JPH10136125A - Charging rate information update method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the charging rate information update method that updates charging rate information even at an optional time before the update time and not needing complicated processing attended with the update in the case that charge calculation imposing rate information that is required for charge calculation processing (charge imposing processing) such as calculation of charge corresponding to a communication time or of charge corresponding to a communication information amount in the information communication system is updated dynamically during its operation. SOLUTION: An update date use charge table data 20 and charge table data 22, 24, 26 after update date are stored in parallel with charge table data 11, 12, 14 before update. Then the update date use charge data 20 are designated for data corresponding to the updated date of calendar data 16 to distinguish holidays from weekdays and data corresponding to after the changed date are designated for any of the charge table data 22, 24, 26 after the updated date.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is necessary for performing a charge calculating process (charging process) for calculating a charge corresponding to a communication time or calculating a charge corresponding to a communication information amount in an information communication system. To dynamically update the charge rate information for charge calculation during operation.
For example, in the charge calculation process of the exchange, the work of updating the charging rate information of each exchange (the work of dynamically updating the charging rate information for the charge calculation during operation) when a new service is added is easily realized. A method is required. In this case, it is desirable to use a charging rate information update method that is not restricted by the update date and time while reducing the work.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A charging rate as a basis of charging, that is, a talk time or an amount of information per unit charge is set differently depending on a distance, a weekday, a holiday or a holiday, and a time zone of a day. Information (billing rate information)
Is huge.

[0003]

Therefore, if the method of updating the charging rate information from the old data to the new data at a specific date and time when the charge changes is adopted, the charging rate information is updated at the charging rate update time. However, there is a problem that the load of the update process is concentrated. Further, in this case, there is a possibility that charging processing for a call that is in progress at the update time becomes complicated.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a charging rate information updating method which can update the charging rate information at any time before the updating time and does not require complicated processing accompanying the updating. Is to do.

[0005]

According to a method of the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned object, billing rate information referred to in billing processing is obtained from charge data for each time zone of a day according to a current billing rate. Billing rate information for storing a plurality of different current rate table data and calendar data including, in correspondence with each date, rate table specification data for specifying any one of the plurality of current rate table data And updating a plurality of different charge table data, each of which is different from the charge data for each time zone according to the charging rate updated at an arbitrary time before the update time, from the charge data. Store it in an area different from the table data,
At an arbitrary time before the update time, the charge table specification data stored for the date after the update time in the calendar data is changed so as to specify any one of the plurality of update charge table data. It is characterized by including.

If the charge rate information is updated as described above, the charge table specification data for the date before the update time specifies the current charge table data before the update, and the charge for the date after the update time is specified. Since the table specification data specifies the update fee table data, if the date and time before the update time is read as an index from the billing processing side, it is read at the old rate, and the date after the update time is used as an index When the data is read, the data is automatically switched to the new rate at the update time, such that the data is read at the new rate. Since both coexist, even after the update, if the time before the update is read as an index, the time is read at the old rate. Therefore,
Update processing can be performed at an arbitrary time before the update time, and complicated processing associated with the update is unnecessary.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an example in which the present invention is applied to a hold time charging in which a charge is made in proportion to a call time at the end of a call. In FIG. 1, charging rate information 10 is, for example, weekday rate table data 11, holiday rate table data 1
2, and holiday fee table data 14. The detailed configuration of these fee table data will be described later. In the calendar data 16, "0" is stored at a corresponding location if each date is a weekday, "1" is stored for a holiday, and "2" is stored for a holiday. "0" is associated with weekday fee table data 11, "1" is associated with holiday fee table data 12, and "2" is holiday fee table data 14.
Is associated with. When the call is disconnected, the charge calculation processing unit 18 separates the period from the time at which the call is answered and the call is connected to the time of disconnection to the time of disconnection by dividing the time period into different time periods. The charging rate information 10 is referred to using the date, time zone, and distance as indexes.
When the charging rate information 10 is referred to, first, the calendar data 16 is referred to using the date as an index, and whether the day is a weekday (0), a holiday (1), or a holiday (2). Is extracted, whereby one of weekday data 11, holiday data 12, and holiday data 14 is designated. Weekday data 1
1. As shown in FIG. 2, the holiday data 12 and the holiday data 14 each store a call time per unit charge for each combination of time zone and distance. By reference
The call time per unit charge in the time zone is read and input to the charge calculation processing unit 18. Based on this value, the charge calculation processing unit 18 calculates a charge.

FIG. 3 shows the updated charging rate information.
The updated charge rate information 10 'is used for calculating the charge on the update date, in addition to the weekday charge data 11, the holiday charge table data 12, and the holiday charge table data 14, which are stored as they are before the change. Price table data 20 for update date
And weekday charge table data 22 for calculating weekday charges after the update date, holiday charge table data 24 for calculating holiday charges after the update date, and holiday charges after the update date. Holiday fee table data 26 for calculation is added. Also, in the updated calendar data 16 ', if the update date is October 6, 1994, the portion corresponding to that date is changed to "4" that specifies the update date fee table data 20, and the weekday after the update date is changed. (7, 8, 1 October 1994
(1) is changed to "8" which specifies the weekday charge table data 22 after the charge is revised, and the place corresponding to the holiday (October 9, 1994) is the holiday charge table after the charge is revised. The data 24 is changed to “9” to designate the data 24, and the part corresponding to the public holiday after the update date (October 10, 1994) specifies “10” to designate the public holiday charge table data 26 after the fee revision.
Has been changed to

FIG. 4 shows an example of the contents of the updated fee table 20. As shown in FIG. 4, assuming that the update time is 1:00 am, the call time per unit charge before the charge revision is stored at a location corresponding to a time zone of every 30 minutes from 0:00 to 1:00. The call time per unit charge after the charge is revised is stored in a place corresponding to the time zone thereafter. If the fee is revised at midnight, the updated date fee table data 20 is unnecessary.

The change of the charging rate information 10 to 10 'is as follows.
Actually, the former is performed by overwriting the latter with the latter, but any time can be set before the charge update time. By making this change before the update time,
Even in the billing calculation process performed at the end of a call for a call that starts before the update time and ends after the update time, the time zone before the update time can be calculated at the old rate, and the time zone after the update time can be calculated at the new rate. So that there is no need for special complicated processing.

FIG. 5 shows an example in which the billing rate information updating method of the present invention is applied to an individual billing process in which a billing pulse is generated every time a talk time per unit fee elapses. The billing rate information 10 in FIG. 5 has the same configuration as that described with reference to FIGS. The billing process 30 is started at the start of a call and every 30 minutes at a break of a time zone. The call time per unit fee is read by referring to the billing rate information 10 using the date, time zone, and distance as indexes, and the call is started. At the start and when the value has changed from the previous value, the value is transferred to the pulse sending process 32. Pulse transmission processing 3
Reference numeral 2 denotes a down counter, which counts down the time data from the billing process 30 as an initial value, and when it reaches zero, generates a pulse and reloads the time data.

When updating the charging rate, the updated charging rate information 10 'is overwritten on the charging rate information 10 at an arbitrary time before the update time. Updated billing rate 1
0 'has the same configuration as that described with reference to FIGS. By overwriting the billing rate information 10 'before the update time, the time data extracted by the billing process 30 is automatically switched to the new rate when the update time comes.

FIG. 6 shows an example in which the charging rate information updating method of the present invention is applied to an information amount charging process for charging in proportion to the amount of information transmitted. The charging rate information 40, 40 'is the charging rate information 10, 1 described with reference to FIGS.
It has the same configuration except that data of the information amount (the number of bytes) per unit charge (for example, 0.1 yen) is stored instead of the talk time per unit charge at 0 '. I have. The information amount monitoring process 42 reads the value of the information amount per unit charge by referring to the charging rate information amount 40 using the date, time zone, and distance as indices at each time zone change, and monitors the information amount based on the information. The accounting process is performed on the number of transfer bytes provided from the unit 44.

At the time of updating the charging rate, the updated charging rate information 40 'is overwritten on the charging rate information 40 at an arbitrary time before the update time. As a result, the charging rate read by the information amount charging process 42 automatically switches from the old rate to the new rate when the update time comes.

[0015]

According to the present invention, the following effects can be expected. (1) There is no increase in load due to complicated processing associated with updating the charging rate. (2) The charging rate information can be updated at any time before the charging rate update date and time.

(3) From the above, maintenance work at each exchange at the charging rate update time can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example in which the present invention is applied to a hold time charging.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of charge table data 11, 12, and 14.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of updated charging rate information.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the details of the update date charge table data 20;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example in which the present invention is applied to an individual billing process.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example in which the present invention is applied to an information amount fee charging process.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10, 10 ', 40, 40' ... billing rate information 16 ... calendar data

Claims (5)

[Claims] The present invention relates to charging rate information referred to in charging processing, and includes a plurality of different current rate table data, each of which is composed of rate data for each time zone of a day according to a current charging rate. A method of updating billing rate information that stores calendar data including price table specification data that specifies any one of the rate table data in association with each date, and that updates the charging rate information at an arbitrary time before the update time. Storing a plurality of different updated tariff data, each of which is made up of tariff data for each time zone according to the updated charging rate, in an area different from the plurality of current tariff data, At the time, the charge table specification data stored for the date after the update time in the calendar data is changed so as to specify any one of the plurality of update charge table data. Billing rate information update method, including Rukoto. 2. At any time before the update time, update date charge table data consisting of charge data for each time zone of the day of the day to which the update time belongs is stored in any of the current and update charge table data. At a different time before the update time, change the charge table specification data stored for the date to which the update time belongs in the calendar data to specify the update date charge table data The method of claim 1, further comprising: 3. The charge data stored in the charge rate information is a call time per unit charge determined according to each charge rate for each time zone. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a charging process is performed for a hold time in which charging is calculated with reference to a corresponding call time per unit charge in the charging rate information for a period from the start to the end of the call. 4. The charge data stored in the charge rate information is a talk time per unit charge determined according to each charge rate for each time zone, and the charge processing is the charge time information for a current time. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the individual billing process generates a billing pulse each time the talk time per unit charge determined with reference to the corresponding talk time per unit charge. 5. The charge data stored in the charge rate information is an information amount per unit charge determined according to each charge rate for each time zone, and the charge processing is performed for the current time with the charge rate information for the current time. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the information amount charging process is performed by integrating the unit fee each time the information amount per unit fee determined with reference to the corresponding information amount per unit fee is transmitted.