Method and system for generating call data reports

• US 7,054,431 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2001
• Issued: 05/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SBC Technology Resources, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SBC Technology Resources, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stroud, Kenneth Robert, Fleischer, Harold C. III, Simino, John E., Morales, Louis Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui, Bing Q.
• Application Number:
  US09/760,834
• Publication Number:
  US 20020136389A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,959 Days
• Field of Search: 379/221.08, 379/9.04, 379/126, 379/266.1, 379/221.09, 379/201.01, 379/201.03, 379/201.09, 379/112.01, 379/114.28, 379/116, 379/119
• US Class Current: 379/221.08
• 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 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/53 using mediation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/7655 shared by technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/772 per service, e.g. prepay or post-pay
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/773 per technology, e.g. PSTN or wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/90 using Intelligent Networks [IN] or Advanced Intelligent Networks [AIN]
• 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 2215/016 Billing using Intelligent Networks [IN] or Advanced Intelligent Networks [AIN]
• 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 2215/0188 Network monitoring; statistics on usage on called/calling number
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/725 Shared by technologies, e.g. one account for different access technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7263 per service, e.g. prepay and post-pay
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7268 per technology, e.g. PSTN or wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2218 Call detail recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 : for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13091 : CLI, identification of calling line
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1313 : Metering, billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13141 : Hunting for free outlet, circuit or channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13176 : Common channel signaling, CCS7
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13196 : Connection circuit/link/trunk/junction, bridge, router, gateway
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1322 : PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13222 : PBX circuits in public exchange, centrex
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13224 : Off-net subscriber, dial in to/out from network, teleworking
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1329 : Asynchronous transfer mode, ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13345 : Intelligent networks, SCP
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13383 : Hierarchy of switches, main and subexchange, e.g. satellite exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13384 : Inter-PBX traffic, PBX networks, e.g. corporate networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13395 : Permanent channel, leased line
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13399 : Virtual channel/circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/62 : for connecting to private branch exchanges

Abstract

A method and system for generating customer reports based on station message detail recording (SMDR) data includes a service control point (SCP) in a public switched telecommunications network (PSTN). The service control point samples calling data from multiple service switching points for calls originating from a private customer network, including centrex and PBX systems. The service control point interfaces with a front end processor and transmits the calling data. The front end processor formats the calling data into SMDR data, which is transmitted to a host central processing unit. The host generates reports regarding the SMDR calling data, the reports being accessible by a customer via a connection to a private customer network.

Claims

1. A method for obtaining call data in a public switched telecommunications network (PSTN), including a service control point (SCP) and at least one switch, the method comprising:

receiving a query comprising unformatted calling data at the SCP from the at least one switch;

sampling the calling data at the SCP;

forwarding the unformatted sampled data from the SCP to a front end server without processing the data; and

formatting the sampled calling data as station message detail recording (SMDR) data at the front end server.

2. The method for obtaining call data according to claim 1, further comprising generating a call data report from the SMDR data.

3. The method for obtaining call data according to claim 1, further comprising storing the sampled call data at one of a data distributor node and the SCP.

4. The method for obtaining call data according to claim 1, further comprising storing a call data report at a host processor, wherein the call data report is accessible by a customer.

5. A method for obtaining station message detail recording (SMDR) formatted data from a public switched telecommunications network (PSTN), including a call processor and at least one switch, the method comprising:

receiving calling data at the call processor that is not SMDR formatted from the at least one switch in a query;

sampling the calling data at the call processor;

forwarding only the unformatted data from the call processor to a front end server; and

formatting the sampled calling data as SMDR data at the front end server.

6. A method for reporting call data to a telecommunications system customer via a public switched telecommunications network (PSTN), including a service control point and at least one service switching point, the method comprising:

generating calling data for a telephone call from a customer'"'"'s private facility involving the at least one service switching point;

receiving the generated calling data at the service control point from one of the at least one service switching points in the form of a query;

sampling the calling data at the service control point;

interfacing with a front end server;

receiving the unformatted sampled calling data at the front end server;

formatting the sampled calling data into station message detail recording (SMDR) data;

receiving and storing the SMDR data at a host central processing unit; and

generating a SMDR report from the SMDR data for reference by a customer.

7. The method for obtaining call data according to claim 6, wherein the calling data comprises a calling party ID and a called party ID.

8. The method for obtaining call data according to claim 6, wherein the calling data comprises attempt data and completion data, and wherein the formatting into SMDR data comprises associating the attempt data and the completion data of the calling data to generate consolidated SMDR data.

9. The method for obtaining call data according to claim 6, wherein the interfacing with the front end server comprises transmitting the calling data from the service control point to a data distributor, the data distributor storing and sorting the calling data, and transmitting the calling data to the front end server via an interface.

10. The method for obtaining call data according to claim 10, wherein the interface comprises an American Standard Code for Information Interexchange (ASCII) interface.

11. A method for reporting call data to a telecommunications system customer through a public switched telecommunications network (PSTN), including a service control point and at least one service switching point, the method comprising:

generating calling data for a telephone call from a customer'"'"'s private facility at the at least one service switching point;

receiving a query comprising the generated calling data at the service control point;

sampling the calling data at the service control point, without processing the data;

receiving the unformatted calling data at a data distributor;

interfacing with a front end server;

receiving the unformatted sampled calling data at the front end server;

formatting the sampled calling data into station message detail recording (SMDR) data;

receiving and storing the SMDR data at a host central processing unit; and

generating a SMDR report from the SMDR data for reference by a customer.

12. A system for reporting calling data to a customer comprising:

a front end server in a private network, said front end server receiving sampled calling data from a service control point and formatting the sampled calling data into a station message detail recording (SMDR) format, the service control point sampling calling data received in a query from at least one service switching point in a public switched telephone network (PSTN) handling a telephone call of the customer.

13. The system for obtaining call data according to claim 12, further comprising a central processing unit that receives the SMDR formatted data from the front end server and provides information based on the SMDR formatted data to the customer.

14. The system for obtaining call data according to claim 12, further comprising a data distributor interface node that receives the calling data from said service control point, sorts the calling data and transmits the sorted calling data to said front end server.

15. A system for reporting call information to a customer in a telecommunications system comprising:

a front end server that receives sampled calling data from a service control point and formats the sampled calling data into a station message detail recording (SMDR) format, the service control point sampling calling data received in queries from a plurality of service switching points that collect calling data while processing telephone calls placed from a network of the customer; and

a host central processing unit that receives the SMDR formatted data from said front end server and generates a calling report from the SMDR formatted data, the calling report being accessible by the customer.

16. The system for reporting call information according to claim 15, wherein the network of the customer comprises at least one of a centrex system and a PBX system.

17. The system for reporting call information according to claim 15, further comprising a data distributer for receiving the sampled calling data from said service control point and transmitting the sampled calling data to said front end server via an interface.

18. The system for reporting call information according to claim 15, wherein the calling report generated from the SMDR formatted data is customized according to instructions received by said host central processing unit.

19. A system for reporting call data to a customer in a telecommunications system comprising:

a data distributer that receives only unformatted sampled calling data from a service control point and transmits the sampled calling data to a front end server via an interface, the service control point sampling calling data from queries received from a plurality of service switching points that collect calling data while processing telephone calls placed from a network of the customer;

a front end server that receives the sampled calling data from said data distributer and formats the sampled calling data into a station message detail recording (SMDR) format; and

a host central processing unit that receives the SMDR formatted data from said front end server and generates a calling report from the SMDR formatted data, the calling report being accessible by the customer.

20. The system for reporting call data according to claim 19, wherein the interface comprises an American Standard Code for Information Interexchange (ASCII) interface.

21. The system for reporting call data according to claim 19, wherein the sampled calling data is stored at said data distributer.

22. The system for reporting call data according to claim 19, wherein the calling report generated from the SMDR formatted data is customized according to instructions received by said host central processing unit.