System for processing records in a communications network

• US 6,697,814 B1
• Filed: 12/15/1999
• Issued: 02/24/2004
• 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): Metjahic, Safet
• Assistant Examiner(s): GODDARD, BRIAN D
• Application Number:
  US09/464,324
• Time in Patent Office: 1,532 Days
• Field of Search: 707/104.1, 707/100, 707/101, 707/102, 709/227, 709/228, 709/201, 709/200, 709/223, 379/114.03, 379/114.28, 379/126
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• 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 15/41 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 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8278 Event 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 2215/788 Event based
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

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 service processor for controlling a communications network to provide services to users coupled to the network, the service processor comprising:

at least one session processor that executes service logic and generates at least one raw session processing event;

at least one event bundler coupled to the session processor, wherein the event bundler collects the raw session processing event from the session processor and assembles an event collection;

at least one code-let builder coupled to the event bundler, wherein the code-let builder receives the event collection from the event bundler and adds at least one method to create a code-let; and

at least one dispatcher coupled to the code-let builder, wherein the dispatcher receives the code-let from the code-let builder, creates an interpretable file, and sends the interpretable file to a record processor.

2. The service processor of claim 1 further comprising an event bundling policy function coupled to the event bundler, wherein the event bundling policy function controls the manner in which the event bundler aggregates and filters the event, and sends the event collection.

3. The service processor of claim 1 further comprising a code-let building policy coupled to the code-let builder, wherein the code-let building policy controls how the code-let builder processes the event collection and adds the method to create a code-let.

4. The service processor of claim 1 further comprising a dispatch policy function coupled to the dispatcher, wherein the dispatch policy function controls the formation of the interpretable file from the code-let and controls'"'"' how and when the interpretable file is sent to the record processor.

5. A memory for storing a service processing event record representing at least one event occurring during service processing in a communications system, the memory comprising:

a first section storing an event data describing service processing that has transpired in the communications system; and

a second section storing code for a processing method for interpreting the event data within the service processing event record, wherein the stored event data and the stored code represent a code-let.

6. The memory of claim 5 wherein the event data is present in the service processing event record in the form of an invocation of the processing method.

7. The memory of claim 5 wherein said processing method is in the form of JAVA byte-code.

8. The memory of claim 5 wherein said processing method is in the form of applet code.

9. The memory of claim 5 wherein said processing method is in the form of servlet code.

10. The memory of claim 5 wherein said processing method is in the form of JAVA BEANS code.

11. The memory of claim 5 wherein said processing method is in the form of serialized software objects.

12. A method for supporting network services, the method comprising:

assembling an event collection including a plurality of events associated with one of the network services; and

outputting a code-let to include the event collection and code for interpreting the event collection.

13. A method according to claim 12, further comprising:

generating an interpretable file based on the code-let.

14. A method according to claim 12, wherein at least one of the plurality of events is a billable event.

15. A method according to claim 12, further comprising:

assembling another event collection relating to the network services, wherein the code-let in the outputting step includes the event collections and corresponding codes.

16. A method according to claim 12, further comprising:

collecting a raw session processing event from the session processor for assembling the event collection.

17. A method according to claim 12, further comprising:

controlling at least one of aggregating and filtering of the events.