Patent Document

RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) based on U.S. Provisional Applications: Ser. Nos. 60/276,923, 60/276,953, 60/276,955 and 60/276,954 all filed on Mar. 20, 2001, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates generally to communications systems and, more particularly, to an operational support system that allows access to communications products and services via a single sign on operation. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Telecommunications service providers continually increase the number of services and products they offer to customers. A recent trend, for example, is a desire to offer broadband, wireless, and Internet services. As competition increases, service providers must provide an increased level of support for these advanced services while keeping costs down. 
   Conventional operational support systems typically rely on a signal monolithic system to tie together multi-vendor hardware and software systems. Tying together these multi-vendor hardware and software systems is often difficult since each system may be associated with its own unique set of requirements. For example, several of the hardware and software systems may restrict access by requiring a user to register (or login). By requiring a user to login multiple times in order to gain access to the different hardware and software systems supported by the operational support system can be quite frustrating to the user. 
   Accordingly, there is a need in the art for systems and methods that facilitate access to the components of an operational support system. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Systems and methods consistent with the principles of the invention address this and other needs by providing a procedure that allows a user to sign in one time in order to gain access to the various systems supported by an operational support system. 
   In an implementation consistent with the present invention, an operational support system includes a network interface and a report unit. The network interface receives an identifier and password from a user, determines whether to grant access to the operational support system based on the identifier and password, and transmits, when access is granted, the identifier and password to the report unit. The report unit automatically compares the identifier and password to stored identifiers and passwords and grants access to the report unit when the identifier and password correspond to one of the stored identifiers and passwords. 
   In another implementation consistent with the present invention, a method for providing reports is disclosed. The method includes receiving information from a user at a network interface, comparing the user information to a first set of previously stored user information, capturing the user information in a cookie when the user information corresponds to the first set of previously stored user information, and transmitting the cookie to a reporting unit. The method further includes comparing the user information from the cookie to a second set of previously stored user information and providing one or more reports to the user when the user information from the cookie corresponds to the second set of previously stored user information. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate an embodiment of the invention and, together with the description, explain the invention. In the drawings, 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary system in which systems and methods, consistent with the present invention, may be implemented; 
       FIG. 2  illustrates an exemplary configuration of a user device of  FIG. 1  in an implementation consistent with the present invention; 
       FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary configuration of the operational support system of  FIG. 1  in an implementation consistent with the present invention; 
       FIG. 4  illustrates an exemplary configuration of the process management system of  FIG. 3  in an implementation consistent with the present invention; 
       FIG. 5  illustrates an exemplary functional block diagram of the process management system of  FIG. 3  in an implementation consistent with the present invention; 
       FIG. 6  illustrates an exemplary configuration of the voice portal unit of  FIG. 3  in an implementation consistent with the present invention; 
       FIG. 7  illustrates an exemplary configuration of the web center of  FIG. 3  in an implementation consistent with the present invention; 
       FIG. 8  illustrates an exemplary configuration of the Internet Protocol Communications (IPCOM) unit of  FIG. 3  in an implementation consistent with the present invention; 
       FIG. 9  illustrates an exemplary configuration of the very high performance backbone network service unit of  FIG. 3  in an implementation consistent with the present invention; 
       FIG. 10  illustrates an exemplary process for accessing the report unit in an implementation consistent with the present invention; 
       FIG. 11  illustrates an exemplary login screen consistent with the present invention; 
       FIG. 12  illustrates an exemplary account management introductory screen that may be provided to the user by the network interface in an implementation consistent with the present invention; and 
       FIG. 13  illustrates an exemplary graphical user interface screen that may be provided to the user in an implementation consistent with the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   The following detailed description of implementations consistent with the present invention refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements. Also, the following detailed description does not limit the invention. Instead, the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims and equivalents. 
   Systems and methods consistent with the principles of this invention provide a single sign on technique for accessing the products and services offered by an operational support system. 
   Exemplary System 
     FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary system  100  in which systems and methods, consistent with the present invention, may be implemented. In  FIG. 1 , system  100  includes a network  110  that interconnects a group of user devices  120  and an operational support system (OSS)  130 . It will be appreciated that a typical system may include more or fewer devices than illustrated in  FIG. 1 . Moreover, system  100  may include additional devices (not shown) that aid in the transfer, processing, and/or reception of data. 
   The network  110  may include, for example, the Internet, an intranet, a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a wide area network (WAN), a public switched telephone network (PSTN), and/or some other similar type of network. In fact, the network  110  may include any type of network or combination of networks that permits routing of information from a particular source to a particular destination. 
   The user devices  120  may include a type of computer system, such as a mainframe, minicomputer, or personal computer, a type of telephone system, such as a POTS telephone or a session initiation protocol (SIP) telephone, and/or some other similar type of device that is capable of transmitting and receiving information to/from the network  110 . The user device  120  may connect to the network via any conventional technique, such as a wired, wireless, or optical connection. 
     FIG. 2  illustrates an exemplary configuration of a user device  120  of  FIG. 1  in an implementation consistent with the present invention. In  FIG. 2 , the user device  120  includes a bus  210 , a processor  220 , a memory  230 , a read only memory (ROM)  240 , a storage device  250 , an input device  260 , an output device  270 , and a communication interface  280 . The bus  210  may include one or more conventional buses that permit communication among the components of the user device  120 . 
   The processor  220  may include any type of conventional processor or microprocessor that interprets and executes instructions. In one implementation consistent with the present invention, the processor  220  executes the instructions to cause a web browser to be displayed to an operator of the user device  120 . As will be described in more detail below, the operator may receive reports from the OSS  130  via this web browser. 
   The memory  230  may include a random access memory (RAM) or another type of dynamic storage device that stores information and instructions for execution by the processor  220 . The memory  230  may also be used to store temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of instructions by processor  220 . 
   The ROM  240  may include a conventional ROM device and/or another type of static storage device that stores static information and instructions for the processor  220 . The storage device  250  may include a magnetic disk or optical disk and its corresponding drive and/or some other type of magnetic or optical recording medium and its corresponding drive for storing information and/or instructions. 
   The input device  260  may include any conventional mechanism or combination of mechanisms that permits the operator to input information to the user device  120 , such as a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a pen, a biometric input device, such as voice recognition device, etc. The output device  270  may include any conventional mechanism or combination of mechanisms that outputs information to the operator, including a display, a printer, a speaker, etc. 
   The communication interface  280  may include any transceiver-like mechanism that enables the user device  120  to communicate with other devices and/or systems, such as OSS  130 . For example, the communication interface  280  may include a modem or an Ethernet interface to a network. 
   Returning to  FIG. 1 , the OSS  130  provides the infrastructure for integrating data from traditional telephony services and applications with advanced data application platforms. Through OSS  130 , customers, using, for example, user device  120 , may manage, configure, and provision traditional telephony and advanced data services in real time, obtain real time billing information, and generate reports using a rules-centric middleware core. In one embodiment, a customer may perform these functions through a single point of entry using an Internet accessible web interface. 
     FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary configuration of the OSS  130  of  FIG. 1  in an implementation consistent with the present invention. As illustrated, the OSS  130  includes a process management system  310 , a network interface  320 , a group of integrated applications  330 , a group of traditional telephony systems  340 , a voice portal unit  350 , a web center unit  360 , an IPCOM unit  370 , a very high performance backbone network service (vBNS+) unit  380 , and a group of non-integrated applications  390 . It will be appreciated that the OSS  130  may include other components (not shown) that aid in receiving, processing, and/or transmission of data. 
   The process management system  310  acts as the backbone to the OSS  130  by providing graphical process automation, data transformation, event management, and flexible connectors for interfacing with OSS components. In one implementation consistent with the present invention, the process management system  310  uses a Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) based publish-and-subscribe messaging middleware to integrate the different components of the OSS  130 . Other techniques for integrating the different components of the OSS  130  may alternatively be used, such as eXtensible Markup Language (XML) or Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB). The process management system  310  may, for example, be implemented using Vitria Technology Inc.&#39;s BusinessWare software system. 
   The network interface  320  provides a graphical user interface that allows users (e.g., customers, engineers, account teams, and the like) to access the components of the OSS  130 . The network interface  320  may include commercial off the shelf (COTS) software or hardware packages, such as Siteminder® by Netegrity, Inc. and/or iPlanet™ by Sun Microsystems, Inc., custom software or hardware, or a combination of custom software/hardware and COTS software/hardware. 
   Via the network interface  320 , customers may, for example, request that service be connected or disconnected, monitor or change network or user settings, obtain reports, and perform e-billing, account management, and trouble reporting and tracking functions in a real time manner. The network interface  320  may, for example, allow engineers to submit transactions to control and configure network elements and services in a real time manner. The network interface  320  may, for example, allow account teams to manage account creations and cancellations, generate sub-accounts from master accounts, access current account data, and access historical account data. As will be described in additional detail below, the network interface  320  allows a user to obtain reports relating to the products and services to which the user has subscribed over a network, such as network  110 , via a user device  120 . 
   The network interface  320  authenticates users and controls actions that authenticated users are allowed to execute in the OSS  130 . In one implementation consistent with the present invention, the network interface  320  allows users access to the components of the OSS  130  via a single sign-on technique. This single sign-on eliminates the need for users to sign in (or authenticate themselves) in order to access different components of the OSS  130 . Once authenticated, users may access those components of the OSS  130  to which they have been provided authorization. 
   The integrated applications  330  may include, for example, a data warehouse  331 , an operational data store (ODS)  332 , a lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP) based server  333 , an LDAP database  334 , a fault management unit  335 , a data collection unit  336 , a billing unit  337  and a report unit  338 . The data warehouse  331  may include one or more separate databases for storing data. The data warehouse  331  acts as a repository for service order, account, usage and performance data. In one implementation, the data warehouse  331  may be implemented as a relational database management system (RDBMS) and may include a server (not shown) that controls access to the data warehouse  331 . 
   The ODS  332  may also include one or more separate databases for storing data. The ODS  332  temporarily stores data that is used in the course of fulfilling, for example, account creation, service order management, and network provisioning operations. The ODS  332  also stores authentication and authorization data. This data defines users&#39; roles and privileges. Like the data warehouse  331 , the ODS  332  may be a RDBMS and may include a server (not shown) that controls access to the ODS  332 . 
   The LDAP server  333  may be a general directory server that controls access to the LDAP database  334 . The LDAP database  334  may be an LDAP-based repository that stores information associated with users in a hierarchical, tree-like structure. For example, the LDAP database  334  may store attributes for a user that may include preferences associated with the following exemplary services: call blocking, follow-me, call forwarding, voice mail, conference calling, single line extension, call screening, quality of service, class of service, dial plan restrictions, dynamic registration, secondary directory number and call transfer. The LDAP database  334  may store this information as one or more directory entries for each user. Each directory entry may include an identifier associated with the user and a collection of attributes associated with the user. Each of the attributes may include a type and one or more values that identify the user&#39;s settings associated with that type. In this manner, the LDAP server  333  and LDAB database  334  provide a system that enables the user&#39;s preferences regarding various services to be stored, searched, updated and retrieved in a quick and efficient manner. 
   The LDAP server  333  and LDAP database  334  are shown as separate devices. It should be understood, however, that these two devices may both be part of the same directory server in implementations consistent with the present invention. 
   The fault management unit  335  monitors and manages the operation of the OSS  130 . The fault management unit  335  may receive information from every device, computer and application in the OSS  130  via the process management system  130 . In situations where a fault has been detected, the fault management unit  335  may transmit a trouble ticket identifying the fault to the appropriate system administrator. 
   The data collection unit  336  collects customer usage and performance data for the devices supported by the OSS  130 , transforms the data, if necessary, and passes the data on to the appropriate device, such as the billing unit  337 . In one implementation, the data collection unit  336  utilizes a hierarchical architecture, having a centralized manager that defines and manages collection and data transformation schemas. Individual, lower level gatherers interface with source targets. 
   The billing unit  337  receives customer usage and performance data from the data collection unit  336  and generates bills in a well-known manner based thereon. The billing unit  337  may be configured with a variety of rating rules and plans and may provide mechanisms to manage and create rating plans, as well as mechanisms for building revenue reports and generating billing reports. The rating rules may be customized based on a particular customer&#39;s requirements or generalized. The rating rules may include traditional telephony styled rating rules that include time-of-day, day-of-week, distance-based, flat rate, non-recurring, and recurring on a definably regular basis, such as weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, etc., ratings. In an exemplary implementation of the present invention, the billing unit  337  may also provide bonus points, airline miles, and other incentive items as part of the rules-based rating and billing service. 
   Billing unit  337  may provide revenue and billing reports to authorized parties. Billing unit  337  may allow customers to access previous invoices and view current charges not yet billed. In an exemplary implementation consistent with the present invention, billing unit  337  may transfer rated events and summary records into other billing and revenue systems. For example, billing unit  337  may receive and transfer billing information or event information to a legacy billing system (i.e., an existing billing system) that generates the actual bill. In alternative implementations, billing unit  337  may provide hard copy bills and/or provide electronic bills to a customer. In this implementation, billing unit  337  may be configured to perform electronic payment handling. 
   As customer orders and accounts are created or modified through normal business functions, the OSS  130  keeps the billing unit  337  up to date in a real time manner via the process management system  310 . Authorized parties may also extract real time data from the billing unit  337 . 
   The report unit  338  may interact with various components of the OSS  130 , such as the ODS  332  and billing unit  337 , to provide users (e.g., customers, engineers, and accountants) with the ability to obtain reports based on real time data. The reports may include, for example, billing reports, reports regarding the usage and/or performance of the network, etc. As described in more detail below, the user may gain access to the report unit  338 , as well as the other components of the OSS  130 , via a single sign-on. 
   The traditional telephony systems  340  may include one or more components that are typically used in a telecommunications network. In one implementation, the traditional telephony systems  340  include one or more legacy systems, such as an order entry system, provisioning system, billing system, and the like. 
   The voice portal unit  350  provides a variety of information services to subscribers. These services may include, for example, banking, brokerage, and financial services, travel and entertainment services, distribution and shipping services, insurance services, health and pharmaceutical services, manufacturing services, and the like. The voice portal unit  350  may store subscriber profiles to determine a subscriber&#39;s device preference (e.g., a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant, a paging device, and the like) and may also track a subscriber&#39;s access to the services for billing purposes. 
   The web center  360  acts as a virtual call center by queuing, routing, and distributing communications from any first location to an appropriate agent at any second location. The web center  360  allows agents to handle multiple mediums (e.g., inbound telephone calls, faxes, e-mails, voicemail, VoIP transactions, etc.) via a single browser-based interface. 
   The IPCOM unit  370  may include one or more devices that provide VoIP services to subscribers. The subscribers may make and receive calls via an IP communications network using, for example, session initiation protocol (SIP) telephones. The IPCOM unit  370  may support the following exemplary services: follow me, call blocking, call forwarding, voice mail, conference calling, single line extension, call screening, quality of service, class of service, dial-plan restrictions, dynamic registration, secondary directory number, and call transfer. Customers may set or change attributes associated with these features via the network interface  320 . 
   The vBNS+unit  380  provides the IP infrastructure for the IP communications network. The vBNS+unit  380  may include a group of routers that route packets in the network. The non-integrated applications  390  may include, for example, a security unit, a trouble ticketing unit, and a fault manager. The security unit may include one or more firewalls for securing the network interface  320 , telephone equipment (e.g., PBX, switch, and redirect server), and network operations. The trouble ticketing unit manages the issuance and resolution of trouble tickets. The fault manager monitors the hardware components of the OSS  130 . 
     FIG. 4  illustrates an exemplary configuration of the process management system  310  of  FIG. 3  in an implementation consistent with the present invention. As illustrated, the process management system  310  includes a bus  410 , a processor  420 , a memory  430 , an input device  440 , an output device  450 , and a communication interface  460 . The bus  410  permits communication among the components of the process management system  310 . 
   The processor  420  may include any type of conventional processor or microprocessor that interprets and executes instructions. The memory  430  may include a RAM or another type of dynamic storage device that stores information and instructions for execution by the processor  420 ; a ROM or another type of static storage device that stores static information and instructions for use by the processor  420 ; and/or some type of magnetic or optical recording medium and its corresponding drive. 
   The input device  440  may include any conventional mechanism or combination of mechanisms that permits an operator to input information to the process management system  310 , such as a keyboard, a mouse, a pen, a biometric mechanism, and the like. The output device  450  may include any conventional mechanism or combination of mechanisms that outputs information to the operator, including a display, a printer, a speaker, etc. The communication interface  460  may include any transceiver-like mechanism that enables the process management system  310  to communicate with other devices and/or systems, such as the network interface  320 , integrated applications  330 , traditional telephony systems  340 , etc. via a wired, wireless, or optical connection. 
   Execution of the sequences of instructions contained in a computer-readable medium, such as memory  430 , causes processor  420  to implement the functional operations described below. In alternative embodiments, hardwired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions to implement the present invention. Thus, the present invention is not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software. 
     FIG. 5  illustrates an exemplary functional block diagram of the process management system  310  of  FIG. 3  in an implementation consistent with the present invention. As illustrated, the process management system  310  includes a process automator  510 , an analyzer  520 , a group of connectors  530 , and a transformer  540 . It will be appreciated that the process management system  310  may include additional functional elements (not shown) that aid in the reception, processing, and/or transmission of data. 
   The processor automator  510  includes a modeling tool that allows event processing to be visually modeled by engineers and product development analysts. The process automator  510  can then execute these models to create an automated business process. The analyzer  520  provides on-going and real time monitoring of the components of the OSS  130 . The analyzer  520  delivers reports, history, and trending on events processed through the process management system  310 . 
   The connectors  530  include a group of customized rules that allows the components of the OSS  130  to interact and communicate with the process management system  310 . A unique connector  530  may be established for each component in the OSS  130 . As new components are added to the OSS  130 , new connectors  530  are established to allow the new components to communicate with the existing components of the OSS  130 . Once the connectors  530  have been established, the OSS components may communicate with the process management system  310  via standard messaging or through full publish/subscribe processing. The transformer  540  inspects data received by the connectors  530 . The transformer  540  may also transform the data received by the connectors  530 , if necessary, prior to the data being transferred on to its destination. 
     FIG. 6  illustrates an exemplary configuration of the voice portal unit  350  of  FIG. 3  in an implementation consistent with the present invention. As illustrated, the voice portal unit  350  includes an eXtensible Program Management (XPM) unit  610 , one or more voice portal application servers  620 , and a customer directory database  630 . The XPM unit  610  receives user profile information from the network interface  320  via the process management system  310  and stores this information for use by the voice portal application servers  620 . The XPM unit  610  may also receive other information, such as information identifying the device(s) (e.g., personal digital assistant, cellular telephone, pager, etc.) by which the customer wishes to receive the service(s) provided. 
   The voice portal application servers  620  may include one or more servers that interact with the XPM unit  610  to provide, for example, banking, brokerage, and financial services, travel and entertainment services, distribution and shipping services, insurance services, health and pharmaceutical services, manufacturing services, and the like. Voice portal application servers  620  may also provide data collection unit  336  with information regarding what services are accessed and by whom. The data collection unit  336  may then pass this information on to the billing unit  337  for billing purposes. The voice portal application servers  620  may be located at the OSS  130  or distributed throughout the network  110 . The customer directories  630  may store information relating to the services provided by the voice portal application servers  620 . For example, the customer directories  630  may store stock quotes, current weather forecasts, real time sports scores, etc. 
     FIG. 7  illustrates an exemplary configuration of the web center  360  of  FIG. 3  in an implementation consistent with the present invention. As illustrated, the web center  360  includes a communications server  710  and an agent information database  720 . The communications server  710  queues, routes, and distributes communications from any first location to an appropriate agent at any second location. The communications server  710  may determine the appropriate agent based on data stored in the agent information database  720 . The agent information database  720  may store agent activity information, the particular skills of the agents, and the like. Once a customer has utilized the services of the web center  360 , the usage information may be transmitted to the data collection unit  336  and then to the billing unit  337  for billing. Users may, via the network interface  320 , provision new services, such as order a toll free number, and/or create new accounts at the web center  360 . 
     FIG. 8  illustrates an exemplary configuration of the IPCOM unit  370  of  FIG. 3  in an implementation consistent with the present invention. As illustrated, the IPCOM unit  370  includes a network server/redirect server  810 , CPE enterprise gateways  820 , and network gateways  830 . The network server/redirect server  810  processes calls made over the IP communications network based on data stored in an associated database  815 . The database  815  may store data (or records) relating to call processing (e.g., information identifying the device by which the subscriber wishes to receive the call, network configuration information, etc.), subscriber profiles (e.g., subscriber identifiers), and network-supported features. The network server/redirect server  810  may direct calls to the appropriate gateway  820  or  830  based on this data. The network-supported features may include, for example, follow me, call blocking, call forwarding, voice mail, conference calling, single line extension, call screening, quality of service, class of service, dial-plan restrictions, dynamic registration, secondary directory number, and call transfer. 
   The CPE enterprise gateways  820  may include one or more gateways for linking customer systems to the IP communications network. The CPE enterprise gateways  820  may, for example, connect to a customer&#39;s PBX and convert time division multiplexed (TDM) voice data into VoIP packets and voice signaling into SIP messages. The network gateways  830  include one or more gateways for linking the IP communications network to the PSTN in a well-known manner. The redirect server  810 , CPE enterprise gateways  820 , and network gateways  830  track customer access and transmit this customer access data to the data collection unit  336  for billing purposes. 
     FIG. 9  illustrates an exemplary configuration of the vBNS+ unit  380  of  FIG. 3  in an implementation consistent with the present invention. As illustrated, the vBNS+ unit  380  includes a group of edge routers  910  that route packets to/from the vBNS+ core network  920 . The edge routers  910  may connect to the network server/redirect server  810 , network gateways  830 , customer&#39;s CPE equipment, other routers in the IPCom network, directly to SIP telephones, etc. The edge routers  910  may be configured or updated via the network interface  320 . The vBNS+core  920  may include one or more core routers for routing packets between edge routers  910 . 
   The foregoing description of the OSS  130  provides an overview of the components and operation of the OSS  130 . A more detailed description of the present invention is provided below. 
   EXEMPLARY PROCESSING 
   As described above, the OSS  130  offers a unique combination of products and services (e.g., billing, reporting, voice portal applications, VoIP services, etc.). In addition to the user having to login (or register) with the OSS  130  in order to gain access to the products and service provided thereby, some of these individual products or services may require the user to login a second time to gain access to the particular product or service desired. Implementations consistent with the present invention eliminate the need for users to login more than once to gain access to the products and services of the OSS  130 . While the foregoing processing is described in relation to the report unit  338 , it will be appreciated that the processing is equally applicable to other units of the OSS  130  or to other systems in general that require users to login multiple times. 
     FIG. 10  illustrates an exemplary process for accessing the report unit  338  in an implementation consistent with the present invention. Processing may begin with a user (e.g., a customer, an accounting person, etc.) establishing a connection with the network interface  320  [act  1010 ]. The user may, for example, accomplish this via any conventional Internet connection by entering a link or address, such as a uniform resource locator (URL), associated with the network interface  320 . In alternative implementations, the user may establish a direct connection with the network interface  320 . In each of these scenarios, the network interface  320  may then transmit a login screen to the user in order to authenticate the user [act  1020  ]. 
     FIG. 11  illustrates an exemplary login screen  1100  consistent with the present invention. As illustrated, the login screen  1100  prompts the user to enter an identifier (ID)  1110  and password  1120 . The ID  1110  may be, for example, an e-mail address or some other unique identifier associated with the user. The password  1120  may be a unique alphanumeric string created by the user. 
   The user may enter an ID  1110  and password  1120  in a well-known manner via the user device  120 . In the exemplary login screen  1100  illustrated in  FIG. 11 , the user entered the ID “JOESMITH1234” and the password “12345.” Upon selecting the submit button, the user device  120  may then transmit the user ID  1110  and password  1120  to the network interface  320 . The network interface  320  may authenticate the user by, for example, comparing the user&#39;s ID  1110  and password  1120  to authorized identifiers and passwords [act  1020 ]. 
   Once authenticated, the network interface  320  may determine the level of authorization with which the user is associated [act  1030 ]. A user&#39;s level of authorization dictates which components, services, or records of the OSS  130  to which the user is granted access. For example, a director of a company may have access to the records of all of the company&#39;s employees. A supervisor in the company, however, may have access to only those records associated with employees under his/her immediate control. An employee may have access to only his/her own records. 
   Once the user is authenticated and a level of authorization has been determined, the network interface  320  may capture the user&#39;s ID  1110  and password  1120  [act  1040 ] and transmit this information to the report unit  338  [act  1050 ]. In one implementation consistent with the present invention, the network interface  320  captures the user&#39;s ID  1110  and password  1120  in a cookie and transmits this cookie to the report unit  338 . In the example given above, the cookie may contain the following information: 
   
     
       
             
             
             
             
             
           
         
             
                 
                 
             
           
           
             
                 
               UserID 
               JOESMITH1234 
               Password 
               12345. 
             
             
                 
                 
             
           
        
       
     
   
   In an alternative implementation, the network interface  320  may transmit the cookie to the report unit  338  in response to the user indicating a desire to view reports. For example, in response to the network interface  320  authenticating the user and determining a level of authorization, the network interface  320  may transmit one or more graphical user interface screens to the user device  120  to allow the user to perform account management and/or billing functions. 
     FIG. 12  illustrates an exemplary account management introductory screen  1200  that may be provided to the user by the network interface  320  in an implementation consistent with the present invention. As illustrated, the account management introductory screen  1200  allows the user to select from the following exemplary categories: Order Management  1210 , Service Management  1220 , and Billing Management  1230 . Via the Order Management category  1210 , the user may create, modify, cancel, or view orders. Via the Service Management category  1220 , the user may obtain reports and manage and provision IP communication services. Via the Billing Management category  1230 , the user may view current or past invoices. 
   Upon selecting a link in one of the categories  1210 – 1230 , such as the REPORTING link, the network interface  320  provides the user with one or more screens for performing the desired function(s). Assume that the user desires to obtain a near real-time report relating to port usage. To do so, the user may select the REPORTING link in the Service Management category  1220  illustrated in  FIG. 12 . In response, the network interface  320  may transmit the cookie, containing the user&#39;s ID  1110  and password  1120  to the report unit  338 . 
   Upon receipt of the cookie, the report unit  338  may automatically perform a login operation in a manner that is transparent to the user [act  1060 ]. Here, the report unit  338  may authenticate the user by, for example, comparing the user&#39;s ID  1110  and password  1120  to authorized identifiers and passwords. The report unit  338  may then determine the level of authorization with which the user is associated (i.e., determine to which reports the user is permitted access). As indicated above, a director of a company may be permitted access to all of the company&#39;s records. In such a situation, the report unit  338  could allow the director to generate reports based on all of the company&#39;s records. In contrast, an employee may only have access to his/her own records. Therefore, the employee may only obtain reports based on his/her own records. 
   Once the user is properly logged into the report unit  338  and the user&#39;s level of authorization has been determined, the network interface  320  may transmit one or more graphical user interface screens to the user to allow the user to request one or more reports from the report unit  338 .  FIG. 13  illustrates an exemplary graphical user interface screen  1300  that may be provided to the user in an implementation consistent with the present invention. As illustrated, the user may select to receive reports on traffic usage  1310 , traffic monitoring  1320 , and priced reporting  1330 . It will be appreciated that the report unit  338  may provide other or different reports. 
   The traffic usage link  1310  allows users to analyze overall usage patterns by providing port usage reports. These reports may be based, for example, on hourly, daily, or weekly data. The traffic monitoring link  1320  provides users with reports on near real-time port usage, congestion, delay, packet loss statistics, etc. to allow users to make traffic routing decisions and to track performance against service level agreements. The priced reporting link  1330  provides users with reports on port usage by location or enterprise, user features, etc. based, for example, on hourly, daily, or weekly data. The user may use these reports to analyze usage statistics. 
   In response to the user selecting a particular report and inputting the desired parameters (e.g., a date range), the report unit  338  may then generate the requested reports in a well known manner and provide the reports to the user via the network interface  320  [act  1070 ]. 
   The single sign on capability described above eliminates the need to replicate user and security information in a reporting system, making user administration a scalable process. Moreover, the authentication and authorization process ensures that users access only those reports for which they have permission thereby protecting sensitive reports. 
   CONCLUSION 
   Implementations consistent with the present invention provide a single sign on capability to a report unit of an operational support system. The single sign on technique of the present invention eliminates the need for a user to login once to access the products and services (e.g., VoIP services) offered by the operational support system, and a second time to access the reporting capability. 
   The foregoing description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention. For example, it will be appreciated that the present invention can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. Thus, the present invention is not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software. 
   Moreover, while a series of acts has been described with respect to  FIG. 10 , the order of the acts may vary in other implementations consistent with the present invention. In addition, non-dependent acts may be performed in parallel. 
   No element, act, or instruction used in the description of the present application should be construed as critical or essential to the invention unless explicitly described as such. Also, as used herein, the article “a” is intended to include one or more items. Where only one item is intended, the term “one” or similar language is used. 
   The scope of the invention is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Technology Category: 5