Account and asset loader tool

• US 8,838,067 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2011
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Bellofatto, Alberto, Angeletti, Andrea
• Primary Examiner(s): Cai, Wayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huynh, Chuck
• Application Number:
  US13/017,444
• Publication Number:
  US 20120028601A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,324 Days
• Field of Search: 455/406, 455/405, 455/407, 455/408, 719/331
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• 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 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/43 Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/46 Real-time negotiation between users and providers or operators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/50 for cross-charging network operators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/51 for resellers, retailers or service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/53 using mediation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/59 based on real time
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/73 Validating charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0104 Augmented, consolidated or itemised billing statement, e.g. additional billing information, bill presentation, layout, format, e-mail, fax, printout, itemised bill per service or per account, cumulative billing, consolidated billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0152 General billing plans, rate plans, e.g. charge rates, numbering plans, rate centers, customer accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0164 Billing record, e.g. Call Data Record [CDR], Toll Ticket[TT], Automatic Message Accounting [AMA], Call Line Identifier [CLI], details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0172 Mediation, i.e. device or program to reformat CDRS from one or more switches in order to adapt to one or more billing programs formats
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/52 Interconnection, inter-exchange, reseller billing, billing agreements between different operators, e.g. billing identifier added on the CDR in order to cross charge the other operator, inter-operator accounting, reconciliation, bill directly resellers customers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/54 Resellers-retail or service providers billing, e.g. agreements with telephone service operator, activation, charging/recharging of accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/56 On line or real-time flexible agreements between service providers and telecoms operators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7072 Validate charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing

Abstract

A system that enables reconciliation of accounts between a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) and a mobile host operator (MHO) includes an asset loader server that receives data that defines a user event. The asset loader server generates a wholesale bill associated with the user event. The rate charged in the generated wholesale bill is based on a negotiated rate between the MVNO and the MHO that is different that the may be different than the rate at which the MVNO charges the user. The asset loader communicates the generated wholesale bill to a billing interface of the MNVO that is configured to receive an extensible markup language (XML) file that defines a wholesale bill associated with the MHO. The format of the generated wholesale bill is substantially the same as the format of the XML file associated with the MHO.

Claims

1. A method that facilitates reconciliation of accounts between a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) and a mobile host operator (MHO), the method comprising:

receiving, by an asset loader server and from an MVNO database, data that defines retail account information for a plurality of MVNO clients that utilize services provided by the MVNO;

receiving, at the MVNO, an MHO wholesale bill that specifies an aggregate cost associated with usage, by the plurality of MVNO clients, of MHO services;

receiving, by the asset loader server, data that defines a wholesale catalog that defines pricing rules for each service provided by the MHO that is used by an MVNO client of the plurality of MVNO clients;

receiving, by the asset loader server and from the MVNO database, data that defines MVNO client events associated with the plurality of MVNO clients, wherein the MVNO charges each MVNO client at a retail rate associated with a corresponding client event, and wherein the MVNO stores data that defines the MVNO client events to the MVNO database when the MVNO determines that MVNO resources have been utilized by the client;

generating, by the asset loader server, a plurality of virtual wholesale bills associated with the plurality of MVNO clients based on the MVNO client events and pricing rules in the wholesale catalog, wherein each virtual wholesale bill includes a cost associated with a given MVNO client'"'"'s usage of the MHO services, and wherein the virtual wholesale bill is represented in an extensible markup language (XML) file that is formatted to match a format of an MHO wholesale bill; and

communicating, by the asset loader server, the virtual wholesale bills to a billing interface of the MVNO that is configured to receive the MHO wholesale bill;

accumulating the cost for each virtual wholesale bill to determine a total cost associated with the plurality of virtual wholesale bills

comparing, by the billing system of the MVNO, the accumulated total cost to the aggregate cost specified in the MHO wholesale bill to thereby determine whether the accumulated total cost matches the aggregate cost.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data that defines the MVNO client events is selected from the group consisting of:

a user ID, a time stamp associated with the event, a duration of the usage, and a user retail price.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising extracting, by a scripting tool, data that defines the MVNO client events from a database of the MVNO.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising processing, by the scripting tool, the data that defines the MVNO client events and storing processed MVNO client event data to an asset loader server database.

5. The method according to claim 3, further comprising generating, by a Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) based tool, the XML file according to data stored in an asset loader server database.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising receiving by the SOAP based tool an acknowledgement from the billing interface that the generated wholesale bill has been processed.

7. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program comprising at least one code section that facilitates reconciliation of accounts between a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) and a mobile host operator (MHO), the at least one code section being executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform acts of:

receiving, from an MVNO database, data that defines retail account information for a plurality of MVNO clients that utilize services provided by the MVNO;

receiving an MHO wholesale bill that specifies an aggregate cost associated with usage, by the plurality of MVNO clients, of MHO services;

receiving data that defines a wholesale catalog that defines pricing rules for each service provided by the MHO that is used by an MVNO client of the plurality of MVNO clients;

receiving, from the MVNO database, data that defines MVNO client events associated with the plurality of MVNO clients, wherein the MVNO charges each MVNO client at a retail rate associated with a corresponding client event, and wherein the MVNO stores data that defines the MVNO client events to the MVNO database when the MVNO determines that MVNO resources have been utilized by the client;

generating a plurality of virtual wholesale bills associated with the MVNO client based on the plurality of MVNO clients event and pricing rules in the wholesale catalog, wherein each virtual wholesale bill includes a cost associated with a given MVNO client'"'"'s usage of the MHO services, and wherein the virtual wholesale bill is represented in an extensible markup language (XML) file that is formatted to match a format of an MHO wholesale bill;

communicating the virtual wholesale bills to a billing interface of the MVNO that is configured to receive the MHO wholesale bill;

accumulating the cost for each virtual wholesale bill to determine a total cost associated with the plurality of virtual wholesale bills

comparing the accumulated total cost to the aggregate cost specified in the MHO wholesale bill to thereby determine whether the accumulated total cost matches the aggregate cost.

8. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium according to claim 7, wherein the data that defines the MVNO client events is selected from the group consisting of:

a user ID, a time stamp associated with the event, a duration of the usage, and a user retail price.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium according to claim 7, wherein the at least one code section enables extracting data that defines the MVNO client events from a database of the MVNO.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium according to claim 9, wherein the at least one code section enables generating the XML file according to data stored in an asset loader server database.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium according to claim 10, wherein the at least one code section enables receiving an acknowledgement from the billing interface that the generated wholesale bill has been processed.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium according to claim 7, wherein the at least one code section enables processing the data that defines the MVNO client events and storing processed MVNO client event data to an asset loader server database.

13. A system that facilitates reconciliation of accounts between a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) and a mobile host operator (MHO), the system comprising:

an asset loader server configured to

receive, from an MVNO database, data that defines retail account information for a plurality of MVNO clients that utilize services provided by the MVNO;

receive data that defines a wholesale catalog that defines pricing rules for each service provided by the MHO that is used by an MVNO client of the plurality of MVNO clients;

receive from the MVNO database data that defines MVNO client events associated with the plurality of MVNO clients, wherein the MVNO charges each MVNO client at a retail rate associated with a corresponding client event, and wherein the MVNO stores data that defines the MVNO client events to the MVNO database when the MVNO determines that MVNO resources have been utilized by the client;

generates a plurality of virtual wholesale bills associated with the plurality of MVNO clients based on the MVNO client events and pricing rules in the wholesale catalog, wherein each virtual wholesale bill includes a cost associated with a given MVNO client'"'"'s usage of the MHO services, and wherein the virtual wholesale bill is represented in an extensible markup language (XML) file that is formatted to match a format of an MHO wholesale bill;

wherein the asset loader server is further configured to communicate the virtual wholesale bills to a billing interface of a billing system of the MNVO that is configured to receive the MHO wholesale bill; and

a billing system configured to accumulate the cost for each virtual wholesale bill to determine a total cost associated with the plurality of virtual wholesale bills; and

compare the accumulated total cost to an aggregate cost specified in the MHO wholesale bill, the aggregate cost being associated with usage, by the plurality of MVNO clients, of MHO services, to thereby determine whether the accumulated total cost matches the aggregate cost.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the data that defines the MVNO client events is selected from the group consisting of:

a user ID, a time stamp associated with the event, a duration of the usage, and a user retail price.

15. The system according to claim 13, further comprising a scripting tool configured to extract data that defines the MVNO client events from a database of the MVNO.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the scripting tool is further configured to process the data that defines the MVNO client events and store processed MVNO client event data to an asset loader server database.

17. The system according to claim 15, further comprising code and logic that implements a Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) based tool that is configured to generate the XML file according to data stored in an asset loader server database.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the SOAP based tool is further configured to receive an acknowledgement from the billing interface that the generated wholesale bill has been processed.