System and method for monitoring a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) system

• US 20060146784A1
• Filed: 03/02/2006
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: iBasis Incorporated (Tofane Global SAS)
• Original Assignee: iBasis Incorporated (Tofane Global SAS)
• Inventors: Karpov, Roman, Zhang, Lizhong
• Application Number:
  US11/365,997
• Publication Number:
  US 20060146784A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/351
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2874 Processing of data for distribution to the subscribers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/247 using M:N active or standby paths
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/26 Route discovery packet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/3065 for real time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1106 Call signalling protocols; H.323 and related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/556 Statistical analysis and interpretation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/009 in systems involving PBX or KTS networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1275 Methods and means to improve the telephone service quality, e.g. reservation, prioritisation or admission control
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1285 : Details of finding and selecting a gateway for a particular call

Abstract

A system and method for sending long distance telephone calls over the Internet utilizes cost and quality of service data to optimize system performance and to minimize the cost of completing the calls. In addition, the system could utilize a problem identification and analysis system to automatically identify potential problems with system assets. The problem identification and analysis system would compare long term averages of call data and call metrics to short term averages for the same data and metrics. Significant discrepancies between the short term averages and the long term averages would be used to pinpoint potential problems with system assets.

Claims

1. A method of identifying potential problems with system assets in a system for routing telephone calls over the Internet, comprising:

calculating at least one long term average for call data relating to telephone calls placed over the Internet by the system;

calculating at least one corresponding short term average for call data relating to telephone calls placed over the Internet by the system;

comparing the at least one long term average to the corresponding at least one short term average; and

generating a warning if the results of the comparing step indicate that there is a significant difference between the at least one long term average and the corresponding at least one short term average.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of calculating at least one long term average comprises calculating the at least one long term average using call data that has been obtained over a time period of between one day and one year.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of calculating at least one short term average comprises calculating the at least one short term average using call data that has been obtained over a time period of between one minute and 24 hours.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one long term average is a long term average of a member selected from the group consisting of a number of call attempts made, a number of completed calls, an average call duration of each call, a total duration of all calls, a number of declined calls, and a number of looped calls.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one long term average is a long term average of a member selected from the group consisting of ASR, ACD, and ABR, wherein

ASR=a number of completed calls/a number of call attempts made, wherein ACD=a total duration of all completed calls/a total number of completed calls, and wherein ABR=a number of completed calls/a number of call attempts made+a number of looped calls.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one long term average comprises a long term average of call data relating to calls made to a selected location.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one long term average comprises a long term average of call data for calls made to one member selected from group consisting of calls made to a selected country code, calls made to a selected country and city code, calls made to a selected inbound trunk group, and calls completed through a selected destination carrier.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

calculating at least one corresponding medium term average for call data relating to telephone calls placed over the Internet by the system if the results of the comparing step indicate that there is a significant difference between the at least one long term average and the corresponding at least one short term average; and

comparing the at least one long term average to the corresponding at least one medium term average, and wherein the step of generating a warning only results in a warning being generated if the results of the comparing steps indicate that there is a significant difference between the at least one long term average and both the corresponding at least one short term average and the corresponding at least one medium term average.

9. A method of identifying a potentially defective system asset in a system for routing telephone calls over the Internet, comprising:

reviewing at least one trouble report which indicates a significant discrepancy between a long term call data average and a short term call data average; and

identifying potentially defective system assets that could cause the noted significant discrepancy.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the reviewing step comprises reviewing multiple trouble reports.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the identifying step comprises identifying common system assets that could have caused the noted significant discrepancies appearing in at least two of the multiple trouble reports.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the identifying step comprises identifying at least one member selected from the group consisting of an inbound trunk group, an outbound trunk group, an Internet service provider, a gateway, and a destination carrier.

13. A system for identifying potential problems with system assets in a system for routing telephone calls over the Internet, comprising:

means for calculating at least one long term average for call data relating to telephone calls placed over the Internet by the system;

means for calculating at least one corresponding short term average for call data relating to telephone calls placed over the Internet by the system;

means for comparing the at least one long term average to the corresponding at least one short term average; and

means for generating a warning if the comparing means indicate that there is a significant difference between the at least one long term average and the corresponding at least one short term average.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising means for identifying potentially defective system assets based on the output of the comparing means.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the means for identifying potentially defective system assets is also configured to calculate long term and short term averages for call data relating to telephone calls placed over the Internet by the system.

16. A system for identifying potential problems with system assets in a system for routing telephone calls over the Internet, comprising:

a long term analysis unit configured to calculate at least one long term average for call data relating to telephone calls placed over the Internet by the system;

a short term analysis unit configured to calculate at least one corresponding short term average for call data relating to telephone calls placed over the Internet by the system;

a comparison unit configured to compare the at least one long term average to the corresponding at least one short term average; and

a warning generator configured to generate a warning if the comparison unit indicates that there is a significant difference between the at least one long term average and the corresponding at least one short term average.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a display unit for generating a display that summarizes the information produced by at least one of the long term analysis unit, the short term analysis unit and the comparison unit.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the display unit is also capable of summarizing the information produced by the warning generator.

19. The system of claim 16, further comprising a troubleshooting unit that is configured to identify potentially defective system assets based on the information produced by the comparison unit.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the troubleshooting unit is also configured to calculate long term and short term averages for call data relating to telephone calls placed over the Internet by the system.