Integrated revenue domain for telecommunication networks

• US 5,784,443 A
• Filed: 02/01/1996
• Issued: 07/21/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MCI Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Reynolds, John, Brandenburg, Steve, Chapman, Jeffrey M., Howlette, Samuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOOMIS, PAUL A
• Application Number:
  US08/650,151
• Time in Patent Office: 901 Days
• Field of Search: 379/111, 379/112, 379/114, 379/115, 379/116, 379/119, 379/120, 379/121, 379/201, 379/208, 379/229, 379/230
• US Class Current: 379/119
• 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

Abstract

A system and method automatically, in real-time, create and maintain records of customer use of a telecommunication network for diverse types of service and costs. Each customer use of the network is collected and tagged in a record as an event for each switching device in the network. Real-time event correlation based upon all tags is performed and combined into a standard record for each event. Additional information, e.g. pricing, tax, service is incorporated into the standard record as a basis for billing the customer for use of the diverse types of services and costs on the network.

Claims

1. In a telecommunications network, a system for automatically, in real-time, creating and maintaining records of customer use of the network for diverse types of service and costs, comprising:

a) means for initiating diverse types of service at different costs for customer use on the network;

b) means for labeling each customer unit an event and assigning a tag to each event;

c) means for transmitting the event through at least one switching device in the network;

d) means for creating at each switching device a record of each event;

e) means for distributing the stored records to at least one processor; and

f) means for generating a record of events for each customer use within a determined time period of the termination of the event.

2. The system of claim 1 further including means for storing the record at each switching device.

3. The system of claim 2 further including means for deferred processing the records stored at the switching devices.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the tag includes index fields for compiling indices from data represented in the fields for data retrieval purposes.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein each record includes field having a single meaning;

individual fields from prior records are collected and grouped into physical segments within the record, and when outputted fields are byte-aligned into character and binary numerical fields.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the event may be telephone call or packet data originated.

7. In a telecommunications network, a method for automatically, in real-time, creating and maintaining records of customer use of the network for diverse types of service and costs, comprising the steps of:

a) collecting and tagging customer use of the network as an event;

b) forming a record of each event at each switching device in the network;

c) partitioning and capturing all records and associated tags;

d) performing real-time event correlation based upon call tags and combining them into a single record;

e) matching records with the same call tag after real-time event correlation to form standard records; and

f) incorporating additional information into the standard record as a basis for billing the customer for use of the diverse types of services and costs on the network.

8. The method of claim 7 further including the steps of:

i) storing on a interim basis the standard records and compiling indices;

ii) compiling and matching the stored standard records for a given event within a predetermined time period;

iii) archiving the compiled and matched standard records for business purposes related to the network.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the compiling and matching the stored standard record further includes the step of:

i) detecting missing information in the stored records and requesting a retransmission of data from the above partitioning and capture step.

10. The method of claim 7 further including the step of:

i) supplying pricing, tax and pricing information as additional information for billing customer use of the network.