Unified Usage Record Billing for IMS Networks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for charging and billing in converged communications networks, such as IMS networks, face challenges in efficiently processing and billing for IP-based multimedia services across diverse network architectures, lacking a unified method to handle usage data and account for multiple persona profiles.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for processing usage data into unified usage records, which are then used to generate charges and invoices based on public user identifications, allowing for accurate billing across IMS networks, involving usage data processing, charging, and billing systems that integrate with network elements and persona profiles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If usage data is collected from multiple network elements in diverse network architectures, then billing coverage is improved, but data processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments usage data from different network elements (CDRs, usage records, billing events) into distinct categories and processes them through specialized functional modules. This segmentation allows the system to handle diverse data types independently, reducing overall processing complexity while maintaining comprehensive billing coverage across multiple network architectures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediate processing components including usage data processing systems, charging systems, and billing systems that act as mediators between raw usage data and final billing outputs. These intermediary systems standardize and normalize data from diverse network elements, enabling unified billing processing without requiring direct integration of all network elements.
2Measurement precision
If unified usage records are generated from formatted and unformatted data, then billing accuracy is improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary formatting and validation of usage data before it enters the main billing processing pipeline. Usage data is pre-processed, validated, and standardized at the collection stage, which reduces the processing time required during billing generation while maintaining high billing accuracy through early error detection and data normalization.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple persona profiles are supported per user, then service customization is improved, but account management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments user accounts into multiple persona profiles, each representing a distinct service context or billing entity. This segmentation allows individual customization of services and billing parameters for each persona while maintaining a unified user identity, enabling service customization without requiring complete account management complexity multiplication through hierarchical account structures.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus includes means for accessing a communication service via a wireless network and for sending a first message and a second message via the wireless network. The apparatus also includes means for displaying a user interface and means for receiving a first selection and a second selection responsive to the user interface. The first and second selections respectively indicate work and personal billing accounts. The first message is associated with first usage profile-related information indicating work usage of the communication service that is to be billed to the work billing account. The second message is associated with second usage profile-related information indicating personal usage of the communication service that is to be billed to the personal billing account.