REVENUE ASSURANCE TOOL

• US 20080301018A1
• Filed: 05/31/2007
• Published: 12/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SBC Knowledge Ventures LP
• Original Assignee: SBC Knowledge Ventures LP
• Inventors: LEGRO, Euly, LIM, Marie Jennifer, DESHONG, Elizabeth, KUMAR, Senthil, KIM, Ailene, FINE, Jack
• Granted Patent: US 7,720,759 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

A system assures revenue reconciliation of customer billing and vendor settlements for multimedia services, including voice over IP, provided through a network. The system includes a data repository configured to store a plurality of tables, each table including data collected from a plurality of network elements in the network and relating to at least one of customer usage, mediation, customer billing and vendor settlement. The system also includes a processor configured to execute an alert rule based on data retrieved from at least one table stored in the data repository. The alert rule includes a comparison between the at least one table and at least one other table of the plurality of tables. The processor triggers an alert associated with the alert rule when a corresponding alert rule threshold is exceeded based on the comparison, and initiates reporting of the triggered alert.

Claims

1. A system for reconciling revenue relating to customer billing and vendor settlements for multimedia services provided through a network, the system comprising:

a data repository configured to store a plurality of tables, each table including data collected from a plurality of network elements in the network and relating to vendor settlement and at least one of customer usage, mediation and customer billing; and

a processor configured to execute an alert rule based on data retrieved from at least one table of the plurality of tables stored in the data repository, the alert rule comprising a comparison between the at least one table and at least one other table of the plurality of tables;

wherein the processor triggers an alert associated with the alert rule when a corresponding alert rule threshold is exceeded based on the comparison, and initiates reporting of the triggered alert.

2. The system of claim 1, the processor being further configured to perform at least one of tracking or trending the data retrieved from at least one table of the plurality of tables stored in the data repository.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the alert rule threshold is based on at least one rule component of the alert rule.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein reporting of the triggered alert comprises sending a notice identifying the alert rule.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein sending the notice comprises at least one of paging or sending an email to a service provider.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein sending the notice comprises posting the notice in a web page report, accessible to a service provider.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the threshold comprises a high level alert threshold, a medium level alert threshold and a low level alert threshold.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the triggered alert indicates that the customer billing does not match the vendor settlement.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the alert rule is created by interactive selection of the at least one rule component and the corresponding threshold value.

9. A method of revenue reconciliation of customer billing and vendor settlements for multimedia services provided through a service network, the method comprising:

creating an alert rule and a threshold value corresponding to the alert rule, the alert rule comprising at least one rule component;

performing at least one of tracking or trending data collected from at least one network element in the service network to obtain a set of data;

applying the alert rule to the data set;

determining whether the threshold value has been exceeded based on application of the alert rule, an alert associated with the rule being triggered when the threshold value has been exceeded; and

reporting when the alert has been triggered, indicating a possible revenue discrepancy.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein creating the alert rule comprises interactively selecting the at least one rule component and the corresponding threshold value.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

maintaining the at least one rule component in a configuration table to eliminate software changes.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein reporting when the alert rule has been triggered comprises sending a notice identifying the triggered alert.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein sending the notice comprises at least one of paging or sending an email to a service provider.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein sending the notice comprises posting the notice in a web page report, accessible to a service provider.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the revenue discrepancy comprises at least one of a revenue leakage, a data anomaly, a system defect, or an input error.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the alert rule comprises comparing raw pay per view usage data to billing and error data.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the threshold comprises a difference in comparison of the raw pay per view usage data with the billing and error data of less than one percent.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein the threshold comprises a high level alert threshold, a medium level alert threshold and a low level alert threshold.

19. A computer readable medium that stores a program, executable by a computer, for reconciling revenue relating to customer usage and billing for voice over IP services provided through a service network, the computer readable medium comprising:

a creating code segment for enabling creation of an alert rule and a threshold value corresponding to the alert rule, the alert rule comprising at least one rule component;

an applying code segment for applying the alert rule to a data set, the data set being obtained by performing at least one of tracking or trending data relating to the customer usage and billing collected from at least one network element in the service network;

a determining code segment for determining whether the threshold value has been exceeded based on application of the alert rule, an alert associated with the alert rule being triggered when the threshold value has been exceeded; and

a reporting code segment for causing a report to be generated when the alert has been triggered, indicating a possible revenue discrepancy.