Method and system for processing records in a communications network

• US 6,687,355 B1
• Filed: 12/15/1999
• Issued: 02/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: WorldCom, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Porter, Kelvin R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): AGDEPPA, HECTOR A
• Application Number:
  US09/464,648
• Time in Patent Office: 1,511 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201-1-2, 379/204.01, 379/221-8-2
• US Class Current: 379/201.03
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1482 involving use of telephony infrastructure for billing for the transport of data, e.g. call detail record [CDR] or intelligent network infrastructure
• 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 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/43 Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/775 Account specifications on parallel communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8228 Session based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0152 General billing plans, rate plans, e.g. charge rates, numbering plans, rate centers, customer accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0164 Billing record, e.g. Call Data Record [CDR], Toll Ticket[TT], Automatic Message Accounting [AMA], Call Line Identifier [CLI], details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0184 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions, volume discounts, cell discounts, group billing, frequent calling destination(s) or user history list
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7277 Account specifications on parallel communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7833 Session based

Abstract

In a communications network that provides services to a plurality of users, events occurring during service processing are accumulated in an event record and sent to a record processor to perform post-processing, such as assessing charges to be billed to users of the network. Each service processing node in the communications network accumulates event records, bundles them with instructions as to how they are be processed, and dispatches them to one or more record processors. Before being sent to a record processor, an event record is augmented with instructions describing how to perform processing upon the events in the event record. The record processors are general-purpose processors and the instructions for post-processing are carried within the event records themselves. Post-processors are no longer required to be dedicated to a particular purpose such as billing computation. Furthermore, deployment of post-processing function is more timely and can be integrated with deployment of service processing functions to network service processors.

Claims

1. A record processor for processing an interpretable file generated by a communications system, the interpretable file comprising at least one recorded service processing event and at least one instruction for processing the recorded service processing event, the record processor comprising:

at least one general-purpose processing environment comprising at least one memory space; and

at least one interpreter that receives and parses an interpretable file generated by a communications system according to at least one policy stored in said memory space, loads the instruction into the memory space, and processes the recorded service processing event in the interpretable file by executing the instruction as directed by the at least one policy loaded in the general-purpose processing environment.

2. The record processor of claim 1 further comprising a persistently stored library of instructions and data needed for processing the recorded service processing event.

3. The record processor of claim 2 wherein the instruction obtained from the interpretable file is uploaded into the persistently stored library.

4. The record processor of claim 2 wherein the instruction is selectively uploaded into the persistently stored library responsive to an indicator within the interpretable file.

5. A record processor for processing an executable file created by a communications system to represent at least one service processing event, the record processor comprising a general-purpose execution environment into which the executable file is loaded and executed according to at least one policy stored in the general-purpose execution environment to accomplish processing of the service processing event.

6. A method for processing of an executable file created by a communications network in the course of service processing, wherein the executable file comprises at least one service processing event and at least one instruction for processing the service processing event, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving the executable file from the communications network;

adding processing instructions according to at least one policy to the executeable file;

loading the executable file into an execution environment; and

executing the executable file to accomplish processing of the service processing event using all of the instructions.

7. A record processor coupled to a communications network for processing an interpretable file generated by the communications network, the interpretable file comprising at least one service processing event recorded during service processing of the communications network and at least one instruction for processing the service processing event, the record processor comprising:

at least one general-purpose processing environment comprising at least one memory space; and

at least one interpreter coupled to the processing environment, wherein the interpreter receives and parses the interpretable file generated by a communications network according to at least one policy, loads the instruction into the memory space, and processes the service processing event in the interpretable file by executing the instruction loaded in the memory space according to the at least one policy.

8. The record processor of claim 7 further comprising a persistently stored library coupled to the interpreter, wherein the library is a repository for retaining the instruction whereby the instruction may be retrieved as needed for subsequent processing of service processing events.

9. The record processor of claim 8 wherein the instruction obtained from the interpretable file is uploaded into the library.

10. The record processor of claim 8 wherein the instruction is selectively uploaded into the library responsive to an indicator within the interpretable file.

11. A method for processing an event record created by a communications network in the course of service processing, wherein the event record comprises at least one service processing event and at least one instruction for processing the service processing event, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving the event record from the communications network;

loading the instruction from the event record into an execution environment storing at least one policy; and

executing the instruction to accomplish processing of the service processing event according to the at least one policy.

12. A method, in a record processor including a storage, wherein the record processor processes a recorded service processing event from a communications network, for obtaining an instruction for processing of the service processing event, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving from the communications network an interpretable file comprising the instruction for processing the service processing event;

extracting the instruction from the interpretable file;

storing the instruction in the storage of the record processor;

retrieving the instruction from the storage of the record processor;

accumulating a session reconstruction; and

applying the instruction to process the service processing event.

13. A method of processing a record of events recorded during use of a communications network comprising the steps of:

generating a plurality of event records;

bundling one or more of said plurality of event records according to a policy to create an event collection;

generating an interpretable file comprising at least one instruction for processing at least one of the event records and at least one policy instruction;

receiving the interpretable file at a service processor;

extracting the instructions from the interpretable file;

storing the instructions in a storage in the record processor;

retrieving the instructions from the storage of the record processor; and

applying the instructions to process the recorded events.

14. A method according to claim 13 wherein said step of generating an interpretable file comprises the steps of:

receiving the event collection at a code-let builder; and

generating a code-let comprising at least one instruction for processing at least one of the event records.

15. A method of processing a record of one or more events recorded during use of a communications network comprising the steps of:

generating an event records;

generating an interpretable file comprising at least one policy instruction for processing the event records;

receiving the interpretable file at a service processor;

extracting the instruction from the interpretable file;

storing the instruction in a storage in the record processor;

retrieving the instruction from the storage of the record processor; and

applying the instruction to process the recorded event.

16. A method according to claim 15 wherein said step of generating an interpretable file comprises the steps of:

receiving the event record at a code-let builder; and

generating a code-let comprising at least one policy instruction for processing the event record.