Telephonic communications – Diagnostic testing – malfunction indication – or electrical... – Testing of subscriber loop or terminal
Patent
1995-03-06
1998-09-01
Saras, Steven J.
Telephonic communications
Diagnostic testing, malfunction indication, or electrical...
Testing of subscriber loop or terminal
373 13, 373111, H04M 308, H04M 322, H04M 1500
Patent
active
058021426
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
RELATED APPLICATION
This application is related to my copending commonly assigned application Ser. No. 08/392,976 filed 6 Mar. 1995.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data correction system for use in data collection and processing in multi network communications.
2. Related Art
Where communication instances, for instance telephone calls or data transfers, occur within a single network, it is known to log and process data related to those communication instances. Commonly, in a public switched telephone network (PSTN), data will be collected concerning call duration, and processed with respect to at least time of day and call type, so that the network operator can generate an item on a bill destined for the subscriber who initiated a call.
Over recent years, the data systems for PSTNs have necessarily become increasingly complex as the choice of service and call type available to subscribers has greatly increased. For instance, with the introduction of 0800 numbers, it is no longer the initiating subscriber who will be billed. Many more complicated services are already being trialled, or available, on PSTNs, such as call forwarding where a call initiated by a first subscriber to a selected number is forwarded automatically by the network to a different number, the difference in cost being borne by the receiving subscriber.
Another aspect of communication networks which is in the course of considerable change is the multiplicity of network operators in existence. In the past, PSTNs have been run primarily by government organizations as part of the national infra structure. Nowadays and increasingly, privatization of the PSTNs and the relaxation of regulatory monopolies means that there are many more network operators available to the subscriber and these network operators must, for practical reasons, provide inter network connection. This means that a network operator must take into account not only communication instances arising in their own network or in a limited number of inter-connected networks of independent but similar administrations, but also communication instances arising in a theoretically very large number of competing networks of different types and providing a wide variety of services to subscribers.
It is, therefore, of increasing importance that data be collected and processed in connection with communication instances arising outside an operator's network but terminating in or simply crossing the operator's network.
When calls pass through the network of more than one operator, price and charging agreements between operators for the carriage of each other's calls come into play. Such arrangements can vary from the simple Sender Keeps All (SKA) arrangement to complex pricing formulae.
It has been an established practice between separate network operators or administrations, in telecommunications, that call data would be collected by the administration responsible for the network in which a call arises. If that call then terminates in a second network, the administration concerned with the second network relies on the data collected by the administration responsible for the first network, for instance for accounting purposes. However, the telecommunications environment is changing quickly, politically as well as technically. With the advent of greater competition, it is increasingly attractive to network administrations to monitor not only traffic arising in their own network but also traffic arising elsewhere but crossing or terminating in their own network. If the network in which traffic arises belongs to a competing operator or administration, it is desirable that it is at least possible to cross check the competing operator's accounts.
In known arrangements, data collection points concerning calls in a PSTN have been at local exchanges of a network since the local exchange picks up traffic as it arises. This arrangement, however, does not provide for data collection with respect to inter-network traffic. Even were there to be
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British Telecommunications public limited company
Saras Steven J.
Shankar Vijay
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