Verizon Business Global LLC

Mci, Inc.

Mci Worldcom, Inc.

Worldcom, Inc.

Mci Communications Corporation

Allen Holmes

Andrew Dugan

Terence Alan Robb

Kelvin Porter

Ajay P Deo

Wendy Wong

Sami Syed

Judy A Moldenhauer

Phyllis Santa

Daniel Thomas Hutton

Jeffrey W Campbell

Phillip D Crable

Greg Bjornberg

Patrick Hamilton

Henry N Fly

A resource management system for an intelligent communications network having one or more distributed service nodes, each service node for providing services relating to an event received at a network resource associated with a service node. The system comprising a first processing tier comprising one or more local execution environments located at a node, each execution environment including a mechanism for instantiating one or more service objects capable of performing event services at a first local execution environment, and, for generating status information relating to executing service objects; and, a second processing tier associated with a service node and including a system processor for tracking status and availability of service objects and local execution environments. Upon receipt of service requests, the system processor communicates with the first processing tier for receiving the status information and initiating service object instantiation in the one or more local execution environments in the first processing tier at the node based upon the status and availability information of the requested service object.

Method and apparatus for managing local resources at service nodes in an intelligent network

A method and apparatus for deploying and activating services in a communications network. In the context of a communications network that deploys service functionality by distributing managed software objects to service processing nodes, the present invention relates to selectively dispensing managed objects from a central repository and coordinating the instantaneous activation or deactivation of services throughout the network. Furthermore, where a managed object service creation environment is coupled to such a network, the method and apparatus of the present invention provides security, hack-up, and version control of managed objects and other network data stored in the repository.

Deploying service modules among service nodes distributed in an intelligent network

In a telecommunications switching network having a resource complex including network switches, an intelligent service platform for providing intelligent call processing and service execution for call events received at the switches and requiring call processing services. A centralized administration system is provided that comprises a system for storing one or more reusable business objects that each encapsulate a distinct call-processing function, and any associated data required by the business object; a system for distributing selected business objects and associated data to selected nodes in the switching network based on pre-determined node configuration criteria; and, a system for activating the business objects in preparation for real-time use. A computing platform is provided within each node for executing those business objects required to perform a service in accordance with an event received at the network switch. Also within a node is a storage and retrieval system for sorting and retrieving selected objects and any associated data distributed by the administration system, and making them locally available to the computing platform when required to perform a service. An underlying location-independent communication system is provided to coordinate interaction of one or more business objects to perform the service in response to needs of the received event.

Intelligent network

A method and apparatus for deploying and activating services in a communications network. In the context of a communications network that deploys service functionality by distributing managed software objects to service processing nodes, the present invention relates to selectively dispensing managed objects from a central repository and coordinating the instantaneous activation or deactivation of services throughout the network. Furthermore, where a managed object service creation environment is coupled to such a network, the method and apparatus of the present invention provides security, back-up, and version control of managed objects and other network data stored in the repository.

Method and apparatus for deploying service modules among service nodes distributed in an intelligent network

A resource management system for an intelligent communications network having one or more distributed service nodes, each service node for providing services relating to an event received at a network resource associated with a service node. The system provides a look-ahead routing function enabling instantiation of service object instances at any service node in said intelligent network based on service types available at the service node in said network, an associated capability status indicating whether a requested service is available for instantiation at a service node and is currently active; and, a status of an execution environment capable of executing service object instances at each service node. Mechanisms are employed for instantiating service instances according to an implemented business strategy, e.g., load balancing.

Method and apparatus for managing call processing services in an intelligent telecommunication network

In a telecommunications switching network having a resource complex including network switches, an intelligent service platform for providing intelligent call processing and service execution for call events received at the switches and requiring call processing services. A centralized administration system is provided that comprises a system for storing one or more reusable business objects that each encapsulate a distinct call processing function, and any associated data required by the business object; a system for distributing selected business objects and associated data to selected nodes in the switching network based on pre-determined node configuration criteria; and, a system for activating the business objects in preparation for real-time use. A computing platform is provided within each node for executing those business objects required to perform a service in accordance with an event received at the network switch. Also within a node is a storage and retrieval system for sorting and retrieving selected objects and any associated data distributed by the administration system, and making them locally available to the computing platform when required to perform a service. An underlying location-independent communication system is provided to coordinate interaction of one or more business objects to perform the service in response to needs of the received event.

A next generation service node (NGSN) for providing advanced interactive voice response (IVR) services within a telecommunications network. The NGSN includes intelligent peripherals implemented as network audio servers, and application servers which execute customer application files to perform IVR services. The NGSN provides reliability through redundancy of application servers, including automatic application server failover within a node, and automatic node failover between NGSNs. The NGSN features include modular software and hardware architecture with internal function encapsulation. This allows multiple vendors products to be used and provides a common signaling interface to be used to any switch network. Other NGSN features include an open systems architecture with improved scaleability and increased application processing capability.

Advanced interactive voice response service node

A telecommunications network that handles call center calls by providing advanced interactive voice response (IVR) services using a next generation service node (NGSN). The NGSN nodes combine with several other interacting network components to provide a scaleable architecture which allows several different, customized and flexible call center services to be performed for telecommunications service provider customers. In addition the network includes virtual call routers, parking managers, host connect gateways, report servers, advanced network databases, data access points, and data gateways to deliver calls to customer call centers with various features enabled.

Telecommunications architecture for call center services using advanced interactive voice responsive service node

Enhanced voice services (EVS) interactively communicate with a caller so as to provide audio prompting and selection of the final termination of a call. The present improvement includes load balancing, wherein degraded service of audio response units (ARUs) is detected. With load balancing, individual EVS ARU nodes are lumped into groups, where a group is a set of two or more functionally identical EVS audio response units (ARUs) that all support the same EVS customer applications. An inbound call for a given EVS application can be routed, based on a lookup at the data access point (DAP), to any ARU in the group. With the operating level of each ARU in a particular group being known, the percent allocations for each ARU are determined and an update is made at the DAP to route incoming calls to each ARU in the group according to the specified percentages. The load balancing process operates with a set of predefined rules for determining ARU statuses and call allocations, and also has the ability to actually throttle back calls if multiple nodes in an ARU group are degraded.

Growing community of inventors

Colorado Springs, CO, United States of America

Allen Holmes