Patent ID: 7567923

Claim:
A computer system executing program code for mapping values collected in connection with creation of end-user orders for communications services to corresponding inter-provider orders, wherein the computer system comprises: a first processor; a display device coupled to the first processor; an end-user ordering module, executable by the first processor, and configured to: display a service provider product catalog to an end user using the display device, wherein the service provider product catalog comprises one or more service items, each corresponding to a service item type, each service item type has a corresponding set of service specifications that describe the service item type, one or more service items correspond to a corresponding local product item of one or more local product items available from an interprovider ordering module, each local product item corresponds to a local item type, and each local item type has a corresponding set of local specifications that describe the local item type; provide one or more developer defined labels (DDLs) for each of the one or more service items that have a corresponding local product item, wherein each DDL comprises a local specification from the set of local specifications that is missing from the set of service specifications; determine whether an end-user requested service item relates to a service item type having at least one associated DDL; if the requested service item relates to a service item type having at least one DDL, prompt the end-user for a value of each additional DDL-specified attribute in connection with creation of an end-user order for the requested service item; and communicate the end-user order for use in subsequently creating a corresponding inter-provider order; and a second processor; and the inter-provider ordering module, executable by the second processor, coupled to the end-user ordering module and configured to: receive the end-user order; determine whether the end-user order has a value for each additional DDL specified attribute; and if the end-user order has a value for the additional DDL-specified attribute, automatically map the value from the end-user order to an appropriate field of the inter-provider order.