JP5686322B2 - Billing system and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ISP (Internet Service Provider, hereinafter referred to as a first ISP) located upstream and a customer-side ISP located downstream of the ISP, for example, a LAN, etc. The present invention relates to a billing system between a terminal connected via the Internet (hereinafter referred to as a second ISP).

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there are two known fee calculation methods that a first ISP imposes on a second ISP: a pay-as-you-go system and a fixed system.

  The pay-as-you-go system is as follows. First, the transmission rate between the first ISP and the second ISP is set so that, for example, January (communication in the direction from the second ISP to the first ISP) and downlink (communication in the direction from the first ISP to the second ISP), for example, January. The inspection is performed at a predetermined period (31 days), for example, every predetermined timing such as 5 minutes (8928 times in the case of 31 days).

Next, a representative value of the examined transmission speed is calculated by percentile calculation. Checking the value of the P percentile means that the target numerical value group is rearranged in ascending order, and the value at the P percent position from the head of the rearranged numerical value group is checked. For example, when there are 100 numerical groups examined between each of the time axes T _{0 to} T ₁ , T _{1 to} T ₂ ,..., T _{99 to} T ₁₀₀ , for example, calculating the 95th percentile value is This is the value at the 95th position from the smallest value group after replacement. The larger of the representative value of the uplink transmission rate and the representative value of the downlink transmission rate obtained by the percentile calculation is called the used transmission rate Sused used to determine the monthly charge. Note that the processing after the decimal point when the value calculated from P as the position of T is not an integer is rounded down, rounded up, and so forth, and is not strictly determined by the contract between the first ISP and the second ISP. Is almost. In this process, the calculated representative value is the largest when the decimal part is rounded up. Hereinafter, the fractional part of the value indicating the position in the calculation of the P percentile is treated as rounding up.

  The monthly fee is determined on the basis of a predetermined contract transmission rate Scommit and a unit price C per unit transmission rate, for example, 1 Mbps. When the value of the used transmission rate Sused is equal to or less than the contract transmission rate Scommit, a value obtained by multiplying the contract transmission rate Scommit by the unit price C is set as a charge for the month. When the value of the used transmission rate Sused exceeds the contracted transmission rate Scommit, the value obtained by multiplying the used transmission rate Sused by the unit price C is set as the charge for the month.

  For example, Patent Document 1 describes a charging system that switches between two charges according to the amount of information exchanged between an information providing device and a terminal device. The system employs a billing method similar to the method that is executed after the used transmission rate Sused has been determined on a metered basis.

JP 2004-151786 A

  On the other hand, the fixed system is as follows. First, a contract maximum transmission rate Smax is determined in advance by a contract between the first ISP and the second ISP. The first ISP sets communication facilities so that the maximum of the uplink and downlink transmission rates does not exceed Smax in communication with the second ISP. In the fixed system, regardless of the transmission rate used for actual communication, the value obtained by multiplying the contract maximum transmission rate Smax by the unit price C is set as the monthly charge.

  For example, it may be necessary to exchange a large amount of data in a short time such as several minutes, such as downloading a moving image file.

  In the pay-as-you-go system, even if the transmission rate may increase suddenly as described above, if the influence on the representative value calculated by the P percentile value is small, the increase in the monthly fee is small. There are advantages.

  However, since the monthly fee fluctuates depending on the communication status, there is a problem that it is difficult to use for a corporate user whose annual budget is allocated in advance.

  The fixed system has the advantage that the monthly fee does not fluctuate, but there is a problem that if the predetermined contract maximum transmission rate is high, the fee may be unnecessarily high for the required transmission rate, Alternatively, when the predetermined maximum contract transmission rate is low, there is a problem that undesirable phenomena such as deterioration in communication quality, increase in processing time, and connection failure may occur.

  In the billing system adopting a pay-as-you-go system in which the upper limit of the charge imposed on the second ISP by the first ISP is determined based on the contract transmission rate Scommit, the charge imposed is constant and suddenly a large amount of data communication is required. The purpose is to provide what is considered in the case of

The accounting system according to claim 1 is connected to the first router via a management device, a first router connected to the management device, and a communication line whose physical transmission speed upper limit value is Lmax. A billing system that determines a charge shown to the customer based on a predetermined contract transmission rate Scommit between the first router and the second router. Thus, the first router can detect and limit the input transmission rate Sin input from the second router and the output transmission rate Sout output to the second router. And the management device includes a control device, the control device includes a calculation unit, and the calculation unit executes a computer-readable program, and a setting processing unit; The first and second management processing means for the transmission speeds Sin and Sout are realized, and the setting processing means performs the period Tm of the month to be processed, the period T, and the transmission speed within the period Tm. P used for the percentile calculation for determining the representative value of the first and second values is set, and the first management processing means has a transmission rate Sin _i (i is 1 to n) at a period T within a period Tm. integer in the range of, where n is the number of times of measuring the processed month, detects obtained in Tm / T), the frequency of transmission rate _Sin 1 _{~Sin i} exceeds the contract rate Scommit was detected in advance Means for setting the upper limit of the transmission rate Sin to the contracted transmission rate Scommit when deviating from a predetermined condition (the condition is an upper limit value that limits a time exceeding the contracted transmission rate Scommit within a predetermined value); In the period Tm, the second management processing unit detects the transmission rate Sout _i in the period T, and the detected transmission rate Sout _{1 to} Sout _i exceeds the contracted transmission rate Scommit. Means for setting the upper limit of the transmission rate Sout to the contracted transmission rate Scommit when it deviates from a predetermined condition (the condition is an upper limit value that limits the time exceeding the contracted transmission rate Scommit within a predetermined value); It is characterized by having.

N Billing system according to claim 2 is a charging system according to claim 1, wherein the first management processing means, the cumulative frequency of transmission rate Sin _i has been detected exceeds the contract rate Scommit is, a predetermined When the frequency exceeds _P (= (100−P) / 100 × n−1) (n _P is an integer obtained by rounding down to the nearest decimal point), the upper limit of the transmission rate Sin is set as the contracted transmission rate Scommit. set, the second management processing means, the cumulative frequency of transmission rate Sout _i has been detected exceeds the contract rate Scommit is, when it exceeds the predetermined _{n P,} the upper limit of the transmission rate Sout, contract The transmission speed is set to Commit.

The accounting system according to claim 3 is the accounting system according to claim 1, wherein the management device further includes a database that records the detected transmission rates Sin _{1 to} Sin _n , and the first management process means calculates a transmission rate _Sin 1 _{~Sin i} has been detected, and two dummy data _{Sin i + 1, Sin i +} 2 is the largest transmission rate may be assumed at the time of the detected value _{S P} output P percentile transmission speed from and means, when the value _{S P} has exceeded the contract rate Scommit, the upper limit of the transmission rate Sin between the first router and the second router comprises a means for setting the contract rate Scommit, the second management processing means, the transmission speed Sout ₁ ~Sout _i has been detected, two is the largest transmission rate may be assumed upon detection of Mie data _{Sout i + 1, Sout i +} 2, and means for determining a value _{S P} output P percentile transmission speed from when the value _{S P} has exceeded the contract rate Scommit, transmission between the first router and the second router And means for setting the upper limit of the speed Sout to the contract transmission speed Scommit.

The program according to claim 4 is connected to the first router via a management device, a first router connected to the management device, and a communication line whose physical transmission speed upper limit is Lmax. A second customer's second router, and a charge shown to the customer is used in a charging system determined based on a predetermined contract transmission rate Scommit between the first router and the second router. A computer-readable program for limiting that the first router detects an input transmission rate Sin input from the second router and an output transmission rate Sout output to the second router. The management device includes a control device, the control device includes a calculation unit, and the calculation unit includes the computer-readable program. By executing the gram, the setting processing means and the first and second management processing means for the transmission speeds Sin and Sout are realized, and the setting processing means performs the period Tm of the month to be processed. And the period T and the P used for the percentile calculation for determining the representative value of the transmission rate within the period Tm, the first management processing means at the period T within the period Tm. , The transmission speed Sin _i (i is an integer in the range of 1 to n, where n is the number of measurements in the processing target month and is obtained by Tm / T), and the detected transmission speed Sin _i is contracted transmission When the frequency exceeding the speed Scommend deviates from a predetermined condition (the condition is an upper limit value that limits a time exceeding the contract transmission speed Scommit within a predetermined value), the upper limit of the transmission speed Sin is Means for setting the speed Scommit, and wherein the second management processing means, during the period Tm, in period T, and detects the transmission speed Sout _i, the transmission rate Sout _i which detected the contract rate Scommit When the exceeded frequency deviates from a predetermined condition (the condition is an upper limit value that limits the time exceeding the contract transmission rate Scommit within a predetermined value), the upper limit of the transmission rate Sout is changed to the contract transmission rate Scommit. And means for setting.

Claim 5, wherein the program is a fourth aspect of the program, the first management processing means, the cumulative frequency of transmission rate Sin _i has been detected exceeds the contract rate Scommit is predetermined n _P ( = (100−P) / 100 × n−1) (n _P is an integer obtained by rounding down to the nearest decimal point) When the frequency is exceeded, the upper limit of the transmission rate Sin is set to the contracted transmission rate Scommit and the second management processing means, the cumulative frequency of transmission rate Sout _i has been detected exceeds the contract rate Scommit is, when it exceeds the predetermined _{n P,} the upper limit of the transmission rate Sout, contract rate It is characterized in that it is set to Commit.

The program according to claim 6 is the program according to claim 4, wherein the management device further includes a database that records the detected transmission rates Sin _{1 to} Sin _n , and the first management processing means , a transmission rate _Sin 1 _{~Sin i} has been detected, and two dummy data _{Sin i + 1, Sin i +} 2 is the largest transmission rate may be assumed at the time of the detection, and means for determining the value _{S P} output P percentile transmission speed from when the value _{S P} has exceeded the contract rate Scommit, has a maximum transmission rate Sin between the first router and a second router, means for setting the contract rate Scommit, the said first 2 management processing means, the transmission speed Sout ₁ ~Sout _i has been detected, the two is the largest transmission rate may be assumed at the time of the detected dummy A data _{Sout i + 1, Sout i +} 2, and means for determining a value _{S P} output P percentile transmission speed from when the value _{S P} has exceeded the contract rate Scommit, the transmission rate between the first router and the second router Means for setting the upper limit of Sout to the contract transmission rate Scommit.

According to the billing system of claim 1, the transmission rate Sin _i and the transmission rate Sout _i are detected in the period Tm within the period Tm, and the detected transmission rate Sin _i or the transmission rate Sout _i is set to the contract transmission rate Scommit. If the exceeded frequency deviates from a predetermined condition (the condition is an upper limit value that limits the time exceeding the contracted transmission speed Scommit within a predetermined value), the transmission speed Sin or the upper limit of the transmission speed Sout is contracted. Set the transmission speed Scommit. By adopting this configuration, for example, when the transmission rate is suddenly increased, such as downloading a video file, the transmission rate is not limited, but the transmission rate of the P percentile exceeds the contracted transmission rate Scommit. In this case, the upper limit value of the transmission rate is limited to the contracted transmission rate Scommit regardless of the communication status after that, thereby realizing the control that the used transmission rate Sused is equal to or lower than the contracted transmission rate Scommit and the charge is constant. be able to.

The charging system according to claim 2, cumulative frequency rate Sin _i or the transmission rate Sout _i detected exceeds the contract rate Scommit is predetermined _{n P (= (100-P} ) / 100 × n-1 ) (N _P is an integer obtained by rounding down to the nearest decimal place), the upper limit of the transmission rate Sin or the transmission rate Sout is set to the contracted transmission rate Scommit. By adopting this configuration, for example, when the transmission rate is suddenly increased, such as downloading a video file, the transmission rate is not limited, but the transmission rate of the P percentile exceeds the contracted transmission rate Scommit. However, regardless of the communication status after that, the upper limit value of the transmission rate is limited to the contracted transmission rate Scommit, so that the used transmission rate Sused is equal to or lower than the contracted transmission rate Scommit and the charge is constant. It can be realized by a relatively simple calculation process without complicated calculation for obtaining the percentile over the entire period.

  In the billing system according to claim 3, when the value of the P percentile obtained based on the elapsed time up to the time when the transmission rate is inspected exceeds the contracted transmission rate Scommit, the upper limit value of the transmission rate is limited. To do. By adopting this configuration, for example, when the transmission rate is suddenly increased, such as downloading a video file, the transmission rate is not limited, but the transmission rate of the P percentile exceeds the contracted transmission rate Scommit. The upper limit value of the transmission rate is limited to the contracted transmission rate Scommit. When the transmission rate of the P percentile becomes equal to or lower than the contracted transmission rate Scommit as time elapses, the upper limit value of the transmission rate is removed. In addition, it is possible to realize control in which the used transmission rate Sused is equal to or less than the contract transmission rate Scommit and the charge is constant.

  A program according to claim 4, 5 and 6, a management device, a first router connected to the management device, and a second router of a downstream customer connected to the first router via a communication line Wherein the charge shown to the customer is used in a charging system determined based on a predetermined contract transmission rate Scommit between the first router and the second router. 3 can be realized, and the above-described effects can be achieved.

It is a figure which shows the relationship between upstream ISP and downstream ISP. It is a figure which shows the structure of 1st Embodiment of the accounting system of this invention. It is a functional block diagram of the accounting system of a 1st embodiment. It is a flowchart of the main routine performed with the charging system of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the subroutine of the setting process of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the subroutine of the maximum transmission rate management process of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the subroutine of the maximum transmission rate management process of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the processing content of the charging system of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the subroutine of the maximum transmission rate management process performed with the charging system of 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the subroutine of the maximum transmission rate management process used with the charging system of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the subroutine of the process which makes the database the detected transmission rate performed in 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the processing content of the charging system of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the processing content of the charging system of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the processing content of the charging system of 2nd Embodiment.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between an upstream ISP and a downstream ISP. The upstream ISP 1 located on the leftmost side provides services to a plurality of downstream ISPs 3a, 3b,... Via the communication line 2. The ISP 3a provides services to the ISPs 5a, 5b,... Further downstream via the communication line 4. The ISP 5a provides services to the end user terminals 7a to 7c via the communication line 6 or via a LAN or the like. The billing system of the present invention has a location where a relationship between an upstream ISP and a downstream ISP or end user terminal that provides the service is established, for example, frames R1, R2, and R3 indicated by dotted lines. Used in places where the relationship shown enclosed is established.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of the charging system of the present invention, which is used, for example, at a position of a frame R2 shown in FIG. The billing system is composed of a management device 30a, a first router 31a, and a second router 50a, and a contract transmission rate between the first router 31a and the second router 50a for a fee indicated to the customer. Determined based on the commit. The first router 31a is connected to the LAN in the ISP and the management device 3a. The first router 31a and the second router 50a are connected using a bidirectional communication line 4, for example, a well-known line technology such as Ethernet (registered trademark), ATM, or SDH. The second router 50a is connected to the communication line 6 on the customer side. End user terminals 7 a to 7 c are connected to the communication line 6.

  The upper limit value of the physical transmission speed of the communication line 4 is the transmission limit speed Lmax. The first router 31a detects the input transmission rate input from the second router 50a and the output transmission rate output to the second router 50a per period T, and limits the transmission rate. That is, the maximum transmission speed IFmax (where IFmax satisfies the relationship 0 ≦ IFmax ≦ Lmax) can be determined.

  FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the charging system. The same components as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. The management device 30a includes a database 350 and a control device 300.

  The control device 300 includes a central processing unit (hereinafter referred to as a CPU) 301, a RAM 302 that is a working memory, a ROM 303 that stores an OS (operating system) and a program for the accounting system of the present invention, It has. The CPU 301 reads the program from the ROM 303 to the RAM 302 and executes it. A database 350 is connected to the CPU 301. The CPU 301 can register data in the database 350 and read data as necessary. The CPU 301 has a clock inside and can read date / time data by a program.

  The control device 300 further includes a setting unit 304 including a keyboard and a mouse as input units, and an output unit 305 such as a liquid crystal display or a printer.

(1) First Embodiment FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a main routine executed by the charging system according to the first embodiment. The CPU 301 executes the setting process in step S1, the maximum transmission rate management process for the input transmission rate Sin in step S2, and the maximum transmission rate management process for the output transmission rate Sout in step S2 ′, which will be described below. To do. Step S2 and step S2 ′ are processed in parallel. Step S2 and step S2 ′ are only the difference whether the data used as the transmission rate and the dummy transmission rate is Sin or Sout. Hereinafter, avoiding duplication, only step S2 will be described.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the setting process subroutine of step S1. By executing a computer-readable program, the CPU 301 realizes, as setting processing means, means for setting the period T of each measurement period and the P percentile that determines the representative value of the transmission rate of the processing month. ing.

  First, in step S11, the contract transmission rate Scommit is set. This value is a value determined by a contract between an upstream ISP and a customer downstream ISP or end user terminal. In step S12, the period T is set. This value is a value determined by a contract between an upstream ISP and a customer downstream ISP or end user terminal.

  In step S13, the value of P used for the percentile calculation for determining the representative value of the transmission rate is set. This value is a value determined by a contract between an upstream ISP and a customer downstream ISP or end user terminal. In the billing system of the present invention, the maximum value of the transmission rate for each period T of the customer is less than the contracted transmission rate Scommit in the time zone of P (%) or more of the month and the remaining time less than 100-P (%). By allowing usage up to the transmission limit speed Lmax, which is the maximum physical transmission speed, over the contract transmission speed Scommit in the band, the customer pays the contract transmission speed Scommit by the unit price C every month. It is characterized by having a constant value.

  After setting the value of P, the process returns to the main routine.

  The period T takes a value whose integer multiple matches the length of one day, and its mode value is 5 minutes. An integer value is practically used as the value of P used for the percentile calculation for determining the representative value of the transmission rate, and the mode value is 95%. The effective range of P in this embodiment is that the minimum value of P is 2 / n × 100 and the maximum value is (n−2) / n × 100. This is because the range becomes narrower as n is smaller, so the constraint is the strictest in February when the number of days in the month is the smallest. When T is 5 minutes, the values are slightly less than 1% and slightly greater than 99%, respectively, and practically any value can be used as long as P is an integer greater than 0 and less than 100.

  6 and 7 are flowcharts of a subroutine of maximum transmission rate management processing for the input transmission rate Sin, which is executed in step S2. For convenience, the flowchart was divided into two. In FIGS. 6 and 7, the flows are connected at positions corresponding to A, B, and C indicated by circles.

In step S26, the CPU 301 executes a computer-readable program, and in a period Tm, the transmission speed Sin _i (i is 1 to n (= Tm) from the first router to the input in a period T. / T) integer) detects, cumulative frequency transmission rate Sin _i has been detected exceeds the contract rate Scommit is predetermined _{n P (= (100-P} ) / 100 × n-1) (n P Implements a management processing means for restricting the upper limit of the transmission rate Sin to the contracted transmission rate Scommit when the value exceeds an integer obtained by rounding off the decimal point.

  This will be described in more detail. In step S21, the value of the maximum transmission rate IFmax is set to the transmission limit rate Lmax at 0: 0: 0 on the first day of the month to be processed.

  In step S23, the year and month values are read from the clock of the CPU 301, and a period Tm (minute) to be charged is set. In step S24, the value of the variable i representing the cycle number from the beginning of the month is set to 1.

At step S25, determining the _{n P.} n _P is a number obtained by subtracting 1 from the maximum value of the cumulative frequency that allows the transmission rate Sin to exceed the contracted transmission rate Scommit. (N _P is an integer that has been rounded off to the nearest decimal place)

In step S26, the upper limit of the transmission rate Sin, the i-th period _{T i} to be set to the contract rate Scommit, detects the input transmission rate Sin _i for the second router 50a of the first router 31a. For example, if it is the first, the input transmission rate Sin ₁ of the _first cycle T ₁ is detected. CPU301, in step S26, recording the input transmission rate Sin _i has been detected in the database 350.

In step S27, it is determined whether or not the value of the transmission rate Sin is greater than the contracted transmission rate Scommit. Big If (at step S27 Yes), reduced by one the value of _{n P} at step S28. If it is smaller (No in step S27), step S28 is skipped.

In step S29, the value of _{n P} determines whether it is 0. In the case of 0 (Yes in Step S29), the upper limit of the transmission rate Sin is set to the contracted transmission rate Scommit in Step S30. If it is not 0 (No in step S29), step S30 is skipped.

  In step S31, it is determined whether or not a variable i indicating what number cycle is equal to n-2. If they are not equal (No in step S31), 1 is added to the value of variable i in step S32, and the process returns to step S26. If the variable i is equal to n-2 (Yes in step S31), the transmission rate limiting process for the month is terminated (step S33). Here, the process returns to step S21 in FIG. 6 and the process is started again from 0: 0: 0 on the first day of the next month.

  By executing the above process, for example, a sudden increase in transmission speed such as downloading of a moving image file does not impose restrictions on the transmission speed, but immediately before the transmission speed of the P percentile exceeds the contract transmission speed Scommit. In the case of reaching the contracted transmission speed Scommit, the upper limit value of the transmission speed is limited to the contracted transmission speed Scommit, and the charge is made constant, regardless of the subsequent communication situation. The control can be realized by a relatively simple calculation process without complicated calculation for obtaining the percentile over the entire period.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the processing contents in the billing system according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 8A, the vertical axis represents transmission speed and the horizontal axis represents time Tm. This figure, the number of times the transmission speed Sin detected exceeds the contract rate Scommit is shows a case where a _{n P.} From the time point indicated by the arrow, the upper limit value of the transmission rate Sin is limited to the contracted transmission rate Scommit. FIG. 8B is a reference diagram in which the detected transmission rate Sin values are rearranged in ascending order when the processing is completed at the end of the month. The transmission rate from 1 to the frequency of P × n / 100 (where the frequency is an integer obtained by rounding down the value after the decimal point) is equal to or less than the contracted transmission rate Scommit, and the transmission rate at the frequency thereafter is the contracted transmission rate Scommit. It means that it is over.

(2) Second Embodiment Hereinafter, a charging system according to a second embodiment will be described. The charging system according to the second embodiment differs from the charging system according to the first embodiment in the maximum transmission rate management process. Maximum transmission rate management processing in the second embodiment, in the "period Tm, in period T, and detects the transmission speed Sin _i, the frequency of transmission rate _Sin 1 _{~Sin i} has been detected exceeds the contract rate Scommit, previously “When the condition deviates from the upper limit value that limits the time exceeding the contract transmission rate Scommit within a predetermined value, the upper limit of the transmission rate Sin is set to the contract transmission rate Scommit”. In common with the accounting system of the first embodiment. However, it differs in the specific processing to be performed, and has different effects.

That is, the maximum transmission rate management processing according to the second embodiment, by CPU301 executes computer-readable program, wherein the transmission rate Sin ₁ ~Sin _i has been detected, the largest transmission may be assumed upon detection of and two dummy data _{Sin i + 1, Sin i +} 2 is the speed, means for determining a value _{S P} output P percentile transmission speed from when the value _{S P} has exceeded the contract rate Scommit, first router and second router Management processing means for setting the upper limit of the transmission rate Sin between the two to the contracted transmission rate Scommit.

By adopting the above configuration, a large amount of data communication is performed at the beginning of the month. As a result, even after the maximum transmission rate IFmax is limited from the transmission limit rate Lmax to the commit, the transmission rate below the commit is thereafter following, the value _{S P} output P percentile during transmission rate Sin _i detected when it becomes below the contract rate Scommit is again sets the maximum transmission rate IFmax transmission speed limit Lmax, control content that is achieved . As a result, when there is a communication demand that continuously exceeds the contracted transmission rate Scommit, the transmission rate control is performed so that the restrictions are loosely loosened throughout the month compared to the first embodiment. Can do.

  Hereinafter, the description of the configuration common to the accounting system according to the first embodiment will be omitted, and only different parts will be described.

  9 and 10 are flowcharts of the subroutine (step S2 ") of the maximum transmission rate management process of the second embodiment executed in step S2 shown in FIG. 4. For convenience, the flowchart is divided into two. 9 and 10, the flows are connected at positions corresponding to A, B, and C indicated by circles.

In step S226, the CPU 301 executes a computer-readable program, so that the transmission rate Sin _i (i is 1 to n (1) between the input and output from the first router within the period Tm in the period Tm. = Integer of Tm / T), the detected transmission speeds Sin _{1 to} Sin _i, and the two dummy data Sin _{i + 1} and Sin _{i + 2} that are the largest transmission speeds that can be assumed at the time of detection. and means for recording, in step S227, S228, and means for determining a value _{S P} output P percentile of the transmission rate from the data _Sin 1 _{~Sin n + 2} of the database, in step S229, S230, the value _{S P} contract rate The first router and the second router when exceeding the commit And a means for setting the upper limit of the transmission rate Sin to the contracted transmission rate Scommit.

  This will be described in more detail. In step S221, the value of the maximum transmission rate IFmax is set to the transmission limit rate Lmax at 00: 00: 00: 00 on the first day of the month to be processed.

In step S223, the year and month values are read from the clock of the CPU 301, and a period Tm (minute) to be charged is set. In step S224, the value of the variable i indicating the cycle number T (for example, 5 minutes) from the beginning of the month is set to 1. In step S225, the i-th period _{T i,} detects the input transmission rate Sin _i for the second router 50a of the first router 31a. For example, if it is the first, the input transmission rate Sin ₁ of the _first cycle T ₁ is detected. CPU301, in step S226, records the input transmission rate Sin _i has been detected in the database 350.

In step S227, the transmission rate data Sin _{1 to} Sin _{i + 2} are rearranged in ascending order based on the records recorded in the database 350. In step S228, obtaining a value _{S P} output P percentile. In step S229, the value of the value _{S P} output P percentile of the input transmission rate Sin obtained is, if it exceeds the contract rate Scommit (No at step S229), sets the next step S230, the maximum transmission rate IFmax to Scommit . In step S229, if the value of the P percentile is less than the contracted transmission rate Scommit (Yes in step S229), the maximum transmission rate IFmax is set to the transmission limit rate Lmax in step S231. In step S232, when the variable i representing the i-th cycle T is not equal to n−2 (No in step S232), 1 is added to the value of the variable i in step S233, and the process returns to step S225. In step S232, when the variable i is equal to n-2 (Yes in step S232), the transmission rate limiting process for the month is ended (step S234). Here, the process returns to step S221 in FIG. 9, and the process is started again from 0: 0: 0 on the first day of the next month.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the subroutine of step S226 shown in FIG. The database 350 forms one record with a total of n transmission rates Sin _{1 to} Sin _n . In step S2201, i data of transmission speeds Sin _{1 to} Sin _i actually detected are recorded in the record.

In the next step S2202, the maximum transmission rate that can be assumed by T _{i + 1} is recorded in the database. Specifically, the current maximum transmission rate IFmax is recorded as Sin _{i + 1} . This is because the calculation process including steps S226 to S230 is performed in the period of T _{i + 1} , so that the calculation is performed on the assumption that the transmission rate reaches the maximum IFmax during the actual process.

Further, in step S2203, the maximum transmission rate that can be assumed by T _{i + 2} is recorded in the database. Specifically, the maximum transmission limit speed Lmax that can flow when the restriction is not performed as Sin _{i + 2} is recorded. This is because the calculation is performed assuming that the limit of the maximum transmission rate IFmax with respect to T _{i + 2 is set} to the transmission limit rate Lmax as the determination of the processing.

In step S2204, the values of the transmission rates Sin _{i + 3 to} Sin _n are set in Scommit as the remaining dummy data on the database. This may be any value on the algorithm. No matter what value is set as the transmission speeds Sin _{i + 3 to} Sin _n , there is no relation to the operation. Here, the reason for making the commit is to provide a data string corresponding to the case where the P percentile is the commit and the transmission speed is the highest when the operator views the database during the month measurement. It is. Returning to the flowchart of FIG.

  By adopting the above configuration, in the charging system of the second embodiment, the value of the maximum transmission rate IFmax is limited to the transmission limit only when the value of the P percentile obtained based on the elapsed time exceeds the contracted transmission rate Scommit. The contract transmission speed Scommit is limited from the speed Lmax. By adopting this configuration, for example, when the transmission rate is suddenly increased, such as downloading a video file, the transmission rate is not limited, but the transmission rate of the P percentile exceeds the contracted transmission rate Scommit. The upper limit value of the transmission rate is limited to the contracted transmission rate Scommit. When the transmission rate of the P percentile becomes equal to or lower than the contracted transmission rate Scommit as time elapses, the upper limit value of the transmission rate is removed. In addition, it is possible to realize control in which the used transmission rate Sused is equal to or less than the contract transmission rate Scommit and the charge is constant.

  The customer can perform high-speed processing at a transmission rate exceeding a predetermined contract transmission rate, unlike the conventional fixed system, when the transmission rate suddenly increases, for example, when downloading a video file, etc., and Even though it is a pay-as-you-go system, you can receive a very good benefit that the price remains constant without fluctuation. On the other hand, the service providing side has an advantage that it can automatically and quickly limit the maximum transmission rate for those that perform a large amount of data communication over a long period of time.

12 to 14 are diagrams for explaining the processing contents in the accounting system of the second embodiment. In FIG. 12A, the vertical axis represents the transmission speed and the horizontal axis represents the time Tm. This figure, the transmission speed _Sin 1 _{~Sin i} and _{Sin i + 1} and _{Sin i +} value S _P output maximum transmission rate of P percentile assumable as ₂ shows the case of less Scommit. FIG. 12B is a diagram in which the detected transmission rate Sin values are rearranged in ascending order. The transmission rate of the frequency from 1 to P × i / 100 (however, the integer is an integer obtained by rounding up the value after the decimal point) is equal to or lower than the commit value. It represents that.

In FIG. 13A, the vertical axis represents transmission speed and the horizontal axis represents time Tm. This figure shows that the maximum transmission speed P percentile value S _P that can be assumed as transmission speeds Sin _{1 to} Sin _i and Sin _{i + 1} and Sin _{i + 2} exceeds Scommit, so the maximum transmission speed is limited to Scomit from Sin _{i + 2.} It shows that FIG. 13B is a diagram in which the detected transmission rate Sin values are rearranged in ascending order. This indicates that the transmission rate of the frequency from 1 to P × i / 100 (where the frequency is an integer obtained by rounding up the value after the decimal point) is equal to or lower than the commit.

In FIG. 14A, the vertical axis represents transmission speed and the horizontal axis represents time Tm. This figure shows the last process of the month. This figure shows a case where the value _{S P} output P percentile rate _Sin 1 _{~Sin n-2} is greater than Scommit, has been shown to limit the maximum transmission rate of Sin _n to Scommit. FIG. 14B is a diagram in which the detected transmission rate Sin values are rearranged in ascending order. It represents that the transmission rate of the frequency from 1 to P × n / 100 (where the frequency is an integer obtained by rounding up the value after the decimal point) is equal to or lower than the commit.

  As described above, by adopting the accounting system described using the first and second embodiments, for example, a sudden increase in transmission speed such as downloading of a moving image file can limit the transmission speed. If the cumulative frequency at which the transmission rate exceeds the contracted transmission rate Scommit exceeds a predetermined number, or the worst P percentile value that can be assumed at the time of measurement exceeds the contracted transmission rate Scommit In this case, it is possible to realize a control that limits the upper limit value of the transmission rate to a commit and a control that makes the charge constant despite using a pay-per-use system.

  The billing system according to the present application can be used in a system in which a relationship corresponding to the relationship between the first ISP located upstream and the second ISP located downstream is constructed.

1, 3a, 5a ISP
2, 4, 6 Communication line 31a First router 50a Second router 300 Controller 301 CPU
302 RAM
303 ROM
304 Setting means 305 Output means 350 Database

Claims (6)

The management device, the first router connected to the management device, and the downstream customer connected to the first router via a communication line whose physical transmission speed upper limit is Lmax. A charging system configured to determine a charge indicated to the customer based on a predetermined contract transmission rate Scommit between the first router and the second router,
The first router can detect and limit an input transmission rate Sin input from the second router and an output transmission rate Sout output to the second router;
The management device includes a control device,
The control device includes a calculation means, and the calculation means executes a computer-readable program, thereby setting processing means, and first and second management processing means for the transmission rates Sin and Sout. , And
The setting processing means sets a period Tm of a month to be processed, a period T, and P used for percentile calculation for determining a representative value of a transmission rate within the period Tm,
In the period Tm, the first management processing means has a period T and a transmission rate Sin _i (i is an integer in the range of 1 to n, where n is the number of measurements in the processing target month, and Tm / T And the frequency at which the detected transmission rate Sin _{1 to} Sin _i exceeds the contracted transmission rate Scommit is limited to a predetermined value (the condition is limited to a predetermined value). Means for setting the upper limit of the transmission rate Sin to the contracted transmission rate Scommit when deviating from the upper limit value)
The second management processing means detects the transmission rate Sout _i in the period Tm in the period T, and the frequency at which the detected transmission rates Sout _{1 to} Sout _i exceed the contracted transmission rate Scommit is determined in a predetermined condition ( The condition includes means for setting the upper limit of the transmission rate Sout to the contracted transmission rate Scommit when deviating from the upper limit value that limits the time exceeding the contracted transmission rate Scommit within a predetermined value).
A billing system characterized by that. The first management processing means, the cumulative frequency of transmission rate Sin _i has been detected exceeds the contract rate Scommit is, the predetermined _{n P (= (100-P} ) / 100 × n-1) (n P, When the frequency of the rounding process that rounds off the decimal point is exceeded), the upper limit of the transmission rate Sin is set to the contracted transmission rate Scommit,
The second management processing means, the cumulative frequency of transmission rate Sout _i has been detected exceeds the contract rate Scommit is, when it exceeds the predetermined _{n P,} the upper limit of the transmission rate Sout, to the contract rate Scommit Set,
The charging system according to claim 1, wherein: The management device further includes a database that records the detected transmission rates Sin _{1 to} Sin _n , and is assumed when the first management processing unit detects the detected transmission rates Sin _{1 to} Sin _i. a dummy data _{Sin i + 1, Sin i +} 2 and most large transmission rates that may, means for determining a value _{S P} output P percentile transmission speed from when the value _{S P} has exceeded the contract rate Scommit, first router and the Means for setting the upper limit of the transmission rate Sin between the two routers to the contracted transmission rate Scommit,
The second management processing means determines the transmission rate P percentile value S from the detected transmission rates Sout _{1 to} Sout _i and the dummy data Sout _{i + 1 and} Sout _{i + 2} which are the largest transmission rates that can be assumed at the time of detection. and means for determining the _P, when the value _{S P} has exceeded the contract rate Scommit, the upper limit of the transmission rate Sout between the first router and a second router, means for setting the contract rate Scommit, the ing,
The charging system according to claim 1, wherein: The management device, the first router connected to the management device, and the downstream customer connected to the first router via a communication line whose physical transmission speed upper limit is Lmax. A computer-readable program that is used in a charging system that is configured based on a predetermined contract transmission rate Scommit between a first router and a second router, ,
The first router can detect and limit an input transmission rate Sin input from the second router and an output transmission rate Sout output to the second router;
The management device includes a control device,
The control device includes a calculation means, and the calculation means executes the computer-readable program, thereby setting processing means and first and second management processing means for the transmission speeds Sin and Sout. And to realize
The setting processing means sets a period Tm of a month to be processed, a period T, and P used for percentile calculation for determining a representative value of a transmission rate within the period Tm,
In the period Tm, the first management processing means has a period T and a transmission rate Sin _i (i is an integer in the range of 1 to n, where n is the number of measurements in the processing target month, and Tm / T The frequency at which the detected transmission rate transmission rate Sin _{1 to} Sin _i exceeds the contracted transmission rate Scommit contracted transmission rate Scommit is determined in advance as a predetermined condition (the condition is a time exceeding the contracted transmission rate Scommit). Means for setting the upper limit of the transmission rate Sin to the contracted transmission rate Scommit when deviating from an upper limit value that is limited within a predetermined value,
The second management processing means detects the transmission rate Sout _i in the period Tm in the period T, and the frequency at which the detected transmission rates Sout _{1 to} Sout _i exceed the contracted transmission rate Scommit is determined in a predetermined condition ( The condition includes means for setting the upper limit of the transmission rate Sout to the contracted transmission rate Scommit when deviating from the upper limit value that limits the time exceeding the contracted transmission rate Scommit within a predetermined value).
A program characterized by that. The first management processing means, the cumulative frequency of transmission rate Sin _i has been detected exceeds the contract rate Scommit is, the predetermined _{n P (= (100-P} ) / 100 × n-1) (n P, When the frequency of the rounding process that rounds off the decimal point is exceeded), the upper limit of the transmission rate Sin is set to the contracted transmission rate Scommit,
The second management processing means, the cumulative frequency of transmission rate Sout _i has been detected exceeds the contract rate Scommit is, when it exceeds the predetermined _{n P,} the upper limit of the transmission rate Sout, to the contract rate Scommit Set,
The program according to claim 4. The management device further includes a database that records the detected transmission rates Sin _{1 to} Sin _n , and is assumed when the first management processing unit detects the detected transmission rates Sin _{1 to} Sin _i. most of the two is a large transmission rate dummy data _Sin i + 1, and _{Sin i + 2,} and means for determining a value _{S P} output P percentile transmission speed from when the value _{S P} has exceeded the contract rate Scommit, first router that may Means for setting the upper limit of the transmission rate Sin between the first router and the second router to the contracted transmission rate Scommit,
The second management processing means calculates the transmission rate P percentile from the detected transmission rates Sout _{1 to} Sout _i and the two dummy data Sout _{i + 1 and} Sout _{i + 2} which are the largest transmission rates that can be assumed at the time of detection. It means for determining a value _{S P,} when the value _{S P} has exceeded the contract rate Scommit, means for the upper limit of the transmission rate Sout between the first router and the second router is set to contract rate Scommit, With
The program according to claim 4.