Devices and methods for monitoring distributed services

Abstract

Devices and methods monitor the service being provided to a specific customer from a service provider, such as communications services including television and Internet access as well as non-communications services including water, gas, and electricity. A characteristic of the service is measured and it is detected whether the measured characteristic crosses a pre-defined threshold. When the threshold is crossed, a notification that is associated with the specific customer is then provided. The notification may be a visual display or a message that is sent through a network. The notification may be sent to the customer, the service provider, and/or a third party such as an independent monitoring agency. The notification may be used by the service provider for purposes of adjusting the bill for the service and/or for issuing a trouble-ticket to attempt repair of the issue. Furthermore, there may be multiple points being monitored along the pathway of the service such that the service provider may use the notifications to better locate problems in the pathway.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.