Method and testing device for verifying the charge invoicing for a communications connection according to time-unit intervals

A method for verifying the charge invoicing for a communications connection according to time intervals, a testing device able to simulate at least one calling, analog terminal device and at least one called terminal device being connected to at least one network node that can generate time pulses;

• the method comprising the following method steps:
• at least one predetermined test-communications connection is set up and cleared again via at least the one network node;
• the interval between the start of the test-communications connection and the generation of a first time pulse is ascertained, and it is checked if the ascertained interval is within a first predetermined time domain;
• during the existing test-communications connection, time-unit intervals of consecutive time pulses are measured and compared to a predetermined time interval;
• and
• it is checked if at least one additional time pulse has been received after the end of the test-communications connection;
• if yes, the interval between the end of the test-communications connection and the at least one time pulse is ascertained, and it is checked if the ascertained interval is within a second predetermined time domain.

A testing device for connection to at least one network node, which is to be tested and may emit time pulses, comprising:

• a call simulator for simulating at least one calling, analog terminal device and for simulating at least one further terminal device, which may be operated as a called terminal device;
• a first detector device for detecting time pulses;
• a second detector device for detecting a first predetermined event (connect, loop closure), which corresponds to the measurable start of a test-communications connection;
• the first and/or second detector device being designed to detect a second predetermined event (disconnect;
• loop interruption), which corresponds to the measurable end of a test-communications connection;
• a first time-measuring device for measuring, in each instance, time intervals of two consecutive time pulses;
• a second time-measuring device for measuring the interval between the occurrence of the first predetermined event and the reception of the first time pulse of a set up test-communications connection;
• a third time-measuring device for measuring the interval between the occurrence of the second predetermined event and the reception of at least one time pulse after the measured end of the test-communications connection;
• and
• an evaluation device for comparing the measured time spans of the respective time-measuring devices to corresponding, predetermined time domains.

The testing device as recited in one of 16 wherein a device for serially numbering consecutive time intervals is provided;

• in response to the numbers assigned to the time intervals, the third time-measuring device may detect if a time interval has been measured in the first time-measuring device after the detection of the second predetermined event (disconnect, loop interruption);
• and
• the third time-measuring device or the evaluation device may add the value for the interval between the end of the test-communications connection and the first time pulse received after the end of the test-communications connection and the values of all of the measured time intervals, whose numbers are, in each instance, greater than the number of the time interval that has been instantaneously measured in response to the occurrence of the second predetermined event (disconnect;
• loop interruption) at the first or second detector device of the testing device.