Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04M3/00—Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
  • H04M3/22—Arrangements for supervision, monitoring or testing
  • H04M3/2272—Subscriber line supervision circuits, e.g. call detection circuits
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04M3/00—Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
  • H04M3/22—Arrangements for supervision, monitoring or testing
  • H04M3/24—Arrangements for supervision, monitoring or testing with provision for checking the normal operation
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04M3/00—Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
  • H04M3/42—Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers
  • H04M3/50—Centralised arrangements for answering calls; Centralised arrangements for recording messages for absent or busy subscribers ; Centralised arrangements for recording messages
  • H04M3/53—Centralised arrangements for recording incoming messages, i.e. mailbox systems
  • H04M3/533—Voice mail systems
  • H04M3/53366—Message disposing or creating aspects
  • H04M3/53383—Message registering commands or announcements; Greetings
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04M3/00—Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
  • H04M3/42—Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers
  • H04M3/50—Centralised arrangements for answering calls; Centralised arrangements for recording messages for absent or busy subscribers ; Centralised arrangements for recording messages
  • H04M3/53—Centralised arrangements for recording incoming messages, i.e. mailbox systems
  • H04M3/5322—Centralised arrangements for recording incoming messages, i.e. mailbox systems for recording text messages

Definitions

• the field of the invention is that of communication networks, in particular, but not exclusively, that of the management of services accessible via such networks.
• the invention relates more particularly to the management of the access of a client terminal to such services when a problem occurs that disrupts access to or the operation of one or more of these services.
• a communication network mobile radio network, fixed telephone network, or IP network for example
• problems which disrupt or interrupt the access of customers to services to which they have subscribed.
• These services can be of various kinds, such as a messaging service, a video-on-demand service, an IPTV service, and so on.
• the problem can first be detected by the network operator or the service provider, through the establishment of supervision and management mechanisms, which rely in particular on the presence of probes and alarms at various points. network.
• a teleoperator is mobilized, and must follow a predefined procedure for managing the customer call. This situation is also uncomfortable for the customer, who can be put on hold for a long time before a teleoperator is available to handle his call.
• the present invention therefore proposes a method of managing access to a helpline accessible via a communication network.
• Said method is remarkable in that, upon receiving a request for access to said assistance service from a client terminal, it comprises: a step of comparing an identifier of said assistance service with a list of predetermined helpdesk identifiers; and if said help-service identifier is included in said list, and if at least one disturbance notification relating to another service than the assistance services has previously been received: a step of intercepting said access request; and a step of transmitting to said client terminal a message intended to communicate to the client the list of the service or services to which the customer is subscribed and which are associated with said at least one previously received disturbance notification.
• the invention proposes to check whether a service offered by the operator is affected by a disturbance, and, if it is the case, to intercept the request for access of the client terminal to the assistance service. .
• a service offered by the operator is affected by a disturbance, and, if it is the case, to intercept the request for access of the client terminal to the assistance service.
• Such a method can in particular be implemented in a customer access equipment to the network.
• the invention is therefore based on a prior broadcast of trouble notifications to the support services when a problem or a disturbance affecting one or more services is detected on the network.
• the information provided in these trouble notifications is then used to intercept requests for access to help desk services. To do this, it compares beforehand the identifier of the helpdesk contained in the access request received from the client terminal to the list of all the helpdesk identifiers.
• Such support services are directly affected by any notification of disturbance received relating to a disrupted service which they provide the hotline.
• the interception of the request for access to the helpdesk service makes it possible to avoid unnecessarily overloading the "hotline", and thus reduces the costs of processing by the operator.
• the identifier of the service or support services can then be preconfigured in the access equipment or added to the list on receipt of at least one trouble notification relating to another service (eg messaging). If the help desk identifier is prerecorded in the list, it is activated only when a disturbance notification relating to another service is received by the access equipment, so as not to intercept the requests for service. access to the hotline only if a problem is already known and being processed by the operator / service provider.
• the invention also proposes transmitting to the client terminal a message relating to the disturbance notification (s) received (s), so as to indicate that this or that service is in trouble, that its operation is being restored. , and that a return to normal is expected in such a time interval. If informed, the customer will probably stop trying to contact the helpdesk.
• Such a transmission step can be done directly by the access equipment that intercepts the access requests from the client, or indirectly through at least one other device, for example an application platform capable of generating such messages. .
• Such a transmission step can also be implemented upon receipt of the trouble notification associated with a service, even before the client terminal issues a request for access to a service.
• the customer is thus informed of the existence of problems or disruptions, in anticipation, even before he himself detects the existence of the problem or trying to reach the hotline. This helps to improve the quality of service felt by the customer.
• Such a message can be an audio message, sent on the customer's landline or mobile phone, a text message, displayed for example on the customer's television, an SMS sent to his mobile phone, etc.
• the trouble notification includes at least some of the following: an identifier of the service associated with said notification; a type of disturbance affecting the service (for example a temporary unavailability of the service, an overload of a server, an indication that a given region is currently unreachable, etc.); an expected duration of disturbance.
• a type of disturbance affecting the service for example a temporary unavailability of the service, an overload of a server, an indication that a given region is currently unreachable, etc.
• an expected duration of disturbance for example a temporary unavailability of the service, an overload of a server, an indication that a given region is currently unreachable, etc.
• Such a fault notification can be broadcast by a service provider / service provider's application to all the access equipment of the customers concerned, ie likely to access the services in trouble.
• This notification can be sent via the signaling, depending on the protocol used in the communication network considered.
• the service identifier can be, for example, a telephone number (especially for mobile messaging), a web URL name, a TV channel name, etc.
• the duration of the trouble gives the customer an indication of the date / time at which the service will be restored to normal operation.
• such a method also comprises during or at the end of said transmission step, a step of interrogating said client to determine whether said client wishes to maintain said access request to the service of assistance and, where appropriate, a step of routing said access request to the helpdesk.
• the access request is first blocked, without being propagated on the network of the operator. Then, the customer is sent the information received from the operator or the service provider relating to the services in trouble, indicating that, if the reason for his call to the hotline is one of those listed in the message that he is transmitted, this problem is already known and being resolved. We can then ask him if he wants to continue his call to the hotline. The customer can provide an answer, for example by pressing a dedicated key on his mobile phone, or the remote control of his TV or his set top box, or by voice response. If the customer thus confirms that the reason for his call was one of the known and currently resolved disturbances, the client access equipment terminates the call. It can also send information to the operator / service provider to indicate that the customer is impacted by the problem. This information is preferably sent only once, even if several successive access requests from the client terminal are intercepted.
• such a method on receiving an end of disturbance notification associated with a service, comprises a step of deleting the identifier of this service from a list of at least one identifier. a service associated with at least one previously received trouble notification.
• the operator sends to all the assistance services concerned a notification of the end of the disturbance, so that the associated service identifiers are removed from the list of services considered to be in trouble. .
• the invention also relates to an access device to a communication network, comprising means for receiving a request for access to a help desk from a client terminal.
• such access equipment comprises: means for receiving at least one disturbance notification associated with at least one service; means for comparing an identifier of said helpdesk to a list of predetermined helpdesk identifiers; means activated if said service-service identifier is included in said list and if at least one disturbance notification relative to another service that the assistance services have previously received, for intercepting said access request; ; and means for transmitting to said client terminal a message intended to communicate to the client the list of the service or services to which the customer is subscribed and which are associated with said at least one previously received disturbance notification.
• such access equipment also comprises means for transmitting said intercepted access request to an application platform capable of generating said message relating to said associated disturbance notification (s) (s). ) audit service.
• the message relating to the fault notification transmitted to the client terminal can be either generated by the access equipment itself or generated by a dedicated platform.
• an SGSN type of access equipment may have the function of intercepting the access requests of the client terminals to the assistance services. The SGSN can then route the intercepted access request to a service platform dedicated to generating messages. The platform generates the message, which is then routed via the access equipment to the mobile terminal of the client on which it is displayed.
• the invention also relates to a residential gateway for access to a communication network to which at least one client terminal is connected, comprising means for receiving a request for access to a helpdesk from said terminal, and means for receiving at least one disturbance notification associated with at least one service; means for comparing an identifier of said assistance service with a list of predetermined assistance service identifiers; means, activated if said helpdesk identifier is in said list, interception of said access request and if at least one disturbance notification relating to another service that the assistance services was previously received; and means for transmitting to said client terminal a message intended to communicate to the client the list of the service or services to which the customer is subscribed and which are associated with said at least one previously received disturbance notification.
• Such a residential gateway is indeed an example of client access equipment in which the invention can be implemented.
• Such a home gateway located in a gap between the access network and all the terminals of the home network, can centralize all the information received from the operator on all the services in trouble to which the customer has subscribed, and intercept client access requests to the helpdesks, for example by intercepting INVITE messages according to the SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) protocol.
• SIP Session Initiation Protocol
• the invention can also be implemented in any other type of access equipment, such as, in a non-exhaustive manner: SGSN type access equipment (for "Serving General Packet
• Radio Service Support Node for a UMTS type access network (for a UMTS type access network (for a UMTS type access network (for a UMTS type access network (for a UMTS type access network (for a UMTS type access network (for a UMTS type access network (for a UMTS type access network (for a UMTS type access network (for a UMTS type access network (for a UMTS type access network (for
• DSLAM access equipment for "Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer", in French, “Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer" for a fixed network
• SBC edge session controller for "Session Border
• the invention can be implemented in the first client access device through which an access request transmitted from the client terminal is transmitted and which is capable of performing an application level processing on this request (according to the protocol SIP or http for example).
• the various steps of the method of managing access to a service described above are determined by computer program instructions.
• the invention is also directed to a computer program comprising program code instructions for carrying out the steps of the method described above, when said program is executed by a computer.
• This program can use any programming language, and be in the form of source code, object code, or intermediate code between source code and object code, such as in a partially compiled form, or in any other form desirable shape.
• the invention also relates to a computer readable information medium, and comprising instructions of a computer program as mentioned above.
• the information carrier may be any entity or device capable of storing the program.
• the medium may comprise storage means, such as a ROM, for example a CD ROM or a microelectronic circuit ROM, or a magnetic recording medium, for example a floppy disk or a disk. hard.
• the information medium may be a transmissible medium such as an electrical or optical signal, which may be conveyed via an electrical or optical cable, by radio or by other means.
• the program according to the invention can be downloaded in particular on an Internet type network.
• the information carrier may be an integrated circuit in which the program is incorporated, the circuit being adapted to execute or to be used in the execution of the method in question.
• the invention finally relates to a system for managing services accessible via a communication network, which comprises: means for detecting a disturbance affecting at least one service; means for determining at least one client likely to be affected by said disturbance; means for broadcasting a fault notification to at least one network access equipment of said customer (s); at least one access device as briefly described above.
• Such a system therefore includes: the operator's monitoring and after-sales service applications, able to detect the problems affecting the services and to determine a list of affected customers, by consulting the customer database of the customer. operator, to broadcast trouble notifications, via the operator's network, to the access equipment of the list of customers, and these access equipment themselves.
• FIG. 2 illustrates, in block diagram form, the various functional modules of an access device according to the invention in a particular embodiment
• FIG. 3 presents the various processing steps implemented in an access equipment device during the issue of a request for access to a service by a client terminal
• FIG. 4 illustrates a variant of FIG. 3 when, in accordance with the invention, the service to which the customer wishes to access is a helpline, or "hotline". 5. Description of an embodiment of the invention
• the embodiment of the invention presented below is placed in an access management system in which, on the one hand, it sends out disturbance notifications relating to one or more services disturbed to all the equipment of access of customers likely to be affected, and in which, on the other hand, the client access equipment uses information contained in these notifications to intercept requests for access to these services issued by the customers and to process them locally. .
• the telecommunications operator's information system includes a service desk or hotline, SAV 10, on which several SAVi, SAV 2 , or other support applications or services can be developed.
• SAV 10 service desk or hotline
• SAV 2 service desk or hotline
• Each of these applications is for example dedicated to a type of services: for example, the Savi assistance service is dedicated to mobile services, and service 2 service to fixed services.
• Such an information system also comprises an SPVN supervision platform 11, comprising a plurality of supervision applications
• These supervision applications receive information on the state of the network R and services via probes and alarms arranged at different points of the network of the operator.
• the SPVN monitoring platform 11 can thus detect a problem affecting a service offered to customers, based on information from the network R transmitted during a step referenced E1.
• the service support platform SAV 10 may also be aware of this problem during a step referenced E21, during which one or more customers contact the hotline to indicate difficulties encountered during their attempts to access the service. mobile messaging service.
• this list corresponds to the list of customers of the operator who took out a mobile phone plan. It also contains the list of identifiers of the client terminals or their access equipment. Such an identifier can be for example the IP address of the terminal, an associated telephone number, a SIP URI type identifier, a physical access identifier (copper pair), etc.
• the operator initiates the necessary treatments to solve the detected problem, so as to restore normal functioning for all customers as soon as possible.
• the operator information system broadcasts, during a step referenced E4, a fault notification to all ACCi access equipment to ACCN impacted customers.
• Such access equipment may be residential gateways, DSLAMs, SBCs, SGSNs, etc.
• the broadcast mechanism of the step E4 can also be used by the operator, after solving the problem affecting the messaging service, to transmit to the set of access equipment ACC 1 to ACC N corresponding notifications of end of inconvenience. Trouble or failure notifications can be broadcast to ACCN access equipment at ACCN through signaling protocols, such as SIP for example.
• Such a notification of disturbance or end of inconvenience can take the following form: a first field containing an identifier of the service concerned; a second field containing a state of the service concerned (for example "failed” or "restored”); a third field containing a scheduled time of recovery.
• the service identifier can be, for example, a telephone number (for the mobile messaging service in particular), a web URL name, or a TV channel name.
• the ACC access equipment (for example a residential gateway) comprises: an ISAV module acting as an interface between the ACC access equipment and the operator's after-sales service support platform; an ISERV module capable of intercepting access requests to services from the client terminals connected to the access equipment ACC 1 ; an ICLT module constituting a client interface module, in charge of delivering to the client terminal a message relating to the notification of disturbance received from the operator; a storage module BDD A cc in which are stored the service identifiers in trouble.
• the ISAV interface module with the operator's SAV 10 stores it in the BDD storage module A cc- II extracted from it. the identifier of the service in trouble, which it transmits to the call interception module ISERV-
• the call interception module ISE RV can also be preconfigured with all the identifiers of the operator's hotline. In this case, these hotline identifiers are activated in the call interception module ISE RV upon receipt of the identifier of a service in trouble.
• the ISAV interface module with the operator's SAV 10 also transmits the fault notification 20 to the IC L T client interface module.
• the ICL T client interface module delivers preconfigured information. of type audio, SMS or message to TV for example, the terminal client, indicating that the service X is in trouble, that the problem is being resolved, and that a return to normal is expected under Y minutes / hours /days.
• a client terminal CLT (for example, a mobile phone or a "set top box") issues a request for access to an Rq_Acc_Serv service to the ACQ access equipment.
• the I S ERV call interception module extracts the identifier of the service concerned, which is compared (E30) to all the service identifiers in trouble stored in the BDD storage module A CC- to check whether the service that the CLT client wants to access is undisturbed.
• This comparison step E30 is denoted "PB?” in Figure 3.
• the service identifier extracted from the request Rq_Acc_Serv is part of the service identifiers in trouble stored in the storage module BDDA CC .
• the I S ERV interception module intercepts (STOP) the request Rq_Acc_Serv during a step referenced E31.
• the client interface module I CLT- It then transfers the intercepted request to the client interface module I CLT-
• the latter generates a message MSG, which can be of audio type, text, video, etc. intended to inform the client that the service he wishes to access is in trouble, that the problem is being solved, and that a return to normal is foreseen under a duration D.
• MSG can be of audio type, text, video, etc. intended to inform the client that the service he wishes to access is in trouble, that the problem is being solved, and that a return to normal is foreseen under a duration D.
• the structure of such an MSG message can be preconfigured in the ICLT client interface module-
• the ICLT client interface module transfers this MSG message to the CLT client terminal, where it is rendered.
• the request for access to the hotline of the operator Rq_Acc_Ass is received by the call interception module ISERV - the latter detects that it is a call to the hotline, thanks to the service identifier conveyed in the request Rq_Acc_Ass.
• the call interception module can compare the service identifier thus extracted from a list of preconfigured assistance service identifiers. in the storage module BDDACC-
• the call interception module ISERV thus intercepts (STOP) the request Rq_Acc_Ass call to the hotline during a step referenced E41.
• the client interface module ICLT- It then transfers the request Rq_Acc_Ass to the client interface module ICLT-
• the latter generates an MSG message, which can be of audio, textual, video, etc. type. to communicate to the client the list of the service or services to which it is subscribed, the type of problem that affects them, and the durations D planned before a return to the normal operation of each of these services.
• the ICLT client interface module transfers this MSG message to the client terminal CLT, where it is rendered. For example, in the case of a message relating to a disturbance affecting the video-on-demand service, it is displayed on a customer's television.
• the client interface module I C LT also transmits to the client terminal CLT a CONF confirmation request, asking the customer whether or not he wishes to continue his call to the hotline.
• the customer can respond to the CONF confirmation request by pressing an appropriate key on the CLT client terminal (for example a key on the TV remote control or the set top box), or by delivering an audio response for example.
• the access equipment routes (GO) the request Rq_Acc_Ass to the operator's network, to the service support platform SAV 10, during a step referenced E42.
• the access equipment terminates the end of the call to the assistance service Rq_Acc_Ass.
• the interface module with the ISV IS AV service and the I S ERV call interception module are present in the SGSN.
• the CL CL T client interface module is, at least in part, deported to a service platform dedicated to the generation of MSG messages. These MSG messages are then transmitted from the service platform to the SGSN, which relays them to the client terminal CLT, where they are returned.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Telephonic Communication Services (AREA)

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• 2009
  • 2009-03-26 EP EP09726220A patent/EP2260641A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2009-03-26 WO PCT/EP2009/053638 patent/WO2009118400A1/fr not_active Ceased

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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