Patent ID: 6532281
Filing Date: 2003-03-11
Classification: H04M

Abstract:
A process for optimized metering of communication tariffs in a communications network, the process comprising:measuring at least one communication parameter for an individual customer or a group of customers on all calls of the communications network to determine an individual communication profile; measuring an actual communication consumption on the communications network for the individual customer; deriving at least one user-related average transmitted information volume per unit of time from the individual communication profile; executing, using a computing device, an algorithm for calculating an idealized average transmitted information volume from one of the at least one user-related average transmitted information volume per unit of time and for calculating a flat-rate for a specific period of time from the idealized average transmitted information volume; generating a percentage amount from the individual communication profile and adding the percentage amount as a positive and negative amount to the idealized average transmitted information volume so as to establish upper and lower process limit values defining a range, corresponding to the flat-rate, of fluctuation in individual communications habits about the idealized average transmitted information volume; generating an additional percentage amount from the individual communication profile and adding the additional percentage amount to the upper and lower process limit values so as to establish corresponding upper and lower process-alarm limit values beyond which the flat-rate can not be reconciled with the measured actual communication consumption over a flat-rate-calculating time period; generating, using the computing device, a process alarm in response to an exceeding, by at least one of the at least one user-related average transmitted information volume per unit time, of either the upper process-alarm limit value in the positive direction or the lower process-alarm limit value in the negative direction; and calculating, using the computing device, in response to the generating of the process alarm, a first adapted idealized average transmitted information volume and a first adapted flat-rate.