METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BILLING DATA SERVICES

• US 20070288366A1
• Filed: 06/13/2006
• Published: 12/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SBC Knowledge Ventures LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SBC Knowledge Ventures LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Barker, Stewart
• Granted Patent: US 8,285,650 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications

Abstract

A method and apparatus for billing data services. A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a system having a controller that manages a communications interface coupled to a communication system. The controller can be programmed to calculate a charge for service according to a degree of asymmetric bandwidth usage of upstream and downstream data traffic consumed by customer premise equipment (CPE). Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium in a system that manages billing information in a communication system, comprising computer instructions for varying a charge for service according to a degree of asymmetry in upstream and downstream data traffic usage associated with customer premise equipment (CPE).

2. The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for:

receiving upstream and downstream data traffic measurements corresponding to the CPE;

averaging upstream data traffic measurements;

averaging downstream data traffic measurements;

generating a ratio of the average of upstream data traffic to the average of downstream data traffic; and

determining the charge for service according to the ratio.

3. The storage medium of claim 2, comprising computer instructions for calculating upstream and downstream data traffic averages according to a predefined measurement intervals.

4. The storage medium of claim 3, comprising computer instructions for:

discarding a portion of the upstream and downstream data traffic averages; and

determining the ratio according a maximum average selected from each of the remaining upstream and downstream data traffic averages.

5. The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for calculating the charge for service according to one or more ranges of asymmetric upstream and downstream data traffic ratios.

6. The storage medium of claim 5, comprising computer instructions for reducing the charge for service as a ratio in the asymmetric upstream and downstream data traffic increases.

7. The storage medium of claim 5, comprising computer instructions for increasing the charge for service as a ratio in the asymmetric upstream and downstream data traffic decreases.

8. The storage medium of claim 5, comprising computer instructions for replacing the calculated charge for service with a minimum charge for service when the minimum charge for service exceeds the calculated charge for service.

9. The storage medium of claim 8, wherein the minimum charge for service is computed from a product of a maximum billing price for data services of the communication system and a percentage of peak service bandwidth provided to the CPE.

10. A system, comprising a controller that manages a communications interface coupled to a communication system, wherein the controller is programmed to calculate a charge for service according to a degree of asymmetric bandwidth usage of upstream and downstream data traffic consumed by customer premise equipment (CPE).

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the controller is programmed to:

calculate averages for upstream and downstream bandwidth usage measurements;

compare the average upstream bandwidth usage to the average downstream bandwidth usage;

determine the charge for service from the comparison.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the controller is programmed to:

calculate the averages for upstream and downstream bandwidth usage according to predefined intervals;

discard a portion of the highest averages for upstream and downstream bandwidth usage; and

compare a maximum average of each of the remaining averages for upstream and downstream bandwidth usage.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the controller is programmed to calculate the charge for service according to one or more ranges of asymmetric bandwidth usage.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the controller is programmed to reduce the charge for service when a ratio of the upstream and downstream bandwidth usage increases.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the controller is programmed to increase the charge for service when a ratio of the upstream and downstream bandwidth usage decreases.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the controller is programmed to replace the calculated charge for service with a minimum charge for service when the minimum charge for service exceeds the calculated charge for service.

17. A method, comprising charging a customer for Internet services according to a degree of asymmetric bandwidth usage of upstream and downstream data traffic in a communication system.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising charging for Internet services according to one or more ranges of asymmetric bandwidth usage.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising reducing the charge for Internet services according to increasing ratios of upstream and downstream bandwidth usage.

20. The method of claim 18, comprising increasing the charge for Internet services according to decreasing ratios of upstream and downstream bandwidth usage.