| A method
is disclosed for connecting a customer
representative to a customer switch
within a telecommunications network
having a plurality of switch domains,
each switch domain including a plurality
of switches each having a corresponding
switch name. At least one of the switches
is a gateway switch. The method includes
receiving a switch name corresponding to
a selected customer switch and displaying
a listing of switches residing within a
first one of the switch domains. A
determination is then made on whether the
received switch resides in a first switch
domain. A list of gateway switches
residing within the selected switch
domain is also provided. And from this
list a gateway switch is selected in
accordance with its availability. A
connection is thereafter made via the
gateway switch to the received switch. If
the received switch is determined not to
be resident in the displayed switch
listing, a further listing of switches of
another switch domain is displayed. A
determination is next made on whether the
received switch resides within the now
displayed switch domain. This process is
repeated until a match is made or until
it is determined that the received switch
is not resident in any of the switch
domains. DETAILED
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to Fig. 1, there is shown a
first domain determination method of the
present invention. The method of the
present invention is advantageously
applied to a
telecommunications network having a
plurality if IPX/IGX switches with the
IPX/IGX
switches being divided into switch
domains. A telecommunications network
wherein the first domain determination
method can be advantageously applied is
set forth for example in "Method And
Article of Manufacture For Communication
To Telecommunications Switches,
Such As IPX Switches", U. S. Patent
Application S. N. 08/914,537 filed on
August 8,1997, the disclosure of which
being incorporated by reference herein.
The operations of the inventive domain
selection method can be performed by a
processor having conventional memory
which is coupled to the switches of a
telecommunications network.
In particular, the inventive domain
determination method can be used by a
user who may be a customer service
representative in an organization serving
as a first line of support for customers
of the telecommunication network. By way
of the inventive domain selection method,
the user could establish a virtual
connection with the site of a customer
who had lodged a complaint about his
telephone service, so that the customer
could assist the service representative
in promptly resolving the complaint.
Referring now to Fig. 2, there is shown a
IPX/IGX switch domain menu 10 of the
presents invention for use within a
telecommunications network. IPX/IGX
switch domain menu 10 can be used by the
customer service representative of the
support organization to locate a
particular IPX/IGX switch in the
telecommunications network for the
purpose of
establishing a virtual connection with a
customer in response to a report of a
problem by the
customer.
When a problem is received from a
customer, the customer service
representative
usually knows the name of the IPX/IGX
switch of the customer. However, in order
to
perform certain troubleshooting
procedures, the representative has to
know which domain
includes the selected switch. Thus, the
customer service representative can use
the inventive
domain determination method to determine
the correct domain based upon the
knowledge of
the customer switch as shown in step 2 of
Fig. 1.
In the exemplar case wherein the switches
of a telecommunications network are
divided into five switch domains, a
IPX/IGX switch domain menu I 0 having an
entry for
each of the five switch domains is
displayed. This permits the user of menu
10 to select the
correct switch domain if he knows the
domain wherein the selected switch
resides. However, -usually the user does
not have this knowledge.
Referring now to Figs. 3A-E, there are
shown switch listing files 20-60. Each
switch
listing file 20-60 corresponds to a
domain in a multi-domain
telecommunications network. A
listing of all switches residing in their
corresponding domains is contained within
each switch
listing file 20-60. The information
regarding which switches are in each
domain is collected
prior to execution of the inventive
method.
For the exemplar case in hand, if the
user does not know which of the five
switch
domains listed in IPX/IGX switch domain
menu 10 includes the customer switch, the
user
would enter an N prompt on switch domain
menu 10. When the N prompt is entered, a
display of at least one switch listing
file 20-60 is provided. In a preferred
embodiment of the invention, at least two
switch listing files 20-60 could be
displaved simultaneously.
Thus, as shown in step 3 of Fig. 1 ?
switch listing files 20.30 are displayed
in response to the user enterint a prompt
such as for example the N prompt. Switch
listing file 20 includes a
substantially complete listing of the
names of the IPX IGX switches resident in
domain 1,
while switch listing file 30 includes a
substantially complete listing of the
names of the
IPX/IGX switches resident in domain 2.
Since the user would normally know the
name of
the selected customer switch it is
possible for the user to review switch
listing files 20,30 to
determine whether the customer switch is
resident within domain I or domain 2, per
decision
step 4. The customer switches within each
of the switch domains may be arranged in
an
alphabetical order.
If the user does not find the customer
switch in either domain 1 or domain 2, he
presses the Enter key. A display of
further switch listing files ensues, as
for example by the
display of switch listing files 40,50,
per step 5. As shown, switch listing file
40 includes a
substantially complete listing of the
names of the IPX/IGX switches resident in
domain 3,
while switch listing file 50 includes a
substantially complete listing of the
names of the IP-X/IGX switches resident
in domain 4. Per step 6, the user can
therefore review switch
listing files 40,50 to determine whether
the customer switch is resident within
either domain
3 or domain 4.
If the user does not find the customer
switch in the listings of domain 1
through
domain 4, he again presses the Enter key.
The further use of the Enter key causes
the display
of switch listing file 60 as shown in
step 7. Switch listing file 60 includes a
substantially
complete list of the names of the IPX/IGX
switches resident in domain 5. The user
can
therefore review switch listing file 60
to determine whether the customer switch
is resident
within domain 5, per step 8.
If no match is found between the customer
switch and any of the switches in the
exemplar five domains. the user is
informed that no match exits per step 9.
The user can then
select an appropriate option in command
menu 80 to begin search for another
switch, per step il.
Referring now to Fig 4, there is shown an
exemplar IPX/IGX switch domain menu 70.
IPX/IGX switch domain menu 70 can assist
the user in establishing a virtual
connection to
the customer switch. A list of the five
domains present within the
telecommunication
network is provided in IPX/IGX switch
domain menu 70. When the user determines
which
of the five domains includes the customer
switch as set forth above, he can use
IPX/IGX
switch domain menu 70 to select the
correct domain a shown per step 12.
In the preferred embodiment each of the
five domains can include five gateway
switches for permitting access to the
remaining switches of the domain. A list
of the gateway
switches of each of the five domains is
maintained in order to facilitate access
to the customer
switch by the user. Thus, when the user
selects a domain by means of IPX/IGX
switch
domain menu 70, a gateway switch within
the selected domain can be automatically
obtained
for the user as shown in step 13.
~ Typically the gateway switches of a
domain are coupled in a loop arrangement
wherein they are accessed in a
predetermined loop order until an
available gateway switch is found. If
none of the gateway switches is available
after all have been tried, the inventive
domain determination method will continue
to attempt to access a gateway switch by
circumnavigating around the loop until
one of the gateway switches becomes
available.
Referring now to Fig. 5, there is shown
command menu 80 provided to the user via
a video display. Command menu 80 is
displayed if a match is found between the
selected switch name and the switch names
in a switch listing, such as for example
switch listing file 20. Using command
menu 80 the user can select a desired
command and proceed to attempt to solve
the customer problem. Thus. the user
gains access to a gateway switch, as
shown in step 14, and establishes a
virtual connection to the customer
switch, as shown in step 15.
In another embodiment, IPX/IGX switch
domain menus 10,70 are not required by
the user to determine a domain and a
gateway switch based upon a selected
switch name provided by a customer. In
this embodiment. the user can merely
input the name of the
selected user switch. The selected switch
name is then compared by the processor of
the
network against the switch names within
the switch listing file, for example
switch listing file
20, without any display of switch listing
20 being necessary. If a match is found,
the gateway
switch is found.
In order to execute the command entered
by the user from command menu 80, an
attempt is made to connect to the first
switch in the loop configured gateway
switches of the
first domain. If the first gateway switch
of the loop is busy, access to the second
gateway
switch is attempted. When access is
obtained using this method, the user is
provided with a
virtual terminal to the customer switch.
When the virtual connection to the
customer switch is
established, the selected command is
executed.
If no match is found between the selected
switch name and the switch names in the
switch listing file, the selected switch
name is compared against the switch names
within the
next switch listing file, for example
switch listing file 30, without any
display of switch
listing file 30 being necessary. If a
match is found in the next switch listing
file, a gateway switch is determined for
the user and a virtual connection
established. Otherwise the process of
testing the text domain continues until a
match is found or the user is informed
that the selected switch name does not
exist in memory, per step 8. The user can
then attempt to establish the virtual
connection by entering another switch
name as shown in step 11.
If the user wants to view the nodes
available in each of the domains while
using the alternate embodiment, option N
in the domain menu can be selected.
Option N produces a display of the switch
listing files, for example switch listing
files 20-60. The correct domain can then
be selected by the user by comparing the
name of the user switch against the
switches in the various domains as
previously described.
The above description of the preferred
embodiments is provided to enable a
person skilled in the art to make and use
the present invention. The various
modifications to these embodiments should
be readilv apparent to those skilled in
the art. and the generic principes
defined herein can be applied to other
embodiments without the use of the
inventive faculty.
Thus, the present invention is not
intended to be limited to the embodiments
shown herein but is to be accorded the
widest scope consistent with the
principles and novel features disclosed.
CLAIMS
1. A method of determining a
switch domain from among a
plurality of switch domains
in a telecommunications network,
each of said switch domains
comprising a plurality
of customer switches and at least
one gateway switch, said method
comprising the
steps of :
(1) obtaining a switch name
corresponding to a selected
customer switch;
(2) displaying a listing of
switches residing within one
switch domain;
(3) determining whether said
selected customer switch resides
within said one
switch domain by comparing said
displayed switch listing with
said obtained
switch name;
(4) displaying a listing of
switches residing within another
switch domain if said
selected customer switch does not
reside within said one switch
domain; and
(5 repeating step (3) and-step
(4) until said selected customer
switch is found to
reside within a switch domain or
until all available switch
domains have been
reviewed.
2. The method of claim I wherein
said telecommunications network
includes a plurality
of gateway switches residing in
at least one of said switch
domains of said plurality of
switch domains, further
comprising the steps of :
providing a list of gateway
switches residing within said
selected switch domain; and
selecting a gateway switch from
said list of gateway switches for
establishing a
connection to the selected
customer switch by way of said
selected gateway switch.
3. The method of claim 2, further
comprising the step of :
selecting a gateway switch from
among said plurality of gateway
switches in
accordance with the respective
availability of said gateway
switches.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein
said gateway switches of said
plurality of gateway
switches form a loop. said method
further comprising the step of :
selecting a gateway switch from
said loop of switches in
accordance with a
predetermined order for each of
said gateway switches forming
said loop.
5. The method of claim 2, further
comprising the steps of :
displaying a listing of said
switch domains;
indicating the selected switch
domain within said listing of
switch domains; and
providing a listing of gateway
switches in the switch domain
selected in said
indicating step.
6. The method of claim 1, further
comprising the step of :
displaying said listing of
switches in response to a prompt
by a user indicating that the
switch domain of said obtained
switch name is not known.
7. The method of claim 1, further
comprising the steps of :
displaying the respective
listings of switches residing
within each of a plurality of
switch domains; and
determining whether said selected
customer switch resides within a
switch domain of
one of said plurality of switch
domains.
8. The method of claim 4, wherein
said switches comprise IPX/IGX
switches.
9. In a telecommunications
network having a plurality of
switch domains, a method of
determining the switch domain
wherein a customer switch is
located and the
connection of said customer
switch within said switch domain,
comprising the steps of:
obtaining a switch name
corresponding to a selected
customer switch;
comparing said obtained switch
name with the names of the
switches located in said
plurality of switch domains;
selecting a switch domain from
said plurality of switch domains
that contains said
selected customer switch ; and
selecting a gateway switch from a
plurality of gateway switches
within said selected
switch domain to which said
selected customer switch is
connected.
10. The method of claim 9,
further comprising the step of :
providing a listing of gateway
switches residing within said
selected switch domain.
11. The method of claim 9,
wherein said plurality of gateway
switches form a loop of
switches, further comprising the
step of :
selecting a gateway switch from
said loop of switches in
accordance with a
predetermined ordering for said
gateway switches forming said
loop.
12. The method of claim 10,
further comprising the steps of :
displaying a listing of said
plurality of switch domains;
indicating said selected switch
domain within said listing of
switch domains; and
providing said listing of gateway
switches within said selected
switch domain.
13. The method of claim 9,
wherein upon determining that
said selected customer switch
is not included within one switch
domain of said plurality of
switch domains, further
comprising the steps of :
comprising the obtained switch
name with the switch names of
another switch
domain; and
determining whether said selected
customer switch resides in said
other switch
domain by comparing said obtained
switch name with the names of
switches in said
one switch domain.
14. The method of claim 9,
further comprising the steps of :
displaying respective listings of
switches residing within said
plurality of
corresponding switch domains; and
determining whether said selected
customer switch resides within a
switch domain of
said plurality of switch domains
per listing in one of said
respective listings aid
obtained switch name.
15. The method of claim 9,
further comprising the step of :
connecting said selected customer
switch to a customer service
representative.
16. In a telecommunications
network having at least one
processor and a plurality of
switch domains, a system for
determining a switch domain in
which a customer
switch is located, comprising:
a plurality of switches residing
within each of said switch
domains, said switches
including customer switches and
at least one gateway switch;
means for enabling a user to
obtain customer switch name that
corresponds to a
selected customer switch;
means for displaying a listing of
switches residing within one of
said switch
domains; and
means for determining whether
said selected customer switch
resides within said --one switch
domain by comparing the names of
the switches on said displayed
listing with said customer switch
name.
17. System of claim 16, further
comprising:
means for connecting said user to
said selected customer switch if
it is determined
that said customer switch resides
within said one switch domain.
18. System of claim 16, wherein
said displaying means further
displays a listing of
switches residing within another
of said switch domains if it is
determined that
said selected customer switch
does not reside within said one
switch domain; and
Wherein said determining means
further determines if said
selected switch
resides. Within said other switch
domain by comparing the switch
listing of said
other switch domain with said
customer switch name.
19. System of claim 16, wherein
said switches comprise IPX/IGX
switches. |
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