Late Stage Call Setup Management for Prepaid Revenue Assurance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Prepaid mobile users with insufficient credit are unable to access the network for call signaling, as existing systems disconnect calls at the early originating phase, disrupting revenue assurance and preventing 'miss calling' without sufficient airtime, which is a common practice in prepaid telephony.
Innovation Solution
The system shifts billing verification to the late terminating phase, allowing calls to progress beyond the early setup phase by setting a call timer to instantly expire on chargeable events such as Ring Back Tone presentation or call answer, enabling 'miss calling' without fully completing the call, thus allowing users to signal the called party without incurring full call costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If early originating call setup stage billing verification is performed, then revenue assurance is improved, but users with insufficient credit are disconnected and cannot access the network for call signaling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the billing verification process into two distinct stages: early originating stage verification (which permits call setup) and late terminating stage verification (which enforces credit limits). This segmentation allows the system to maintain network access for call signaling while ensuring revenue assurance at the appropriate stage, resolving the contradiction between reliability and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary billing verification at the originating stage to permit call setup, but defers the final credit enforcement to the terminating stage. This preliminary action allows users with insufficient credit to initially access the network and engage in call signaling, while still maintaining revenue assurance through later verification.
2Ease of operation
If calls are permitted to progress beyond setup phase for users with insufficient credit, then user experience is improved, but network resources are consumed without adequate billing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic billing verification that adapts based on call progression. The system allows calls to progress dynamically through setup and ringing phases for users with insufficient credit, but then dynamically blocks further progression when credit limits are reached during terminating phase, optimizing both user experience and network resource utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the billing verification parameter from a static early-stage check to a dynamic late-stage check. By altering when the credit verification occurs in the call lifecycle, the system enables enhanced user experience (allowing miss calling) while maintaining network resource efficiency through targeted billing enforcement at the appropriate moment.
3Adaptability or versatility
If billing verification is shifted to late terminating phase, then miss calling capability is enabled, but call completion billing may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the critical billing verification function from the early originating stage and relocates it to the late terminating stage. This extraction enables miss calling capability by allowing call setup without immediate credit enforcement, while the billing verification remains intact but is performed at a different stage where it can still ensure proper charging.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary billing verification stage that occurs after call setup but before call completion. This intermediary verification point acts as a mediator that allows the call to progress sufficiently for miss calling functionality while still maintaining reliable billing verification to ensure proper charging for actual call completion.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for revenue assurance in a telephone network. The method comprises receiving a call request from a first user device on a network to a second user device, where the user device associated with a first user account has an account credit value insufficient to complete the requested call. A call timer duration is set to instantly expire on encountering a chargeable event. The call is continued toward the second user device. Upon encountering a chargeable event, the call is released. The chargeable event may be presenting a Ring Back Tone to the caller and confirming that the second device is ringing. The chargeable event may be detecting when the call has been answered.