Broadband intelligent event repository

• US 8,504,446 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2012
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Unkenholz, Douglas, Furlong, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Gart, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Masud, Rokib
• Application Number:
  US13/686,645
• Publication Number:
  US 20130085915A1
• Time in Patent Office: 252 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379, 235/380, 235/385, 705/16, 705/29, 705/40
• US Class Current: 705/29
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1416 Event detection, e.g. attack signature detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/231 Content storage operation, e.g. caching movies for short term storage, replicating data over plural servers, prioritizing data for deletion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

Example methods disclosed herein to manage and process data associated with network usage include creating first links to represent relationships between event data items and rated data items, and creating second links to represent relationships between the rated data items and billed data items. Such example methods also include, in response to a request for network usage information associated with a first billed data item received after the first billed data item has been generated, processing a first one of the second links to identify a first rated data item associated with the first billed data item, processing a first one of the first links to identify a first event data item associated with the first rated data item, and returning the first event data item in response to the request.

Claims

1. A method to manage and process data associated with network usage, the method comprising:

creating, via a processor, first links to represent relationships between event data items and rated data items, the event data items representing respective network usage events recorded in the network, the rated data items representing network charges resulting from the network usage events;

creating, via the processor, second links to represent relationships between the rated data items and billed data items, the billed data items representing billing information provided to customers; and

in response to detecting a reporting error associated with a network device that produces event data;

identifying a set of event data items associated with the network device;

processing a first one of the first links to identify a first event data item from the set of event data items that is associated with a first rated data item;

processing the second links to determine whether the first rated data item is associated with any billed data item;

if the first rated data item is determined to be associated with a first billed data item, processing a first one of the second links to identify the first billed data item associated with the first rated data item to permit the first billed data item to be adjusted; and

if the first rated data item is determined to not be associated with any billed data item, permitting the first rated data item to be corrected before the first billed data item is generated.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first one of the first links is defined by a first key assigned to the first event data item and a second key assigned to the first rated data item, and the first one of the second links is defined by the second key assigned to the rated data item and a third key assigned to the first billed data item.

3. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein the first key is assigned to the first event data item when the first event data item is generated, the second key is assigned to the first rated data item when the first rated data item is generated, and the third key is assigned to the first billed data item when the first billed data item is generated.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

processing the first links to determine that a second event data item from the set of event data items is not associated with any of the rated data items.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

if the first rated data item is determined to be associated with the first billed data item, issuing an adjustment based on the first billed data item to a user account; and

if the first rated data item is determined to not be associated with any billed data item, creating a credit event to negate the first rated data item.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the rated data items are generated from the event data items based on billing information associated with customer billing plans.

7. A tangible machine readable storage medium comprising machine readable instructions stored which, when executed, cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

creating first links to represent relationships between event data items and rated data items, the event data items representing respective network usage events recorded in the network, the rated data items representing network charges resulting from the network usage events;

creating second links to represent relationships between the rated data items and billed data items, the billed data items representing billing information provided to customers; and

in response to detecting a reporting error associated with a network device that produces event data;

identifying a set of event data items associated with the network device;

processing a first one of the first links to identify a first event data item from the set of event data items that is associated with a first rated data item;

processing the second links to determine whether the first rated data item is associated with any billed data item;

if the first rated data item is determined to be associated with a first billed data item, processing a first one of the second links to identify the first billed data item associated with the first rated data item to permit the first billed data item to be adjusted; and

if the first rated data item is determined to not be associated with any billed data item, permitting the first rated data item to be corrected before the first billed data item is generated.

8. The storage medium as defined in claim 7, wherein the first one of the first links is defined by a first key assigned to the first event data item and a second key assigned to the first rated data item, and the first one of the second links is defined by the second key assigned to the rated data item and a third key assigned to the first billed data item.

9. The storage medium as defined in claim 8, wherein the first key is assigned to the first event data item when the first event data item is generated, the second key is assigned to the first rated data item when the first rated data item is generated, and the third key is assigned to the first billed data item when the first billed data item is generated.

10. The storage medium as defined in claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

processing the first links to determine that a second event data item from the set of event data items is not associated with any of the rated data items.

11. The storage medium as defined in claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

if the first rated data item is determined to be associated with the first billed data item, issuing an adjustment based on the first billed data item to a user account; and

if the first rated data item is determined to not be associated with any billed data item, creating a credit event to negate the first rated data item.

12. The storage medium as defined in claim 7, wherein the rated data items are generated from the event data items based on billing information associated with customer billing plans.

13. An apparatus to manage and process data associated with network usage, the apparatus comprising:

a memory having machine readable instructions stored thereon; and

a processor to execute the instructions to perform operations comprising;

creating first links to represent relationships between event data items and rated data items, the event data items representing respective network usage events recorded in the network, the rated data items representing network charges resulting from the network usage events;

creating second links to represent relationships between the rated data items and billed data items, the billed data items representing billing information provided to customers; and

in response to detecting a reporting error associated with a network device that produces event data;

identifying a set of event data items associated with the network device;

processing a first one of the first links to identify a first event data item from the set of event data items that is associated with a first rated data item;

processing the second links to determine whether the first rated data item is associated with any billed data item;

if the first rated data item is determined to be associated with a first billed data item, processing a first one of the second links to identify the first billed data item associated with the first rated data item to permit the first billed data item to be adjusted; and

if the first rated data item is determined to not be associated with any billed data item, permitting the first rated data item to be corrected before the first billed data item is generated.

14. The apparatus as defined in claim 13, wherein the first one of the first links is defined by a first key assigned to the first event data item and a second key assigned to the first rated data item, and the first one of the second links is defined by the second key assigned to the rated data item and a third key assigned to the first billed data item.

15. The apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein the first key is assigned to the first event data item when the first event data item is generated, the second key is assigned to the first rated data item when the first rated data item is generated, and the third key is assigned to the first billed data item when the first billed data item is generated.

16. The apparatus as defined in claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

processing the first links to determine that a second event data item from the set of event data items is not associated with any of the rated data items.

17. The apparatus as defined in claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

if the first rated data item is determined to be associated with the first billed data item, issuing an adjustment based on the first billed data item to a user account; and

if the first rated data item is determined to not be associated with any billed data item, creating a credit event to negate the first rated data item.

18. The apparatus as defined in claim 13, wherein the rated data items are generated from the event data items based on billing information associated with customer billing plans.