The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 11, 2010
Filed:
Dec. 19, 2003
David P. Ress, Cary, NC (US);
Kevin Boyle, Ii, Apex, NC (US);
William Bishop, Raleigh, NC (US);
Costin Strugaru, Immenstaad, DE;
David P. Ress, Cary, NC (US);
Kevin Boyle, II, Apex, NC (US);
William Bishop, Raleigh, NC (US);
Costin Strugaru, Immenstaad, DE;
Nortel Networks Limited, St. Laurent, Quebec, CA;
Abstract
One embodiment of the present invention facilitates efficient metering in a packet network environment by providing a single metering message, which contains sufficient information to provide the complete call tariff model for a particular call. The media gateway receiving the message can analyze the information provided in the message to determine how to provide metering pulses for all phases of the call, as well as any one-time charges, such as setup and add-on charges. Another embodiment of the invention provides a way for handling fractional pulse counts in an efficient manner. Yet another embodiment facilitates the handling of situations where charge intervals do not divide evenly into the phase duration of the phase associated with the call. In still another embodiment, the amount of information necessary to deliver the parameters of the call tariff model is minimized to reduce the overhead necessary for facilitating the metering process.