INTELLIGENT USER INTERFACE FOR INTERRELATED SERVICES

Example embodiments are directed towards an intelligent user interface for interrelated services. The data-rich ecosystem of a telecommunication service provider's wireless network is leveraged in creative and intuitive ways to bring data points to users' fingertips how they need it and when they need it. A single pane of glass is made up of selectable and controllable user interface elements that paint a larger picture together of the telecommunication service provider's network and individual components thereof. For example, the system may electronically provide a plurality of software services, each having a respective user interface (UI), and electronically orchestrate, at a service orchestration layer, the plurality of software services such that when any one service of the plurality of services is used, usage of the one service automatically affects what data is presented or how the data is presented in one or more respective user interfaces of other services of the plurality of services.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to user interfaces, more particularly, to an intelligent user interface for interrelated services.

BRIEF SUMMARY

As a wireless telecommunication service provider builds and maintains their network (such as a cloud-native 5G wireless network), it has multiple systems and user communities who need to be able to interact with data across those systems daily. It is with respect to these and other considerations that the embodiments described herein have been made.

The data-rich ecosystem of a telecommunication service provider's wireless network is leveraged in creative and intuitive ways to bring data points to users' fingertips how they need it and when they need it. In particular, a single pane of glass is made up of selectable and controllable user interface elements, which may be referred to herein as “SmartTiles”, that paint a larger picture together of the telecommunication service provider's network and individual components thereof. Such SmartTiles may provide: the ability for users to define what, and how much, they see; the ability to zoom in to various parts of the network and the telecommunication service provider's customers' service data—and see how those domains relate to each other; intuitive, easy-to-use navigation of the entire network; and the telecommunication service provider's wireless data model at the user's fingertips.

Briefly described, embodiments disclosed herein are directed to an intelligent user interface for interrelated services. For example, a method for an intelligent user interface for interrelated services may include electronically providing a plurality of software services, each having a respective user interface (UI), and electronically orchestrating, at a service orchestration layer, the plurality of software services such that when any one service of the plurality of services is used, usage of the one service automatically affects what data is presented or how the data is presented in one or more respective user interfaces of other services of the plurality of services.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG.1illustrates a diagram of an example system100for an intelligent user interface for interrelated services in accordance with embodiments described herein.

Shown is a telecommunication network102. However, the system100may be based on and/or applied to other communication or computer networks in various different embodiments. Also shown are various example individual software services120, such as operations support systems and business support systems (OSS/BSS) of the telecommunication network102. Such services120may support operation and maintenance of the telecommunication network102and may electronically interact directly or indirectly with the telecommunication network102, network functions of the telecommunications network102, network equipment of the telecommunications network102, other OSS/BSS of the telecommunications network102, and/or other components of the telecommunications network102in order to provide such services120. Such services120may include, may be implemented in, may support or may be accessible via, various forms of software including, but not limited to: microservices, plug-ins, software-as-a-service (SaaS) platforms, containerized software services, cloud-native services, web services, those being accessible via application programming interfaces (APIs), etc.

In the present example, the services120include, but are not limited to: an order management service104, a trouble ticketing service106, a network inventory service108, a network status service110and a warehouse service112. Each of the services120may have a respective user interface (UI) that comprise user interface(s) (UIs)118. In an example embodiment, each of the services120is also in operable communication with a service orchestration layer114, which is another software component that electronically orchestrates the plurality of software services120such that when any one service of the plurality of services is used, usage of the one service automatically affects what data is presented or how the data is presented in one or more respective UIs118of other services of the plurality of services120. For example, when a user is interacting with the UI of the trouble ticketing service106to view details of a trouble ticket related to a particular piece of network equipment, the service orchestration layer114may automatically pull data from the network inventory service108about that particular piece of network equipment to show in the UI of the trouble ticketing service106while the user is viewing the details of the trouble ticket having to do with that particular piece of network equipment.

Also shown is a data permission layer116in operable communication with the service orchestration layer114and the UIs118of the plurality of services120. The data permission layer116is a software component that determines whether the data that is presented in one or more respective UIs118of the plurality of services120as a result of the orchestration by the service orchestration layer114is editable by a user to update internal databases used by the plurality of services120. For example, such determinations may be made on a per user basis, based on how the data was accessed, a current UI, and/or based on which service of the plurality of services120was initially used to obtain the data.

The service orchestration layer114, the data permission layer116and/or the UIs118may include, may be implemented in, may support or may be accessible via, various forms of software including, but not limited to: microservices, plug-ins, software-as-a-service (SaaS) platforms, cloud-native services, containerized software services, web services, those being accessible via APIs, etc. Also, interactions and/or communication between the components shown inFIG.1may be over various computer and communication networks and communication platforms at various different levels, including, but not limited to: the Internet, local area network (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), wired and/or wireless networks, communication busses, event streaming services, virtual private networks (VPNs), cloud computing platforms, peer-to-peer network, SaaS platforms, APIs, and other various other communication platforms and networks.

Other components, configurations, and connections between such components of the system100than shown inFIG.1may be present in various different embodiments.

FIG.2is a diagram of an example user interface220and example underlying relationships between associated services in the system100ofFIG.1in accordance with an embodiment described herein.

In the present example illustrated inFIG.2, shown displayed on a single screen202is a respective selectable user interface element or “SmartTile” for each respective UI of the plurality of software services120shown inFIG.1. When selected, the respective SmartTile opens the respective UI of the software service. In particular, shown on the screen202is the orders SmartTile204for the order management service104, the ticketing SmartTile206for the trouble ticketing service106, the inventory SmartTile208for the network inventory service108, the network status SmartTile210for the network status service110and the warehouse SmartTile212for the warehouse service212.

The SmartTiles and underlying services they provide access to within the framework described herein are built on or according to a foundation of industry and technology knowledge. In particular, the inventory SmartTile108and/or the service it provides access to understand what type of data it serves, and what can be done with that data—as well as how that data connects to data in other SmartTiles. For example, the ticketing SmartTile206and the trouble ticketing service106it provides access to provide interactions that are natural to 5G wireless ticketing, including, but not limited to: creating a trouble ticket, updating a trouble ticket, closing a trouble ticket and searching for trouble ticket by Generic Public Subscription Identifier (GPSI), subscriber, etc. The inventory SmartTile208and the network inventory service108it provides access to provide interactions that are natural to 5G wireless inventory, including, but not limited to: searching for topology; requesting cellular (cell) site information based on a call record and checking for model numbers in service. The warehouse SmartTile212and the warehouse service112it provides access to provide interactions that are natural to 5G wireless warehouses, including, but not limited to: searching for device type (phone or router), placing an order for new equipment, and sending equipment to a cell site or customer.

A relationship diagram222shows example relationships between the ticketing SmartTile206, the inventory SmartTile208and the warehouse SmartTile212(and the respective services they provide access to) that utilize the interactions that are natural to the respective services described above. In particular, shown is relationship1between the ticketing SmartTile206, the inventory SmartTile208, relationship2between the inventory SmartTile208and the warehouse SmartTile212and relationship3between the warehouse SmartTile212and the ticketing SmartTile206. Thus, all the SmartTiles and the underlying services they provide access to are related to each other and share data with each other such that when any one service is used, usage of the that service automatically affects what data is presented or how the data is presented in one or more respective user interfaces of the other services.

FIG.3illustrates a logical flow diagram showing an example embodiment of a process300for an intelligent user interface for interrelated services in accordance with embodiments described herein.

At302, the system100electronically provides a plurality of software services, each having a respective user interface (UI).

At304, the system electronically orchestrates, at a service orchestration layer, the plurality of software services such that when any one service of the plurality of services is used, usage of the one service automatically affects what data is presented or how the data is presented in one or more respective user interfaces of other services of the plurality of services. The system100may display on a single screen a respective selectable user interface element for each respective UI of the plurality of software services, that, when selected, the respective selectable user interface element opens the respective UI of the software service. The system100may also determine, at a data permission layer, whether the data that is presented in one or more respective user interfaces of other services of the plurality of services as a result of the orchestration is editable by a user to update internal databases used by the plurality of services.

In an example embodiment, the system100may receive, at the service orchestration layer, an indication that a user is focusing on an item in the respective UI of a first service of the plurality of services; the system100may then determine, at the service orchestration layer, which other services of the plurality of services is able to serve information regarding the item that may be of interest to the user based on one or more type of interactions other services of the plurality of services provides. the system100may then cause, at the service orchestration layer, the determined other services to automatically provide, within the respective UI of the first service, information regarding the item that may be of interest to the user.

In an example embodiment, the plurality of software services includes, but is not limited to: a trouble ticketing service of a fifth-generation New Radio (5G NR) cellular wireless telecommunication network; an inventory service of a of the 5G NR cellular wireless telecommunication network; a warehouse service of the 5G NR cellular wireless telecommunication network; an order service of the 5G NR cellular wireless telecommunication network; and a network status service of the 5G NR cellular wireless telecommunication network. As one example, electronically orchestrating the plurality of software services may include: receiving, at the service orchestration layer, an indication that a user is focusing in the respective UI of the inventory service on a particular cellular (cell) site of the 5G NR cellular wireless telecommunication network. the system100may then determine, at the service orchestration layer, which of the trouble ticketing, warehouse, order and network status services is able to serve information regarding the particular cell site that may be of interest to the user based on one or more interactions the trouble ticketing, warehouse, order and network status services provides regarding cell sites. In response to the indication that the user is focusing in the respective UI of the inventory service on the particular cell site, and based on a determination that the trouble ticketing service provides information regarding submitted tickets related to service issues with cell sites, the system100may cause, at the service orchestration layer, the trouble ticketing service to automatically provide within the respective UI of the trouble ticketing service information regarding submitted tickets related to service issues with the particular cell site.

As another example, electronically orchestrating the plurality of software services may include receiving, at the service orchestration layer, an indication that a user is focusing in the respective UI of the inventory service on a particular cellular (cell) site of the 5G NR cellular wireless telecommunication network. the system100then determines, at the service orchestration layer, which of the trouble ticketing, warehouse, order and network status services is able to serve information regarding the particular cell site that may be of interest to the user based on one or more interactions the trouble ticketing, warehouse, order and network status services provides regarding cell sites. In response to the indication that the user is focusing in the respective UI of the inventory service on the particular cell site, and based on a determination that the trouble ticketing service provides information regarding submitted tickets related to service issues with cell sites, the system100may cause, at the service orchestration layer, the trouble ticketing service to automatically provide within the respective UI of the inventory service information regarding submitted tickets related to service issues with the particular cell site.

FIG.4illustrates a logical flow diagram showing an example embodiment of a process400for how information is provided within user interfaces (UIs) in an intelligent user interface for interrelated services in accordance with embodiments described herein.

At402, the system receives, at the service orchestration layer, an indication that a user is focusing on an item in the respective UI of a first service of the plurality of services.

At404, the system100determines, at the service orchestration layer, which other services of the plurality of services is able to serve information regarding the item that may be of interest to the user based on one or more types of interactions other services of the plurality of services provide.

At406, the system100causes, at the service orchestration layer, the determined other services to automatically provide within respective UIs of the determined other services information regarding the item that may be of interest to the user.

FIG.5shows a system diagram that describes an example implementation of computing system(s)500for implementing embodiments described herein.

The functionality described herein for an intelligent user interface for interrelated services can be implemented either on dedicated hardware, as a software instance running on dedicated hardware, or as a virtualized function instantiated on an appropriate platform, e.g., a cloud infrastructure. In some embodiments, such functionality may be completely software-based and designed as cloud-native, meaning that they are agnostic to the underlying cloud infrastructure, allowing higher deployment agility and flexibility. However,FIG.5illustrates an example of underlying hardware on which such software and functionality may be hosted and/or implemented. For example, computer system(s)501may represent example components of underlying computer hardware for some or all of the components shown inFIG.1.

In particular, shown is example host computer system(s)501. For example, such computer system(s)501may represent one or more of those in various data centers, control centers, base stations and cell sites and/or other components that are, or that host or implement the functions of: routers, components, microservices, APIs, nodes, node groups, control planes, clusters, virtual machines, NFs, and other aspects described herein for an intelligent user interface for interrelated services. In some embodiments, one or more special-purpose computing systems may be used to implement the functionality described herein. Accordingly, various embodiments described herein may be implemented in software, hardware, firmware, or in some combination thereof. Host computer system(s)501may include memory502, one or more central processing units (CPUs)514, I/O interfaces518, other computer-readable media520, and network connections522.

Memory502may include one or more various types of non-volatile and/or volatile storage technologies. Examples of memory502may include, but are not limited to, flash memory, hard disk drives, optical drives, solid-state drives, various types of random access memory (RAM), various types of read-only memory (ROM), neural networks, other computer-readable storage media (also referred to as processor-readable storage media), or the like, or any combination thereof. Memory502may be utilized to store information, including computer-readable instructions that are utilized by CPU514to perform actions, including those of embodiments described herein.

Memory502may have stored thereon control module(s)1804. The control module(s)1804may be configured to implement and/or perform some or all of the functions of the systems, components and modules described herein for an intelligent user interface for interrelated services. Memory502may also store other programs and data510, which may include rules, databases, application programming interfaces (APIs), microservices, SaaS platforms, software containers, nodes, pods, clusters, node groups, control planes, software defined data centers (SDDCs), microservices, virtualized environments, software platforms, cloud computing service software, network management software, network orchestrator software, orchestration layer software, security software, network functions (NF), artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) programs or models to perform the functionality described herein, user interfaces, operating systems, other network management functions, other NFs, etc.

Network connections522are configured to communicate with other computing devices to facilitate the functionality described herein. In various embodiments, the network connections522include transmitters and receivers (not illustrated), cellular telecommunication network equipment and interfaces, and/or other computer network equipment and interfaces to send and receive data as described herein, such as to send and receive instructions, commands and data to implement the processes described herein. I/O interfaces518may include a video interfaces, other data input or output interfaces, or the like. Other computer-readable media520may include other types of stationary or removable computer-readable media, such as removable flash drives, external hard drives, or the like.