JP3012538B2 - Billing slip transmission processing method and device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a billing slip transmission processing method and apparatus, and more particularly, to a network employing a pay-as-you-go billing method in frame relay communication, the network displays the billing status as a service to each user and billing information. The present invention relates to a billing slip transmission processing method for notifying with a slip and a device therefor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional meter-based billing system in frame relay communication, a bill is created for each user at a billing center in which billing information for each user is accumulated, and the billing status is notified by the bill. Therefore, the user can know the usage fee only when he sees the bill.

As an example of the prior art, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No.
No. 6853, entitled "Charge processing method for facsimile storage and exchange". According to this charge processing method, a billing slip is created in a center billing apparatus, and this billing slip is converted into a facsimile image and stored in a facsimile. The billing slip is sent to the facsimile terminal of each user via the switching device.

[0004]

In the frame relay communication, due to the nature of the protocol, if the network is in a normal state without congestion, a large amount of data transfer exceeding the throughput (CIR) contracted between the network and the user is required. This is possible, and there is no restriction on the amount of data, so that there is a problem that the user is often charged a higher usage fee than he or she expected.

Further, since frame relay communication is based on the use of a high-quality transmission path, there is no procedure for confirming delivery on the user / network interface, and it depends on terminal end-to-end. However, if a frame is lost in the network and a retransmission procedure is performed between the terminals due to acknowledgment of transmission, the user will be charged on the network even though he is not aware of the execution of this procedure. There was a point.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide the
When the network inquires the charging status from the charging renewal date to the present time, the network returns a response to this inquiry to the user, so that the user can perform data transfer while checking the charging status. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus therefor.

[0007]

According to the present invention, a user
Virtual circuit to which other terminals are connected
Relay system accommodating packets and pay-as-you-go system
Billing files and Te odor <br/> billing slip transmission processing apparatus wherein the frame relay switch is charging from the user
Receiving a slip request frame and responding to the billing slip request
To send a billing slip response frame to the user
Frame relay data link core control means;
Billing frame control means for generating a slip response frame;
Calculate accounting information used for the accounting slip response frame
Charging information calculation control means;
Data link core control means communicates with the user.
Data transmission / reception control and a special number data link from the user
Frame of billing slip request with connection identifier
Receives the billing slip request and recognizes the billing slip request.
Billing slip response frame created by the
To the user, the charging frame control means,
Notify that the billing slip request from the user has been received
Receiving from the frame relay data link core control means
The permanent virtual circuit of the user
And requesting the user to calculate billing information
Output to the money information calculation control means, and
Receiving the billing information calculated by the step
Edit and control the information section of the frame to be used
Assigning the special number data link connection identifier
The frame relay data repository as a gold slip response frame
Output to the link core control means, and the charging information calculation control means
Is charging information output from the charging frame control means.
In response to the calculation request, the permanent virtual
Circuit charges are stored in the charge file
Or the permanent virtual circuit
Of other frame relay exchanges accommodating the other end of the
File is stored in the file, and the other frame
If it is stored in the billing file of the
Send billing information transfer request signal to other frame relay exchange
Billing transferred from the other frame relay exchange
Edit the billing information using the information and add the edited billing information to the previous
A billing slip transmission processing device characterized by outputting the billing slip to the billing frame control means is obtained.

[0008]

[0009]

[0010]

[0011]

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First, the operation of the present invention will be described. In the billing slip transmission processing method and apparatus of the present invention, a frame relay data link core control means (FRD) is used.
L-core control means) receives the frame from the user, and transmits the special data link connection identifier (special number DLCI: D
ata Link Connection Ident
When the charging information inquiry to which the requester is assigned is recognized, the charging frame control unit is notified of the inquiry, and the charging frame control unit contracts the PVC (Permanent Virtual Circuit: Permanent V) with which the requesting user has contracted.
(i.e., an actual circuit), notifies the charging information calculation control means, edits the contents in the charging file collected by the charging file control means and the contents calculated by the charging information calculation control means as user information, and further controls the charging frame control. Means to edit the charging information section in the frame, issue a request to the FRDL core control means, and
By returning a response from the L-core control unit to the requesting user, the user can grasp the usage status from the charging update date to the current time.

Next, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a system block diagram of a pay-as-you-go billing system in frame relay communication showing one embodiment of a billing slip transmission processing method and apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows an embodiment between a user and a network in this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining accounting file control in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a system showing a specific embodiment of an accounting slip transmission processing method and apparatus of the present invention. It is a block diagram.

First, referring to FIG. 2, a user 3
A special contract DLCI for billing slip is contracted in advance with the network, and the network 4 stores the special DLCI for billing slip as subscriber data 41.

The network 4 returns a charging slip response to the charging slip request transmitted from the user 3 on the user-network interface.

That is, when the user 3 transmits the billing slip request frame FA on the user-network interface, the special number DLCI of the billing slip request frame FA matches the corresponding special number DLCI of the subscriber data 41. For example, the network 4 returns the charging status from the charging update date to the current time (the current usage status from the charging update date) to the user 3 as the charging slip response frame FB.

Here, the billing slip request frame FA and the billing slip response frame FB are each composed of a billing information section and a special number DLCI.

Next, referring to FIG. 1, the system of the present embodiment comprises a frame relay exchange 1 and a billing file 2. And the frame relay exchange 1
Performs frame transmission / reception between the user and the network and
Relay control unit (FRDL) that recognizes a billing slip request to which a special number DLCI is assigned from
Core control means) 11, a frame count totaling control unit 12 for sequentially writing charging slip request frames from the user into a memory and counting the number of frames, and performs editing and control of an information section of a frame used as a charging slip. Charging frame control means 13; charging information calculation control means 14 for calculating charging information among a plurality of frame relay exchanges accommodating permanent virtual circuits (PVCs) between terminals end-to-end; Accounting file control means 15 for controlling the resulting accounting file 2
And

Referring also to FIG. 2, the FRDL core control means 11 has previously contracted with the user 3 for a billing slip special number DLCI, and given the billing slip special number DLCI set in the subscriber data 41. When receiving and recognizing the billing slip request frame FA from the user 3, it notifies the billing frame control means 13 which edits and controls the information section (layer 3 equivalent part) of the frame used as the billing slip.

The billing frame control means 13 collects and bills the PVC contracted by the user 3 concerned.
And requests the charging information calculation control means 14. The accounting information calculation control unit 14 edits the accounting information not yet stored in the accounting file and the information already stored in the accounting file 2 and notifies the accounting frame control unit 13 of the edited information.

The billing frame control means 13 edits the billing information part in the frame based on the information notified from the billing information calculation control means 14, and outputs the billing information to the user 3 who requested the billing slip.
The FRDL core control means 11 is instructed to transmit the billing slip response frame FB by using the billing slip special number DLCI for.

Next, referring to FIG. 3, the accounting file control means 15 takes a form having two accounting files 2,
If the contents calculated by the billing information calculation control means 14 are requested to the billing file control means 15 and the currently used file on the current billing accumulation face 16 is set to 0, the files are sequentially accumulated on the 0 face, and 1 is triggered by the billing update date. The current usage status from the billing update date is stored in the billing file 2 by alternately switching the two sides on the billing update date.

Next, a specific embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In FIG.
Is composed of a plurality of frame relay exchanges 1a and 1b,
The accounting file for each PVC is stored in one frame relay exchange (the local frame relay exchange 1a in the figure).

In the billing slip request frame FA received from the user 3, if the special number DLCI contracted between the user 3 and the network 4 is 1006, the FRDL core control of the frame relay exchange 1a receiving this "1006" The means 11 notifies the billing frame control means 13 that the billing slip request frame FA has been received.

The charging frame control means 1 receiving this notification
3, a list of DLCIs accommodated by the user 3 is generated from the subscriber data 41, and the billing information calculation control means 1
4 is requested to calculate the current usage status from the charging update date.

The charging information calculation control means 1 receiving this request
4, the corresponding DLCI from the list of individual DLCIs
Is stored in the accounting file 2a of the local frame relay exchange 1a or the accounting file 2b of the remote frame relay exchange 1b depending on the accounting type of
Is determined to be stored in the charging file 2a if the former (the local frame relay exchange 1a).
The charge information that has already been accumulated since the charge update date in
The accounting information not yet stored in the accounting file 2a is edited.

In the latter case (the remote-side frame relay exchange 1b), the charging information transfer request signal a is transmitted to the exchange accommodating the opposite PVC connection destination, and the frame relay on the side receiving this request is transmitted. The exchange edits the accounting information already accumulated from the accounting update date in the accounting file and the accounting information not yet accumulated in the accounting file in the same manner as the local side frame relay exchange 1a, and sends the accounting slip request source. To the charging information transfer response signal b.

The accounting information calculation control means 14 which has collected information of all DLCIs edits the response from the collected information and sends it to the accounting frame control means 13, and the accounting frame control means 13 calculates the accounting information of the accounting slip response frame FB. DLC in part
Generate billing information for I18 / 123 and DLCI
= 1006, the transmission request is sent to the FRDL core control means 11 to transmit to the user 3, and the FRDL core control means 11 returns the billing slip response frame FB to the user 3.

[0030]

As described above, according to the billing slip transmission processing method of the present invention, when a user inquires the network about the billing status from the billing update date to the present time in the pay-as-you-go billing system in frame relay communication, The network returns a response to the inquiry to the user, and the inquiry from the user to the network is a charging slip request frame using the special number DLCI on the user-network interface, and the response from the network to the user is Because the billing slip response frame uses the special number DLCI on the network-user interface, the billing slip transmission processing device of the present invention can transmit and receive frames between the user and the network in the metered billing method in frame relay communication. A frame relay data that performs control and recognizes a billing slip request with a special number DLCI from the user. Tallink core control means, frame number totaling control means for sequentially writing the charging slip request frames from the user into the memory and counting the number of frames, and charging frame control for editing and controlling the information section of the frame used as the charging slip. Means, charging information calculation control means for calculating respective charging information among a plurality of frame relay exchanges accommodating a permanent virtual circuit between terminals end to end, and controlling a charging file of the calculated result. And a charging file control unit. When the frame relay data link core control unit receives the charging slip request frame from the user and recognizes the charging information inquiry to which the special number DLCI is assigned, the frame relay data link core control unit notifies the charging frame control unit. The billing frame control means is The charge file control means edits the contents of the collected charge file and the contents calculated by the charge information calculation control means as user information, and outputs a charge frame. The control means edits the charging information part in the frame used as the charging slip, issues a request to the frame relay data link core control means, and returns the charging slip response frame to the user, thereby updating the charging mainly by the user. When the current usage status from the day is inquired to the network, a response to the inquiry can be obtained, so that the user can perform data transfer while checking the usage status of the frame relay communication.

Therefore, according to the present invention, there is obtained an effect that the user does not think that the usage fee is higher than expected.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system block diagram of a pay-as-you-go billing system in frame relay communication, showing an embodiment of a billing slip transmission processing method and apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of information transmitted and received between a user and a network in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining accounting file control in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a system block diagram showing a specific embodiment of a billing slip transmission processing method and apparatus according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 1a, 1b Frame relay exchange 2, 2a, 2b Billing file 3 User 4 Network 11 Frame relay data link core control means (F
RDL core control means) 12 frame number total control means 13 charging frame control means 14 charging information calculation control means 15 charging file control means 16 current charging storage surface 41 subscriber data DLCI data link connection identifier FA charging slip request frame FB charging slip response Frame PVC permanent virtual circuit a charging information transfer request signal b charging information transfer response signal

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H04L 12/14 H04L 12/56

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A permanent to which a user terminal is connected
・ Frame relay exchange accommodating virtual circuits
Billing transfer with exchange and metered billing billing file
In the vote transmission processing device , the frame relay exchange
Receives an accounting voucher request frame from the user, before
Billing slip response frame for responding to billing slip request
To the user, charging frame control means for generating the billing slip response frame, and
Bei and accounting information calculation control means for calculating the charge information are
The frame relay data link core control means,
It performs frame transmission / reception control with the user and
The special number data link connection identifier from the user
Receiving the billing slip request frame
Request and recognizes the request created by the charging frame control means.
Sending the billing slip response frame to the user,
The billing frame control means requires a billing slip from the user.
Request is received from the frame relay data
Received from the link core control means,
And extract the virtual circuit
Outputs a request for calculating money information to the charging information calculation control means
And the charge calculated by the charge information calculation control means.
Information on frames used to receive information and use as billing slips
Edit and control the reporting section, and
To assign a transaction identifier as a billing slip response frame
Output to the frame relay data link core control means
And the charging information calculation control means is configured to control the charging frame system.
Receiving the billing information calculation request output from the
The charge for the permanent virtual circuit is
Whether it is stored in the billing file or
Other virtual circuits that house the other end of the virtual circuit
Whether it is stored in the billing file of the frame relay exchange
Determine and billing file of said another frame relay exchange
If stored in the other frame relay exchange
To the other frame relay
-Edit billing information using billing information transferred from the exchange.
Collected and edited billing information to the billing frame control means.
Billing slip transmission processing device and outputting.