Monitoring usage of telecommunications services
AssigneeAgilent Technologies, Inc.
InventorMichael Hurst
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Call detail records are generated for usage of a telecommunications service established in a telecommunications network, by monitoring messages in a signalling system for co-ordinating operation of the network and carried over signalling links in the signalling system between a service switching function entity and a service control function entity. Messages are selected that relate to instances of usage of the telecommunications service initiated by the service switching function entity to at least one signal switching point in the network. These selected messages are correlated in accordance with the usage instance to which they relate, and information in the correlated selected messages is used to derive a call detail record for an instance of usage of the telecommunications service.
Claims8
A method of generating a call detail record for usage of a telecommunications service established in a telecommunications network, comprising the steps of:
- monitoring messages in a signalling system for coordinating operation of the network and carried over signalling links in the signalling system between a service switching function entity and a service control function entity;
- selecting messages that relate to instances of usage of a telecommunications service initiated by the service switching function entity to at least one signal switching point in the network;
- correlating selected messages in accordance with the usage instance to which they relate;
- and
- using information in the correlated selected messages to derive a call detail record for an instance of usage of the telecommunications service.
Apparatus for generating a call detail record for usage of a telecommunications service established in a telecommunications network, comprising:
- a monitor for monitoring messages in a signalling system for coordinating operation of the network and carried over signalling links in the signalling system between a service switching function entity and a service control function entity;
- a message selector for selecting messages that relate to instances of usage of a telecommunications service initiated by the service switching function entity to at least one signal switching point in the network;
- a correlator for correlating selected messages in accordance with the usage instance to which they relate;
- and
- a call detail record generator for using information in the correlated selected messages to derive a call detail record for an instance of usage of the telecommunications service.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.