Method and apparatus for call gapping of wholesale customer traffic in a communication network

• US 8,098,803 B1
• Filed: 09/26/2005
• Issued: 01/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Croak, Marian, Eslambolchi, Hossein
• Primary Examiner(s): Tieu, Binh
• Application Number:
  US11/234,918
• Time in Patent Office: 2,304 Days
• Field of Search: 379/100.03, 379/100.05, 379/100.06, 379/111, 379/112.01, 379/112.03, 379/112.04, 379/112.06, 379/114.01, 379/201.02, 379/207.02
• US Class Current: 379/112.07
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1417 Advice of charge with threshold, e.g. user indicating maximum cost
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1439 time-based
• 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 15/51 for resellers, retailers or service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/85 characterised by the type of condition triggering a notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/853 Calculate maximum communication time or volume
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/88 Provision for limiting connection, or expenditure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/888 severing connection after predetermined time or data

Abstract

A method and apparatus for enabling wholesale network service providers to selectively block calls from wholesale customers who are exceeding their traffic projections based on pre-arranged agreements. The present method also enables wholesale network service providers to notify their wholesale customers that the subscribed traffic projections, such as call minute usage, begins to approach their maximum established volume. When the maximum established volume is exceeded by the wholesale customer, the present method provides parameters for adjusting the degree to which calls from the providers will be blocked, either gracefully by blocking calls partially or completely by blocking all incoming calls.

Claims

1. A method for call gapping of wholesale customer traffic in a communication network, comprising:

monitoring a call minute usage of a wholesale customer, wherein the wholesale customer operates a wholesale customer network;

sending an alert to warn the wholesale customer if the call minute usage approaches a predefined call minute usage threshold;

receiving incoming calls;

checking if the call minute usage threshold has been exceeded by the wholesale customer network upon receiving each one of the incoming calls; and

call blocking incoming calls originated by the wholesale customer network if the call minute usage exceeds the predefined call minute usage threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication network is an internet protocol network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined call minute usage threshold is based on a service level agreement established between a provider of the communication network and the wholesale customer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the call blocking comprises:

blocking the incoming calls originated by the wholesale customer network partially.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the incoming calls originated by the wholesale customer network are identified based on information related to an access trunk connecting between the communication network and the wholesale customer network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the call blocking is enabled by a call control element.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the call minute usage of the wholesale customer is monitored by a call control element.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the alert is sent when the call minute usage is within a percentage of the predefined call minute usage threshold.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

disabling the call blocking if the predefined call minute usage threshold is increased to a higher limit.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions, the plurality of instructions including instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for call gapping of wholesale customer traffic in a communication network, comprising:

monitoring a call minute usage of a wholesale customer, wherein the wholesale customer operates a wholesale customer network;

sending an alert to warn the wholesale customer if the call minute usage approaches a predefined call minute usage threshold;

receiving incoming calls;

checking if the call minute usage threshold has been exceeded by the wholesale customer network upon receiving each one of the incoming calls; and

call blocking incoming calls originated by the wholesale customer network if the call minute usage exceeds the predefined call minute usage threshold.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the communication network is an Internet protocol network.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the predefined call minute usage threshold is based on a service level agreement established between a provider of the communication network and the wholesale customer.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the call blocking comprises:

blocking the incoming calls originated by the wholesale customer network partially.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the incoming calls originated by the wholesale customer network are identified based on information related to an access trunk connecting between the communication network and the wholesale customer network.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the call blocking is enabled by a call control element.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the call minute usage of the wholesale customer is monitored by a call control element.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the alert is sent when the call minute usage is within a percentage of the predefined call minute usage threshold.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, further comprising:

disabling the call blocking if the predefined call minute usage threshold is increased to a higher limit.

19. An apparatus for call gapping of wholesale customer traffic in a communication network, comprising:

means for monitoring a call minute usage of a wholesale customer, wherein the wholesale customer operates a wholesale customer network;

means for sending an alert to warn the wholesale customer if the call minute usage approaches a predefined call minute usage threshold;

means for receiving incoming calls;

means for checking if the call minute usage threshold has been exceeded by the wholesale customer network upon receiving each one of the incoming calls; and

means for call blocking incoming calls originated by the wholesale customer network if the call minute usage exceeds the predefined call minute usage threshold.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the communication network is an internet protocol network.