Service tariffing based on usage indicators in a radio based network

• US 6,618,355 B1
• Filed: 05/07/1999
• Issued: 09/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CarrierComm, Inc. (Moseley Wireless Solutions Group)
• Original Assignee: CarrierComm, Inc. (Moseley Wireless Solutions Group)
• Inventors: Andrew, Brian J., Gulliford, Philip C.
• Primary Examiner(s): CANGIALOSI, SALVATORE A
• Application Number:
  US09/307,526
• Time in Patent Office: 1,586 Days
• Field of Search: 370/351, 370/468, 370/229, 370/230, 370/238, 370/252, 370/322, 370/331, 455/423, 709/202, 709/203, 709/224
• US Class Current: 370/230
• 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: H04M 15/31 Distributed metering or calculation of charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/51 for resellers, retailers or service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8214 Data or packet based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0104 Augmented, consolidated or itemised billing statement, e.g. additional billing information, bill presentation, layout, format, e-mail, fax, printout, itemised bill per service or per account, cumulative billing, consolidated billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0188 Network monitoring; statistics on usage on called/calling number
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2013 Fixed data network, e.g. PDN, ATM, B-ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/54 Resellers-retail or service providers billing, e.g. agreements with telephone service operator, activation, charging/recharging of accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/782 Data or packet based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/96 Distributed calculation of charges, e.g. in different nodes like for mobiles between HLR and VLR, or between the terminal and the billing function
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

The system provides a distributed decentralized network architecture. Network routing is performed at each node in the network, as opposed to the centralized architecture'"'"'s single POP. Each node is typically an access point to the network, and it collects the relevant traffic statistics for subscribers connecting at that node. This is accomplished by a network switching/control element contained within the (Invisible Fiber Unit) IFU. The information is collected from the switching/control element contained within the IFU. The information is collected from the switching element by the IFU'"'"'s CPU. This information can then be pre-processed locally, or sent directly to a central billing facility, for further processing, eventually resulting in the creation of the subscriber'"'"'s bill. Essentially, it is only billing information that flows back to a central point, rather than the data traffic itself.

Claims

1. A system providing network subscriber usage tariffing, said system comprising:

a plurality active network elements each having a memory in communication therewith, wherein said active network elements are adapted to derive network usage information associated with particular subscribers and store the derived information in the memory; and

an activity collection system in communication with network elements of said plurality of active network elements, wherein said activity collection system is adapted to interrogate said network elements in communication therewith to collect the stored derived information, and wherein said activity collection system includes processor-based circuitry operable to analyze the stored derived information interrogated from multiple ones of said network elements to provide tariffing of particular subscribers commensurate with their associated network resource utilization.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said network usage information is derived from address information associated with packets of subscriber payload data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said network usage information is derived from a particular interface port of the active network element user payload data is passed.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said network usage information is derived from a particular function performed with subscriber payload data.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said network usage information includes address information subscriber payload data is directed toward.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said network usage information includes address information subscriber payload data is provided from.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said network usage information includes a bit count associated with the transmission of user payload data.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said network usage information includes a packet count associated with the transmission of user payload data.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said network usage information includes a temporal data element.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said temporal data element demarks a beginning of accumulating an amount of user payload data volume transmitted.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said beginning of accumulating an amount of user payload data volume corresponds to a time at which said activity collection system interrogated said network element.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein said temporal data element demarks an end of accumulating an amount of user payload data volume transmitted.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said end of accumulating an amount of user payload data volume transmitted corresponds to a network event affecting the quality of service of a subscriber associated with the user payload data.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein said memory in communication with each active network element of the plurality of network elements is local to the associated active network element.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein network elements of said plurality of active network elements comprise at least two groups, a first group of said network elements being primary data collection network elements and a second group of said network elements being secondary data collection network elements.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said first group of network elements are responsive to interrogation by said activity collection system.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein said first group of network elements comprise processor-based systems operable to refine said derived information.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein ones of said first group of network elements are operable to provide at least a portion of said refined derived data to subscriber units in communication therewith via network connections.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein said second group of network elements are unresponsive to interrogation by said activity collection system.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein said second group of network elements passively collect network usage information for provision to external processor-based systems for refining of the derived data.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein network elements of said second group of network elements store said derived network usage information in the memory local thereto for provision to an associated network element of said first group of network elements.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein provision of said derived network usage information from network elements of said second group of network elements to an associated network element of said first group of network elements is independent of said interrogation by said activity collection system.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein said associated network element of said first group of network elements is a network element of said first group of network elements disposed a shortest distance via network connections from said network element of said second group of network elements associated therewith.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein network elements of said plurality of active network elements comprise at least two groups, a first group of said network elements being primary data collection network elements having said memory in communication therewith disposed local thereto and a second group of said network elements being secondary data collection network elements having said memory in communication therewith disposed remotely thereto.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein said derived network usage information of network elements of said second group of network elements is stored at an associated network element of said first group of network elements.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein said activity collection system is a processor-based system deployed as a network node.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein said network node a management node associated with a network service provider, and wherein substantially only network operation, alarm, maintenance, and provisioning data including said network usage information is communicated thereto by network connections.

28. The system of claim 1, wherein said tariffing of particular subscribers reflects an achieved level of performance as determined by said activity collection system from the stored derived information interrogated from multiple ones of said network elements.

29. The system of claim 1, wherein said tariffing of particular subscribers reflects an achieved quality of service as determined by said activity collection system from the stored derived information interrogated from multiple ones of said network elements.

30. The system of claim 1, wherein said tariffing of particular subscribers reflects an actual amount of utilized bandwidth as determined by said activity collection system from the stored derived information interrogated from multiple ones of said network elements.

31. The system of claim 1, wherein said activity collection system is further adapted to analyze the stored derived information interrogated from multiple ones of said network elements to determine changes in particular subscribers'"'"' network resource utilization.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein said changes in particular subscribers'"'"' network resource utilization are associated with an amount of network resource utilization.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein said changes in particular subscribers'"'"' network resource utilization are associated with a change in network resource utilization patterns.

34. The system of claim 31, further comprising:

a messaging system in communication with said activity collection system providing notification of changes in particular subscribers'"'"' network resource utilization to said particular subscribers as determined by said activity collection system.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein said notification is via e-mail.

36. A method for providing network subscriber usage tariffing, said method comprising the steps of:

deploying a plurality active network elements in a data network to provide network data communication there through;

providing communication between each network element of said plurality of network elements and a corresponding memory;

operating said network elements to derive network usage information associated with particular subscribers;

storing the derived information in the memory in communication with a particular network element deriving the information; and

deploying an activity collection system in said data network;

providing communication between network elements of said plurality of active network elements and said activity collection system;

operating said activity collection system to interrogate said network elements in communication therewith;

collecting the stored derived information at said activity collection system in response to said interrogating step; and

analyzing the collected stored derived information to provide tariffing of particular subscribers commensurate with their associated network resource utilization.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein said operating said network elements step comprises the step of:

deriving said network usage information from address information associated with packets of subscriber payload data.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein said operating said network elements step comprises the step of:

deriving said network usage information from a particular interface port of the active network element user payload data is passed.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein said operating said network elements step comprises the step of:

deriving said network usage information from a particular function performed with subscriber payload data.

40. The method of claim 36, wherein said network usage information includes address information subscriber payload data is directed toward.

41. The method of claim 36, wherein said network usage information includes address information subscriber payload data is provided from.

42. The method of claim 36, wherein said network usage information includes a bit count associated with the transmission of user payload data.

43. The method of claim 36, wherein said network usage information includes a packet count associated with the transmission of user payload data.

44. The method of claim 36, wherein said network usage information includes a temporal data element.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein said temporal data element demarks a beginning of accumulating an amount of user payload data volume transmitted.

46. The method of claim 44, wherein said temporal data element demarks an end of accumulating an amount of user payload data volume transmitted.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein said end of accumulating an amount of user payload data volume transmitted corresponds to a network event affecting the quality of service of a subscriber associated with the user payload data.

48. The method of claim 36, wherein said corresponding memory in communication with each active network element of the plurality of network elements is local to the associated active network element.

49. The method of claim 48, further comprising the steps of:

identifying a first group of said network elements being primary data collection network elements; and

identifying a second group of said networks elements being secondary data collection network elements.

50. The method of claim 49, further comprising the step of:

operating said first group of network elements to interrogate corresponding ones of said second group of network elements.

51. The method of claim 50, wherein said operating said activity collection system step comprises the step of:

interrogating said first group of network elements without directly interrogating said second group of network elements.

52. The method of claim 49, further comprising the step of:

operating said first group of network elements to refine information interrogated from said corresponding ones of said second group of network elements.

53. The method of claim 36, wherein said analyzing step comprises the step of:

tariffing particular subscribers as a function of an achieved level of network performance as determined by said activity collection system from the stored derived information interrogated from multiple ones of said network elements.

54. The method of claim 36, wherein said analyzing step comprises the step of:

tariffing particular subscribers as a function of an achieved quality of network service as determined by said activity collection system from the stored derived information interrogated from multiple ones of said network elements.

55. The method of claim 36, wherein said analyzing step comprises the step of:

tariffing particular subscribers as a function of actual amount of utilized bandwidth as determined by said activity collection system from the stored derived information interrogated from multiple ones of said network elements.

56. The method of claim 36, wherein said analyzing step comprises the step of:

determining changes in particular subscribers'"'"' network resource utilization.

57. The method of claim 56, wherein said determining changes step comprises the step of:

determining changes in particular subscribers'"'"' network resource utilization associated with an amount of network resource utilization.

58. The method of claim 56, wherein said determining changes step comprises the step of:

determining changes in particular subscribers'"'"' network resource utilization associated with a change in network resource utilization patterns.

59. The method of claim 56, further comprising the step of

providing notification of changes in particular subscribers'"'"' network resource utilization to said particular subscribers as determined by said activity collection system.

60. A data network system spanning a plurality of nodes with radio link connections, said data network system comprising:

a plurality of radio stations located at respective ones of said nodes, each radio station in radio communication with at least another one of said radio stations for communicating data there between; and

a plurality of network elements, ones of said network elements disposed at respective ones of said nodes, each of said network elements disposed to communicate network data through said radio link connections, wherein ones of said network elements are adapted to ascertain network utilization information respective to particular network devices coupled to said data network through the use of a data collection unit connected to said network element and a processing unit connected to said data collection unit for acquiring information from said network element to update a database in communication with said processing unit.

61. The system of claim 60, further comprising:

a data analysis module adapted to analyze data of a database associated with said ones of said network elements to provide network utilization information specific to particular users of said network system.

62. The system of claim 61, further comprising:

a messaging module adapted to provide said particular users with near real time notification of network utilization.

63. The system of claim 62, wherein said notification is provided in response to a change in network resource utilization magnitude.

64. The system of claim 62, wherein said notification is provided in response to a change in a network resource utilization pattern.

65. The system of claim 60, further comprising:

a data acquisition module adapted to collect data network utilization information from said database.

66. The system of claim 65, wherein said collection of said data network utilization information is substantially autonomous upon the occurrence of a condition.

67. The system of claim 66, wherein said condition is a time corresponding to a billing cycle of a network service provider operating said data network.

68. The system of claim 66, wherein said condition is a query by a user.

69. The system of claim 68, wherein said user is a subscriber of network services of said data network.

70. The system of claim 68, wherein said user is a system administrator of said data network.

71. A data network system spanning a plurality of nodes with radio link connections, said data network system comprising:

a plurality of radio stations located at respective ones of said nodes, each radio station in radio communication with at least another one of said radio stations for communicating data there between; and

a plurality of network elements, ones of said network elements disposed at respective ones of said nodes, each of said network elements connected to communicate network data through said radio link connections, each of said network elements adapted to ascertain network utilization information respective to particular network devices coupled to said data network through the use of an interrogating unit connected to said network element and a central processing unit connected to said interrogating unit for interrogating information from said network element to update a database in communications with said network element accordingly.

72. The system of claim 71, further comprising:

a data acquisition module adapted to collect data network utilization information from said database.

73. The system of claim 72, wherein said collection of said data network utilization information is substantially autonomous upon the occurrence of a condition.

74. The system of claim 73, wherein said condition is a time corresponding to a billing cycle of a network service provider operating said data network.

75. The system of claim 73, wherein said condition is a query by a user.

76. The system of claim 75, wherein said user is a subscriber of network services of said data network.

77. The system of claim 75, wherein said user is a system administrator of said data network.