JPS6253101B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a billing data collection system, and in particular to a distributed control packet system that comprises a plurality of information processing devices accommodating a plurality of information sources, and charges charges based on the amount of information transmitted between the information sources. Concerning billing data collection methods in exchange systems.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional billing data collection method in this type of distributed control packet switching system. In FIG. 1, a distributed control packet switching system N consists of communication lines that are multiple information sources.
Information processing device A that accommodates LA and LB respectively
and B, and this distributed control packet switching system N
Information processing device C that centrally manages the operation and maintenance of
Consists of. These information processing devices A, B, and C are connected by a communication network and can mutually transmit packets. From communication line a currently accommodated in information processing device A to communication line b accommodated in information processing device B
It becomes necessary to convey information to The packet transmission process carried out between communication lines a and b via the distributed control packet switching system N in such a case is shown in FIG. First, a call request packet 1 is transmitted from communication line a, which requires information transmission, to communication line b via information processing devices A and B. When communication line b, which has received the call request packet 1, transmits a connectable packet 2 to communication line a via information processing devices B and A, communication line a
A call is set up between and b. Information processing devices A and B that accommodate both communication lines a and b, respectively
The storage devices MA and MB are provided with call control memories CMA and CMB for managing established calls (FIG. 1). Subsequently, an information transfer packet 3 is exchanged via a call established between both communication lines a and b. When the necessary information has been exchanged, communication line a transmits a disconnection request packet 4 to communication line b via information processing devices A and B. When information processing devices A and B and communication line b release the previously set call, each sends back a disconnection confirmation packet 5, and the calls are all terminated. Note that during the information transfer process, information processing device A uses the billing information area of the call control memory CMA provided in the storage device CMA.
Information necessary for billing, such as the number of information transfer packets 3 transmitted from the communication line a and the amount of information, is stored in the CI (FIG. 1). When the call ends, information processing device A stores the charging information stored in the charging information area CI.
It is transmitted to the information processing device C using a billing packet 6. The information processing device C intensively executes predetermined billing processing based on the received billing information.

As is clear from the above explanation, according to a conventional billing data collection method, billing information for a call is determined only by the information processing device A that accommodates the calling communication line a, based on the number of information transfer packets 3 transmitted by the call. Alternatively, information is collected by monitoring the amount of information, etc. However, in the distributed control packet switching system N, the information transfer packet 3 that is reliably transmitted by the information processing device A is not necessarily transmitted to the called communication line b due to a failure in the information processing device B or the like. Therefore, according to the conventional billing data collection system, even if the information sent by the calling communication line a is not transmitted to the called communication line b, there is a possibility that the information will be subject to billing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks of the conventional billing data collection methods as described above, and to realize a billing data collection method that can reliably collect billing information related to information transmitted to a called communication line.

The purpose of this is to control the information sources that exchange information in a distributed control packet switching system that consists of a plurality of information processing devices that accommodate a plurality of information sources and that charges based on the amount of information transmitted between the information sources. The two information processing devices each accommodate collect billing information for the transmission information, and
This is achieved by one of the two information processing devices transmitting collected charging information to the other using a charging packet, and charging is performed based on the charging information collected by both information processing devices.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a billing data collection method according to an embodiment of the present invention in a distributed control packet switching system having the same configuration as FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 shows an example of the packet transmission process in FIG. 3. It is a diagram. The difference in FIG. 3 from FIG. 1 is that for a call set between a calling communication line a and a called communication line b, the storage device MB of the information processing device B that accommodates the called communication line b is A charge information area CIB is also provided in the call control memory CMB provided within the mobile phone. In FIG. 4, the packet transmission process from when the calling communication line a sends the call request packet 1 to when the information processing devices A and B and the called communication line b send the disconnection confirmation packet 5 is the second one. It is similar to the figure. Note that during the information transfer process, information processing device A stores billing information such as the number of information transfer packets 3 transmitted from calling communication line a and the amount of information in the billing information area CIA, and information processing device B stores billing information such as the number and amount of information transferred from calling communication line a. Information transfer packet 3 transmitted to call communication line b
Accounting information such as the number of information and amount of information is stored in the accounting information area CIB. When the call ends, information processing device A sends billing information transfer request packet 7 to information processing device B.
Communicate. As a result, information processing device B transmits the charging information accumulated in charging information area CIB to information processing device A using charging packet 8. When the information processing device A receives the charging packet 8, it transmits the charging information transfer confirmation packet 9 to the information processing device B, and further transfers the charging information stored in the charging information area CIA and the charging packet 8 from the information processing device B. Together with the transmitted billing information, it is transmitted to the information processing device C using a billing packet 6.

As is clear from the above description, according to this embodiment, the information processing device C that collectively manages the billing process in the distributed control packet switching system N receives the information transmitted from the calling communication line a collected in the information processing device A. Not only the billing information regarding the information transfer packet 3, but also the billing information regarding the information transfer packet 3 transmitted to the called communication line b, which is collected by the information processing device B, is also transmitted. Therefore, the information processing device C can execute rational billing processing after grasping the amount of information sent by the calling communication line a and the amount of information received by the called communication line b.

Note that FIGS. 3 and 4 are only one embodiment of the present invention, and for example, billing information is not limited to that collected for each call that is set each time information is transmitted, and the amount of information to be transmitted is Even in the case where specific communication lines, which are rich in communication lines, are constantly connected to each other and information is transmitted continuously without setting up calls one by one, two information processing devices each accommodating both communication lines collect billing information. The object of the present invention can be achieved by transmitting billing information from one information processing device to the other at an appropriate time (for example, at a predetermined period) using a billing packet (corresponding to FIG. 4 and 8). It goes without saying that the configuration of the distributed control packet switching system N is not limited to that shown in the figure, and the information source is not limited to the communication lines a and b.

As described above, according to the present invention, billing information in a distributed control packet switching system is collected not only regarding the amount of information transmitted from the information source but also regarding the amount of information received by the information source, making it possible to perform more rational billing processing. Become.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional billing data collection method in a distributed control packet switching system.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the packet transmission process in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a billing data collection method according to an embodiment of the present invention in a distributed control packet switching system, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a packet transmission process. In the figure, N is a distributed control packet switching system, A, B, and C are information processing devices, LA, LB,
a and b are communication lines, MA and MB are storage devices, CMA and CMB are call control memories, CI, CIA
and CIB are billing information areas, 1 is a call request packet, 2 is a connection permission packet, 3 is an information transfer packet, 4 is a disconnection request packet, 5 is a disconnection confirmation packet, 6 and 8 are billing packets, and 7 is billing information transfer. 9 indicates a request packet, and 9 indicates a billing information transfer confirmation packet.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a distributed control packet switching system comprising a plurality of information processing devices accommodating a plurality of information sources and charging based on the amount of information transmitted between the information sources, Two information processing devices each accommodating an information source each collect billing information for the transmitted information, one of the two information processing devices transmits the collected billing information to the other using a billing packet, and both information A billing data collection method characterized in that billing is performed based on billing information collected by a processing device. 2. One of the two information processing devices that accommodates each of the two information sources for which a call has been set up for information transmission and that collects billing information for information transmitted via the call, Claim 1, characterized in that the billing information subsequently collected is transmitted to the other information processing device using a billing packet.
Billing data collection method described in section. 3. One of the two information processing devices that accommodates each of two information sources permanently connected for information transmission and that collects billing information for continuously transmitted information, 2. The billing data collection method according to claim 1, wherein billing information is transmitted to the other information processing device using a billing packet.