Systems and methods for extracting switch data

Details Systems and methods for extracting switch data Systems and methods for extracting switch data

2000-05-16

2003-12-16

Nguyen, Duc (Department: 2643)

Telephonic communications

With usage measurement

Call traffic recording by computer or control processor

C379S126000, C379S133000, C379S134000, C379S114040

Reexamination Certificate

active

06665386

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to systems and methods for extracting information from switches and billing systems which is used, for instance, to reconcile the data between the switches and the billing systems. A reconciliation system and process then generates data which is used to make billing adjustments.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A central office switch handles many features for a customer at the local level. These features include how many lines a customer is using and whether or not these lines have select features, such as call-waiting and call-forwarding. How the switch is programmed will establish which features and service each customer receives.
While telephone features and services are provided by the switch, billing is provided for by a different system. A Customer Record Information System (CRIS)
11
is a database containing a record of all of the features and service each customer purchases from the phone company. CRIS
11
is used to generate the bill the customer receives. It is therefore clear that the services and features provided by the switch must correspond to the data stored in CRIS
11
in order for the phone company to receive the money it is owed (i.e., avoid underbilling) and to not charge the customers for services and features they did not purchase (i.e., avoid overbilling).
FIG. 1
shows a traditional system with switches
1
to
3
where billing discrepancies are discovered by having field technicians download the data stored in the switches
1
through
3
to tapes loaded into the tape drives
4
through
6
. Typically, these tape drives
4
through
6
support 9-track tapes. Once the switch data is downloaded, the tapes are physically transported, represented with trucks
8
through
10
, to a Database Reconciliation Tool (DBRT)
7
. DBRT
7
is typically a personal computer (PC).
The DBRT
7
also receives data from CRIS
11
. As stated earlier, CRIS
11
is a database of what the service provider understands to be the services and features being used by each customer which is used for billing the customer. Data in CRIS
11
is typically sent to DBRT
7
electronically as shown in FIG.
1
. However, CRIS
11
has a tape port (not shown) so that, if necessary, data from CRIS
11
can be transported to DBRT
7
in a manner similar to the manner switch data is currently transported to DBRT
7
.
Once the DBRT
7
has the tape data from the switch and CRIS
11
, it performs a comparison process, which involves logic comparisons, between the two sets of data to detect discrepancies. Discrepancies are printed on paper
13
and forwarded to an ESSX Billing Reconciliation Unit (EBRU)
14
. EBRU
14
is a group of people who manually read the discrepancy report produced by DBRT
7
. They will then generate a corrected billing statement
38
for sending to the customer which corresponds to the discrepancies between CRIS
11
and the customer's switch data. In addition to providing customers with corrected bills, EBRU
14
informs the CRIS
11
technicians so they may make adjustments to the data stored in CRIS
11
to avoid incorrect billing in the future.
Supporting EBRU
14
is a Billing Integrity Reconciliation System (BIRS)
15
. BIRS
15
tracks activity on accounts and keeps statistics regarding the time an individual in EBRU
14
spends on resolving errors and the dollar amounts of any billing adjustments.
There are many problems associated with conventional collection systems such as the one depicted in FIG.
1
. Most of these problems revolve around the utilization of magnetic tapes to transfer data from either the switches
1
to
3
to DBRT
7
. First, collecting data via magnetic tape is labor intensive. A technician must travel to the individual switches
1
to
3
, manually load and unload the tape into the tape drive of each switch in the phone company's network. The labor intensiveness of this type of data transfer is amplified by a phone company owning and operating a large number of switches. The phone company must therefore maintain and employ a large number of field technicians to complete this work.
It should also be noted that while the data in the CRIS
11
is periodically updated, it is not always
100
per cent synchronized with the data in the switch. This problem arises when a particular customer orders new services, i.e. call-waiting. Ideally, the phone company will update both CRIS
11
and the customer's service in the switch simultaneously. However, should an error occur, one of the two sets of data will be inaccurate. If it is impossible for a field agent to download the data from the customer's switch for a week or so, the discrepancy will not be discovered for a while. If the switch data is incorrect, this week or longer time period before correction could result in a disgruntled customer calling his telephone provider to complain.
Another problem with the conventional collection systems involves the volatility of the tapes. During transport from either the switches
1
to
3
or CRIS
11
, the tapes may be erased or otherwise damaged due to extreme temperature, electromagnetic field, or physical impact.
Another problem with the conventional collection systems involves the cost of purchasing and maintaining all of the tapes needed to transfer the data from the plurality of switches. Even a small phone company will probably operate thousands of switches requiring it to invest thousands of dollars in a plurality of tapes.
Another problem with the conventional collection systems is the frequency that switch downloads are performed. Due to limited manpower and limited funds which can be allocated to the tapes themselves, only a percentage of all the switches a phone company operates can be downloaded in a day. Should the phone company suffer a shortage of labor or tapes, it would severely harm the phone company's ability to correct billing errors. The end result could be a switch which is not downloaded for a long period of time such that a customer is continually billed incorrectly to the point that the customer becomes disgruntled with the phone company.
Also, due to the limited manpower, there exists a latency period from the point when the switch data is downloaded to a magnetic tape to the point when the data is inputted into DBRT
7
. Thus, a comparison between data retrieved from CRIS
11
today and data retrieved from a switch yesterday could introduce a discrepancy where none exists. It is simply an error of comparing old data which was in the switch to updated data in the CRIS
11
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention addresses the problems described above by providing systems and methods for extracting switch data. The systems of the present invention improve upon those above noted deficiencies. In particular, the systems of the present invention allow for data to be downloaded into the DBRT from the switch much faster than is presently possible.
The present invention also substantially reduces the costs in tape expenditures.
The present invention also saves on labor costs in that the data is now communicated directly to the DBRT instead of relying on transported tapes.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent with respect to the remainder of this document.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5333183 (1994-07-01), Herbert
patent: 5345595 (1994-09-01), Johnson et al.
patent: 5768353 (1998-06-01), Browne
patent: 5832068 (1998-11-01), Smith
patent: 5873030 (1999-02-01), Mechling et al.
patent: 5875236 (1999-02-01), Jankowitz et al.
patent: 5950121 (1999-09-01), Kaminsky et al.
patent: 6233313 (2001-05-01), Farris et al.
patent: 6282267 (2001-08-01), Nolting

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Systems and methods for extracting switch data does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Systems and methods for extracting switch data, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Systems and methods for extracting switch data will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3097089