Method and apparatus for policy-based charging for telecommunications services

• US 20020072333A1
• Filed: 12/08/2000
• Published: 06/13/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Gnesda, Nicholas J., Zahnle, Jeffrey Arthur, Smolik, Kenneth Frank
• Granted Patent: US 6,721,554 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/67.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/309 Measuring or estimating channel quality parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/70 Administration or customization aspects; Counter-checking correct charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/73 Validating charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8016 based on quality of service [QoS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/81 Dynamic pricing, e.g. change of tariff during call
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0112 Dynamic pricing, e.g. change of tariff during call
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0184 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions, volume discounts, cell discounts, group billing, frequent calling destination(s) or user history list
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0188 Network monitoring; statistics on usage on called/calling number
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/70 Administration aspects, modify settings or limits or counter-check correct charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7072 Validate charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7414 QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

The present invention bills a call in accordance with a measured quality of service (QoS) level afforded by the call and specified in a service level agreement. The measured quality of service is determined from a collection of measurements associated with the call. An adjustment factor is determined by a subscriber class of service and the measured quality of service. The adjustment factor is utilized by a billing processor in rating the call.

Claims

1. A method for use in a telecommunications system for charging a call with a billing processor, said telecommunications system comprising at least one network element, said call involving a subscriber, said call comprising at least one call segment, said method comprising the steps of:

determining a collection of measurements associated with said call from said at least one network element by a usage correlation processor;

calculating a measured quality of service (QoS) level associated with said call from said collection of measurements by an evaluation processor;

comparing said measured QoS level with a defined QoS level specified in a service level agreement by said evaluation processor; and

providing at least one adjustment factor to said billing processor by said evaluation processor in accordance with said measured QoS level and said service level agreement.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

rating said call by said billing processor in response to said step of providing said at least one adjustment factor.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of calculating said measured QoS level of said call from said collection of measurements, further comprising the steps of:

comparing each measurement of said collection of measurements with a target objective associated with said defined QoS level by said evaluation processor, said target objective specified in said service level agreement; and

equating said measured QoS level to said defined QoS level by said evaluation processor, wherein said each measurement is within said target objective.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of:

inputting said target objective that is associated with said defined QoS level through a SLA creation environment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of determining, said step of calculating, said step of comparing, and said step of providing said at least one adjustment factor are executed for each of said at least one call segment.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one adjustment factor is determined by a set of factors comprising a time of day, a class of service, and said measured QoS level.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

providing a call detail record and said collection of measurements of said call to an external processor in response to said step of determining said collection of measurements associated with said call.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said telecommunications system is selected from a group consisting of a wireless communications system, a satellite-based communications system, and a terrestrial communications system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said call is selected from a group consisting of a voice call and a data call.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said data call utilizes a voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said data call comprises a multimedia call.

15. The telecommunications system of claim 14, further comprising:

means for rating said call by said billing processor in response to said means of providing said at least one adjustment factor.

16. The telecommunications system of claim 14, wherein said means for calculating said measured QoS level of said call further comprising:

means for comparing each measurement of said collection of measurements with a target objective associated with a defined QoS level by said evaluation processor; and

means for equating said measured QoS level to said defined QoS level by said evaluation processor, wherein said each measurement is within said target objective.

17. The telecommunications system of claim 16, further comprising:

means for inputting said target objective associated with said defined QoS level through a SLA creation environment.

18. The telecommunications system of claim 14, wherein said means of determining, said means of calculating, said means of comparing, and said means of providing said at least one adjustment factor are executed for each of said at least one call segment.

19. The telecommunications system of claim 14, further comprising:

means for providing a call detail record and said collection of measurements associated with said call to an external processor in response to said means of determining said collection of measurements.

12. An article of manufacturing comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for determining a rate of a call associated with a subscriber, the computer readable program means in said article of manufacture comprising;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to determine a collection of measurements associated with said call;

computer readable program code means for causing the computer to calculate a measured quality of service (QoS) level associated with said call from said collection of measurements;

computer readable program code means for causing the computer to compare said measured QoS level with a defined QoS level specified in a service level agreement; and

computer readable program means for causing the computer to provide at least one adjustment factor to a billing processor in accordance with said measured QoS level and said service level agreement.

13. A memory for storing data for access by an application program being executed on a telecommunications system, said telecommunications system supporting a call associated with a subscriber, said memory comprising:

a data structure stored in said memory, said data structure comprising;

a grading database, said grading database containing a first data entry identified by a measured quality of service (QoS) level according to a service level agreement; and

an adjusting database, said adjusting database containing a second data entry containing at least one adjustment factor of said call, said second data entry associated with said measured QoS level and a class of service assigned to said subscriber according to said service level agreement.

14. A telecommunications system, said telecommunications system charging a call by a billing processor, said telecommunications system comprising at least one network element, said call involving a subscriber, said call comprising at least one call segment, said telecommunications system comprising:

means for determining a collection of measurements associated with said call from said at least one network element by a usage correlation processor;

means for calculating a measured quality of service (QoS) level associated with said call from said collection of measurements by an evaluation processor;

means for comparing said measured QoS level with a defined QoS level specified in a service level agreement by said evaluation processor; and

means for providing at least one adjustment factor to said billing processor by said evaluation processor in accordance with said measured QoS level and said service level agreement.