Billing hierarchies

• US 20030169863A1
• Filed: 01/28/2003
• Published: 09/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Evident Software, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Evident Software, Inc.
• Inventors: Cherian, Sanjeev, Lee, Mike K., Clark, John M., Hernandez, Milton
• Application Number:
  US10/352,739
• Publication Number:
  US 20030169863A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/114.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• 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 15/43 Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/745 Customizing according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. friends or family
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/75 Account location specifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/765 Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/7655 shared by technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/77 involving multiple accounts per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/772 per service, e.g. prepay or post-pay
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/773 per technology, e.g. PSTN or wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0104 Augmented, consolidated or itemised billing statement, e.g. additional billing information, bill presentation, layout, format, e-mail, fax, printout, itemised bill per service or per account, cumulative billing, consolidated billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0108 Customization according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. customer preferences, friends and family, selecting services or billing options, Personal Communication Systems [PCS]
• 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 2215/0168 On line or real-time flexible customization or negotiation according to wishes of subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0176 Billing arrangements using internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/72 Account specifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/724 Linked accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/725 Shared by technologies, e.g. one account for different access technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7254 : Multiple accounts per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7263 : per service, e.g. prepay and post-pay
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7268 : per technology, e.g. PSTN or wireless

Abstract

The invention relates to a usage tracking and billing system that includes a hierarchy system made up of hierarchies containing entities representing the accountables, services, and service locations associated with usage data. In an example embodiment, the hierarchies are: (1) Organizational Hierarchy representing service users, service providers, and billed and billing parties, (2) Service Hierarchy representing services, and (3) Location Hierarchy representing the locations where services are used or provided. The hierarchies allow for correlation of service usage among the user(s), the service being used, and the location of where the services were consumed as well as provided. The end user may set the desired organizational structure, specify the locations (grouped by continent, etc. within a multinational organization), and provide an application view of what service usage is to be billed for and at what rate for the various groups and locations within the organization. The hierarchies are used to resolve service/system usage each day and the results are applied to the desired rate plan. In this fashion, the end user may build hierarchies that permit any number of rules to be applied to best mimic real world cost structures and conditions.

Claims

1. A method of tracking and billing for usage of a network service, comprising:

establishing an organizational hierarchy representing at least one of network service users, network service providers, billed and billing parties that use said network service;

establishing a service hierarchy for different aspects of said network service;

establishing a location hierarchy for different locations within the network; and

resolving usage of the network service according to service usage among the user(s), the service being used, and the location of where the services were consumed as specified by said organizational, service, and location hierarchies for the network service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user may set the desired organizational structure for the organizational hierarchy, specify the locations for the location hierarchy, and provide an application view of what service usage is to be billed for and at what rate for the various groups and locations within the organizational hierarchy.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising the additional steps of resolving service/system usage on a periodic basis using the organizational, service and location hierarchies and applying the results to a desired rate plan for the service usage.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising the additional step of tracking changes in the organizational, service and location hierarchies over time so as to allow the recreation of the organizational, service and location hierarchies at a particular point in time in the past.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the network service comprises at least one of email usage, data storage, and bandwidth usage.

6. A system that tracks and bills for usage of a network service, comprising:

a network service ownership resolution component comprising representations of an organizational hierarchy representing at least one of network service users, network service providers, billed and billing parties that use said network service, a service hierarchy for different aspects of said network service, and a location hierarchy for different locations within the network; and

a network service transaction resolution component that resolves usage of the network service according to service usage among the user(s), the service being used, and the location of where the services were consumed as specified by said organizational, service, and location hierarchies for the network service.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the network service ownership resolution component also includes a representation of different network service rate plans for the various groups and locations within the organizational hierarchy.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the network service transaction resolution component resolves service/system usage on a periodic basis using the organizational, service and location hierarchies and applies the results to a desired network service rate plan for the service usage.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the network service ownership resolution component tracks changes in the organizational, service and location hierarchies over time so as to allow the recreation of the organizational, service and location hierarchies at a particular point in time in the past.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the network service comprises at least one of email usage, data storage, and bandwidth usage.

11. A computer readable medium containing data that when read by a computer enables the computer to track and bill for usage of a network service in accordance with a method comprising the steps of:

establishing an organizational hierarchy representing at least one of network service users, network service providers, billed and billing parties that use said network service;

establishing a service hierarchy for different aspects of said network service;

establishing a location hierarchy for different locations within the network; and

resolving usage of the network service-according to service usage among the user(s), the service being used, and the location of where the services were consumed as specified by said organizational, service, and location hierarchies for the network service.

12. The medium of claim 11, wherein the data enable the computer to allow a user of the computer to set the desired organizational structure for the organizational hierarchy, specify the locations for the location hierarchy, and provide an application view of what service usage is to be billed for and at what rate for the various groups and locations within the organizational hierarchy.

13. The medium of claim 11, wherein the data enable the computer to perform the additional steps of resolving service/system usage on a periodic basis using the organizational, service and location hierarchies and applying the results to a desired rate plan for the service usage.

14. The medium of claim 11, wherein the data enable the computer to perform the additional step of tracking changes in the organizational, service and location hierarchies over time so as to allow the recreation of the organizational, service and location hierarchies at a particular point in time in the past.

15. The medium of claim 11, wherein the network service comprises at least one of email usage, data storage, and bandwidth usage.