Relief method of billing data in ATM switching system

• US 5,923,740 A
• Filed: 09/05/1997
• Issued: 07/13/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Ito, Kazuya, Hayashi, Noriko, Ito, Jun, Ueki, Kohei
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford N
• Application Number:
  US08/924,703
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 370/395, 370/394, 370/392, 370/398, 370/217, 370/216, 379/112, 379/113, 379/114, 379/1, 379/2, 379/9, 379/27, 379/26
• US Class Current: 379/114.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1446 inter-operator billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5626 Network management, e.g. Intelligent nets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5627 Fault tolerance and recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5629 Admission control
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0478 Provisions for broadband connections

Abstract

A billing data is relieved by a relief method of billing data when a failure occurs on SVC (Switched Virtual Connection) calls which subscribers connect and disconnect. The relief method of billing data on an asynchronous transfer mode switching system includes an asynchronous transfer mode switch, a terminator provided on an input side of said asynchronous transfer mode switch for counting the number of cells sent from subscribers or other switching system, and a call controller for controlling paths on said asynchronous transfer mode switch, collecting a count value of the numbers of cells on said terminator, and creating billing data according to the count value of the collected cell number and call control data, wherein only the count value of the number of the cells counted on said terminator is removed from the values to be initialized on initialization caused by a failure.

Claims

1. A relief method of billing data on an asynchronous transfer mode switching system comprising:

an asynchronous transfer mode switch;

a terminator provided on an input side of said asynchronous transfer mode switch for counting the numbers of cells sent from subscribers or other switching system; and

a call controller for controlling paths on said asynchronous transfer mode switch, collecting a count value of the numbers of cells counted on said terminator, and creating billing data according to the count value of the collected cell number and call control data,

wherein only the count value of the number of cells counted on said terminator is removed from the subjects to be initialized on initialization caused by a failure.

2. A relief method of billing data on an asynchronous transfer mode switching system comprising:

an asynchronous transfer mode switch;

a terminator provided on an input side of said asynchronous transfer mode switch for counting the numbers of cells sent from subscribers or other switching system;

a call controller for controlling paths on said asynchronous transfer mode switch, collecting said count value of the numbers of cells counted on said terminator, and creating billing data according to the count value of the collected numbers of the cells and call control data,

wherein the numbers of cells and the call control data are frozen on initialization caused by a failure.

3. The relief method of billing data according to claim 2,

wherein said terminator and call controller are duplicated, so that the numbers of cells and the call control data frozen on the failure are transferred from an active group to a standby group.

4. The relief method of billing data according to claim 2,

wherein said call controller reads corresponding count value of the numbers of cells on said terminator from the control data employed on the initialization according to said call control data, and forms billing data by combining said read count value of the numbers of cells and said call control data.

5. The relief method of billing data according to claim 4,

wherein double charging is prevented by masking said call control data on initialization after forming said billing data after call termination and before said call control data in said call controller and the cell count value on said terminators are initialized.

6. The relief method of billing data according to claim 4,

wherein said call control data is masked on initialization that occurs before forming the billing data after call termination, and after initializing the cell count value counted in the terminator, so that double charging is prevented.

7. The relief method of billing data according to claim 2,

wherein in case that collection of a count value of the numbers of cells in impossible due to communication failure between a terminator and a cell controller a terminator and a call controller belonging to an act group which have counted the numbers of the cells are switched to another terminator and another call controller belonging to a standby group, so that the call controller belonging to the standby group forms billing data.