Patent ID: 8078509
Filing Date: 2011-12-13
Classification: G06Q,H04M

Abstract:
1. A method for collecting, auditing, reconciling and billing on a communications network, comprising: (A) automatically, securely, collecting, via a communications network, a plurality of first sets of billing data on a billing application with plural software modules included in a first server network device with one or more processors from a plurality of other server network devices, wherein the first server network device and the plurality of other server network devices each have one or more processors, wherein the plurality of first sets of billing data are each collected in real-time for a plurality of mobile target network devices for use of subscription services on the communications network, wherein a time period for a real-time event completed on the billing application is equivalent to an amount of time required to successfully initiate and connect an individual mobile target network device to a subscription service on the communications network and wherein the subscription services include voice, video or data subscription services; (B) automatically, on the billing application, auditing, the plurality of sets of billing data to create a plurality of sets of audited billing data; (C) automatically, reconciling, on the billing application, the plurality of sets of audited billing data to create a plurality of sets of reconciled billing data; (D) automatically, storing, the plurality of audited and reconciled sets of billing data, in a database associated with the billing application on the first server network device; (E) automatically, securely, returning, the plurality of sets of reconciled billing data from the billing application to the plurality of server network devices via the communications network in real-time, wherein the reconciled plurality of sets of billing data are used to detect and prevent fraudulent use of subscription services on the communications network, wherein fraudulent use of the subscription service includes an attempt to initiate a subscription service that a target mobile network device is not authorized to use or has not paid a required fee to use; (F) automatically, detecting, fraud, in real-time, on the billing application using the plurality of sets of reconciled billing records, as any attempted fraudulent initiation of any of the subscription services is being requested by any of the plurality of mobile target network devices on the communications network and before the initiation of any of the subscription services is actually completed on the communications network by comparing in real-time on the billing application on the first server network device selected ones of the reconciled billing records for a mobile target network device to a current call record for the mobile target network device and determining whether any inconsistencies exist between selected ones of the reconciled billing records and the current call record as the mobile target network device is attempting to initiate a subscription service on the communications network; (G) automatically, in real-time, on the billing application, completing an additional reconciliation of the selected ones of the reconciled billing records for the mobile target network device based on the determined inconsistencies between the selected ones of the reconciled billing records and the current call record, thereby creating a set of additional reconciled billing records wherein the set of additional reconciliation billing records includes reconciliation of billing records obtained from a plurality of network elements in one or more other different countries and stored in a centralized database associated with the first server network device; (H) automatically, comparing, in real-time, on the billing application, on the first server network device the additional set of reconciled billing records to the current call record for the mobile target network device and determining whether any additional inconsistencies exist; (J) automatically, preventing any attempted fraudulent initiation of any of the subscription services in real-time on the billing application by refusing initiation of any of the subscription services for the mobile target network device on the communications network; (K) automatically, examining in real-time on the billing application the sets of newly developed, audited, reconciled and stored billing records with records stored in the centralized database associated with the first server network device for inconsistencies; (L) automatically, re-reconciling, in real-time, on the billing application, any inconsistent examined data in the set of additional reconciled billing records to correct inconsistencies and create a re-examined set of reconciled billing records; and (M) automatically, returning, in real-time, the re-examined set of reconciled billing records to appropriate server network devices in the plurality of other server network devices via the communications network, (N) wherein the re-examined set of reconciled billing records are also used to detect and prevent fraudulent initiation of any subscription services by any target mobile network devices on the communications network in real-time as any mobile target network device is attempting to initiate a subscription service on the communications network and before the initiation of any of the subscription services is actually completed on the communications network.