Abstract:
A director receives trigger data collected from a plurality of nodes, where the trigger data indicates a status of a node. The director processes the trigger data to add a display destination indicator and a display screen location indicator. A multicaster receives the processed data from the director and transmits the processed data based on the display destination indicator. A receiver includes a visual stimuli database and receives the transmitted data from the multicaster. The receiver associates the transmitted data with a selected visual stimuli to create a semiotic representation of the status of the node and transmits the semiotic representation to a display. The display receives and displays the semiotic representation in accordance with the display screen location indicator to represent the status of the node.

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/895,110, filed on Oct. 24, 2013, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to computer user interfaces for monitoring networks and/or equipment and, more specifically, to a user interface, system and method that enables users to interpret large amounts of information in compact visual fields. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Traditional telecommunication and data carriers monitor the condition of their centralized network equipment by viewing status screens that require drill-down, performing telemetry analysis and then using the skills of individuals to diagnose events and begin mitigation. In most cases the process is reactionary rather than proactive and most often relies upon a customer calling in a trouble report to a call center. The traditional carrier has virtually no visibility of the customer experience. Indeed, monitoring each individual customer would be overwhelming if a large number of customers exist and prior art systems were used. 
         [0004]    A need exists for a system and method that enables a user to proactively monitor and manage the telecommunications enterprises of customers from both the customer&#39;s and the network perspective in real time. A need also exists for a system and method that enables a user to visualize and manage a complex geographically distributed software defined network comprised of a large number of geographically separated network nodes exhibiting numerous states and condition changes in real time. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the system of the present invention; 
           [0006]      FIG. 2  is a flow chart illustrating the processing performed by the system of  FIG. 1  in accordance with an embodiment of the method of the invention; 
           [0007]      FIG. 3  is a perspective and block diagram view of an embodiment of the network operations station of the invention; 
           [0008]      FIG. 4  shows an embodiment of the screen displayed by the largest monitor of the network operations station of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0009]      FIG. 5  is a schematic representation of the screen of  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0010]      FIG. 6 . is a diagram of one of the totem constellation groupings of  FIG. 5 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 7  is a flow diagram illustrating examples of operation of the screen and totem constellation groupings of  FIGS. 5 and 6 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 8  shows an embodiment of an interface for a training module for use with the system and method of the invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 9  illustrates a cluster of network operations stations. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       [0014]    Operating network nodes are continuously changing state and condition and human administrators who are responsible for their operation need to monitor the various states of nodes in real time. The state of a node is defined by certain descriptive attributes which describe the node&#39;s condition, and that are of interest to a human operator. For example, the state of a node may be defined by attributes such as “on or off,” “fast or slow,” “hot or cool,” “responding or not responding,” or any other possible condition that a human wants to monitor about that node. As a result, the combination of the potential number of states, the attributes of those states and the conditions represented by those attributes is virtually unlimited. 
         [0015]    Examples of the need to identify large numbers of node state changes across multiple locations can be seen most vividly in circumstances where monitored nodes are associated together within a collective, or network, such as is the case within a telecommunications network, supply chain network, utility network, and other similar networks of associated nodes. In these environments, state changes that occur in nodes need to be quickly communicated to humans and differentiated in-context to each of the other nodes in the system. 
         [0016]    Embodiments of the system and method of the present invention provide a real-time, event driven semiotic presentation by which human operators or users can systematically monitor, process and interpret the state and condition of software defined network nodes within the context of a geographically distributed system by using semiotic representations to convey their status to a human operator. 
         [0017]    A block diagram of an embodiment of the system is illustrated in  FIG. 1 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the system consists of five primary components: (1) a director  20 , (2) a multicaster  22 , (3) a semiotic control language or words  24 , (4) a receiver  26  and (5) a display  28 . 
         [0018]    As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the director  20 , which is a computer system, accepts event trigger words  29  from an outside source, such as a master collector system, indicated at  30  in  FIG. 2 , that collects data from a number of customer locations or nodes  32   a - 32   n . The event trigger words  29  are made up of the Node Name, Customer ID and Customer Name, and 1-9 totem and/or state or event words each containing, for example, 0-4096 events. 
         [0019]    The director  20  receives the event trigger words  29  and appends the display destination and screen location to assemble or create Semiotic Control Language (SCL) words (or semiotic words). In doing so, the director  20  uses logic to prevent duplication and assigns visual display priority from event triggers that it receives. The SCL is a set of instructions controlling the receiver&#39;s  26  display of visual (and optionally audio) stimuli by use of semiotic words. In one embodiment, the semiotic words  24  ultimately consist of a Node Name (8 position alpha numeric), Customer ID (8 position alpha numeric), Customer Name (30 position alpha numeric), totem word (2 position alpha numeric), event word (4 position alpha numeric), destination word (8 position alpha numeric) and screen location word (2 position alpha numeric). 
         [0020]    The completed semiotic words are sent to the multicaster  22 . 
         [0021]    The multicaster  22 , which is also a computer system, receives semiotic words from the director  20  and transmits (IP multicasts) the words  24  to all potential receivers  26  in accordance with the destination and screen location words. While only one receiver is illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the system will typically include many more receivers based on the number of customer locations or nodes  32   a - 32   n.    
         [0022]    The receiver  26  is a computer provided with a database of visual stimuli ( 25  in  FIG. 1 ) and (optionally) a database of audio stimuli ( 27  in  FIG. 1 ). The database(s) contain visual and audio stimuli which correspond to the totem and event words of the multicasted semiotic words  24 . The visual and audio stimuli are displayed as semiotic representations of node status (such as equipment or network status) in accordance with the semiotic words&#39; unique display destination words and display screen location words and totem and event words. With regard to the latter, the receiver  26  is programmed to, upon receipt of a semiotic word  24 , detect the totem word and the event word and identify the corresponding visual stimuli and (optional) audio stimuli from the databases  25  and  27 . 
         [0023]    The display  28  displays the semiotic words&#39; audio visual imagery selected by the receiver  26  organized in nine position (screen location) totems, as will be explained below. 
         [0024]    The system of  FIGS. 1 and 2  communicates specific meaning to a system administration tribe member or user via the display  28  of  FIGS. 1-3  within a focused service management culture by broadcasting the visual and audio stimuli in the form of semiotic representations which include totems. Totems are composed of the real-time visual animation objects and audio stimuli arranged in categorical constellations. 
         [0025]    A totem communicates meanings through visual stimuli including as non-limiting examples:
   Animation   Color   Dimensional perception and change   Movement   Pulsation   Proportional change   Rotation   Shape   Tempo   Texture   
 
         [0036]    A totem may also provide meanings through audio stimuli including as non-limiting examples:
   Tone   Pitch   Melody   Cadence   Harmonics   Instruments   
 
         [0043]    The system of  FIGS. 1-3  enables an operator to visually interpret large amounts of state information for customer networks and/or equipment (including, but not limited to, devices and/or components) in compact visual fields, such as the one indicated at  40  in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . The screen or visual field  40  of  FIGS. 4 and 5  is displayed on the display  28  of  FIGS. 1-3 . With reference to  FIG. 4 , a visual field  40  consists of a viewing display such as, but not limited to, a flat screen display where the multiple customer locations or nodes being monitored are arranged in totem constellation groupings  42 . Each customer location or node is represented by a totem constellation having nine faces (such as the nine faces indicated at  46  in  FIG. 4 ) with, for example, up to 4096 animated symbols per face. 
         [0044]    The above system and display allow operators or users to visually interpret large amounts of information in compact visual fields using audio and visual stimuli. As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the visual field  40  consists of a viewing display where, as an example only, sixty nodes are being monitored. As a result, the visual field  40  include sixty totem constellation groupings  42   a - 42   n.    
         [0045]    An example of a totem constellation grouping is provided in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , where the grouping has nine faces  46   a - 46   i , where the customer or customer node is identified by the central face  46   e . The remaining faces  46   a - 46   d  and  46   f - 46   i  indicate that the system is monitoring the status of the customer&#39;s equipment ( 46   a ), network vitals ( 46   b ), wifi ( 46   c ), voice communications ( 46   d ), internal data ( 46   f ), Internet connectivity ( 46   g ), system availability ( 46   h ) and power ( 46   i ). Each such remaining face may have, for example, seven states. For grouping  46   a  Devices (Device Status), for example, the seven states may be as follows:
   State 1=Device Errors   State 2=Device Port/Interface Status   State 3=CPU Usage   State 4=Load Average   State 5=Ping Latency   State 6=Device Temperature   State 7=Device Software Update   
 
         [0053]    As illustrated in  FIG. 7 , if State 1 or 2 is present, Totem A appears on the display screen for face  46   a . The appearance of Totem A (color, shape, size, etc.) and/or an accompanying audio sound indicates which of State 1 or State 2 exists. As another example, if State 3, 4 or 5 is present for face  46   a , Totem B appears on the display screen. The appearance of Totem B (color, shape, size, etc.) or an accompanying audio sound indicates which of State 3, State 4 or State 5 exists. 
         [0054]    As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , a scrolling tickler  52  may be optionally provided across the bottom of the visual field  40 . Such a tickler may provide information to the operator regarding system updates, urgent messages, etc. Alternative types of message ticklers may be added to the visual field  40 . 
         [0055]    The system may optionally be provided with a user training module, which may be, for example, a computer or application, indicated in phantom at  56  in  FIG. 1 . The module is useful in training users in identifying and responding to various status conditions presented by the visual field displayed by the system display  28 . While the training module is shown as a separate component connected to the receiver  26  of the system, it may be incorporated into or connected to any of the system components. 
         [0056]    As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the training module features an interface accessed by a training module workstation  58 , which includes a display. The training module display of  FIG. 1  presents to the trainer the screen shown in  FIG. 8 . With reference to  FIG. 8 , the screen includes a primary knob icon  62  that may be manipulated by the trainer using the workstation to select a node or customer number. The selected node or customer appears in a window  64 . In the illustrated example, customer or node  41  has been selected. The screen of  FIG. 8  also includes secondary knob icons  66  which correspond to faces  46   a - 46   i  of  FIGS. 6 and 7 . Using the secondary knob icons  66 , the trainer may select any of the states for each of the faces of a totem constellation grouping ( 42  of  FIGS. 5-7 ). The training module  56  may alternatively take the form of a hardware device having the appearance of the screen of  FIG. 8 . 
         [0057]    Returning to  FIG. 3 , the display  28  described above is preferably part of a network operations station (“NOS”), indicated in general at  72 . The NOS is a purpose built station for operations personnel. The station is preferably powered by a special operations module and has a redundant high availability gateway, three computing environments and multiple communications capabilities. The three screens or displays present, 1) a current visualization of all customers that the operator is responsible for along with the current condition of their environment (display  28  discussed above), 2) access to an event detection and intervention system interface (display  74  of  FIGS. 3 ), and 3) access to business software and individual communications (display  76  of  FIG. 3 ). This design enables deploying and locating network managers at multiple physical locations. 
         [0058]    To maximize interaction and collaboration among operations staff members, network operations stations  72   a - 72   g  may be joined together into self-contained clusters, as illustrated in  FIG. 9 , that allow seven network engineers to work and communicate together closely. This fosters sharing and reviewing of customer experiences, replicating and resolving problems. Operations centers can be replicated in any geographic location by adding these clusters of network operation stations. 
         [0059]    The system and method described above thus portrays the real time status and changes in state for each device that is monitored onto the SLD that is part of each network operations station ( FIG. 3 ). As described previously, our network operation stations are the physical work centers that give our operators the tools to deliver highly-automated, fully-managed services. This approach requires a considerably smaller viewing area to efficiently monitor and quickly interpret the state of large and complex systems of devices, and allows our network operations staff to monitor more locations and devices more accurately and effectively than with any other method or technologies. 
         [0060]    The system allows users to proactively monitor and manage the telecommunications enterprises of customers from both the customer&#39;s and the network perspective in real time. This approach dramatically accelerates the entire detection, intervention and mitigation process. 
         [0061]    While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the following claims.