Network session management
US6137869A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 16, 1997 |
| Grant date | Oct 24, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 16, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S379/90
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An internetwork (such as the Internet) telephony system and method incorporating architecture and methodology which facilitates a high degree of scalability. The scalability provides improvement dealing with usage recording, usage pricing, billing account management, and fraud control. The scalability is achieved primarily by bundling of usage recording, pricing, authorization and billing practices in one logical database object which may be physically distributed. A predefined set of network elements are provided access to the database object to obtain authorization for a call along with limitations on the maximum cost or duration of the call for the particular account involved. The database object records usage statistics relating to the completed call, including pricing, and this data is available for virtually immediate billing. The database object provides to customers on a virtual real time basis the customer's usage statistics, including statistics for a call in progress. The operation proceeds in the following manner. Each Internet telephone service subscriber will have at least one billing and authorization account maintained in a database on the Internet. During set-up of…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.