IP Library Granted Patent US 11,991,585
Granted Patent B2
US 11,991,585 · App. 18/144,364 · Granted May 21, 2024

Service area determination in a telecommunications network

Inventors: Shawn Draper (Shawnee, KS); Vamsi Kaza (Monroe, LA); Jerry Matthews (Grove City, OH); William Gray (Boulder, CO)
Assignee: Level 3 Communications, LLC
H04W4/021G06F16/29H04L67/133H04L67/51H04W4/029H04Q11/0067
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,991,585
App. No.
18/144,364
Granted
May 21, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

Implementations described and claimed herein provide systems and methods for correlating one or more service areas of a network with one or more geolocation coordinates to determine available services for customers to the network. A service polygon may be generated that define an area in which a particular service offered by a communications network is available. The boundaries of the service polygons may be adjusted based on information corresponding to physical features of the initial area. The service polygons may aid a communications network in providing a list of available services to potential customers or devices connected to the network by determining one or more geolocation coordinate values of a potential connection site and comparing the values to the service polygons. A network management system may determine the available services, current or in the future, to offer such services to a customer to the network.

Claims (41)

1. A method for operating a network, the method comprising:

obtaining geolocation coordinates of an address received at a computing device, the received address corresponding to a potential termination site for a communications network;

obtaining, based on the geolocation coordinates and from a database in communication with the computing device, a service area polygon comprising a plurality of geographic boundaries defining an area of an available network service and which contains the geolocation coordinates of the potential termination site;

altering at least one of the plurality of geographic boundaries based on a physical barrier obtained from a topographical map comprising a geographic location of network equipment;

correlating, in a service map of a geographic area, the service area polygon with the geolocation coordinates of the potential termination site, wherein the correlation corresponds to an availability of the network service to the potential termination site; and

displaying the correlation of the service area polygon with the geolocation coordinates of the potential termination site in the service map.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein obtaining the geolocation coordinates of the received address comprises:

transmitting, via an application programming interface (API), the received address to a geolocation database; and

receiving the geolocation coordinates of the address from the database.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, via a user interface, an input verifying the geolocation coordinates of the received address.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein a technical feature of the network equipment comprises a transmission distance limitation of network equipment, the transmission distance limitation based on an acceptable noise threshold of the network equipment.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

altering the boundaries of the service area polygon based on a network operating business rule.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the network operating business rule comprises a quality of service value threshold associated with the network service.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein a technical feature of the network equipment comprises a service type available from the network equipment based on a type of the network equipment.

8. A system for managing a network, the system comprising:

a processor in communication a database maintaining geolocation coordinate values corresponding to an address; and

a non-transitory memory comprising instructions encoded thereon, the instructions, when executed by the processor, are operable to:

define a service polygon comprising a plurality of geographic boundaries defining an area of a network service based on a geographic location of network equipment configured to provide the network service;

alter at least one of the plurality of geographic boundaries based on a physical barrier obtained from a topographical map comprising the geographic location of the network equipment

display, in a graphical user interface including a service map, an overlay of the geolocation coordinate values corresponding to the address and the service polygon associated with the network service when the geolocation coordinate values are located within the plurality of geographic boundaries of the service polygon.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the instructions are further operable to:

transmit, via an application programming interface (API), the address to the database to request the geolocation coordinate values corresponding to an address.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the geolocation coordinate values associated with the address comprise a latitude value and a longitude value.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the instructions are further operable to:

display, on a display device in communication with a communication port, the graphical user interface; and

receive, via the user interface, an input verifying the latitude value and a longitude value associated with address.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the network service comprises a fiber-based connection between a site associated with the address and the network equipment configured to provide the network service.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein the network service comprises an indication of a future service provided by the network and the service polygon comprises an installation schedule for the future service associated with the service polygon.

14. The system of claim 8 wherein the instructions are further operable to:

generate an initial service area polygon comprising an initial plurality of geographic boundaries based on the geographic location of the network equipment; and

alter the initial plurality of geographic boundaries of the initial service area polygon.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the initial plurality of geographic boundaries of the initial service area polygon is based on a technical feature of the network equipment to provide the network service.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein altering the initial plurality of geographic boundaries of the initial service area polygon is based on a physical barrier obtained from a topographical map comprising the geographic location of the network equipment.

17. The system of claim 8 wherein the network equipment is configured to provide a Passive Optical Network service for the area of the network service defined by the plurality of geographic boundaries.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, storing a computer program, wherein the computer program, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform a method comprising:

receive, at a computing device, geolocation coordinates of an address corresponding to a potential termination site for a communications network;

obtain, based on the geolocation coordinates and from a database in communication with the computing device, a service area polygon comprising a plurality of geographic boundaries defining an area of an available network service and which contains the geolocation coordinates of the potential termination site;

alter at least one of the plurality of geographic boundaries based on a physical barrier obtained from a topographical map comprising a geographic location of network equipment correlate, in a service map of a geographic area, the service area polygon with the geolocation coordinates of the potential termination site, wherein the correlation corresponds to an availability of the network service to the potential termination site; and

display, on a display device, the correlation of the service area polygon with the geolocation coordinates of the potential termination site in the service map.

Assignments (3)
NOTICE OF GRANT OF SECURITY INTEREST IN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (SECOND LIEN) Recorded Nov 4, 2024
From: LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS, LLC; GLOBAL CROSSING TELECOMMUNICATIONS, INC
To: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 069295/0749 →
NOTICE OF GRANT OF SECURITY INTEREST IN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (FIRST LIEN) Recorded Nov 4, 2024
From: LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS, LLC; GLOBAL CROSSING TELECOMMUNICATIONS, INC.
To: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 069295/0858 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 11, 2023
From: DRAPER, SHAWN; KAZA, VAMSI; MATTHEWS, JERRY; GRAY, WILLIAM
To: LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS, LLC
Reel/Frame 063614/0418 →
Continuity (6)
Continuation 17698226 · Mar 18, 2022
Continuation 16795321 · Feb 19, 2020
Provisional Application 62968811 · Jan 31, 2020
Provisional Application 62808183 · Feb 20, 2019
Provisional Application 62808189 · Feb 20, 2019
Related Publication 20230283982A1 · Sep 7, 2023