Telecommunication Billing System Using Resource Usage Record Aggregation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current telecommunication systems face inefficiencies in processing resource usage records (RURs) due to the need for user identification, handling of heterogeneous data, and data protection issues, particularly when processing cumulative resource usage across multiple users and legacy devices that lack secure data exchange capabilities.
Innovation Solution
The system processes RURs without user identification, aggregating records by user type and resource type, using billing rules stored in the database, and only the invoicing system stores user identification data, enabling secure and efficient batch processing of charge calculations while maintaining user privacy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If user identification data is included in each RUR for processing, then billing accuracy is improved, but data protection requirements increase and system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts user identification data from the resource usage records themselves and stores it separately in user profile databases. The RURs contain only resource consumption data without user identifiers, while the rating system retrieves user identification and billing rules from external databases based on device identifiers, thus separating sensitive user data from transactional usage data.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces device identifiers as intermediary elements that link resource usage records to user profiles without exposing user identification data in the RURs themselves. The device identifier acts as a mediator that enables the rating system to retrieve the appropriate user profile and billing rules without user identification data being transmitted or stored in the usage records.
2Measurement precision
If discrete processing of each RUR is performed, then user-specific billing accuracy is improved, but processing efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple resource usage records into aggregated batches for processing. The rating system receives batches of RURs and processes them collectively, retrieving user profiles and billing rules once per user rather than for each individual record, thus maintaining user-specific billing accuracy while significantly improving processing efficiency through batch operations.
3Productivity
If aggregation of RURs by user is performed, then processing efficiency is improved, but handling of heterogeneous data increases complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal rating architecture that can handle multiple resource types (telecommunications, electricity, water, gas, etc.) through a single batch processing mechanism. The system retrieves user profiles and billing rules based on device identifiers without requiring different processing paths for different resource types, thus achieving efficient aggregation while managing heterogeneous data through a unified approach.
4Measurement precision
If user identification data is stored in each RUR, then billing accuracy is improved, but data protection measures and hardware requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts user identification data from the resource usage records and stores it separately in external user profile databases. The RURs contain only resource consumption data and device identifiers, while user identification data remains in secure databases accessible only through controlled queries by the rating system, eliminating the need for complex data protection hardware in the data collection devices.
Data Source
AI summary
A system, a computer-implemented method, and a computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer executable program code for processing data related to monitoring and controlling of a network providing resources to users is disclosed herein. The method includes: receiving a resource usage record (RUR) from the network component for a resource provided to a user, identifying a resource type of the resource by using a resource usage description comprised in the RUR, identifying a user type of the user by using an identification information comprised in the RUR, generating a record in the database, selecting records in the database, each complying with a selection criterion specifying that a record to be selected is associated with a resource type assigned to the selection criterion and a user type assigned to the selection criterion, and sending batch data to the rating system, the batch data comprising resource usage descriptions.