Accounting and billing based on network use
AssigneeApogee Networks, LLC
InventorsMilton B. Hernandez, Dmitry Kusnetsov, Pablo E. Tapia
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and a system determines billing information for use of a network. For a data transmission on a path between a pair of node locations, the price for the transmission depends, inter alia, on the amount of data transported and the price of using the path. The method collects traffic data for data transmissions sent over links of the network, selects a set of paths connecting each pair of node locations, and determines a price for data transported between the pairs. The method bills an allocated portion of the total price for each pair to each node location of the pair.
Claims30
A method of billing users according to their usage of a network having a plurality of links interconnecting a plurality of node locations, comprising:
- determining a usage price per unit bandwidth for a virtual path between a first and second node locations, the usage price being proportional to a sum of usage prices of links of a set of paths between the first and second node locations;
- collecting traffic date for an amount of data transported between the first and second node locations;
- calculating a total price equal to the amount of data transported times the usage price per unit bandwidth;
- and
- transmitting a bill including the total price to each of the users.
A method of billing users according to usage of a network, the network having a plurality of links interconnecting, at least, two node locations, comprising:
- determining a usage price per unit bandwidth for transmitting data between first and second node locations;
- collecting traffic data for the amount of data transported from the first node address to the second node location;
- calculating a total price for the data transported, the total price being the usage price per unit bandwidth times the amount of data transported;
- apportioning the total price between the first and second node locations according to one of a price responsibility matrix and a rate plan;
- and
- transmitting a bill, according to one of the price responsibility matrix and the rate plan, to each of the users, the bill including the apportioned total price.
A system for billing use of a network having a plurality of links interconnecting nodes of the network, at least two of said node having node locations, comprising:
- a plurality of collection units, each collection unit coupled to a separate link of the network and adapted to accumulate traffic data on the amount of data transported over the coupled link between pairs of node locations;
- and
- a subsystem coupled to receive the data accumulated by the collections units and adapted to determine a total price for data transported from a first to a second node location, the total price being the amount of data transported from the first to the second node location times a usage price for a virtual path between said first and second node locations, the subsystem further adapted to transmit a bill, which includes the total price, to each of the users.
An article comprising a computer-readable medium which stores computer-executable instructions for a method of billing users according to their usage of a network, the network having a plurality of links interconnecting a plurality of node locations, the instructions causing a computer to:
- determine a usage price per unit bandwidth for a virtual path between a first and second node locations, the usage price being proportional to a sum of usage prices of links of a set of paths between the first and second node locations;
- collect traffic date for an amount of data transported between the first and second node locations;
- calculate a total price equal to the amount of data transported times the usage price per unit bandwidth;
- and
- transmit a bill including the total price to each of the users.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.