Generating call detail records

• US 20030009557A1
• Filed: 08/19/2002
• Published: 01/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Illuminate Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: McDonald, Stuart, Archibald, David Moir, Carson, Douglas John, Tomberlin, Jeffery
• Granted Patent: US 7,076,040 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1026 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1036 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2218 Call detail recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1255 where the switching fabric and the switching logic are decomposed such as in Media Gateway Control

Abstract

Request and response messages conforming to a protocol such as Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP) between media gateways and a media gateway controller (MGC) are examined to enable them to be correlated. The correlated messages are assembled to produce a call detail record (CDR) describing a voice or data call established over an IP network via the media gateways under the control of the MGC.

Claims

1. A method of generating a call detail record for a telecommunications call established via a media gateway under the control of a media gateway controller, comprising the steps of:

detecting messages exchanged between media gateways and at least one media gateway controller;

locating identification information within the messages;

associating command messages with corresponding response messages in accordance with a first kind of identification information;

associating command and response messages relating to a specific gateway in accordance with a second kind of identification information;

associating messages relating to different gateways in accordance with a third kind of identification information; and

combining the messages which have been associated with one another to produce a call detail record.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first kind of identification information comprises gateway transaction identification information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first kind of identification information includes message addressing information.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the message addressing information comprises Internet Protocol addresses.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second kind of identification information comprises names of media end points within the gateways.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the third kind of identification information comprises unique identifiers for identifying calls established via a media gateway.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the third kind of identification information comprises Internet Protocol addresses for bearer data paths in the call together with associated port addresses.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein message addressing information is associated with names of media end points within the gateways.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a temporary association is made between a call and a name of a media end point within a gateway, and the temporary association is terminated after a predetermined time has elapsed following termination of a connection set up between two gateways for that call.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the media gateways and the media gateway controller communicate in accordance with the Media Gateway Control Protocol.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the media gateways and the media gateway controller communicate in accordance with the Media Gateway Control Protocol.

11. Apparatus for generating a call detail record for a telecommunications call established via a media gateway under the control of a media gateway controller, comprising:

a monitor for detecting messages exchanged between media gateways and at least one media gateway controller;

a locator for locating identification information within the messages;

an associator for associating command messages with corresponding response messages in accordance with a first kind of identification information, for associating command and response messages relating to a specific gateway in accordance with a second kind of identification information, and for associating messages relating to different gateways in accordance with a third kind of identification information; and

a combiner for combining the messages which have been associated with one another to produce a call detail record.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first kind of identification information comprises gateway transaction identification information.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first kind of identification information includes message addressing information.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the message addressing information comprises Internet Protocol addresses.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the second kind of identification information comprises names of media end points within the gateways.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the third kind of identification information comprises unique identifiers for identifying calls established via a media gateway.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the third kind of identification information comprises Internet Protocol addresses for bearer data paths in the call together with associated port addresses.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the associator associates message addressing information with names of media end points within the gateways.

19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the associator makes a temporary association between a call and a name of a media end point within a gateway, and terminates the temporary association after a predetermined time has elapsed following termination of a connection set up between two gateways for that call.