Flexible network element interface

• US 20040006608A1
• Filed: 07/08/2002
• Published: 01/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Convergys Cmg Utah
• Original Assignee: Convergys Cmg Utah
• Inventors: Kuppuswamy, Jayakumar, Murugaiah, Vijayekkumaran, Desai, Niraj, Ramachandran, Renjith, Swarna, Chandramouli, Sebastian, Asha
• Application Number:
  US10/190,728
• Publication Number:
  US 20040006608A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A mediation system for converged network system for an xSP (i.e., any service provider of Information Technology (IT)/business services) is readily configured to collect revenue related transaction data (usage data) from new network elements by referencing one or more adapters. Rather than being a compiled, validated and distributed component of the mediation system, these adapters may be accessed after fielding the mediation system or created via a network element definition GUI, thereby reducing the lag time in accommodating new types of network elements.

Claims

3-1. The method of claim 3, wherein defining a network element further comprises:

displaying a graphical user interface; and

parsing a scripting language input by a user via the graphical user interface.

5. An apparatus for mediating usage data from a network for use by a billing-related system, comprising:

a file collector coupled to an operator network to receive usage data from at least one network element;

a data handler configured to convert received usage data from a data type format to a standard format; and

at least one adapter including a network element definition associated with the at least one network element, the network element definition including a mapping of the usage data to the standard format.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

a graphical user interface configured to define the mapping of the usage data to the standard format and to associate the mapping to the at least one network element.