Method and apparatus for billing data services

• US 8,285,650 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2006
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Barker, Stewart
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Epstein, Brian
• Application Number:
  US11/423,882
• Publication Number:
  US 20070288366A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,310 Days
• Field of Search: 705/34, 705/65, 705/64, 705/400, 370/235, 709/245, 709/223
• US Class Current: 705/400
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications

Abstract

A method and apparatus for billing data services. A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a system having a controller that manages a communications interface coupled to a communication system. The controller can be programmed to calculate a charge for service according to a degree of asymmetric bandwidth usage of upstream and downstream data traffic consumed by customer premise equipment (CPE). Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer instructions, that when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform a method comprising:

calculating upstream and downstream data traffic averages associated with customer premises equipment according to predefined measurement intervals, wherein upstream and downstream data traffic is between the customer premises equipment and network elements of a single service provider;

generating ratios of average upstream data traffic to average downstream data traffic based on the calculated data traffic averages;

calculating a charge for service for a subscriber according to one of a plurality of ranges of asymmetric upstream and downstream data traffic ratios based on the generated ratios, wherein the plurality of ranges of asymmetric upstream and downstream data traffic ratios comprises a first range, a second range and a third range, wherein the first range has a higher ratio of the average upstream data traffic to the average downstream data traffic as compared to the second range, wherein the second range has a higher ratio of the average upstream data traffic to the average downstream data traffic as compared to the third range, wherein each of the plurality of ranges of asymmetric upstream and downstream data traffic ratios has a different price, wherein the first range has a lower price than the second range, and wherein the second range has a lower price than the third range, wherein the charge is calculated by applying the corresponding price of the one of the plurality of ranges to an amount of the upstream data traffic;

replacing the calculated charge for service with a minimum charge for service when the minimum charge for service exceeds the calculated charge for service;

wherein the minimum charge for service is computed from a product of a maximum billing price for data services of the communication system and a percentage of peak service bandwidth provided to the customer premises equipment.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the customer premises equipment is connected to the single service provider by a dedicated internet access circuit, wherein the subscriber is a content provider that provides content for download by customers of the content provider.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for:

discarding a portion of the upstream and downstream data traffic averages; and

determining the ratio according a maximum average selected from each of the remaining upstream and downstream data traffic averages.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the single service provider is a tier-1 service provider.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the upstream and downstream data traffic is measured using a point-of-presence interface.

6. A system, comprising a processor that manages a communications interface coupled to a communication system, wherein the processor is programmed at least to:

calculate a charge for service for a subscriber according to a degree of asymmetric bandwidth usage of upstream and downstream data traffic consumed by customer premise equipment, wherein the upstream and downstream data traffic is between the customer premises equipment and network elements of a single service provider;

calculate averages for upstream and downstream bandwidth usage measurements;

compare the average upstream bandwidth usage to the average downstream bandwidth usage;

determine the charge for service from the comparison of the average upstream bandwidth usage to the average downstream bandwidth usage;

calculate the averages for upstream and downstream bandwidth usage according to predefined intervals;

discard a portion of the highest averages for upstream and downstream bandwidth usage;

compare a maximum average of each of the remaining averages for upstream and downstream bandwidth usage; and

adjust the determined charge for service according to prices for ranges of asymmetric bandwidth usage,

wherein the ranges of asymmetric bandwidth usage comprise a first range, a second range and a third range, wherein the first range has a higher ratio of average upstream data traffic to average downstream data traffic as compared to the second range, wherein the second range has a higher ratio of average upstream data traffic to average downstream data traffic as compared to the third range, wherein the first range has a lower price than the second range, wherein the second range has a lower price than the third range, and wherein the charge is calculated by applying the corresponding price of a selected one of the ranges to an amount of the upstream data traffic.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the subscriber is a content provider that provides content for download by customers of the content provider.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor is programmed to replace the calculated charge for service with a minimum charge for service when the minimum charge for service exceeds the calculated charge for service.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the single service provider is a tier-1 service provider.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the upstream and downstream data traffic is measured using a point-of-presence interface.

11. A method, comprising:

calculating a charge for a customer for Internet services according to a degree of asymmetric bandwidth usage of upstream and downstream data traffic in a communication system, the charge being calculated by a processor;

charging a subscriber for Internet services according to a plurality of ranges of asymmetric bandwidth usage, wherein the plurality of ranges comprises at least three ranges of asymmetric band usage, wherein the plurality of ranges of asymmetric bandwidth usage comprise a first range, a second range and a third range, wherein the first range has a higher ratio of average upstream data traffic to average downstream data traffic as compared to the second range, wherein the second range has a higher ratio of average upstream data traffic to average downstream data traffic as compared to the third range, wherein the first range has a lower price than the second range, wherein the second range has a lower price than the third range, and wherein the charge is calculated by applying the corresponding price of a selected one of the ranges to an amount of the upstream data traffic;

replacing the calculated charge for service with a minimum charge for service when the minimum charge for service exceeds the calculated charge for service;

wherein the minimum charge for service in the communication system is computed from a product of a maximum billing price for data services of the communication system and a percentage of peak service bandwidth provided to a Customer Premise Equipment, wherein the upstream and downstream data traffic is between the customer premises equipment and network elements of a single service provider.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the subscriber is a content provider that provides content for download by customers of the content provider.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the single service provider is a tier-1 service provider.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the upstream and downstream data traffic is measured using a point-of-presence interface.