Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF VIDEO TRANSMISSION SERVICES
Field of the invention
The present invention relates to the field of broadcast communications, and
more
particularly to a system and method for managing procurement and provisioning
of
video transmission services from a plurality of video service providers.
Description of the prior art
Telecommunications systems are used to provide many different types of
broadcast telecommunications services. Broadcast telecommunications services
are used by broadcasters to send and receive high quality television signals
(news, sports, programming, etc.). From the video transmission of a football
match
to a live interview with the Pope, broadcasters buy a variety of services
("items").
Some of these items can be listed as follow: live positions, tape play out,
standard
conversion, uplink, downlink, turn around, space segment, fiber transport,
etc.
Companies that supply broadcast telecommunication services are known as Video
Service Providers (VSP)
The video distribution system is extremely complex, with multiple networks
owned
by competitive VSPs communicating through shared switching facilities. These
networks comprise multiple element types, including: terrestrial fibre
networks,
satellite networks, earth stations (up/down links), mobile earth stations,
television
switching centers, post production facilities and broadcasters. Each network
has
its own unique protocols, characteristics, pricing structure, relationships,
etc.,
Generally, these characteristics are known only to the owners of the
individual
networks. A typical video transmission will require the participation of
multiple
transmission service providers, and thus crosses through multiple transmission
networks. With current technology, establishing such a video transmission
route
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requires manual intervention by multiple organizations since there is no
consistent
network model between multiple suppliers. Automation of this process is not
possible without such a consistent model.
A broadcaster establishes relations with several VSPs to cover its video
transmission services needs. Since news recognize no borders, video content
comes from everywhere to everywhere in the world. Each time a video
transmission is required, a broadcaster analyzes how many items they will
require
to successfully transmit the television signal. During this process, several
communications are sent to the VSPs in order to find out what items they offer
and
what the price per item is. Currently, there is no existing standard or
process to
communicate those requirements or to answer to them. Several communications
must happen between the broadcaster and the VSPs until all items are clearly
identified and defined. Each item is a collection of technical parameters that
indicates how the television signal is being treated and from where to where
is
going through. This collection of information is called "connectivity".
Each item is also sold individually or as part of a bundle. A VSP will assign
different set of rate cards to its items or bundles. Rate cards are time-
sensitive -
the longer the duration the higher the cost. Rate cards vary from VSP to VSP.
VSPs will communicate to the broadcaster the rate card details per item. There
is
no existing standard or process to communicate the rate card information. The
broadcaster will do its best to calculate the cost per item depending on the
duration of the video transmission. Finally, the addition of all items will
result in the
final cost.
The booking stage starts once the broadcaster had agreed on the cost of the
video
transmission per item per VSP. The "booking" represents the actual
confirmation/reservation of acquiring the items for a particular date, time
and
duration. The reservation of the item is particular to each VSP. Some may
require
a fax confirmation, others an email confirmation, others may have web-based
system; others will accept a phone call confirmation, etc. If the broadcaster
is not
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accredited with the VSP then a credit application form must be submitted
before
the booking. Each credit application is particular to each VSP. When one or
some
of the items are not available, VSPs will communicate to the broadcasters the
next
available window (date, time and duration when the item will become
available).
The broadcaster will receive this information in a variety of formats, each
one
particular to each VSP. With no existing standard processes, the broadcaster
and
the VSPs will do their best exchanging several communications with
availability
information about the different items until the broadcaster find the window
where
all items are available. Once all items are booked, each VSP will send a
booking
confirmation to the broadcaster. Some confirmations may require technical
specifications. It is up to the broadcaster to ask for these specifications.
The
means of communication and the format of the booking confirmation are
particular
to each VSP. Even though each VSP has invested in complex scheduling systems
to manage its assets, there is no existing standard or protocol to seamlessly
pass
the information from one system to another. There is no standard set of data
defined in the video transmission industry.
All items must be lined up before the video transmission. The line up is the
actual
check that all items are ready to receive and transmit the signal. The higher
the
number of VSPs involved the more complex the video transmission becomes. The
broadcaster will proceed to communicate with each VSP. All communications
during the line up are via telephone calls. Some VSPs will accept to start the
line
up five minutes before the video transmission while others may accept more
than
ten minutes. The line up process before the transmission and all preventive
and
reactive actions taken by the broadcaster during the video transmission are
commonly known as "transmission coordination". If a problem is encountered
with
one of the VSPs (television signal is not received at the destination, audio
is
breaking up, video quality is not acceptable, etc.), the broadcaster will
communicate with all of VSPs to make sure they can detect the problem and are
ready to extend the duration of the video transmission if needed. During the
telephone communications, all actions are done on an ad-hoc basis. There is no
standard process to follow up the transmission coordination; neither there is
a
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standard to communicate transmission problems. The video transmission success
will depend on the experience of the personnel.
Several days, weeks or months after the video transmission occurred, the
broadcaster will receive the different invoices from the VSPs. Each invoice
will
name the item sold to the broadcaster in a different way. There is no standard
format for invoicing video transmission services. The broadcaster will go
through a
manual process to conciliate all costs and make sure that the estimated cost
matches the actual one.
With world globalization and the need to communicate faster and better,
broadcasters are looking forward to have seamless access to video transmission
services. Other types of businesses are also looking forward to use video
transmission services as a way to communicate better (telemedicine, corporate
television, video-on-demand, etc.). With no standard process to manage the
exchange of information between the Video Service Providers and the customers,
the access to video transmission services is restricted to companies that have
gone through the growing pains of doing video transmissions and are willing to
accept the current quality of those services.
Attempts to automate the video transmission industry are ongoing at the
individual
and not industry level. For example, broadcasters have developed their own
software applications to automate their internal management of video
transmission
resources. This software is only able to control the broadcaster's respective
video
transmission network and/or its video service provider of choice.
The same applies for VSPs. Some have developed their own software that can
only automate the control of their very own video transmission network.
However
the benefits of automation are left behind as VSPs are forced to work with
other
VSPs with different automation (or lack of) practices.
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Some VSPs have formed alliances, similar to the airline industry, and have
committed to share common management platforms. However the incestuous and
highly competitive nature of the video transmission industry prevents any
meaningful industry wide automation of video transmission. In addition,
alliances
5 exclude many VSPs and do not offer any meaningful solution to automate the
video transmission industry as a whole.
From a macro-perspective, VSPs are mainly made up of telecommunication
companies who recognize that video transmission is not their core business.
Even
media companies have conceded that video transmission is mission-critical but
not
a core business such as the buying and selling of video content. As such, the
video transmission industry finds itself in today's highly fragmented state
with no
incentive or support to become automated.
Video transmission hardware vendors have created impressive automation
software to allow for the seamless control of their respective equipment.
However
the lack of interoperability between hardware vendors software programs, as
well
as competitive practices, prevents any meaningful industry level automation of
video transmission services.
There is no universal strategy or automated solution to deal with the control
of
video transmissions from a plurality of video transmission service providers.
Summary of the invention
It is an object of the invention to provide a system and method for permitting
an
integration of video services, and for providing an automated solution to the
procurement and provisioning of video services. In accordance with the
invention,
this object is achieved with a system for the management of procurement and
provisioning of video transmission services, comprising:
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(a) a database containing information related to video transmission
services provided by a video service provider for a plurality of video
service providers;
(b) a routing engine operatively associated with said database for
calculating at least one route for routing a video service between
video service providers based on selectable criteria;
(c) a cost engine operatively associated with said database for
calculating a cost associated with each of said at least one route
calculated by said routing engine;
(d) an ordering module for entering said criteria; and
(e) a video transmission coordination module for delivering a video
transmission service from origin to destination
Brief description of the drawings
The present invention and its advantages will be more easily understood
after reading the following non-restrictive description of preferred
embodiments
thereof, made with reference to the following drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a schematic representation of the system according to a
preferred embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a schematic representation of the system according to a
preferred embodiment of the present invention, operatively connected to a
plurality
of electronic interfaces;
Figure 3 is a schematic representation of the interoperability of two systems
of the present invention;
Figure 4 is the data model class hierarchy for the Java Graph Framework
used in the system of the present invention;
Figure 5 is the utility class hierarchy for the Java Graph Framework used in
the system of the present invention;
Figure 6 is a schematic representation of different items offered by various
VSPs, and illustrates how some VSPs can bundle more than one item;
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Figure 7 is a schematic representation of the flow of cost calculation per
cost option;
Figure 8 is a schematic representation of the video service universe, and
illustrates how the system of the present invention interacts with all actors;
Figure 9 is a representation of the criteria selectable by a client, the
result of
the analysis and the selection of a given option by a client.
Description of a preferred embodiment of the invention
System overview
The present invention provides a system and method for the management of
procurement and provisioning of video transmission services from a plurality
of
video service providers.
For the purpose of the present invention, an operational process is a
continued set
of actions (sequence) performed intentionally in order to reach some result.
The present invention provides operational processes to support the
procurement
and provisioning of video transmission services. It is targeted to companies
that
perform the following activities:
1. Procure video transmission services from a plurality of Video Service
Providers (the process of getting and analyzing cost and technical
information from each VSP to provide routing and cost options based on
particular requirements).
2. Provision video transmission services from a plurality of Video Service
Providers (the process of scheduling and coordinating compatible services
from each VSP to perform a video transmission based on particular
requirements).
3. Provide video transmission services from a plurality of Video Service
Providers to a customer base (the process of offer to sell and sell video
transmission services from a plurality of Video Service Providers).
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For the purpose of this invention, any company that performs the list of
activities
described above will be referred to herein as "organization"; any Video
Service
Provider will be referred to herein as "supplier"; and any customer of the
organization will be referred to herein as "customer".
The operational processes defined in this invention are centric to the
organization.
Although the maximum benefits are for the organization, the other parties
(customers and VSPs) will also benefit from the operational processes by
reducing
the number of unnecessary communications and quality of service improvements.
The following are the definition of actors per party:
1. The organization, as being the focus of this invention, has different
actors,
namely called Brokers:
a. Broker supplier relations: The broker supplier relation is
responsible to turn a prospect supplier into a fully operational
supplier as well as maintain the coverage of the video transmission
service. To perform those responsibilities, the broker supplier
gathers and maintains the supplier information (contact information,
network data, cost information and conditions, operational policies),
negotiates prices with suppliers when required (depends on broker
marketing input) and maintains the routes and cost of the video
transmission services.
b. Broker sales: The broker sales is responsible to turn a prospect into
a customer as well as maintain the relations with customers. To
effectively acquire sales, the broker sales interfaces with the
customers and perform some operations on behalf of them (enter
quotation, enter service order, etc.). The broker sales also performs
the following operations: maintain relations with customer, maintain
the customer information, promote the video transmission service
(rate cards, special events) and get customer feedback.
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c. Broker operation: The broker operation is responsible to manage
the execution of a service order (provisioning) including: bookings,
amendments, cancellation, transmission coordination,
troubleshooting and reporting. To supervise / perform these
activities, the broker operation is in contact with suppliers and
customers. So if needed, the broker operation may update some
supplier and customer information during the provisioning of video
transmission services.
d. Broker accounting: The broker accounting is responsible to
manage the receivables and payables of each transaction (service
orders and bookings) including: billing, billing disputes, credits, cost
conciliation and currency exchanges.
e. Broker marketing: The broker marketing is responsible to manage
the overall video transmission service strategy: coverage (what
should the organization cover?), cost (How much should the video
transmission service cost?), price (How much should the
organization charge for the video transmission service?) and
discounts (What level of discounts should the organization grant to
the customers?).
2. Actor supplier: This actor is responsible to supply contracted services to
the broker. The supplier facilitates network and cost information to the
broker. To effectively supply its services to the broker, the supplier
maintains its contact information, network data, operational policies, cost
information and conditions. Suppliers can be classified in two groups:
a. Network suppliers: A supplier that only facilitates its network, but do
not offer services.
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b. Service suppliers: A supplier that sell services using its own
resources or other suppliers' resources.
3. Actor customer: This actor acquires video transmission services from the
5 broker. To effectively acquire services from the broker, the customer
maintains its contact information and connectivity profile. The customer
interfaces through the broker to do these operations: enter quotation, view
quotation, enter service order, view service order, enter service order
amendment and enter service order cancellation. From quotation to service
10 order and video transmission, the customer is fully informed along the
procurement and provisioning of a video transmission services.
Each of the actors described in the previous paragraphs has access to certain
actions. These actions are use cases. Each use case can be shared by more than
one actor. Each operational process is defined by a sequence of use cases and
the interaction between actors.
The operational processes / sequences are grouped as follows:
1. Procurement operational processes
a. Enter Quotation
b. Quotation processing
c. Manage Route
d. Sales management processes
i. Customer care
ii. Manage Customer
e. Supplier management processes
i. Cost reduction
ii. Manage Supplier
iii. Supplier care
f. Service management process
i. Manage Coverage
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ii. Manage Discount
iii. Manage Special Events
iv. Market Intelligence
2. Provisioning
operational
processes
a. Enter Service Order
b. Enter Service Order Amendment
c. Enter Service Order Cancellation
d. Resource Not Available
e. Service Order Amendment
f. Service Order Cancellation
g. Service Order Processing
h. Service Order Rejection
i. Service Order Troubleshooting
j. Transmission Coordination
3. Billin g operational processes
a. Receivables processes
i. Billing sequence
ii. Billing Dispute sequence
b. Payable processes
i. Payable sequence
ii. Payable Dispute sequence
To introduce the system and methods of the present invention, it is important
to
provide an overview of the process flow. The process flow goes from quotation
and placing a service order to the actual video transmission coordination
(service
activation), troubleshooting and billing.
In this respect, and with reference to Fig. 8, the present invention provides
a
system 10 whereby a user can, in an automatic and integrated fashion, book a
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video transmission to originate at point A and terminate and point B for a
given
duration of time, at a given moment in time, without having to go through the
tedious, manual process of the prior art. It can be seen that the system 10 is
interconnected with all of the players of the video transmission universe, and
thereby offers an integrated solution.
Referring now to figure 1, there is shown a schematic representation of the
modules of the system 10 of the present invention.
The workflow engine 11 is the nucleus of the system. The workflow engine
organizes and manages the flow of information between the system and the
organization's workforce (employees) and even between disparate systems as
appropriate. The workflow engine organizes business processes into task flows
and their related subtasks, enabling the organization to manually or
automatically
complete tasks as needed. The workflow engine follows the operational process
of
the organization.
The inventory 13, or database, is the storage of all information related to
the
business of the organization. It includes a network data model where all video
transmission services are clearly defined with their appropriate relations
(which
VSP provides the service, which VSP sells the service, technical parameters of
each service, etc.). Each video transmission service is subject to cost
information
and conditions. Contact information as well as operational policies from the
customers and VSPs may also be stored as part of an addendum to the inventory.
The information in the inventory is readily available for the routing engine
and cost
engine.
The routing 15 and cost 17 engines are computational algorithms than use
certain
information of the database to execute specific business logic. The routing
engine
performs the finding of different routing options (mapping) using the
information
contained in the inventory. Every routing option comprises a list of video
transmission services that are compatible with each other. The cost engine
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performs the cost assignment to each routing option. Each routing option may
have many cost options depending on the business logic applied to the
algorithm.
The scheduling management module 19 provides information about the
availability
of each resource. A resource is the physical representation in the system of
the
physical infrastructure available for each video transmission service stored
in the
inventory. A video transmission service could have many resources; different
resources can be used within the same date and time. The scheduling manages
the availability per resource and prevents the use of resources that had
already
been reserved (booked).
More specifically, the provision of a video transmission requires not only the
booking of items (services) with the required suppliers but also implies the
physical
reservation of network elements. These network elements represent the
electronic components required to transmit/receive a video transmission. Some
network elements are antennas, decoders, encoders, fiber loops, video
switching
equipment, video tape recorders, etc. Each of these network elements is
defined
in the inventory (database) so that the system can manage them through the
schedule management system. A network element is booked once there is a
booking. The booking indicates the use of the resource (start date or time and
end
date or time). The time is usually set in hours, minutes and/or seconds. A
network element must be released from a booking when there is a booking
cancellation, so that it can be available for future bookings. Each item and
its
respective network element is booked with the following information: start
date and
time of the video transmission; end date and time of the video transmission;
and
appropriate unique identifiers, such as purchase order number and service
order
number.
The scheduling management module allows a user to book an item (or service)
and its respective network element for a certain period of time and within a
certain
context. A user is then capable of determining of a specific item is already
booked
or if it is available. The scheduling management module also is preferably
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adapted to automatically warn a user if an item has already been booked in
order
to prevent double-booking of elements.
It should also be noted that an item may have several network elements.
Consequently, when all of the elements of an item are booked for a certain
period
of time, the particular item is removed from the list of available items.
Since a video transmission comprises many items, the successful booking of a
video transmission will depend on the availability of the items and its
network
elements. If one of the items cannot be booked, then the customer will have to
reschedule the video transmission.
The procurement subsystem 21 provides a set of standard interfaces and forms
to
get and analyze cost and technical information from each VSP and provide
routing
and cost options based on particular requirements. Those particular
requirements
are entered into the system through a quotation (i.e. request for quotation).
Procurement makes extensive use of the routing and cost engine through the
workflow engine.
The provisioning subsystem 23 provides a set of standard interfaces and forms
to
reserve, schedule and coordinate compatible video transmission services from a
plurality of VSPs. The objective of provisioning is to perform all activities
required
to provision the network infrastructure requirements for a video transmission
service from origin to destination. The specific requirements for a video
transmission service are entered into the system through a service order (i.e.
request for service).
Both procurement and provisioning are subject to the workflow engine. These
two
major process oriented modules may trigger different tasks to different users
based on the workflow engine.
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The billing subsystem 25 provides the necessary tools to issue invoices as
well as
keep track of payables and receivables. Billing also includes cost
conciliation and
invoice dispute resolutions.
5 The hardware controller 27 receives commands from the system and translates
them into serial or parallel communications in order to communicate with the
various equipments that may be involved in the video transmission service
activation. Once the hardware controller interfaces with the equipment, it is
also
adapted to raise alarms depending on the status of the equipment (bad
10 configuration, not responding, equipment failure, etc.). Some of the
equipments
that the hardware controller interacts with are: video switching equipment,
encoders, decoders, standard converters, etc. It will be appreciated by
persons
skilled in the art that adapting the hardware controller to raise alarms does
not
involve any inventive activity.
The ordering subsystem 29 is an important element for the organization.
Ordering
is where the organization enters and manages much of the information necessary
for providing a video transmission service. The organization can keep track of
customers and manage relationships with suppliers and trading partners as
well.
The ordering system preferably features an intuitive graphical user interface
(GUI),
which helps customer-service representatives complete orders more quickly and
accurately and can even provide the capability for customers to place their
own
orders via Internet (electronic orders). The ordering system also automates
some
of the data entry that is common to the types of services the organization
offers,
further reducing the time to enter an order. The ordering system also performs
a
certain amount of error checking to notify users when required data has been
omitted or invalid data has been entered; this functionality helps maintain
overall
process integrity and helps prevent incorrect/incomplete orders, which can be
both
costly and time-consuming.
In accordance with a preferred aspect of the invention, there are three ways
to
enter a service order into the system.
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A customer can first turn a quotation into a service order by selecting an
option
(route and price). Secondly, a customer enters a service order by selecting a
special event or rate card. In both cases the customer will select a route
specified
in the special event or rate card. There is no quotation provided to the
customer.
Thirdly, a customer or broker operation enters a service order by selecting a
route
that had been used before by the customer or from the routing table (manual
calculated route). In all cases there is a minimum set of data required to
enter a
service order. Most of this data is already included in the quotation (case 1
) or in
the special event / rate card (case 2). Since in either case there might be
some
additional data required, the following is an example of a complete set of
data
required:
1. Customer: Company name and contact name.
2. Origin (From): A city, site, location, satellite or switching center.
a. If the origin is a Site, please provide address information and
connectivity information. If the customer has transmitted from
this Site before, it is imperative that this connectivity
information is passed into the system. If this information is not
available, the system can either quote an SNG vehicle / Uplink
truck when available or reject the request for quotation.
b. If the origin is a city, the route engine will perform the quotation
response by proposing a default network facility (Switching
Center, Teleport) that can be used as an origin.
c. If the origin is a satellite, the following information must be
included:
i. Valid satellite administration name, valid satellite ID,
Band: C or Ku.
ii. Type of transmission: Analog or Digital
iii. If Digital, the space segment bandwidth in Mhz
(normally 9Mhz)
iv. Will the customer provide the space segment? Yes
or No.
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d. An origin cannot be a continent, a country, a region, a TBD.
e. Video format and audio format are mandatory. Check the
video format at the country of origin. If the video format or
audio format selected by the customer at a specific origin is not
available, the system will quote the available ones.
f. Service required at the origin (user services): there are some
services required at the origin that the customer has to select.
These services are known as user services. The following are
some of the user services usually provided: tape play out,
stand up live position, studio live position, camera & crew,
editing facilities, equipment rental, etc.
3. Destination (To): A city, site, location, satellite or switching center.
a. If the destination is the Customer Site, please provide address
information and connectivity information. If the customer has
received video transmissions at this Site before, it is imperative
that this connectivity information is passed into the system. If
none of this information is available, the customer and the
Broker Sales will be advised to enter the customer connectivity
profile.
b. If the destination is a city, the route engine will perform the
quotation response by proposing a default network facility
(Switching Center, Teleport) that can be used as a destination.
c. If the destination is a satellite, the following information must
be included:
i. Valid satellite administration name, valid satellite ID,
Band: C or Ku.
ii. Type of transmission: Analog or Digital
iii. If Digital, the transponder space in MHz (normally 9
MHz)
iv. Will the customer provide the space segment? Yes
or No.
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v. A destination cannot be a continent, a country, a
region, a TBD.
vi. Video format and audio format are mandatory.
Check the video format at the country of destination.
If the video format or audio format selected by the
customer at a specific origin is not available, the
system will quote the available ones.
4. Start date and time: Start date and time of the video transmission.
5. End date and time: End date and time of the transmission.
6. Route: provides a technical description on how the signal will travel from
Origin to Destination naming suppliers and all network facilities and
network services required.
7. Additional information:
a. Video service type: unidirectional or bi-directional. For some
specific origins and destinations bi-directional service is not
available.
b. Number of audio channels: the system uses the default value
of 2 audio channels, even if the customer is selecting other
values.
8. Special requirements: If apart from the video transmission services there
are other requirements. Example: Lighting system, crew, reporters,
make-up, etc.
Once a service order is entered, an automatic service order confirmation will
be
issued by the system after processing the service order. If the confirmation
cannot
be issued immediately then a notification of service order receipt will be
automatically sent to customer by the system; all of the requirements (rules)
described above are integrated into a service ordering system, so that the
user
can seamlessly enter a service order. The intuitive interface guides (like a
wizard)
the user through the data entry process to ensure that data is correctly
defined
avoiding potential problems or misunderstanding in the service order
processing.
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In a more schematic way, Figure 9 shows the criteria selected by the user, the
route and cost analysis results, and the selected chosen by the client.
The actual video transmission (service activation), also commonly known as
video
transmission coordination, is the final stage of a service order. Basically,
it involves
the interaction of multiple telecommunications systems provided by multiple
VSPs
to work together to deliver a video from origin to destination. This system
enables
the management of video transmission coordination and offers support tools for
the management of troubleshooting as well.
This module 31 oversees all aspects of the video transmission coordination:
before, during and after the transmission. Before the transmission starts,
there is a
line up process to make sure that all suppliers involved are ready to transmit
the
video signal. This line up process mainly communicates to the suppliers the
activation of the network elements required for a specific video transmission.
If a
supplier is not ready to activate or is having problems with its network
elements,
the transmission may be compromised, so troubleshooting will be required. The
module guides the user (broker operation) throughout the line-up process
indicating which supplier to call and which network elements to activate. If a
supplier has an electronic remote interface, the supplier may receive this
communications electronically. The video transmission coordination module 31
coordinates all of these activities. The customer is also involved in the line
up
process to make sure that they can send/receive the video signal. Once the
transmission is underway, the system / broker operation will contact the
destination to ascertain that they are receiving the correct video signal
(material)
and that the signal quality is as expected. If not, the system / broker
operation
must initiate troubleshooting of the video transmission. When the destination
is not
receiving the correct video signal (material) or the signal quality is not as
expected,
the system / broker operation initiates a troubleshooting. The troubleshooting
consists of several communications between the system / broker operation, the
suppliers involved in the video transmission and the customer that requested
the
service. All these communications are aimed at identifying the technical
problem
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and taking the necessary corrective measures to solve it. All communications
are
logged by the system, so that they can be included in the troubleshooting
report. In
cases where the technical problems) cannot be resolved within the allotted
time
(or to the customer's satisfaction), the system / broker operation will
find/offer
5 alternatives routes for the customer. At this time, the customer will have
the
following options: accept an alternative route from the system / broker
operation;
cancel the video transmission (service order cancellation); accept an
extension of
the service order, so that more time is given to resolve the problem (service
order
amendment); or accept to re-schedule the video transmission (new service
order).
Remote electronic interfaces
Remote electronic interfaces 33 are also available to remotely interact with
the
system. These remote electronic interfaces, shown in Figure 2, enable the
access
to certain modules of the system to enable full interactivity, especially with
the
ordering system as we mentioned earlier.
The electronic interface enables a customer of the organization to: submit a
quotation, enter a service order, get notifications of the status of a service
order,
enter service order amendments, update profile information, etc. The
electronic
interface enables also a supplier (i.e. VSPs) of the organization to: submit
new
inventory (services and cost), confirm service bookings (reservations), get
notification of the status of a booking, update profile information, etc.
Operability between multiple systems
The overall system 10, 10' of the present invention can be distributed among
different organizations that perform procurement and provisioning of video
transmission services from a plurality of video service providers. In this
scenario
each organization will maintain and manage its own systems and subsystems, but
multiple organizations may select to exchange inventories of video
transmission
services, i.e. exchanging information between their respective databases. This
is
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enabled by selecting the items of the inventory that will be transferred from
one
organization to the other. Since both organizations share the same network
data
model (since it is the same system), the transfer of inventories is seamless.
Database
One important aspect in achieving the system and method of the present
invention
is the creation of a unified global network model that represents the multiple
VSP
networks, and which connected all of these together in a single coherent super-
network while faithfully representing the pricing, routing and other
characteristics
of the sub networks. At the same time, the model must be sufficiently
lightweight
so that routing calculations based on the model can be quickly and efficiently
completed. Finally, the model provides for variable transactional and
visibility
privileges, so that pre-existing privileged access and/or rates may continued
to be
accessed (e.g. a customer with a preferential rate with Bell will continue to
benefit
from this rate).
The design of a network model and functioning of the routing engine is
critically
dependant on the ability to quickly and efficiently access data defining the
network
element characteristics. Therefore, a globally distributed data infrastructure
to
store all routing, pricing and other characterizing information is
established. This
infrastructure is capable of serving the required information within seconds
to the
routing engine or to a user located anywhere in the world, over an Internet
connection. Finally the infrastructure provides full control of security and
confidentiality of private VSP data.
Route
The present invention makes use of a single coherent and comprehensive video
network model in order to represent all the services used within a video
network.
Then, a routing engine, for a desired start point, end point and certain
criteria (e.g.
price, time, date, quality, length, etc...), computes different distinct
routes. Each
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route consists of a sequential list of services required to transport the
video signal
from the origin to a destination. Routes calculated by the route engine are
then
post-processed by other components of the system of the present invention.
The route engine is software used to calculate different possible routes used
to
transport a video signal from any given origin to any given destination. The
route
engine is a Java-based system that uses combinatory mathematics to compute
desired result. The engine is divided into three parts: Video Network Model,
Java
Graph Framework and Routing Engine Business Logic.
Video Network Model
The video network model is the structural representation of a Video Network.
The
route engine is using information from that model to calculate routes.
Vertices
Name Description Incoming Outgoing
edge edge
Terrestrial NetworkThis could either be a Terrestrial-Terrestrial-
switching
Facility (TNF) center, an earth station transport,transport,
or any
non-movable terrestrial Downlink- Uplink-
facility
where a video service is transport,transport,
provided. Subnet- Subnet-
transport transport
Transportable This could either be a Uplink-
mobile
Terrestrial Networktruck or any movable terrestrial transport
Facility (TTNF) facility where a video
service is
provided.
Satellite/Beam This is a spatial facilityUplink- Downlink-
that
provides transponder spacetransport transport
service using a specific
band (C,
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KU). One satellite could
have
one or more footprint.
Subnet It represents an implicitlySubnet- Subnet-
interconnection between transport transport
different
terrestrial network facilities.
Representing that
interconnection without
the
subnet requires a lot more
edges, because you need
to link
all TNF to each other instead
of
linking all them to the
subnet.
Edges
Name Description From Vertex To Vertex
Terrestrial-This is a fiber, microwave, Terrestrial Terrestrial
copper
transport or any terrestrial medium Network Network
used to
transport a video signal. Facility Facility
Uplink- This is a medium used to Terrestrial Footprint
transport
transport a video signal from terrestrialNetwork
facility (transportable or Facility,
not) to a
specific footprint of a satellite.Transportable
Terrestrial
Network
Facility
Downlink- This is a medium used to Footprint Terrestrial
transport
transport a video signal from specific Network
footprint of a satellite Facility,
to a terrestrial
facility (transportable or Transportable
not).
Terrestrial
Network
Facility
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Subnet- This is an implicit terrestrial-Subnet Terrestrial
transport transport. It represents Network
the relation
between one Terrestrial Network Facility
Facility and a subnet. Terrestrial Subnet
Network
Facility
Note: All the above edges are used to transport a video signal. This signal is
defined using a specific video format. Each of these transports is compatible
with
one unique video format. The routing engine insures that this compatibility is
respected (it never goes through a transport that supports a different video
format
than the one used by the video signal).
Network Service
Name Description Provided at Attributes
Switching This service allows Terrestrial Network
a signal
coming in a TNF to Facility
be
switching to any outgoing
transport (except the
sequence downlink,
uplink
which is handle by
turn
around)
Space This service allows Satellite/Beam
a signal
Segment to be sent to a footprint.
In
other to transmit the
video
signal correctly, the
uplink-
transport and downlink-
transport shall use
the
same transponder space.
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Standard A video signal is definedTerrestrial NetworkVideo format
Conversion using a specific videoFacility, from,
format. The Standard Transportable Video format
to
Conversion Service Terrestrial Network
allows
the conversion of a Facility
video
signal from one video
format to another video
format. This service
is
required when we want
to
transmit a video signal
defined in a different
format
than the one supported
by
the transport.
Turn AroundThis service allows Terrestrial NetworkList of
a signal
coming from a downlink-Facility (downlink-
transport in a TNF transport,
to be uplink-
sent to an uplink-transport. transport)
Java Graph Framework (JGF)
JAVA GRAPH FRAMEWORK (JGF) is a graph theoretical library composed of
5 generic reusable components used to resolve combinatorial mathematics
problems. This framework is composed of three types of object: data model,
utility
and algorithms. In this section we will explain the difference between each of
them
and their usage.
10 Data Model
JGF Data model classes are used to store information relating to the graph.
These
classes do not contain any algorithms or complex logic. All classes of that
category derive from GraphObject. GraphObject has a name, a unique identifier
15 and a dictionary of data.
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The data model class hierarchy for the JGF is shown in Figure 4. At the root
is the
abstract class GraphObject. Vertices are simple objects that can have names
and
other properties; an edge is a connection between two vertices. The class Net
is
the container where all the vertices and edges live. There are multiple kinds
of
graphs, but to keep it simple we only model the less restrictive kind (the
Net). A
Net could support: multiple parallel edges, loops (edges that from and to are
equal) and cycle. Using method of the three previous classes you could
traverse
the Net. AcycIicPath class is used to represent a particular traversal from a
vertex
source to a vertex destination. Keep in mind that by definition an acyclic
path is a
path without cycle. Although, there is many types of path to keep the JGF
simple
we only implement AcycIicPath.
Utility
Referring now to Figure 5, utility classes are used to manipulate data
structures
that are not directly link with Graph Theory. For example, a dictionary class
is used
to store a catalog of data. It is possible to use a dictionary in a different
context
than the graph theory. That is why we want defined them in a separate package.
The flexibility of the dictionary is that we can add attribute to the
dictionary without
having to recompile the code. VertorSet is the other utility class used to
store a set
of vector. You could freeze a VectorSet to optimize the read access.
Algorithm
JGF contains algorithms that perform Network traversal. To ease the
comprehension of the traversal algorithm, we are using the metaphor of a
walker.
A walker is an object that walks through a Network. The walker starts to walk
at a
source vertex and has the objective to collect all possible paths to a
specific
destination. Multiple walkers could be created with different walking strategy
(for
example: depth-first search or breath-first search). We can apply walk
constraints
to these walkers. These constraints will prevent the walker from traversing
specific
edges.
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JGF supports multiple walkers traversing the network simultaneously. This
parallelism improves the response time. We are using a read-only copy of the
network in memory. By having a read only copy the walkers do not need to
perform synchronized operations, which are really expensive. Because of that
optimization, the copy of the network must be replaced periodically.
Routing Engine Business Logic
The route calculation process logic relies on: the route calculation
parameters and
the routing rules.
Route Calculation Parameters
To compute a route in a video network multiple parameters are required:
Name Description Possible Value
Origin This is the vertex where Terrestrial Network
the route
calculation starts. Facility,
Transportable Terrestrial
Network Facility,
Footprint
Source This is the video format NTSC Analog,
used when
Video Format the video signal is input NTSC Digital,
at the
source. PAL Analog,
PAL Digital,
SECAM Analog,
SECAM Digital
Origin This is a Boolean that indicatesTrue, False
if it
Transponder is Invidex or the end-customer
that
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Space paid for the transponder
space.
Provided By
Invidex
Origin User User service provided at
the
Service source. If the origin is
a footprint
the user service will be
set to the
transponder space.
Destination This is the vertex where Terrestrial Network
the route
calculation ends. Facility,
Footprint
Destination This is the video format NTSC Analog,
used when
Video Format the video signal is output NTSC Digital,
at the
destination. PAL Analog,
PAL Digital,
SECAM Analog,
SECAM Digital
Destination This is a Boolean that indicatesTrue, False
if it
Transponder is Invidex or the end-customer
that
Space paid for the transponder
space.
Provided By
Invidex
Destination If the destination is a
footprint the
User Service user service will be set
to the
transponder space.
Routing Rules
To compute routes, the routing engine uses specific rules that make it
evaluate if a
transport is a valid one. It is also these rules that make it decide if there
is a
specific network service required using a transport. All rules are classified
in two
different classes: optional and mandatory.
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All walkers traverse the video network without producing cycle. For each rule
stated bellow, a WaIkConstraint implementation will be created to store that
logic.
During the traversal of the network every rule (WaIkConstraint) is evaluated.
The
distribution of the logic in many objects improves the readability and
scalability of
the application. With this approach new types of vertex and their constraints
could
be added to the application without having to change the existing rules.
Optional Rules
These optional rules are specified as parameter of the route calculation.
Name Description
MaxNbResult The routing engine will stop computing after
it found this
number of routes.
MaxSizeOfPath Path longer than this size will be rejected.
TimeToProcessQueryThe routing engine will stop computing after
it found this
amount of time.
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In conclusion, the route engine is a software module that uses a Graph Theory
framework called JFC. Using the Video Network Model, route calculation
parameters and different routing rules, the route engine is able to compute
different routes based on predetermined criteria.
Costing Engine
An automated software engine is intended to resolve the calculation of time-
sensitive cost options. Once all items are clearly identified and defined, the
automated software engine analyzes each item and the number of sellers. The
following block diagram explains the relation between "items", "bundles",
"sellers"
and "rate cards" (data universe).
As it appears in Figure 6, some items can be sold individually (item A sold by
VSP1 and VSP11, item B sold by VSP2, item D sold by VSP7, item E sold by
VSP4 and VSP10, item F sold by VSP 5) and some items can be sold as part of a
bundle (VSP6 sells a bundle containing items A, B and C; VSP8 sells a bundle
containing item E and F; VSP9 sells a bundle containing items B, C and D;
VSP12
sells a bundle containing items C, D, E and F).
The automated software engine takes the data model to reproduce all cost
options
available. Every cost option must include a set of VSPs that can sell each of
the
items from A to F as either single items or bundles. For example, for the
diagram
shown above, the following are valid cost options: buy items from VSP1, VSP2,
VSP3, VSP4 and VSPS; buy items from VSP 6, VSP7, VSP4 and VSPS; buy items
from VSP6, VSP7 and VSPB; etc.
Once all cost options are calculated, the automated software engine will
execute
the rate card cost calculation. Each rate card has been modeled into a
template.
Each template has a cost algorithm that may apply depending on the duration of
the video transmission.
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Figure 7 represents the flow of the cost calculation per cost option.
Once all costs have been calculated the automated software engine will
finalize
the cost calculation by adding all individual cost into the appropriate cost
option.
Rate card templates
This section is intended to provide an overview of the rate card templates. In
the
video transmission industry, different VSPs use different rate cards. Most of
the
rates are time-sensitive. Rate card templates are used to provide generic
solutions
to the costing problem in the industry. This invention should not be limited
to the
rate card templates described but it should allow the aggregation of future
rate
card templates.
1. Minimum charge and increment charge template: items that are sold at a
minimum time (time interval) for a minimum charge ($) and additional
increments (time interval) are sold at an increment charge ($/time interval).
Examples:
a. A service with the following cost: minimum of 10 minutes at $100.
Additional increments of 5 minutes are allowed at $50 per each 5
minutes.
i. 5 minutes of service will cost $100.
ii. 15 minutes of service will cost $100 + $50 x 1 = $150
iii. 20 minutes of service will cost $100 + $50 x 2 = $200
iv. 30 minutes of service will cost $100 + $50 x 4 = $300
v. In the rate card template: minimum time = 10 minutes, minimum
charge = $100, increment time = 5 minutes, increment charge =
$50 per each 5 minutes.
b. A service with the following cost: $10 per each 1 minute.
i. 5 minutes of service will cost $10 x 5 = $50
ii. 10 minutes of service will cost $10 x 10 = $100
iii. 30 minutes of service will cost $10 x 30 = $300
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iv. In the rate card template: minimum time = 1 minute, minimum
charge = $10, increment time = 1 minute, increment charge = $10
per each 1 minute.
c. A service with the following cost: $100 (one-time fee).
i. 5 minutes of service will cost $100
ii. 10 minutes of service will cost $100
iii. 30 minutes of service will cost $100
iv. In the rate card template: minimum time = ~, minimum charge =
$100, increment time = 0, increment charge = 0.
2. Window template: items that are sold within time slots with the upper value
(time interval) defining each window slot. Examples:
a. A service with the following cost: window slot 1 = up to 15 minutes @
$20, window slot 2 = up to 30 minutes @ $42, window slot 3 = up to 45
minutes @ $65, window slot 4 = up to 60 minutes @ $112, window slot
5 = up to 75 minutes @ $120.
i. 5 minutes of service will cost $20
ii. 10 minutes of service will cost $20
iii. 15 minutes of service will cost $20
iv. 20 minutes of service will cost $42
v. 25 minutes of service will cost $42
vi. 35 minutes of service will cost $65
vii. 45 minutes of service will cost $65
viii. 55 minutes of service will cost $112
ix. 70 minutes of service will cost $120
x. In the rate card template:
1. Window slot 1 15 minutes $20
2. Window slot 2 30 minutes $42
3. Window slot 3 45 minutes $65
4. Window slot 4 60 minutes $112
5. Window slot 5 75 minutes $120
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Cost calculation business logic
Some business logic should be applied to the automated software engine in
order
to produce the desired cost options. This business logic enables the
management
of the automated software engine by refining the cost analysis. The following
5 parameters are used by the automated software engine to deliver the desired
cost
options:
1. Minimize the number of VSPs involved in the cost option: In the video
transmission industry, there are a number of VSPs that can integrate video
10 transmission services by reselling services from other VSPs. This rule will
communicate the software engine to select the minimum number of VSPs to
complete a transaction. In this case, the software engine should prioritize
the
service bundles in order to minimize the number of VSPs. The user should
provide the maximum number of VSPs. The automated software engine should
15 return all cost options available with less or equal to the number of VSPs
selected.
2. Provide the cheapest cost option: The cheapest cost option can be
provided by comparing all different cost options and selecting the one with
the
lower price. The user should provide a target amount ($). The automated
20 software engine should return all cost options available under or equal to
the
target amount.
3. Provide cost options with preferred VSPs: Selecting preferred VSPs
beforehand will narrow the number of cost options, but it is an important tool
when trying to allocate volume to some preferred VSPs in order to gain
25 interesting level of discounts. The user should provide the list of
preferred
VSPs. The automated software engine should return all cost options where
those VSPs are present. There might be cost options with several VSPs
involved but only one is a preferred VSP.
4. Combinations of business logic: The automated software engine should
30 allow the combinations of rules described above.
5. Provide routing options using preferred items: Preferred items are any of
the items that participate in the routing of a video transmission (network
services).
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The user may want to receive a routing option using a specific satellite or
switching center.
Although the present invention has been explained hereinabove by way of a
preferred embodiment thereof, it should be pointed out that any modifications
to
this preferred embodiment within the scope of the appended claims is not
deemed
to alter or change the nature and scope of the present invention.
