System and method to determine network usage

• US 10,270,669 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2015
• Issued: 04/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Savoor, Raghvendra, Blackburn, Stuart, Manthoulis, Orestis
• Primary Examiner(s): Tiv, Backhean
• Application Number:
  US14/745,648
• Publication Number:
  US 20150288576A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,401 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5029 Service quality level-based billing, e.g. dependent on measured service level customer is charged more or less
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/509 wherein the managed service relates to media content delivery, e.g. audio, video or TV
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/067 using time frame reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/43 Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8027 based on network load situation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0152 General billing plans, rate plans, e.g. charge rates, numbering plans, rate centers, customer accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0188 Network monitoring; statistics on usage on called/calling number

Abstract

A method includes determining, at a network tracking system, a first usage value for a user account during a time interval by applying a first correction factor to a first data value determined from a first cell count of cell counter data retrieved from a network device of a network. The method also includes determining, at the network tracking system, a second usage value for the user account during the time interval based on session information from a plurality of network devices of the network. The method further includes generating a cumulative usage value based on the first usage value and the second usage value.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, at a network tracking system, a first usage value for a user account during a time interval by applying a first correction factor to a first data value determined from a first cell count of cell counter data retrieved from a network device of a network;

determining first usage data based on the cell counter data, wherein the first usage data identifies a first location associated with the first usage value, a first session associated with the first usage value, a first authenticated user associated with the first usage value, or a combination thereof;

determining, at the network tracking system, a second usage value for the user account during the time interval based on session information from a plurality of network devices of the network;

determining second usage data based on the session information, wherein the second usage data identifies a second location associated with the second usage value, a second session associated with the second usage value, a second authenticated user associated with the second usage value, or a combination thereof; and

in response to one or more inconsistencies between the first usage data and the second usage data, detecting an indication of a fraudulent activity.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a first cumulative usage value based on the first usage value and the second usage value, wherein generating the first cumulative usage value includes aggregating the first usage value and the second usage value;

determining, at the network tracking system, a third usage value for the user account during the time interval by applying a second correction factor to a third data value determined from a third cell count of the cell counter data;

determining, at the network tracking system, a fourth usage value for the user account during the time interval based on the session information; and

generating a second cumulative usage value based on the third usage value and the fourth usage value.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining a fifth usage value for the user account during the time interval, the fifth usage value obtained from a service access point queue of a television system, wherein generating the first cumulative usage value is further based on the fifth usage value.

4. The method of claim 3, determining a sixth usage value for the user account during the time interval, the sixth usage value obtained from the service access point queue, wherein generating the second cumulative usage value is further based on the sixth usage value.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a third usage value for the user account during the time interval;

determining whether the third usage value is reliable by comparing the third usage value to the first usage value, the second usage value, or a combination thereof;

in response to the third usage value being determined to be unreliable, determining an aggregated usage value based on aggregating the first usage value and the second usage value;

generating a cumulative usage value, wherein the cumulative usage value is determined based on the first usage value, the second usage value, and the aggregated usage value;

comparing the cumulative usage value to a threshold usage value; and

responsive to the cumulative usage value exceeding the threshold usage value, transmitting a warning.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the third usage value is determined to be unreliable responsive to a percentage of difference between the third usage value and the first usage value satisfying a threshold.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first correction factor is determined based on uploaded bytes values.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein a particular uploaded bytes value of the uploaded bytes values satisfies an upload threshold, the upload threshold determined based on an upper data upload rate limit available to the user account.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first correction factor is determined based on downloaded bytes values.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the warning indicates that additional usage beyond the threshold usage value will result in extra usage charges.

11. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

determining a first usage value for a user account during a time interval by applying a first correction factor to a first data value determined from a first cell count of cell counter data retrieved from a network device of a network;

determining first usage data based on the cell counter data, wherein the first usage data identifies a first location associated with the first usage value, a first session associated with the first usage value, a first authenticated user associated with the first usage value, or a combination thereof;

determining a second usage value for the user account during the time interval based on session information from a plurality of network devices of the network;

determining second usage data based on the session information, wherein the second usage data identifies a second location associated with the second usage value, a second session associated with the second usage value, a second authenticated user associated with the second usage value, or a combination thereof; and

in response to one or more inconsistencies between the first usage data and the second usage data, detecting an indication of a fraudulent activity.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating a first cumulative usage value based on the first usage value and the second usage value;

determining a third usage value for the user account during the time interval by applying a second correction factor to a third data value determined from a third cell count of the cell counter data;

determining a fourth usage value for the user account during the time interval based on the session information; and

generating a second cumulative usage value based on the third usage value and the fourth usage value.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first usage value and the second usage value correspond to upload values, and wherein the third usage value and the fourth usage value correspond to download values.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the first usage value and the second usage value are based on a measurement of data passing through the network device, and wherein the cell counter data is retrieved from a class of service queue of the network.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the first correction factor is determined based on a plurality of first bytes values, wherein a particular first bytes value of the plurality of first bytes values satisfies a first threshold, and wherein the first threshold is determined based on an upper data usage rate limit available to the user account.

16. A computer-readable storage device comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

determining a first usage value for a user account during a time interval by applying a first correction factor to a first data value determined from a first cell count of cell counter data retrieved from a network device of a network;

determining first usage data based on the cell counter data, wherein the first usage data identifies a first location associated with the first usage value, a first session associated with the first usage value, a first authenticated user associated with the first usage value, or a combination thereof;

determining a second usage value for the user account during the time interval based on session information from a plurality of network devices of the network;

determining second usage data based on the session information, wherein the second usage data identifies a second location associated with the second usage value, a second session associated with the second usage value, a second authenticated user associated with the second usage value, or a combination thereof; and

in response to one or more inconsistencies between the first usage data and the second usage data, detecting an indication of a fraudulent activity.

17. The computer-readable storage device of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating a cumulative usage value based on the first usage value and the second usage value;

sending the cumulative usage value to a billing system at an end of a billing cycle; and

resetting the first usage value, the second usage value, and the cumulative usage value responsive to the end of the billing cycle.

18. The computer-readable storage device of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating a cumulative usage value based on the first usage value and the second usage value, wherein generating the cumulative usage value includes aggregating the first usage value and the second usage value;

determining whether the cumulative usage value satisfies a usage threshold; and

sending an alert to a billing system in response to a determination that the cumulative usage value satisfies the usage threshold.

19. The computer-readable storage device of claim 16, wherein the session information is based on a plurality of network sessions, wherein a particular network session of the plurality of network sessions starts when a residential gateway of the network establishes communication with a router of the network, and wherein the network session terminates when the residential gateway terminates communication with the router.