Patent ID: 8203959

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a processor configured to communicate with a plurality of different network elements of a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communication system, wherein the plurality of different network elements includes a VoIP communication device and at least one network element communicatively disposed between the processor and the VoIP communication device in the VoIP communication system; and wherein the processor is configured to receive and store network element data generated by the at least one network element communicatively disposed between the processor and the VoIP communication device in the VoIP communication system, wherein the processor is configured to amply at least one rule to the network element data to determine at least one validity characteristic of the network element data and to store the network element data based on the application of the at least one rule, wherein the validity characteristic of the network element data is automatically classified by characterizing the network element data as invalid if a status data received from the VoIP communication device indicates that the VoIP communication device was off-line during a relevant time period.