Flexible event correlation aggregation tool

• US 20040015497A1
• Filed: 07/08/2002
• Published: 01/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Netcracker Technology Solutions Inc (NEC Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Convergys Cmg Utah
• Inventors: Venugopalan, Thendral, Samayamantry, Ravikiran, Desai, Niraj, Ramachandran, Renjith, Swarna, Chandramouli, Sebastian, Asha
• Granted Patent: US 7,487,121 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/6
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/53 using mediation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/54 for revenue sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/55 for hybrid networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0164 Billing record, e.g. Call Data Record [CDR], Toll Ticket[TT], Automatic Message Accounting [AMA], Call Line Identifier [CLI], details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0172 Mediation, i.e. device or program to reformat CDRS from one or more switches in order to adapt to one or more billing programs formats
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2046 Hybrid network

Abstract

A mediation system for a converged network system for an xSP (i.e., any service provider of Information Technology (IT)/business services) is readily interactively configured by a user (e.g., an xSP) to correlate and aggregate usage data from a number of collection points for billing-related purposes. Usage data that includes a source record and one or more related records are matched, assembled upon satisfying assembly criteria (e.g., time-base, expression-based, volume-based), and returned in accordance with an assembly specification (e.g., one to one, one to many, many to many).

Claims

1. A method of distributing billing-related usage data received from a plurality of collection points of a converged mediation network system, the usage data contained in an assembly pool and including source records, related records, and unrelated records, the method comprising:

identifying the source and related records in the assembly pool for further processing;

matching identified records in accordance with a matching criteria; and

assembling matched records in accordance with an assembly criteria.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

interactively receiving an identifying rule, matching criteria and assembly criteria from a user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein assembling matched records further comprises referencing a volume-based assembly criteria.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein assembling matched records further comprises referencing a time-based assembly criteria.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein assembling matched records further comprises referencing an expression-based assembly criteria.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

interactively associating an identifying rule, matching criteria and assembly criteria with a collection point.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein assembling matched records further comprises assembling one output record containing a matched source record and related record.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein assembling matched records further comprises assembly multiple output records, each containing a matched source record and related record.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein assembling matched records further comprises assembly multiple output records, each selected pairing of a matched record and a plurality of related records.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein assembling matched records further includes purging related records from the container.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising purging source records in accordance with a purge option.