DATA RESILIENCY OF BILLING INFORMATION

• US 20170308935A1
• Filed: 04/22/2016
• Published: 10/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Krishnaswamy, Dilip, Rajagopal, Vinay G., Shetty, Rohit
• Granted Patent: US 10,796,348 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• 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 15/31 Distributed metering or calculation of charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/70 Administration or customization aspects; Counter-checking correct charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/73 Validating charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/74 Backing up

Abstract

Managing transaction data during times of low network connectivity by organizing billing information for prioritized processing during periods of higher network connectivity. During low connectivity events, billing information is organized based, at least in part, on a combination of age and revenue to communicate important billing information upon reconnection.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

queuing a set of pending billing entries for transmittal over a remote network, each pending billing entry in the set of pending billing entries having an age and a revenue value;

determining a processing delay over the remote network;

reordering, responsive to determining the processing delay, the set of pending billing entries to an ordered set of pending billing entries based, at least in part, on the age and the revenue value for each pending billing entry in the set of pending billing entries;

replicating the set of pending billing entries over a local network;

determining an end of the processing delay; and

transmitting, responsive to determining the end of the processing delay, a first subset of the set of pending billing entries over the remote network, wherein the first subset of the set of pending billing entries are based, at least in part, on the ordered set of pending billing entries;

wherein at least the determining the processing delay over the remote network is performed by computer software running on computer hardware.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second set of pending billing entries, wherein each pending billing entry in the second set of pending billing entries has an age and a revenue value; and

adding the second set of pending billing entries to the ordered set of pending billing entries based, at least in part, on the age and the revenue value for each pending billing entry in the second set of pending billing entries.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an acknowledgement of receipt of the first subset of the set of pending billing entries over the remote network;

storing the set of pending billing entries in a local storage; and

deleting, responsive to receiving the acknowledgement;

the set of pending billing entries replicated over the local network, and

the set of pending billing entries stored in the local storage.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the ordered set of pending billing entries are transmitted to a master billing management sub-system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of pending billing entries are replicated to a local policy and charging enforcement sub-system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the ordered set of pending billing entries is based on a priority for each pending billing entry in the set of pending billing entries; and

a first priority of a first pending billing entry in the set of pending billing entries is based on a sum of;

a first age for the first pending billing entry multiplied by a first coefficient, and

a first revenue value for the first pending billing entry multiplied by a second coefficient.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the end of the processing delay is performed on a dynamic basis.

8. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon;

first instructions executable by a device to cause the device to queue a set of pending billing entries for transmittal over a remote network, each pending billing entry in the set of pending billing entries having an age and a revenue value;

second instructions executable by a device to cause the device to determine a processing delay over the remote network;

third instructions executable by a device to cause the device to reorder, responsive to determining the processing delay, the set of pending billing entries to an ordered set of pending billing entries based, at least in part, on the age and the revenue value for each pending billing entry in the set of pending billing entries;

fourth instructions executable by a device to cause the device to replicate the set of pending billing entries over a local network;

fifth instructions executable by a device to cause the device to determine an end of the processing delay; and

sixth instructions executable by a device to cause the device to transmit, responsive to determining the end of the processing delay, a first subset of the set of pending billing entries over the remote network, wherein the first subset of the set of pending billing entries are based, at least in part, on the ordered set of pending billing entries.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

seventh instructions executable by a device to cause the device to receive a second set of pending billing entries, wherein each pending billing entry in the second set of pending billing entries has an age and a revenue value; and

eighth instructions executable by a device to cause the device to add the second set of pending billing entries to the ordered set of pending billing entries based, at least in part, on the age and the revenue value for each pending billing entry in the second set of pending billing entries.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

seventh instructions executable by a device to cause the device to receive an acknowledgement of receipt of the first subset of the set of pending billing entries over the remote network;

eighth instructions executable by a device to cause the device to store the set of pending billing entries in a local storage; and

ninth instructions executable by a device to cause the device to delete, responsive to receiving the acknowledgement;

the set of pending billing entries replicated over the local network, and

the set of pending billing entries stored in the local storage.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the ordered set of pending billing entries are transmitted to a master billing management sub-system.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the set of pending billing entries are replicated to a local policy and charging enforcement sub-system.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein:

the ordered set of pending billing entries is based on a priority for each pending billing entry in the set of pending billing entries; and

a first priority of a first pending billing entry in the set of pending billing entries is based on a sum of;

a first age for the first pending billing entry multiplied by a first coefficient, and

a first revenue value for the first pending billing entry multiplied by a second coefficient.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein fifth instructions to determine an end of the processing delay are performed on a dynamic basis.

15. A computer system comprising:

a processor set; and

a computer readable storage medium;

the processor set being structured, located, connected, and/or programmed to execute instructions stored on the computer readable storage medium; and

the instructions include;

first instructions executable by a device to cause the device to queue a set of pending billing entries for transmittal over a remote network, each pending billing entry in the set of pending billing entries having an age and a revenue value;

second instructions executable by a device to cause the device to determine a processing delay over the remote network;

third instructions executable by a device to cause the device to reorder, responsive to determining the processing delay, the set of pending billing entries to an ordered set of pending billing entries based, at least in part, on the age and the revenue value for each pending billing entry in the set of pending billing entries;

fourth instructions executable by a device to cause the device to replicate the set of pending billing entries over a local network;

fifth instructions executable by a device to cause the device to determine an end of the processing delay; and

sixth instructions executable by a device to cause the device to transmit, responsive to determining the end of the processing delay, a first subset of the set of pending billing entries over the remote network, wherein the first subset of the set of pending billing entries are based, at least in part, on the ordered set of pending billing entries.

16. The computer system of claim 15, further comprising:

seventh instructions executable by a device to cause the device to receive a second set of pending billing entries, wherein each pending billing entry in the second set of pending billing entries has an age and a revenue value; and

eighth instructions executable by a device to cause the device to add the second set of pending billing entries to the ordered set of pending billing entries based, at least in part, on the age and the revenue value for each pending billing entry in the second set of pending billing entries.

17. The computer system of claim 15, further comprising:

seventh instructions executable by a device to cause the device to receive an acknowledgement of receipt of the first subset of the set of pending billing entries over the remote network;

eighth instructions executable by a device to cause the device to store the set of pending billing entries in a local storage; and

ninth instructions executable by a device to cause the device to delete, responsive to receiving the acknowledgement;

the set of pending billing entries replicated over the local network, and

the set of pending billing entries stored in the local storage.

18. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the ordered set of pending billing entries are transmitted to a master billing management sub-system.

19. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the set of pending billing entries are replicated to a local policy and charging enforcement sub-system.

20. The computer system of claim 15, wherein:

the ordered set of pending billing entries is based on a priority for each pending billing entry in the set of pending billing entries; and

a first priority of a first pending billing entry in the set of pending billing entries is based on a sum of;

a first age for the first pending billing entry multiplied by a first coefficient, and

a first revenue value for the first pending billing entry multiplied by a second coefficient.