes—

retrieving information related to the requestor from a log-in profile of the requestor; and

determining from the log-in profile whether the requestor has the requisite authority to submit the request;

determining one or more element identifiers available for assignment by the server;

generating, by the server, a unique identifier that corresponds to the network element from the one or more element identifiers available for assignment;

grouping, by the server, the unique identifier with a set of parameters to create the ATM address without user intervention; and

storing the ATM address in a database.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the request from the requestor is received through a graphical user interface.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein validating the request further includes determining whether the element identifier provided actually corresponds to a network element.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein validating the request further includes determining whether the requester is associated with an organizational unit authorized to make the request.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the set of parameters include a set of hexadecimal characters that complete the ATM address.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising generating reports based on the ATM addresses stored in the database.

12. The method of claim 6, further comprising automatically notifying one or more recipients of the generated ATM address.

13. The, method of claim 6, further comprising generating an alternative ATM address if a desired ATM address is unavailable.

14. A method for automatically generating an ATM address incident to a request from a requestor, the method comprising:

receiving the request at a server, wherein the request includes an element identifier corresponding to a network element to be ultimately associated with the ATM address;

validating the request by the server, wherein validating the request further includes determining whether the network element to be associated with the ATM address lies in the proper geographic area to receive the ATM address, wherein determining whether the network element to be associated with the ATM address lies in the proper geographic area comprises—

gathering information from a log-in profile associated with the requestor; and

determining from the gathered information whether the requestor is authorized to request an ATM address for network elements that lie in a certain geographic region;

determining one or more element identifiers available for assignment by the server;

generating, by the server, a unique identifier that corresponds to the network element from the one or more element identifiers available for assignment;

grouping, by the server, the unique identifier with a set of parameters to create the ATM address without user intervention; and

storing the ATM address in a database.