Telephonic communications – With usage measurement – Call traffic recording by computer or control processor
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-07
2003-09-02
Kuntz, Curtis (Department: 2613)
Telephonic communications
With usage measurement
Call traffic recording by computer or control processor
C379S114010, C379S114080, C379S032010, C379S133000, C379S220010, C379S221110
Reexamination Certificate
active
06614893
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of computer networks, data accessing and processing systems. More specifically the present invention relates to a system of computers linked into a neural simulation network, or hive, with neural elements at remote sites which mimics and is placed in parallel operation, switch by switch, with an existing call routing telecommunications network to simulate the operation of the telecommunications network. The simulation network plots a call routing vector by forwardly chaining vector links through the simulation network and relaying as a response, or echo, the vector information so that the call is placed through the telecommunications network with maximum efficiency of bandwidth usage and computer capacity. Assume, for example, that the average call has seven call detail records (CDR's). The present system correlates the billing entity locally, so that the system finds and sends only the one real CDR that the system has determined to have all the valid call components. The remaining six CDR's are thereby eliminated locally and are not transmitted to a central computer since they are redundant, and six sevenths, or 86 percent of bandwidth is saved. Thus the routing vector determines which telecommunications provider will own the call and thus determines the billing rate for the call, the rate information being incorporated into the call routing vector data. The billing rate is estimated from the moment the call is initiated, and the accuracy of the estimate increases as the call progresses so that billing takes place in real time. This billing method is known as a “fuzzy system” because it takes partial data samples and continuously projects an estimated total in real time. The more data exchanged through system messages, that is through chaining, the more accurate the extrapolation becomes, until it reaches one hundred percent accuracy. The interactive simulation creates a data warehouse virtual environment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have long been individual computers loaded with programs for routing telephone calls and generating billing for telephone and electrical utilities, which rely upon the processing power and data within the single computer. A problem with these single computer applications has been that more processing power and data access capability are needed, as well as reduced bandwidth usage, together with web and virtual world access. Another related problem is that billing is not done in real time, which particularly complicates debiting of calling cards. Solutions to these problems are presented in the published doctoral dissertation of the present inventor, entitled
Designing Hot Billing Systems for Large Volume and/or Complex Networks
, submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Management for the present inventor at California Coast University in November of 1999, the contents of which are incorporated by reference. Also incorporated by reference are the contents of a provisional patent application filed by the present inventor on Feb. 24, 2000, Ser. No. 60/184,537, entitled Intelligent Component Billing System.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a computer network system which parallels and simulates an existing telecommunications network, but is not part of the telecommunications network, so that the system does not tax the capacity of the existing network.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a computer network system which plots and updates a call routing vector for each call through forward chaining of vector links and relays the vector information to the telecommunications network through rearward chaining for placement of the call. The system would determine routing vectors for all calls, whether individually or for clusters of calls, from point A to point B and monitor and change the vector as necessary to avoid a network trouble area or to maximize available bandwidth usage. Thus, network traffic is analyzed, and an assigned vector is launched, which contains the latest network routing traffic patterns that the hive has chosen.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a computer network system which plots a call routing vector providing the lowest billing rate available for that call at that moment and containing pricing data so that billing begins at the moment a call is initiated and continues in real time as the call progresses.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a simulation network which minimizes bandwidth usage by performing call routing calculations at individual junction points within the telecommunications network and sending only summarized information packets over network links.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide such a network system which maximizes telecommunications network processing power by shunting calls from computers momentarily operating at or near capacity and thus having smaller buffers to less taxed computers having larger buffers.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide such a network system which operates in conjunction with old telecommunications technology, so that existing equipment is not wasted and the cost of updating is minimized.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such a network system which troubleshoots a telecommunications network to minimize telecommunications network downtime because a repair crew is warned virtually immediately of the nature and location of the problem and the system is maintained with a proactive preventative maintenance.
It is finally an object of the present invention to provide such a network system which is relatively redundant and inexpensive to assemble and operate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention accomplishes the above-stated objectives, as well as others, as may be determined by a fair reading and interpretation of the entire specification.
A telecommunications call routing and billing computer system is provided, including a telecommunications network including a junction point, including a call routing switching device, and including two call routing links meeting at the junction point in communication with each other through the call routing switching device, and a call routing simulation network including a junction point simulation computer located at the junction point and in communication with the call routing switching device and the two call routing links.
The call routing switching device is typically a telecommunications network computer. The telecommunications network typically includes a large number of the junction points, each including call routing switching device, and each call routing switching device is connected to two call routing links which connect to other junction points; and the call routing simulation network typically includes a large number of the junction point simulation computers, each located at one of the junction points and in communication with the switching device at the given junction point and with the call routing links at the given junction point.
A call routing and billing computer system is further provided for use in combination with a telecommunications network having a number of call junction points including call routing switching devices interconnected by call routing links, the telecommunication call routing and billing computer system including a simulation network including a number of junction point simulation computers networked to each other to function as a unit and to define a data warehouse virtual environment, each junction point simulation computer having its own location identification indicia, one of the junction point simulation computers being located at each of several of the call junction points to make switching decisions at each call junction point; the simulation network having computer programming to simulate the operation of the telecommunications network for each call placed through the
Gold Glenn E.
Gold & Rizvi P.A.
Kuntz Curtis
Rizvi H. John
Tran Quoc D
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