System and method for verifying subscriber data records in a telephone system

Abstract

A consistency verification tool performs a consistency check on subscriber data records stored in the cellular telephone system. One such consistency check analyzes subscriber data records in a home location register (HLR) and a billing system to determine the presence of duplicate records. Duplicate records can be stored in a duplicate record file for later analysis. During the duplicate record consistency analysis, the consistency verification tool creates a record list. The record list can be a linked list structure for storing main records and duplicate records in a manner that facilitates identifying families of duplicate records. The consistency verification tool can also perform inter-device consistency checks. For example, the subscriber data stored on the HLR can be compared to the subscriber data stored in the billing system to ensure that the two systems have consistent subscriber data.

1 - 31 . (canceled)  
   
   
       32 . A method for verifying record consistency, the method comprising: 
 storing a new subscriber record into a subscriber list;    sorting the subscriber list such that duplicate subscriber records are stored in consecutive record elements in the record list; and    identifying a duplicate record in the record list wherein the duplicate record corresponds to at least one of the following: the subscriber being improperly billed and the subscriber receiving services inconsistent to what services were being billed to the subscriber.    
   
   
       33 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein identifying a duplicate record further comprises identifying a duplicate record in the record list, wherein the duplicate record exists due to a subscriber being homed on more than one home location register.  
   
   
       34 . The method of  claim 32 , further comprising sorting the subscriber list according to one or more matching criteria.  
   
   
       35 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the matching criteria include a telephone number of a cellular telephone.  
   
   
       36 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein identifying a duplicate record further comprises identifying a duplicate record in the record list, wherein the duplicate record exists due to a single telephone number being assigned to multiple cellular telephone serial numbers.  
   
   
       37 . The method of  claim 32 , further comprising storing the duplicate record in a duplicate file.  
   
   
       38 . A system for verifying consistency of a subscriber record, comprising: 
 means for reading the subscriber record from a plurality of subscriber records, wherein the subscriber records comprise data related to services available to each subscriber;    means for verifying the consistency of a consistency of the subscriber record, wherein the means for verifying the constancy of the subscriber record comprises means for determining when the subscriber record contains inconsistent information regarding services subscribed to by a subscriber, wherein the inconsistent information corresponds to at least one of the following: the subscriber being improperly billed and the subscriber receiving services inconsistent to what services were being billed to the subscriber.    
   
   
       39 . The system of  claim 38 , wherein the means for reading the subscriber record comprises means for reading the subscriber record from a home location register.  
   
   
       40 . The system of  claim 38 , wherein the means for reading the subscriber record comprises means for reading the subscriber record from a billing system.  
   
   
       41 . The system of  claim 38 , further comprising: 
 means for comparing a first classification of the subscriber record to a second classification of a plurality of subscriber records;    means for identifying a duplicate record, wherein the duplicate record exists due to a subscriber being homed on more than one home location register.    
   
   
       42 . The system of  claim 38 , further comprising means for sorting the subscriber records according to one or more matching criteria.  
   
   
       43 . The system of  claim 38 , further comprising: 
 means for comparing a first classification of the subscriber record to a second classification of a plurality of subscriber records;    means for identifying a duplicate record, wherein the duplicate record exists due to a single telephone number being assigned to multiple cellular telephone serial numbers.    
   
   
       44 . The system of  claim 38 , further comprising means for storing the duplicate record in a duplicate file.  
   
   
       45 . A method for verifying record consistency, the method comprising: 
 reading a new record of subscriber subscription data;    comparing the new record of subscriber subscription data to each record of subscriber subscription data; and    if no match is found when comparing the new record, reporting an error indicating that a customer is incorrectly classified in a classification that corresponds to at least one of the following: the customer being improperly billed and the customer receiving services inconsistent to what services were being billed to the customer.    
   
   
       46 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein reading the new record comprises reading the new record from a home location register.  
   
   
       47 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein reading the new record comprises reading the new record from a billing system.  
   
   
       48 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein reporting the error indicator further comprises storing the duplicate record in a duplicate file.  
   
   
       49 . The method of  claim 45 , further comprising identifying a duplicate record, wherein the duplicate record exists due to a single telephone number being assigned to multiple cellular telephone serial numbers.  
   
   
       50 . The method of  claim 45 , further comprises sorting the subscriber data records according to one or more matching criteria.  
   
   
       51 . The method of  claim 50 , wherein the matching criteria include a telephone number of a cellular telephone.  
   
   
       52 . The method of  claim 45 , further comprising identifying a duplicate record, wherein the duplicate record exists due to a subscriber being stored on more than one home location register.  
   
   
       53 . (canceled)