Interactive billing system utilizing a thin web client interface

An interactive telecommunications billing mechanism, comprising:

• a billing server, for maintaining a transaction data base, and for querying said transaction data base to retrieve selected transaction records that match parameters of a query, wherein each of said selected transaction records comprises:
• a line field, documenting a first telephone number from which a call originates;
• a number field, documenting a second telephone number to which said call is placed;
• a place field, documenting a location corresponding to said number field;
• and
• a cost field, documenting a cost of a corresponding call event;
• and
• a web server, coupled to said billing server, for providing said query in response to a user command received from a data network, and for transmitting said selected transaction records to a user over said data network for viewing via a web browser.

An apparatus for accessing selected telecommunications records over the internet from a user computer that is executing a web browser application, said apparatus comprising:

• a billing server, for maintaining telecommunications records, and for providing the selected telecommunications records in response to a user request, said billing server comprising:
• data base logic, for storing said telecommunications records, wherein each of said telecommunications records documents a specific telecommunications event;
• maintenance logic, for providing said data base logic with a new telecommunications record corresponding to a new telecommunications event;
• and
• query logic, for searching said telecommunications records in accordance with parameters prescribed by said user request, and for retrieving the selected telecommunications records;
• and
• a web server, coupled to said billing server, for receiving said user request over the internet, and for providing the selected telecommunications records to the user computer over the internet.

A method for providing access to telecommunications billing records in a billing computer over the internet, the access being obtained via a remote computer that is executing a thin web client application, the method comprising:

• a) maintaining the telecommunications billing records in a data base, the telecommunications billing records documenting individual telecommunication events;
• b) querying the data base in accordance with parameters provided by a completed search parameter entry web page;
• and
• d) transmitting a search results web page to display the telecommunications billing records on the remote computer.

A method for providing a user with detailed long distance telephonic transaction information via a thin web client, the method comprising:

• a) providing a data server, coupled to local telephone switches, for tracking long distance telephone transactions for a plurality of telephone numbers;
• b) providing a web server, coupled to the data server, for presenting to the user the detailed long distance telephonic transaction information;
• and
• c) providing the user with a customizable event monitor, coupled to the web server and to the data server, the event monitor for alerting the user when telephone transactions meet a specified criteria.

A long distance transaction event monitor, coupled to a telephone network, for alerting a user when specified alert criteria relating to telephony transactions have been met, the event monitor comprising:

• a web interface, for allowing a user to specify the alert criteria;
• query logic, coupled to said web interface, for causing the specified alert criteria to query the telephony transactions;
• and
• an event monitor, coupled to said query logic, for generating alert messages to the user when said query logic determines that the specified alert criteria is met by the telephony transactions.