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AssigneeAtreus Systems Corp.
InventorsDouglas Bellinger, Richard Burke, Thomas Phillips, Antonino Scaffidi Argentina, Geoff Stewart, Wendy Raoux, Patrick Rhude
Estimating the term…
A system allows subscribers quickly to self-activate network-based services by automatically configuring network elements. A service provider preconfigures a state machine on a core server. At the time of self-activation, activations are sent to policy distribution points (PDPs) that translate the activations into device-specific instructions, which in turn configure network elements to provide services. The speed of self-activation is increased by generating activations faster in the core server, by translating activations into device-specific instructions faster in the PDPs, and by separating the configuration of the network elements from complex registration steps. Initiation steps that configure network elements are performed faster by an initiation module that reads from, but does not write to, databases. Subscribers perform dynamic service selection using the initiation module. Initiating services faster results in a more enjoyable user experience as subscribers quickly switch back and forth between network-based services.
A method comprising:
A system for self-activating network-based services, comprising:
A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing steps comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
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For separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls: virtual private networks
Bootstrapping: configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers
Media network packet handling: intermediate
Network services: discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
Term end not estimated
The present invention relates to setting up network-based services, and more particularly to a method by which a subscriber quickly self-activates network-based services.
Compact Disc Appendix, which is a part of the present disclosure, includes one recordable Compact Disc (CD-R) containing information that is part of the disclosure of the present patent document. A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. All the material on the Compact Disc is hereby expressly incorporated by reference into the present application. The copyright owner of that material has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights.
Providing a network-based service generally involves provisioning both hardware and software. An example of such a network-based service is offering different levels of access to the Internet (referred to as “Quality of Service (QoS)”) through a service provider's network.
The accompanying drawings, where like numerals indicate like components, illustrate embodiments of the invention.
FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system that allows a subscriber to self-activate network-based services.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a core server of FIG. 1 in more detail.
Reference will now be made in detail to some embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system 1 in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. A system is provided that allows subscriber 2 quickly to self-activate network-based services provided by a service provider through the networks of carriers 3 and 4. In the example of FIG. 1, the service provider provides equipment and connectivity within dashed boundary 5. This equipment includes DSL modems 6 and 7, DSL access multiplexers 8 and 9, a policy distribution point (PDP) 10, a gateway 11, a firewall 12, a service portal server 13, an xAuthority core server 14, a customer relationship management (CRM) system 15, a billing system 16 and a PDP 17. Gateway 11 is a networking device and can-be an edge router. Firewall 12 can also be a router. Gateway 11 and firewall 12 are together part of an IP services switch 18.
In the example of FIG. 1, two network-based services are made available to subscriber 2 on his computer 19. The first of these services is offering different levels of access to Internet 20 through the network of first carrier 3, i.e., offering different quality of service (QoS) levels. First carrier 3 offers different QoS levels, wherein each level provides a different maximum available bandwidth to subscriber 2. For example, subscriber 2 can pay more to obtain “Gold Access” having greater bandwidth and a higher QoS level than, for example, “Silver Access.”