Network session management for telephony over hybrid networks

• US 8,976,782 B1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 03/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Voit, Eric A., Balkovich, Edward E., Goodman, William D., Gadre, Jayant G., White, Patrick E., Young, David E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Phung, Luat
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHANG, KAI J
• Application Number:
  US11/930,672
• Time in Patent Office: 2,687 Days
• Field of Search: 370/260, 370352-356, 379/114.28, 379/114.29, 379/126, 379/127.01, 455406-408
• US Class Current: 370/352
• 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 12/141 Indication of costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1414 in real-time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1421 Indication of expected costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1439 time-based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1446 inter-operator billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1453 Methods or systems for payment or settlement of the charges for data transmission involving significant interaction with the data transmission network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1457 using an account
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1464 using a card, such as credit card, prepay card or SIM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1482 involving use of telephony infrastructure for billing for the transport of data, e.g. call detail record [CDR] or intelligent network infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1485 Tariff-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/102 applying security measure for e-commerce data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/503 using an authentication, authorisation and accounting [AAA] protocol, e.g. remote authentication dial-in user service [RADIUS] or Diameter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 : Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 : Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 : for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/014 : Limit per user or user related number
• 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 2215/0176 : Billing arrangements using internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/018 : On-line real-time billing, able to see billing information while in communication, e.g. via the internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2046 : Hybrid network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 : Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1285 : Details of finding and selecting a gateway for a particular call
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 : Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/90 : Internet, e.g. Internet phone, webphone, internet-based telephony

Abstract

A communication system providing telephony communication across combined circuit switched and packet switched networks, such as a telephone network and the Internet, which are connectable to terminals, such as telephones and computers, for selective communication therebetween. The communication system includes an authorization and account control object in the packet switched network, multiple gateways between the circuit switched and packet switched networks providing controlled connectivity between those networks, and an information retrieval object in the packet switched network.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving over a packet switched network at a call control object a request to initiate a communication session between a calling terminal and a called terminal, the request identifying a user account associated with the calling terminal and including an address of the called terminal;

sending a request from the call control object to a unitary logical object, the unitary logical object including authentication, authorization, usage accounting, and pricing information for the user in a distributed database containing the user account;

at the unitary logical object, authenticating, account validating and authorizing the communication session;

receiving at the call control object a response from the unitary logical object indicating the communication session is authorized;

determining a lowest cost gateway that connects the packet switched network and a circuit switched network through which to connect the communication session;

establishing the communication session between the calling terminal and called terminal via the determined lowest cost gateway;

distributing the unitary logical object over multiple physical systems;

at a billing system object, having an extraction interface for selectively polling for extracting usage records from the unitary logical object; and

at a credit card provider interface in communication with the billing system object, placing a charge against a credit card account number associated with the user account.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the multiple physical systems includes an instance of the unitary logical object.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the unitary logical object stores a plurality of user accounts, and each instance of the unitary logical object corresponds to a subgroup of the plurality of user accounts.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the authenticating, account validating and authorizing the communication session includes determining the instance of the unitary logical object storing the user account associated with the calling terminal.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving usage information associated with the communication session at the unitary logical object; and

logging the usage information in the unitary logical object.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising decrementing the user account based on the usage information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the authenticating, account validating and authorizing the communication session includes determining that no other communications session is in progress that is associated with the user account.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the authenticating, account validating and authorizing the communication session includes determining that an available account balance of the user account permits the communication session to be established.

9. The method of claim 1, the usage records including at least one of usage accounting and pricing information in the form of an account balance.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising a billing domain, the credit card provider interface disposed between the billing system object and the billing domain, the charge representing the account balance.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising associating the call control object, the unitary logical object, and the billing system object with a network provider domain, the billing domain being external to the network provider domain with the credit card provider interface representing an external interface separating the network provider domain from the billing domain.

12. A system, comprising:

a call control object connected over a packet switched network to a calling terminal, the call control object configured to receive a request from the calling terminal over the packet switched network to initiate a communication session between the calling terminal and a called terminal, the request identifying a user account associated with the calling terminal and includes an address of the called terminal;

an authorization and usage recording object communicatively coupled to the call control object and including authentication, authorization, usage accounting, and pricing information for the user in a distributed database containing the user account, and configured to receive an authorization request from the call control object, determine whether to authorize the communication session, and send a response signal indicating that the communication session is authorized to proceed, wherein the authorization and usage recording object comprises a unitary logical object distributed over multiple physical systems;

a billing system object having an extraction interface to selectively poll to extract usage records from the unitary logical object; and

a credit card provider interface in communication with the billing system object to place a charge against a credit card account number associated with the user account.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the authorization and usage recording object is further configured to receive from the call control object information comprising at least one of the following pertaining to the session:

initiation of the session, progress of the session, pricing of the session and termination of the session.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the determining whether to authorize the communication session includes determining that no other communications session is in progress that is associated with the user account.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the determining whether to authorize the communication session includes determining that an available account balance of the user account permits the communication session to be established.

16. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

at least one gateway communicatively coupled to the calling terminal via the packet switched network; and

wherein the communication session is established between the calling terminal and called terminal via one of the at least one gateway.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the call control object is further configured to determine a lowest cost gateway of the at least one gateway through which to establish the communication session.

18. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

the usage records including at least one of the usage accounting and the pricing information in the form of an account balance; and

a billing domain, the credit card provider interface disposed between the billing system object and the billing domain, the charge representing the account balance.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising:

a network provider domain that includes the call control object, the unitary logical object, and the billing system object with a network provider domain; and

wherein the billing domain is disposed external to the network provider domain with the credit card provider interface representing an external interface separating the network provider domain from the billing domain.