Method and system for auditing and reconciling telecommunications data

• US 8,078,509 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2007
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cheng Gang Yap Ye, Jose Antonio Alvarado Del Campo, Jose Joaquin Arias Ferrer, Robert Neps
• Original Assignee: Cheng Gang Yap Ye, Jose Antonio Alvarado Del Campo, Jose Joaquin Arias Ferrer, Robert Neps
• Inventors: Neps, Robert, Ye, Cheng Gang Yap, Ferrer, Jose Joaquin Arias, del Campo, Jose Antonio Alvarado
• Primary Examiner(s): Gart, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): PARIKH, HARSHAD R
• Application Number:
  US11/893,025
• Publication Number:
  US 20080043951A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,582 Days
• Field of Search: 705/32, 705/34
• US Class Current: 705/32
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/16 Payments settled via telecommunication systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• 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 for auditing and reconciliation of telecommunications billing data in real-time to prevent fraud. The system and method includes aggregation and maintenance of billing data records, from a service provider billing system database, its network elements and associated databases in one or more countries to a centralized directory system for the purpose of automatic auditing and reconciliation, and the mapping of billing data records between the billing system database and network elements database.

Claims

1. A method for collecting, auditing, reconciling and billing on a communications network, comprising:

(A) automatically, securely, collecting, via a communications network, a plurality of first sets of billing data on a billing application with plural software modules included in a first server network device with one or more processors from a plurality of other server network devices,

wherein the first server network device and the plurality of other server network devices each have one or more processors,

wherein the plurality of first sets of billing data are each collected in real-time for a plurality of mobile target network devices for use of subscription services on the communications network,

wherein a time period for a real-time event completed on the billing application is equivalent to an amount of time required to successfully initiate and connect an individual mobile target network device to a subscription service on the communications network and wherein the subscription services include voice, video or data subscription services;

(B) automatically, on the billing application, auditing, the plurality of sets of billing data to create a plurality of sets of audited billing data;

(C) automatically, reconciling, on the billing application, the plurality of sets of audited billing data to create a plurality of sets of reconciled billing data;

(D) automatically, storing, the plurality of audited and reconciled sets of billing data, in a database associated with the billing application on the first server network device;

(E) automatically, securely, returning, the plurality of sets of reconciled billing data from the billing application to the plurality of server network devices via the communications network in real-time, wherein the reconciled plurality of sets of billing data are used to detect and prevent fraudulent use of subscription services on the communications network, wherein fraudulent use of the subscription service includes an attempt to initiate a subscription service that a target mobile network device is not authorized to use or has not paid a required fee to use;

(F) automatically, detecting, fraud, in real-time, on the billing application using the plurality of sets of reconciled billing records, as any attempted fraudulent initiation of any of the subscription services is being requested by any of the plurality of mobile target network devices on the communications network and before the initiation of any of the subscription services is actually completed on the communications network by comparing in real-time on the billing application on the first server network device selected ones of the reconciled billing records for a mobile target network device to a current call record for the mobile target network device and determining whether any inconsistencies exist between selected ones of the reconciled billing records and the current call record as the mobile target network device is attempting to initiate a subscription service on the communications network;

(G) automatically, in real-time, on the billing application, completing an additional reconciliation of the selected ones of the reconciled billing records for the mobile target network device based on the determined inconsistencies between the selected ones of the reconciled billing records and the current call record, thereby creating a set of additional reconciled billing records wherein the set of additional reconciliation billing records includes reconciliation of billing records obtained from a plurality of network elements in one or more other different countries and stored in a centralized database associated with the first server network device;

(H) automatically, comparing, in real-time, on the billing application, on the first server network device the additional set of reconciled billing records to the current call record for the mobile target network device and determining whether any additional inconsistencies exist;

(J) automatically, preventing any attempted fraudulent initiation of any of the subscription services in real-time on the billing application by refusing initiation of any of the subscription services for the mobile target network device on the communications network;

(K) automatically, examining in real-time on the billing application the sets of newly developed, audited, reconciled and stored billing records with records stored in the centralized database associated with the first server network device for inconsistencies;

(L) automatically, re-reconciling, in real-time, on the billing application, any inconsistent examined data in the set of additional reconciled billing records to correct inconsistencies and create a re-examined set of reconciled billing records; and

(M) automatically, returning, in real-time, the re-examined set of reconciled billing records to appropriate server network devices in the plurality of other server network devices via the communications network, (N) wherein the re-examined set of reconciled billing records are also used to detect and prevent fraudulent initiation of any subscription services by any target mobile network devices on the communications network in real-time as any mobile target network device is attempting to initiate a subscription service on the communications network and before the initiation of any of the subscription services is actually completed on the communications network.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the automatically auditing step includes a real-time Call Detail Record (CDR) analysis to detect fraud in real-time as it is occurring.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the automatically auditing step provides real-time audit of a single subscriber, real-time audit of a group of subscribers and real-time audit of all subscribers.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the automatically auditing step includes a non-intrusive auditing process wherein subscriber data is stored in directory accessible via Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP).

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the automatically auditing step includes designating subscriber data as consistent audit data or inconsistent audit data.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein automatically reconciling step includes an automatic reconciliation process that includes processing of inconsistent audit data to reconcile any inconsistencies in the audit data.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the storing step includes storing the plurality of audited plural sets of billing data in a central directory in the database, wherein the central directory is an abstraction of data records from a billing system database stored in the database and a plurality of network elements with associated databases that collect billing data from target mobile network devices.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the central directory is accessible via Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP).

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the plurality of network elements include a plurality of servers, switches, routers, bridges, wired access points and wireless access points in one country or in a plurality of countries.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the abstraction of data in the central directory allows auditing and reconciliation processing without impacting the performance of the plurality of network elements on the communications network.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of sets of audited billing data are from a plurality of different countries.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the automatically examining step includes an automatic non-intrusive auditing process wherein audit data is stored in a central directory in the database accessible via Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP).

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the automatically examining step includes an automatic auditor process that creates an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) message including any audit inconsistencies obtained from the plurality of sets of audited billing data.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the automatic reconciling step includes an automatic reconciliation process that interprets an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) message created by an auditor process and determines a configuration for a matching inconsistency template for each audit inconsistency.

2. The method of clam 1 wherein the data services include voice, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), video, audio, electronic mail, text messaging services and short message services.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein a plurality of instructions for causing one or more processors on a network device to execute the steps comprising:

(A) automatically, securely, collecting, via a communications network, a plurality of first sets of billing data on a billing application with plural software modules included in a first server network device with one or more processors from a plurality of other server network devices,

wherein the first server network device and the plurality of other server network devices each have one or more processors,

wherein the plurality of first sets of billing data are each collected in real-time for a plurality of mobile target network devices for use of subscription services on the communications network,

wherein a time period for a real-time event completed on the billing application is equivalent to an amount of time required to successfully initiate and connect an individual mobile target network device to a subscription service on the communications network and wherein the subscription services include voice, video or data subscription services;

(B) automatically, on the billing application, auditing, the plurality of sets of billing data to create a plurality of sets of audited billing data;

(C) automatically, reconciling, on the billing application, the plurality of sets of audited billing data to create a plurality of sets of reconciled billing data;

(D) automatically, storing, the plurality of audited and reconciled sets of billing data, in a database associated with the billing application on the first server network device;

(E) automatically, securely, returning, the plurality of sets of reconciled billing data from the billing application to the plurality of server network devices via the communications network in real-time, wherein the reconciled plurality of sets of billing data are used to detect and prevent fraudulent use of subscription services on the communications network, wherein fraudulent use of the subscription service includes an attempt to initiate a subscription service that a target mobile network device is not authorized to use or has not paid a required fee to use;

(F) automatically, detecting, fraud, in real-time, on the billing application using the plurality of sets of reconciled billing records, as any attempted fraudulent initiation of any of the subscription services is being requested by any of the plurality of mobile target network devices on the communications network and before the initiation of any of the subscription services is actually completed on the communications network by comparing in real-time on the billing application on the first server network device selected ones of the reconciled billing records for a mobile target network device to a current call record for the mobile target network device and determining whether any inconsistencies exist between selected ones of the reconciled billing records and the current call record as the mobile target network device is attempting to initiate a subscription service on the communications network;

(G) automatically, in real-time, on the billing application, completing an additional reconciliation of the selected ones of the reconciled billing records for the mobile target network device based on the determined inconsistencies between the selected ones of the reconciled billing records and the current call record, thereby creating a set of additional reconciled billing records wherein the set of additional reconciliation billing records includes reconciliation of billing records obtained from a plurality of network elements in one or more other different countries and stored in a centralized database associated with the first server network device;

(H) automatically, comparing, in real-time, on the billing application, on the first server network device the additional set of reconciled billing records to the current call record for the mobile target network device and determining whether any additional inconsistencies exist;

(J) automatically, preventing any attempted fraudulent initiation of any of the subscription services in real-time on the billing application by refusing initiation of any of the subscription services for the mobile target network device on the communications network;

(K) automatically, examining in real-time on the billing application the sets of newly developed, audited, reconciled and stored billing records with records stored in the centralized database associated with the first server network device for inconsistencies;

(L) automatically, re-reconciling, in real-time, on the billing application, any inconsistent examined data in the set of additional reconciled billing records to correct inconsistencies and create a re-examined set of reconciled billing records; and

(M) automatically, returning, in real-time, the re-examined set of reconciled billing records to appropriate server network devices in the plurality of other server network devices via the communications network,

(N) wherein the re-examined set of reconciled billing records are also used to detect and prevent fraudulent initiation of any subscription services by any target mobile network devices on the communications network in real-time as any mobile target network device is attempting to initiate a subscription service on the communications network and before the initiation of any of the subscription services is actually completed on the communications network.

17. A system for collecting, auditing, reconciling and billing on a communications network, comprising in combination:

(A) for automatic, secure, collection, via a communications network, of a plurality of first sets of billing data on a billing application with plural software modules included in a first server network device with one or more processors from a plurality of other server network devices,

wherein the first server network device and the plurality of other server network devices each have one or more processors,

wherein the plurality of first sets of billing data are each collected in real-time for a plurality of mobile target network devices for use of subscription services on the communications network,

wherein a time period for a real-time event completed on the billing application is equivalent to an amount of time required to successfully initiate and connect an individual mobile target network device to a subscription service on the communications network and wherein the subscription services include voice, video or data subscription services;

(B) for automatic, on the billing application, audit of the plurality of sets of billing data to create a plurality of sets of audited billing data;

(C) for automatic, reconciliation, on the billing application, the plurality of sets of audited billing data to create a plurality of sets of reconciled billing data;

(D) for automatic, storage, of the plurality of audited and reconciled sets of billing data, in a database associated with the billing application on the first server network device;

(E) for automatic, secure, return of the plurality of sets of reconciled billing data from the billing application to the plurality of server network devices via the communications network in real-time, wherein the reconciled plurality of sets of billing data are used to detect and prevent fraudulent use of subscription services on the communications network, wherein fraudulent use of the subscription service includes an attempt to initiate a subscription service that a target mobile network device is not authorized to use or has not paid a required fee to use;

(F) for automatic detection, of fraud, in real-time, on the billing application using the plurality of sets of reconciled billing records, as any attempted fraudulent initiation of any of the subscription services is being requested by any of the plurality of mobile target network devices on the communications network and before the initiation of any of the subscription services is actually completed on the communications network by comparing in real-time on the billing application on the first server network device selected ones of the reconciled billing records for a mobile target network device to a current call record for the mobile target network device and determining whether any inconsistencies exist between selected ones of the reconciled billing records and the current call record as the mobile target network device is attempting to initiate a subscription service on the communications network;

(G) for automatic, completion in real-time, on the billing application, of an additional reconciliation of the selected ones of the reconciled billing records for the mobile target network device based on the determined inconsistencies between the selected ones of the reconciled billing records and the current call record, thereby creating a set of additional reconciled billing records wherein the set of additional reconciliation billing records includes reconciliation of billing records obtained from a plurality of network elements in one or more other different countries and stored in a centralized database associated with the first server network device;

(H) for automatic, comparison, in real-time, on the billing application, on the first server network device the additional set of reconciled billing records to the current call record for the mobile target network device and determining whether any additional inconsistencies exist;

(J) for automatic, prevention, of any attempted fraudulent initiation of any of the subscription services in real-time on the billing application by refusing initiation of any of the subscription services for the mobile target network device on the communications network;

(K) for automatic, examination in real-time on the billing application the sets of newly developed, audited, reconciled and stored billing records with records stored in the centralized database associated with the first server network device for inconsistencies;

(L) for automatic, re-reconciliation, in real-time, on the billing application, any inconsistent examined data in the set of additional reconciled billing records to correct inconsistencies and create a re-examined set of reconciled billing records; and

(M) for automatic, return, in real-time, the re-examined set of reconciled billing records to appropriate server network devices in the plurality of other server network devices via the communications network, (N) wherein the re-examined set of reconciled billing records are also used to detect and prevent fraudulent initiation of any subscription services by any target mobile network devices on the communications network in real-time as any mobile target network device is attempting to initiate a subscription service on the communications network and before the initiation of any of the subscription services is actually completed on the communications network.