Traffic track usage measurement system

• US 6,744,866 B1
• Filed: 11/10/1998
• Issued: 06/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: OL Security LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Services Corporation (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Nolting, Thomas A., LaPearl, Richard, Noonan, Sheila, Dion, Karen, Leung, Raymond X.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, QUOC DUC
• Application Number:
  US09/188,712
• Time in Patent Office: 2,030 Days
• Field of Search: 379/112, 379/113, 379/133, 379/134, 379/34, 379/111, 379/114, 379/115, 379/121, 379/126
• US Class Current: 379/133
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2281 Call monitoring, e.g. for law enforcement purposes; Call tracing; Detection or prevention of malicious calls

Abstract

A monitoring system captures and processes messages from SS7 links, to compile call detail records (CDRs) for all interoffice call attempts. The CDRs are uploaded into a relational database. Automatic Message Accounting (AMA) records also are accumulated and uploaded to a another relational database. A data preparation operation utilizes external information to enhance the records for further processing, for example, to translate information codes in the records to textual names of originating and terminating offices. The enhanced records are loaded into a multi-dimensional database. The multi-dimensional database software facilitates analysis of the records to identify a variety of network traffic patterns. The user can automatically set up and customize studies for particular applications, for example to study traffic patterns for calls through a particular office. The multi-dimensional database also enables the presentation of information from the records in formats illustrating a variety of particular features of the traffic found in a study. For example, a report may show minutes of use for calls through an office during different hours of the day or show the other offices communicating with the office under study and the numbers of calls from each of those other offices.

Claims

1. A method of conducting a study for analyzing traffic through a telecommunication network, comprising the steps of:

compiling detail records for a predetermined set of calls processed through the telecommunication network, wherein calls of the predetermined set are identified by parameters of the study;

loading the detail records into files in a database;

processing the files in the database to enrich the information of the detail records in a manner facilitating the study;

uploading the enriched information to an on-line analytical processing routine supporting interactive analysis for one or more users; and

executing an application corresponding to the study, to present study results, the application including said interactive analysis based at least in part on the enriched information.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of compiling detail records comprises:

monitoring signaling messages regarding call processing exchanged between offices of the telecommunication network; and

processing a plurality of the signaling messages regarding each call satisfying the parameters of the study to form a call detail record of significant data regarding the call.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein:

offices of the telecommunication network generate accounting messages regarding calls through the offices; and

the step of compiling detail records further comprises processing a plurality of the accounting messages regarding each call satisfying the parameters of the study to form a call detail record of significant data regarding the call.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

offices of the telecommunication network generate accounting messages regarding calls through the offices; and

the step of compiling detail records comprises processing a plurality of the accounting messages regarding each call satisfying the parameters of the study to form a call detail record of significant data regarding the call.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the database comprises a relational database.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the on-line analytical processing routine comprises a multi-dimensional database.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the telecommunication network comprises a switched telephone carrier network.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the switched telephone carrier network is a local exchange carrier (LEC) network.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

the parameters of the study identify calls through at least one specified office of the telecommunication network; and

the application facilitates analysis of traffic patterns of calls through the at least one specified office.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the at least one specified office comprises a tandem office.

11. A method according to claim 9, wherein the at least one specified office comprises an end office.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein the executing of the application includes supplementing the enriched information with external data.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the external data includes information relating to users of the telecommunication network.

14. A method according to claim 1, wherein the application provides a user interface to the study results in the on-line analytical processing routine.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the user interface comprises a web suite interface.

16. A method according to claim 14, wherein the user interface comprises a client-server interface.

17. A method according to claim 1, wherein the files in the database have a pre-defined format corresponding to the study.

18. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

the study corresponds to a type of study selected from a plurality of predefined types of study; and

the application comprises on application selected from a plurality of applications available in the on-line analytical processing routine, each of the plurality of applications corresponding to one of the predefined types of study and the selected application corresponding to the selected type of study.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein the types of study include at least a tandem study, an Internet Service Provider (ISP) finder study and an Internet user study.

20. An apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of network elements for providing selective call communication links for subscribers;

means associated with the network elements for compiling detail records for a predetermined set of calls processed through one or more of the elements of the telecommunication network, wherein calls of the predetermined set are identified by parameters of a traffic study; and

a server system, in communication with the means for compiling, the server system comprising;

1) a landing zone routine;

2) a relational database, wherein the landing zone routine loads the detail records into files in the relational database;

3) a data preparation routine for processing the files in the relational database to enrich the information of the detail records in a manner facilitating the study;

4) an on-line analytical processing routine receiving the enriched information, the on-line analytical processing routine supporting interactive analysis for one or more users; and

5) at least one application corresponding to the study, for presenting study results, the application including said interactive analysis based at least in part on the enriched information.

21. An apparatus as in claim 20, wherein the telecommunication network comprises a switched telephone network.

22. An apparatus as in claim 21, wherein:

the switched telephone network comprises a plurality of switching offices and an interoffice signaling network; and

the means for compiling comprises a system for monitoring signaling messages regarding call processing exchanged between switching offices over the interoffice signaling network and processing a plurality of the signaling messages regarding each call satisfying the parameters of the study to form a call detail record of significant data regarding the call.

23. An apparatus as in claim 21, wherein:

the switched telephone network comprises a plurality of switching offices, each switching office generating accounting messages regarding calls processed through the switching office; and

the means for compiling comprises a system for processing a plurality of the accounting messages regarding each call satisfying the parameters of the study to form a call detail record of significant data regarding the call.

24. An apparatus as in claim 23, wherein the system for processing comprises a billing system of the switched telephone network.

25. An apparatus as in claim 20, wherein the on-line analytical processing routine comprises a multidimensional database.

26. A method according to claim 20, wherein the on-line analytical processing routine provides a client-server or web, suite user interface.

27. A traffic tracking system, for conducting studies of traffic through a telecommunication network, comprising:

a database for receiving and storing detail records of selected calls processed through the network;

a data preparation routine operating on files in the database for enriching the detail records in a predetermined manner corresponding to a running study;

an on-line analytical processing routine receiving the enriched detail records from the data preparation routine, the on-line analytical processing routine supporting interactive analysis for one or more users; and

an application including said interactive analysis based at least in part on the enriched call detail records, wherein the application is associated with the running study.

28. A traffic tracking system as in claim 27, wherein the database comprises a relational database having at least one predefined table corresponding to the running study for receiving the detail records from the telecommunication network.

29. A traffic tracking system as in claim 28, wherein the on-line analytical processing routine comprises a multi-dimensional database.

30. A traffic tracking system as in claim 29, wherein the application provides a web suite user interface for access and processing of the enriched information in the multi-dimensional database.

31. A traffic tracking system as in claim 27, wherein the database comprises:

a first relational database for receiving detail records of calls compiled from interoffice signaling of the telecommunication network; and

a second relational database for receiving detail records of calls from, a billing system of the telecommunication network.