System and method for intelligent data extraction for telecommunications invoices

• US 20070165801A1
• Filed: 01/18/2006
• Published: 07/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TEOCO
• Original Assignee: TEOCO
• Inventors: Wyatt, John, Cybyk, Roman, Devolites, John
• Granted Patent: US 7,720,206 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/114.30
• 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

Abstract

A system, method and computer program product for extracting information from a telecommunications invoice is provided. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a method may include: receiving a telecommunications invoice data stream in a first data format; analyzing the telecommunications invoice data stream to determine the first data format; modeling the telecommunications invoice data stream; and mapping the modeled telecommunications invoice data stream to a normalized data format. According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the method may include: where the modeling of the telecommunications invoice data stream may further include any of: creating a model for the first data format; modeling the telecommunications invoice data stream according to the model; and/or modeling the telecommunications invoice data stream with an intelligent adapter.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a telecommunications invoice data stream in a first data format;

analyzing said telecommunications invoice data stream to determine said first data format;

modeling said telecommunications invoice data stream; and

mapping said modeled telecommunications invoice data stream to a normalized data format.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said modeling of said telecommunications invoice data stream further comprises at least one of:

creating a model for said first data format;

modeling said telecommunications invoice data stream according to said model; and

/or

modeling said telecommunications invoice data stream with an intelligent adapter.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

validating said parsed data by comparing a first telecommunications invoice generated from said telecommunications invoice data stream in said first data format with a second telecommunications invoice generated from said mapped telecommunications invoice data stream.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

auditing said telecommunications invoice printer data stream for billing accuracy comprising at least one of;

comparing telecommunications invoice charges with telecommunications invoice total cost included in said telecommunications invoice data stream;

confirming field integrity;

confirming numerical accuracy; and

/or

confirming expected field lengths.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said received telecommunications invoice data stream comprises at least one of a non-industry standard data format and/or a captured electronic print data file.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said captured electronic print data file is captured at a remote site.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said telecommunications invoice data stream comprises a electronic print data file of a telecommunications invoice.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said telecommunications invoice data stream comprises a company telecommunications invoice data stream.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first data format comprises at least one of a non-industry standard data file, a PDF file, a PRN file, an LPT file, and/or a TIFF file.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said normalized data format comprises at least one of an XTrak interchange format (xif), an extensible markup language (xml) format, an industry standard format, and/or a proprietary format.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of mapping said modeled invoice data further comprises at least one of:

mapping said modeled telecommunications invoice data stream according to mapping codes;

mapping said modeled telecommunications invoice data stream with an intelligent adapter;

blending a record into a record comprising a superset of fields of an industry standard record and/or mapping said modeled telecommunications invoice data stream using fuzzy logic.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein said received telecommunications invoice data stream is received at a centralized site from a remote site.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting said mapped telecommunications invoice data stream to a centralized site from a remote site.

40. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first data format comprises at least one of:

usage records;

facilities records;

switched call records;

dedicated facilities records;

call detail records (CDRs);

facility cost records (FCRs);

voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) records;

packet records;

content records;

ringtone records;

audio records;

video records;

broadcast records;

wireless records;

CATV records;

satellite records;

other usage records;

other facility records; and

/or

other charge records.

14. A machine-readable medium that provides instructions, which when executed by a computing platform, cause said computing platform to perform operations comprising a method comprising:

receiving a telecommunications invoice data stream in a first data format;

analyzing said telecommunications invoice data stream to determine said first data format;

modeling said telecommunications invoice data stream; and

mapping said modeled telecommunications invoice data stream to a normalized data format.

15. The machine-readable medium according to claim 14, wherein said modeling of said telecommunications invoice data stream further comprises at least one of:

creating a model for said first data format;

modeling said telecommunications invoice data stream according to said modeling model; and

/or

modeling with an intelligent adapter said telecommunications invoice data stream.

16. The machine-readable medium according to claim 14, wherein the method further comprises:

validating said parsed data by comparing a first telecommunications invoice generated from said telecommunications invoice data stream in said first data format with a second telecommunications invoice generated from said mapped telecommunications invoice data stream.

17. The machine-readable medium according to claim 14, wherein the method further comprises:

auditing said telecommunications invoice printer data stream for billing accuracy comprising at least one of;

comparing telecommunications invoice charges with telecommunications invoice total cost included in said telecommunications invoice data stream;

confirming field integrity;

confirming numerical accuracy; and

/or

confirming expected field lengths.

18. The machine-readable medium according to claim 14, wherein said received telecommunications invoice data stream comprises a captured electronic print file.

19. The machine-readable medium according to claim 18, wherein said captured electronic print file is captured at a remote site.

20. The machine-readable medium according to claim 14, wherein said telecommunications invoice data stream comprises a electronic print file of a telecommunications invoice.

21. The machine-readable medium according to claim 14, wherein said telecommunications invoice data stream comprises a company telecommunications invoice data stream.

22. The machine-readable medium according to claim 14, wherein said first data format comprises at least one of a non-industry standard file, a PDF file, a PRN file, an LPT file, and/or a TIFF file.

23. The machine-readable medium according to claim 14, wherein said second normalized data format comprises at least one of an XTrak interchange format (xif), an extensible markup language (xml) format, an industry standard format, and/or a proprietary format.

24. The machine-readable medium according to claim 14, wherein said step of mapping said parsed invoice data further comprises at least one of:

mapping said modeled telecommunications invoice data stream according to mapping codes;

mapping said modeled telecommunications invoice data stream with an intelligent adapter;

blending a record into a record comprising a superset of fields of an industry standard record and/or mapping said modeled telecommunications invoice data stream using fuzzy logic.

25. The machine-readable medium according to claim 14, wherein said received telecommunications invoice data stream is received at a centralized site from a remote site.

26. The machine-readable medium according to claim 14, wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting said mapped telecommunications invoice data stream to a centralized site from a remote site.

27. A system comprising:

receiving means for receiving a telecommunications invoice data stream in a first data format;

analyzing means for analyzing said telecommunications invoice data stream to determine said first data format;

modeling means for modeling said telecommunications invoice data stream; and

mapping means for mapping said modeled telecommunications invoice data stream to a normalized data format.

28. The system according to claim 27, wherein said modeling means further comprises:

means for creating a modeling model for said first data format;

means for modeling said telecommunications invoice data stream according to said modeling model;

means for blending a record into a record comprising a superset of fields of an industry standard record; and

/or

means for modeling said telecommunications invoice data stream with an intelligent adapter.

29. The system according to claim 27, further comprising:

means for validating said parsed data by comparing a first telecommunications invoice generated from said telecommunications invoice data stream in said first printer data stream format with a second telecommunications invoice generated from said mapped telecommunications invoice data stream.

30. The system according to claim 27, further comprising:

means for auditing said telecommunications invoice printer data stream for billing accuracy comprising at least one of;

means for comparing telecommunications invoice charges with telecommunications invoice total cost included in said telecommunications invoice data stream;

means for confirming field integrity;

means for confirming numerical accuracy; and

/or

means for confirming expected field lengths.

31. The system according to claim 27, wherein said received telecommunications invoice data stream comprises a captured electronic print file.

32. The system according to claim 31, wherein said captured electronic print file is captured at a remote site.

33. The system according to claim 27, wherein said telecommunications invoice data stream comprises a electronic print file of a telecommunications invoice.

34. The system according to claim 27, wherein said telecommunications invoice data stream comprises a company telecommunications invoice data stream.

35. The system according to claim 27, wherein said first printer data stream format comprises at least one of a non-industry standard format, a PDF file, a PRN file, an LPT file, and/or a TIFF file.

36. The system according to claim 27, wherein said second normalized data format comprises at least one of an XTrak interchange format (xif), an extensible markup language (xml) format, an industry standard format, and/or a proprietary format.

37. The system according to claim 27, wherein said mapping means further comprises at least one of:

means for mapping said modeled telecommunications invoice data stream according to mapping codes;

means for mapping said modeled telecommunications invoice data stream with an intelligent adapter; and

/or

means for mapping said modeled telecommunications invoice data stream using fuzzy logic.

38. The system according to claim 27, wherein said received telecommunications invoice data stream is received at a centralized site from a remote site.

39. The system according to claim 27, further comprising:

means for transmitting said mapped telecommunications invoice data stream to a centralized site from a remote site.