Abstract:
The present invention provides a method and system for remotely processing a data string. The method includes the steps of generating a data string from a communications device, which may be a telephone or a modem, and attaching an identifier code to the data string. The data string is then transmitted to a remote processor that reads the identifier code and processes the data string according to an algorithm designated by the identifier code.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates generally to the field of telecommunication systems, and more particularly, to a method and system for providing a remote call accounting system to hotels.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Without limiting the scope of the invention, this background of the present invention will be described with reference to providing a remote call accounting system to a hotel, as an example. Hotels may generate significant revenue by accounting for guests&#39; telephone use and then billing guests for their use. Hotels often implement unique algorithms to determine a correct charge for a particular use. Many factors such as time of day, length of call, or destination of call, for example, may be considered to develop an appropriate bill. However, recording and processing these factors requires considerable equipment and personnel costs.  
           [0003]    Typically, a hotel invests in three components to account for telephone system use and bill guests for their use. First, the hotel&#39;s telephone system has a telephone switch, or Public Branch Exchange (PBX), that routes a call from a handset in the hotel to a local telecom provider system. The PBX creates a call record that may be up to 150 bytes long, which represents information related to the call, such as origin, destination, connection status and duration. Next, a Call Accounting System (CAS) processes the call information from the PBX and assigns a rate to the individual calls. Finally, a Property Management System (PMS) integrates information from the CAS into the guest bill. The PMS may generate a bill that includes detailed information related to the guest&#39;s telephone use.  
           [0004]    The problem with such a system is that the CAS is expensive to purchase maintain and operate. Specifically, the initial purchase price of the CAS may range from five thousand to twenty thousand dollars depending on the number of features. In addition, the CAS inevitably becomes outdated or obsolete within a few years. Consequently, the hotel must either continue to use inferior and possibly inadequate equipment or incur additional significant capital expenditure to upgrade or replace the CAS.  
           [0005]    Moreover, hotels incur additional costs because they must train employees to operate and maintain the CAS. Unfortunately, the hotel service industry has high  10  attrition. Therefore, the cost of training an employee to operate and maintain the CAS may never be recovered or, even worse, the training cost may be lost to a competitor if the trained employee quits to work for the competitor. All of these scenarios are costly and frustrating to hotel managers and are ultimately passed on to guests through higher costs.  
           [0006]    Accordingly, there is a need for a system and method for providing a Call Accounting System that overcomes the present costs and inefficiencies of purchasing and maintaining a CAS.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    The present invention provides a method and system for remotely processing a data string. The method includes the steps of generating a data string from a communications device, which may be a telephone or a modem, and attaching an identifier code to the data string. The data string is then transmitted to a remote processor that reads the identifier code and processes the data string according to an algorithm designated by the identifier code.  
           [0008]    The present invention also provides a method for remotely generating a hotel guest bill. The method includes the steps of generating a data string from a communications device in the hotel and attaching an identifier code to the data string. The identifier code is unique to the hotel. The data string is then transmitted to a Remote Call Accounting System (RCAS) outside of the hotel. The identifier code read and the data string is processed according to an algorithm, which is determined by the identifier code. A result is returned from processing the data string and the result has a value. The value is then transmitted to a Remote Property Management System (RPMS) and included in the hotel guest bill.  
           [0009]    The present invention further provides a method for processing a data string. The method includes the steps of receiving the data string from a remote location. A communications device generates the data string, which has an attached identifier code. The identifier code is read to identify a source of the data string and then the data string is processed according to an algorithm designated by the identifier code.  
           [0010]    In addition, the present invention provides a system for remotely processing call information. The system has a device to generate a data string from a communications device and a device to assign an identifier code to the data string. A data string processor uses an algorithm to process the data string. The algorithm is selected according to the identifier code.  
           [0011]    The present invention also provides a computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for remotely processing information. The computer program has a code segment for reading a data string having an identifier code. Another code segment retrieves an algorithm according to the identifier code. The computer program also has a code segment to process the data string using the algorithm and to generate processed data.  
           [0012]    Other features and advantages of the present invention shall be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]    The above and further advantages of the invention may be better understood by referring to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which corresponding numerals in the different figures refer to corresponding parts and in which:  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 1 is a relational diagram of a prior art hotel telephone network;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 2 is a relational diagram of a hotel telephone network in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 3 is a relational diagram of a remote call accounting system in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention; and  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 4 is a relational diagram of a remote call accounting system in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0018]    Although making and using various embodiments of the present invention are discussed herein in terms of providing a remote Call Accounting System (CAS), it should be appreciated that the present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the invention and do not limit the scope of the invention.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 1 depicts a hotel  10  that has a telephone network  11  according to the prior art. The telephone network  11  may have many different components such as guest handsets  12 , administrative handsets  14 , a telephone switch, or Public Branch Exchange (PBX)  16 , a Call Accounting System (CAS)  20  and a Property Management System (PMS)  22 . The hotel  10  has a connection to a local telephone network  18 , which allows handsets  12 ,  14  within the hotel  10  to connect to phone lines outside of the hotel  10 .  
         [0020]    A typical call accounting process in the prior art telephone network  11  begins when a guest places a call with the guest handset  12 . The call is routed through the PBX  16 , which directs the call to the proper destination. The PBX  16  also assigns a data string to the call. The data string may be up to  150  bytes in length and contain information related to the call such as time of call origin, call destination, connection success, and total length of the call. The data string is then routed to the CAS  20 , which is located on the hotel premises. The CAS  20  reads the call string and assigns a value, which may be the cost of the call, to the call based on a pre-programmed algorithm in the CAS  20 . The CAS  20  is a computer server that is located on the hotel property. Desired call information and the value may then be sent from the CAS  20  to the PMS  22 . The PMS  22  compiles a guest bill that includes various charges from the hotel such as meals from a restaurant or room service, gift shop purchases, and telephone use.  
         [0021]    Now turning to a description of the present invention, FIG. 2 depicts a Remote Call Accounting System (RCAS)  24  that is integrated into the telephone network  11 . A call from the handsets  12 ,  14  is routed through the PBX  16 , which generates a data string that contains information related to the call. The data string may then be sent to the RCAS  24  through a communications network  25  such as the Internet, for example. This allows the RCAS  24  to be removed from the hotel  10 , which reduces costs related to housing and operating the CAS  20  on the premises of the hotel  10 . Costs are also saved because several hotels  10  can share the RCAS  20 .  
         [0022]    The PBX  16  may attach an identifier code to the data string that identifies the source of the data string. The identifier code may identify a unique characteristic of the source such as the hotel name, the hotel city, or the hotel&#39;s operating company, for example. The RCAS  24  receives the data string from the PBX  16  and can process the information contained in the data string according to an algorithm associated with the particular source.  
         [0023]    For example, the source may be a foreign property of a chain of domestic hotels. The RCAS  24  may be located in the United States and the PBX  16  may be located at the foreign property. If a guest at the foreign property places a call with the guest handset  12 , the PBX  16  generates a data string that contains information related to the call. The call information may be transmitted over the communications network  25 , which may be the Internet, through phone lines, or by satellite, to the RCAS  24 . When the RCAS  24  receives the data string, it recognizes the identifier code and determines that the data string is from the foreign property. The RCAS  24  then processes the data string according to an algorithm that may be unique to the foreign property.  
         [0024]    Unique algorithms may be individually tailored to generate customized call billing. For example, the RCAS  24  may be programmed to charge different rates for daytime calls and evening calls. Long distance and local calls may also incur different rates. Alternatively, some properties may not charge guests for local calls. The identifier code attached to the data string may uniquely instruct the RCAS  24  how to process the data string according to revenue models developed by the hotel  10  or special arrangements for individual guests.  
         [0025]    After the RCAS  24  processes the data string and determines the rate for the call, the processed data may be sent back to the PMS  22  in the hotel. The PMS  22  then incorporates call information and call cost into the guest&#39;s room bill. Alternatively, the processed data may be stored in the RCAS  24  and accessed from the hotel  10  through the communications network  25 . Remote access to the processed data will be described in more detail below.  
         [0026]    Turning now to FIG. 3, the RCAS  24  may be divided into multiple partitions  26   a - d  to accommodate data strings from multiple hotels  10   a - d . Each partition may house different algorithms to process the data strings according to the rate structures of the different hotels  10   a - d . Consequently, the hotels  10   a - d  may be different hotel properties within a single management group or the hotels  10   a - d  may be independent of each other. The hotels  10   a - d  may be located within the same town or they may even be on different continents. The identifier code attached to the data string may identify the source of the data string and allow the RCAS  24  to route the data string to the appropriate partition  26   a - d  for processing.  
         [0027]    Because a single RCAS  24  may be utilized by multiple hotels  10   a - d , the hotels  10   a - d  may provide valuable features associated with the most advanced RCAS  24  at a fraction of the cost required to purchase the most advanced RCAS  24 . Although smaller or under-funded hotels  10   a - d  may not want to purchase the most advanced RCAS  24 , they may provide guests with the features of the most advanced RCAS  24  by sharing the RCAS  24  with multiple hotels  10   a - d . The hotels  10   a - d  also realize additional benefits from the RCAS  24  because the hotels  10   a - d  may not need to invest in training their employees to use and maintain the RCAS  24 . Additionally, the hotels  10   a - d  may not need to update the RCAS  24  when the RCAS  24  becomes outdated or obsolete. The hotels  10   a - d  also save costs because the RCAS  24  may be operated, modified, maintained and upgraded from a single location and the hotels  10   a - d  may simply pay for the RCAS  24  service, which may be provided by a third party service provider.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 4 depicts an access terminal  28  that may be utilized by multiple hotels  10  to access the RCAS  24 . The access terminal  28  may be a computer terminal that may interface with the RCAS  24  through the communications network  25 , such as the Internet, for example, or through a dedicated network, satellite transmission or wireless communications link. Therefore, a remotely located corporate office of the hotels  10  may access information on the RCAS  24 . The corporate office may review and analyze data sent to the RCAS  24  by the hotels  10  to evaluate the effectiveness of a particular algorithm for an individual hotel  10 . The access terminal  28  may also be used to compare the hotels  10  and identify potential problems or improve efficiency in guest services.  
         [0029]    For example, the corporate office or a regional manager may use the access terminal  28  to determine that a particular hotel  10  in a region has significantly greater costs for administrative phone calls than other hotels  10  in the region. Individual hotels  10  may also access their own call records to determine how call revenue fluctuates during different times of the day or days of the week. This information may be used to alter call rate structures to increase use and revenue. The access terminal  28  may also be used to alter call rates for an individual extension in the hotel  10 , a block of rooms in the hotel  10 , or several hotels  10  in a particular region.  
         [0030]    To increase security and confidentiality, the RCAS  24  may have a password-protection system that allows different levels of access to data stored on the RCAS  24 . The corporate office of a group of hotels  10  may have access to data from all of the hotels  10 , but the manager of an individual hotel  10  may only be granted access to data from the manager&#39;s hotel  10 . A regional manager may have access to data from all of the hotels  10  in the region. Naturally, if data from several competing hotels  10  is stored on the same RCAS  24 , the data from one hotel  10  may be protected from access by a competitor.  
         [0031]    The RCAS  24  may also receive data from the hotels  10  and transmit the data to a Remote Property Management System (RPMS)  30 . The RPMS  30  may receive call information from the RCAS  24  and combine it with other guest information from the hotels  10  to generate the guest bill. The hotels  10  may send information related to guest room charges to the RCAS  24 , which distributes the information to the RPMS  30  for compilation. The hotels  10  may access the RPMS  30  to retrieve individual room bills, which may be reviewed and modified or presented to the guest upon departure from the hotel  10 . In this example, each hotel  10  may have an access terminal  28 . Similar to the RCAS  26 , a significant advantage to the RPMS  30  is that a separate PMS  22  is not required for each hotel  10 . Therefore, the cost of the RPMS  30  may be distributed among several hotels  10  or a third party may provide the RPMS  30  and charge hotels  10  to access service from the RPMS  30 .  
         [0032]    While specific alternatives to steps of the invention have been described herein, additional alternatives not specifically disclosed but known in the art are intended to fall within the scope of the invention. Thus, it is understood that other applications of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon the reading of the described embodiment and a consideration of the appended claims and drawings.