Gateway device having an XML interface and associated method

• US 8,190,708 B1
• Filed: 10/20/2000
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nomadix, Inc. (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nomadix, Inc. (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Short, Joel E., Ewan, Ray S., Sorcsek, Jerome
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Dustin
• Application Number:
  US09/693,512
• Time in Patent Office: 4,239 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.62, 715/234, 707/102, 709/223, 709/250
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• 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: H04L 12/1439 time-based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A gateway device and associated method are provided that facilitate communications with external devices by utilizing a uniform communications format. The gateway device includes a subscriber interface for adapting to a subscriber computer that is connected to the gateway device. The subscriber interface facilitates communications between the subscriber computer and at least one network or on-line service without requiring the subscriber computer to be reconfigured and without requiring the subscriber computer to support XML commands and responses. The gateway device also includes an XML interface for communicating with an external device via a series of XML commands and responses. The XML commands and responses can relate to a variety of matters, including various subscriber management matters.

Claims

1. A method of providing services to users, the method performed at a network system configured to provide the users with access to the internet, the network system in communication with a billing and content server and with a hotel property management system, the method comprising:

providing a subscriber computer with access to at least one network via the network system;

adapting, at the network system, to the subscriber computer to facilitate communications between the subscriber computer and the at least one network;

receiving an XML command at the network system from the billing and content server;

parsing the XML command to determine a type of operation requested by the billing and content server and to determine a user associated with the XML command;

translating at least a portion of the XML command to produce data in a call accounting record format configured to be compatible with a protocol associated with the hotel property management system;

transmitting the data in the call accounting record format to the hotel property management system, the data in the call accounting record format configured to authorize and bill an account associated with the user;

receiving an authorization result from the hotel property management system;

translating the authorization result to produce an XML response indicating that the XML command was received and processed appropriately; and

transmitting the XML response from the network system to the billing and content server, the XML response comprising a confirmation identifier based on the authorization result.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating with the hotel property management system comprises transmitting a second XML command to the hotel property management system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the format specific to the hotel property management system includes a telephone number, and wherein translating at least a portion of the XML command to produce data in a call accounting record format comprises including descriptive data in the place of the telephone number.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the XML command comprises an identifier of a hotel room number associated with the user, and wherein the data in the call accounting record format comprises an identifier of a hotel room number based on the hotel room number included in the XML command.

3. A computing system configured to manage services provided to users, the system comprising:

one or more computer processors;

one or more communications links configured to communicate with a billing and content server and with a hotel property management system;

a subscriber interface configured to provide a subscriber computer with access to at least one network and to adapt to the subscriber computer to facilitate communications between the subscriber computer and the at least one network; and

an XML processing module, configured to cause the one or more computer processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving an XML command from the billing and content server;

parsing the XML command to determine a type of operation requested by the billing and content server and to determine a user associated with the XML command;

transmitting data, in a format specific to the hotel property management system, to the hotel property management system to authorize and bill an account associated with the user in accordance with data in the XML command;

receiving an authorization result from the hotel property management system; and

transmitting an XML response to the billing and content server, the XML response comprising a confirmation identifier based on the authorization result.

4. The computing system of claim 3, wherein communicating with the hotel property management system comprises transmitting a second XML command to the hotel property management system.

5. The computing system of claim 3, wherein the XML command includes data representing a payment amount and a room number.

6. The computing system of claim 3, wherein the format specific to the hotel property management system is a call accounting record format.

7. The computing system of claim 3, wherein the XML processing module is further configured to generate data in a plurality of formats each specific to a type of hotel property management system, to thereby enable communication with the plurality of types of hotel property management systems.

8. The computing system of claim 3, wherein the XML command comprises an identifier of a hotel room number associated with the user, and wherein the data in the format specific to the hotel property management system comprises an identifier of a hotel room number based on the hotel room number included in the XML command.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising instructions configured to cause a computer processor to perform a method comprising:

receiving an XML command from a Billing and Content Server (BCS);

parsing the XML command to determine a type of operation requested by the BCS and to determine a user associated with the XML command;

translating at least a portion of the XML command to produce a Call Accounting Record (CAR) command configured to be interoperable with a CAR protocol associated with a Property Management System (PMS), the CAR command being different from the XML command, the CAR command comprising an identifier of the user associated with the XML command and further comprising billing information;

transmitting the CAR command to the PMS;

receiving an authorization result from the PMS;

generating an XML response based on the received authorization result, the XML response indicating that the XML command was received and processed appropriately; and

transmitting the XML response to the BCS.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the CAR command is configured to appear to originate from a Private Branch Telephone System (PBX).

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the CAR protocol requires a telephone number record, and the CAR command comprises a descriptive record in the place of a telephone number record.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising instructions configured to cause the computer processor to produce CAR commands specific to a plurality of CAR protocols, to thereby enable communication with a plurality of types of Property Management Systems.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein determining the user associated with the XML command comprises determining a MAC address associated with the XML command and identifying, in an authorization database, a user associated with the MAC address.