Data correction system for communications network

Abstract

An inter-network call accounting system for use in a communication network such as the public switched telephone network in Britain allows call records to be sorted according to the network operator to be charged in respect of the calls, prior to being priced and charged. A data analyzer incorporating an expert system is provided for call records which cannot be validated. The data analyzer can apply default or amended data, or can output invalid data to a suspended process awaiting updated reference information. Unfixable data is output to a sump for management purposes. A pricing and charging engine processes data already sorted according to billable entity and incorporates further data analysis for dealing with data invalid by reason of pricing and charging related information.

I claim:  
     
       1. A billing data analyzer for use in a communications network, which network is connected to one or more other networks, the billing data analyzer comprising: 
       an input for billing data collected with respect to billable aspects of communication instances in said communications network, said billing data having been initially rejected as unbillable by validating means associated with said network,  
       means for assessing the type of invalidity arising in the billing data, and  
       means for dealing with the billing data accordingly by attempting to correct it into billable data,  
       said means for dealing with the billing data comprising means for applying default values, means for applying amended values, and means for appending data to files in a temporary data store, and 
       an output for receiving data from said means for dealing with the billing data and outputting the received data to said validating means.  
     
     
       2. A billing data analyzer according to  claim 1 , wherein said means for dealing with the billing data further comprises means for dispatching unbillable data to a sump, for subsequent management analysis. 
     
     
       3. A billing data analyzer according to  claim 1 , wherein the means for dealing with the billing data selects how to deal with data on the basis of the reason for its having been invalidated. 
     
     
       4. A billing data analyzer according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the files to which billing data can be appended is associated with a respective error pattern, and all billing data appended to a file can be corrected in a similar manner, for instance by updating specified reference data associated with the invalidity. 
     
     
       5. A billing data analyzer according to  claim 1 , which is provided with a second input, for receiving billing data which has been rejected as unbillable by validating means associated with pricing and charging means on the basis of incorrect data associated with pricing and charging. 
     
     
       6. A billing data analyzer according to  claim 1 , wherein the analyzer includes a second input for billing data rejected as unbillable by validating means on the basis of decode anomalies. 
     
     
       7. A billing data analyzer according to  claim 1 , comprising an expert system, including a rulebase and a casebase. 
     
     
       8. A data analyzer, for use in a communications network, which network is connected to one or more other networks, the data analyzer comprising: 
       an input for data collected with respect to said communications network, said data having been rejected by validating means associated with said network,  
       means for assessing the type of invalidity arising in the data, and 
       means for dealing with the data accordingly, and  
       an output for receiving data from said means for dealing with the data and outputting the received data to said validating means,  
       said means for dealing with the data comprising means for applying default values, means for applying amended values, and means for appending data to files in a temporary data store,  
       said analyzer being in two parts, there being provided a part incorporating an expert system, for analyzing data which might have been invalidated for any of a variety of reasons, including incorrect routing data, and there being provided a part for analyzing data which might have been invalidated for at least one reason not included in the variety of reasons,  
       wherein the second of the two parts receives data which has been sorted according to associated billable entity, while the first part receives data which has not been so sorted.  
     
     
       9. A billing data analyzing method for use in a communications network, which network is connected to one or more other networks, the billing data analyzing method comprising: 
       collecting billing data with respect to billable aspects of communications instances in said communications network, said billing data having been initially rejected as unbillable by validating means associated with said network,  
       assessing the type of invalidity arising in the billing data, and  
       dealing with the billing data accordingly by attempting to correct it into billable data by applying default values, amended values, and appending data to files in a temporary data store, and 
       outputting billing data that has been corrected to said validating means.  
     
     
       10. A billing data analyzing method as in  claim 9  wherein said dealing-with-the-data step further comprises dispatching unbillable data to a sump, for subsequent management analysis. 
     
     
       11. A billing data analyzing method as in  claim 9  wherein the dealing-with-the-data step includes selecting how to deal with unbillable data on the basis of the reason for its having been invalidated. 
     
     
       12. A billing data analyzing method as in  claim 9  wherein each of the files to which billing data can be appended is associated with a respective error pattern, and all billing data appended to a file can be corrected in a similar manner, for instance by updating specified reference data associated with the invalidity. 
     
     
       13. A billing data analyzing method as in  claim 9  which also receives unbillable billing data which has been rejected by validating means associated with pricing and charging on the basis of incorrect data associated with pricing and charging. 
     
     
       14. A billing data analyzing method as in  claim 9  further comprising accepting billing data rejected by validating means on the basis of decode anomalies and using such further data to assist in attempted billing data correction. 
     
     
       15. A billing data analyzing method as in  claim 9  using an expert system, including a rule base and a casebase. 
     
     
       16. A data analyzing method for use in a communications network, which network is connected to one or more other networks, the data analyzing method comprising: 
       collecting data with respect to said communications network, said data having been rejected by validating means associated with said network,  
       assessing the type of invalidity arising in the data, and  
       dealing with the data accordingly by attempting to correct it by applying default values, amended values, and appending data to files in a temporary data store; and  
       outputting data that has been corrected to said validating means, 
       wherein the invalidated data is analyzed in two ways, there being provided:  
       a first way using an expert system, for analyzing data which might have been invalidated for any of a variety of reasons, including incorrect routing data, and there being  
       a second way for analyzing data which might have been invalidated for at least one reason not included in the variety of reasons,  
       wherein the second of the two ways uses data which has been sorted according to associated billable entity, while the first way uses data which has not been so sorted.  
     
     
       17. A billing data analyzer, for use in a communications network, which network is connected to one or more other networks, the billing data analyzer comprising: 
       an input for billing data collected with respect to billable aspects of communication instances in said communications network, said billing data having been rejected by validating means associated with said network,  
       means for accessing the type of invalidity arising in the billing data, and  
       means for dealing with the billing data accordingly,  
       said means for dealing with the billing data comprising any one or more of the following:  
       means for applying default values;  
       means for applying amended values; and  
       means for appending data to files in a temporary data store, and 
       an output for receiving data from said means for dealing with the billing data and outputting the received data to said validating means.  
     
     
       18. A billing data analyzer as in  claim 17  wherein said means for dealing with the billing data further comprises means for dispatching unbillable data to a sump, for subsequent management analysis. 
     
     
       19. A billing data analyzer as in  claim 17  wherein the means for dealing with the billing data selects how to deal with unbillable data on the basis of the reason for its having been invalidated. 
     
     
       20. A billing data analyzer as in  claim 17  wherein each of the files to which billing data can be appended is associated with a respective error pattern, and all billing data appended to a file can be corrected in a similar manner, for instance by updating specified reference data associated with the invalidity. 
     
     
       21. A billing data analyzer as in  claim 17  which is provided with a second input, for receiving unbillable billing data which has been rejected by validating means associated with pricing and charging means on the basis of incorrect data associated with pricing and charging. 
     
     
       22. A billing data analyzer as in  claim 17  wherein the analyzer includes a second input for unbillable billing data rejected by validating means on the basis of decode anomalies. 
     
     
       23. A billing data analyzer as in  claim 17  comprising an expert system, including a rulebase and a casebase. 
     
     
       24. A data analyzer, for use in a communications network, which network is connected to one or more other networks, the data analyzer comprising: 
       an input for data collected with respect to said communications network, said data having been rejected by validating means associated with said network,  
       means for accessing the type of invalidity arising in the data, and  
       means for dealing with the data accordingly,  
       said means for dealing with the data comprising any one or more of the following:  
       means for applying default values;  
       means for applying amended values; and  
       means for appending data to files in a temporary data store; and  
       
         an output for receiving data from said means for dealing with the data and outputting the received data to said validating means; and  
       
       wherein said analyzer is in two parts, there being provided:  
       a first part incorporating an expert system, for analyzing data which might have been invalidated for any of a variety of reasons, including incorrect routing data, and  
       a second part for analyzing data which might have been invalidated for at least one reason not included in the variety of reasons,  
       wherein the second of the two parts receives data which has been sorted according to associated billable entity, while the first part receives data which has not been so sorted.  
     
     
       25. A billing data analyzing method for use in a communications network, which network is connected to one or more other networks, the billing data analyzing method comprising: 
       collecting billing data with respect to billable aspects of communication instances in said communications network, said billing data having been initially rejected as unbillable by validating means associated with said network,  
       assessing the type of invalidity arising in the billing data, and  
       dealing with the billing data accordingly by attempting to correct it by applying any one or more of the following:  
       default values,  
       amended values; and  
       appended data to files in a temporary data store, and 
       outputting billing data that has been corrected to said validating means.  
     
     
       26. A billing data analyzing method as in  claim 25  wherein said dealing-with-the-data step further comprises dispatching unbillable data to a sump, for subsequent management analysis. 
     
     
       27. A billing data analyzing method as in  claim 25  wherein the dealing-with-the-data step includes selecting how to deal with billing data on the basis of the reason for its having been invalidated. 
     
     
       28. A billing data analyzing method as in  claim 25  wherein each of the files to which billing data can be appended is associated with a respective error pattern, and all billing data appended to a file can be corrected in a similar manner, for instance by updating specified reference data associated with the invalidity. 
     
     
       29. A billing data analyzing method as in  claim 25  which also receives billing data which has been initially rejected as unbillable by validating means associated with pricing and charging on the basis of incorrect data associated with pricing and charging. 
     
     
       30. A billing data analyzing method as in  claim 25  further comprising accepting billing data rejected by validating means on the basis of decode anomalies and using such further data to assist in attempted data correction. 
     
     
       31. A billing data analyzing method as in  claim 25  using an expert system, including a rulebase and a casebase. 
     
     
       32. A data analyzing method for use in a a communications network, which network is connected to one or more other networks, the data analyzing method comprising: 
       collecting data with respect to said communications network, said data having been rejected by validating means associated with said network,  
       assessing the type of invalidity arising in the data, and  
       dealing with the data accordingly by attempting to correct it by applying any one or more of the following:  
       default values,  
       amended values; and  
       appended data to files in a temporary data store; and  
       outputting data that has been corrected to said validating means; and  
       wherein the invalidated data is analyzed in two ways, there being provided  
       a first way using an expert system, for analyzing data which might have been invalidated for any of a variety of reasons, including incorrect routing data, and  
       a second way for analyzing data which might have been invalidated for at least one reason not included in the variety of reasons,  
       wherein the second of the two ways uses data which has been stored according to associated billable entity, while the first way uses data which has not been so sorted.