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

A method for verifying 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:

• at least one predetermined test-communications connection is set up and cleared again via at least the one network node;
• ascertaining the respective time interval between a start of the test-communications connection and a generation of a first time pulse;
• determining if the ascertained respective time interval is within a first predetermined time domain;
• during the test-communications connection, measuring time-unit intervals of consecutive time pulses and comparing the measured time-unit intervals of consecutive time pulses to a predetermined time interval;
• and
• determining if at least one additional time pulse has been received after an end of the test-communications connection,
• wherein if the at least one additional time pulse has been received after an end of the test-communications connection then the interval between the end of the test-communications connection and the at least one time pulse is ascertained, and a determination of whether the ascertained interval is within a second predetermined time domain is made,
• wherein time intervals of consecutive time pulses are measured, by:
• starting a first time measurement by the first time pulse received by a calling analog terminal device, stopping time measurement by each subsequent time pulse received by the calling analog terminal device, wherein the time measurement was started by a respective immediately preceding time pulse which then starts a further time measurement, starting an ith time measurement by a last time pulse of the test-communications connection,
• wherein each initiated time measurement is assigned a serial number,
• wherein the time interval between the end of the test-communications connection and a first time pulse received after the end of the test-communications connection is ascertained, by:
• initiating a time measurement when a second predetermined event, which corresponds to a measurable end of the test-communications connection, occurs at a first or second predetermined measuring point of the testing device, stopping a time measurement initiated by the second predetermined event when the first time pulse is received at a second predetermined measuring point of the testing device after an end of the test-communications connection;
• and
• comparing a value of the time measurement to a second predetermined time domain.

A testing device for connection to and testing of at least one network node, the at least one network node being capable of emitting time pulses, comprising:

• a call simulator for simulating at least one calling analog terminal device and for simulating at least one further terminal device operatable as a called terminal device;
• a first detector device for detecting time pulses;
• a second detector device for detecting a first predetermined event which corresponds to a measurable start of a test-communications connection, wherein at least one of the first and second detector device is designed to detect a second predetermined event which corresponds to a 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 an interval between an occurrence of the first predetermined event and a reception of a first time pulse of a set up test-communications connection;
• a third time-measuring device for measuring an interval between an occurrence of the second predetermined event and a reception of at least one time pulse after the measured end of the test-communications connection;
• and
• an evaluation device for comparing measured time spans of the respective time-measuring devices to corresponding predetermined time domains;
• a storage device, in which a systematic measuring error between a location of an actual start of a test-communications connection and the second detector device is stored, and in which a systematic measuring error between a location of an actual end of a test-communications connection and one of the first and the second detector device is stored, and in which a systematic measuring error between a location of an actual generation of time pulses and the first detector device of the testing device is stored;
• a correction device connected to the storage device for correcting values measured by the first, second, and third time-measuring devices by an amount of specific systematic measuring error;
• and
• an evaluation device designed to compare the measured and corrected time spans to corresponding, predetermined time domains.