Correlation of call data for calling and called parties in wireless telecommunication networks

• US 20050020252A1
• Filed: 07/21/2003
• Published: 01/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Yang, Zhong Jin, Yao, Jie
• Granted Patent: US 7,031,697 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/415
• 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 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• 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 2215/0164 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 2215/0188 Network monitoring; statistics on usage on called/calling number
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2218 Call detail recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/367 Traffic or load control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

Call data associated with one call is correlated from separate call records associated with the calling and called parties in which at least one of the parties is a wireless user. Statistical information is gathered based on whether one of the parties to the call subscribes to one call feature/service and the other party to the call subscribes to a predetermined call feature/service. This information is typically utilized by telecommunication service providers.

Claims

1. An automated method for correlating call data associated with one call from separate call records associated with the calling and called parties in which at least one of the parties is a wireless user in a wireless telecommunication network comprising the steps of:

accessing a first call record associated with one of the calling and called parties for a first call;

ascertaining the identity of the other of the calling and called parties from the first call record;

determining if the one party subscribes to a first feature;

accessing a second call record associated with the other of the calling and called parties for the first call;

determining if the other party subscribes to a predetermined feature;

determining if a predetermined correlation exists for the first call based on whether the one party subscribes to the first feature and the other party subscribes to the predetermined feature.

2. The automated method according to claim 1 wherein the first call record is stored at a first location associated with a first switch that supports the one of the calling and called parties, and the second call record is stored at a second location associated with a second switch that supports the other of the calling and called parties.

3. The automated method according to claim 2 wherein the first call record is maintained separately from and independent of the second call record.

4. The automated method according to claim 1 wherein the step of accessing the second call record comprises transmitting a query from a correlation measurement node to another node in which the second call record is stored.

5. The automated method according to claim 4 wherein the step of determining if the other party subscribes to the predetermined feature comprises receiving a reply message at the correlation measurement node in response to said query of the another node, the reply message containing data indicating whether the other party subscribes to the predetermined feature.

6. The automated method according to claim 4 wherein the step of determining if the other party subscribes to the predetermined feature comprises receiving a reply message at the correlation measurement node in response to said query of the another node, the reply message indicating that information is not currently available as to whether the other party subscribed to the predetermined feature, the step of accessing the second call record further comprising transmitting another query from the correlation measurement node to a database that stores information on features subscribed to by wireless users, receiving another reply message at the correlation measurement node in response to the another query, the another reply message containing data indicating whether the other party subscribes to the predetermined feature.

7. The automated method according to claim 1 wherein the step of determining if a predetermined correlation exists comprises determining if both of the following conditions are true:

the first party subscribed to the first feature at the time of the first call; and

the second party subscribed to the predetermined feature at the time of the first call.

8. An automated method for obtaining statistical information based on calls in a wireless telecommunication network comprising the steps of:

determining for one call if a first wireless user subscribes to a first predetermined call feature;

determining for the one call if a second user subscribes to a second predetermined call feature;

repeating the above steps for other calls;

maintaining a count of the calls in which both of the above determining steps are true and comparing said count with the total number of calls to generate said statistical information.

9. The automated method according to claim 8 wherein the step of determining for one call if the first wireless user subscribes to the first predetermined call feature comprises obtaining information from a first call record corresponding to the one call by the first user, and wherein the step of determining for the one call if the second user subscribes to the second predetermined call feature comprises obtaining information from a second call record corresponding to the one call by the second user.

10. The automated method according to claim 9 wherein the second call record is maintained separate from and independent of the first call record.

11. The automated method according to claim 9 wherein the step of determining for the one call if the second user subscribes to the second predetermined call feature comprises transmitting a query from a correlation measurement node to another node in which the second call record is stored.

12. The automated method according to claim 11 wherein the step of determining for the one call if the second user subscribes to the second predetermined call feature comprises receiving a reply message at the correlation measurement node in response to said query of the another node, the reply message containing data indicating whether the second party subscribes to the second predetermined feature.