MXPA98004723A - Real-time network for distribui telecommunication accounting systems - Google Patents

Abstract

A telecommunication switch that provides service to a mobile station for bums transports the resulting billing records, establishing a communication link with an administrative billing center connected to the telecommunications network of signaling system No. 7 (887) using the signals Control Point of the Signal Connection (SCCP). Once the connection between the telecommunication switch with the administrative billing center is established, the formatted data of the data message handler (DHM) is stored in a signal of the data form 2 (DT2) SCCP by means of the telecommunications switch are transported to the administrative billing center via the telecommunications network S

Description

REAL-TIME NETWORK FOR DISTRIBUTED TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACCOUNTING SYSTEMS Cross Reference of a Related Request This application is related to the United States Patent Application Serial No. 08 / 576,572, filed December 21, 1995, entitled TRANSPORT MECHANISM FOR ACCOUNTING MESSAGES IHTIN TO TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM (File No. 27943).

Background of the Invention Technical Field of the Invention The present invention relates to charging in a telecommunications network, and more particularly, to the use of SS7 protocols for the transportation of accounting messages.

Description of the Related Art Developments and improvements in wireless telecommunications switching systems have allowed wireless users to move easily from one geographical area to another, and still have access to and use the user's own telephone services and the characteristics of the user. subscriber. An example of this type of service is wandering. Roaming allows the subscriber to move from a covered city with a first telephone company to another city covered with a second telephone company and still use his cell phone unit. Currently, telephone services to a roaming subscriber are allowed after the second telephone company requests and receives confirmation of information regarding the subscriber's service that roams from the first telephone company. After the services were provided to the wandering subscriber, the second telephone company collects the charge information and sends the information, usually in an intermittent file to a centralized administrative center for further analysis. It is at this point that the legitimate owner or the centralized billing administrative system first discovers the illegal use of the service through a clone. Because the intermittent billing file transfer is usually made a few days after the actual services were provided to the wandering subscriber, there is a delay in undesirable time before the possible fraud is detected.

Cellular radio phones fall into two main categories, mainly mobile and portable by hand. Conventionally, each cell phone, whether mobile or portable by hand, has its own unique telephone number, through which it can be accessed from other cellular telephones or conventional wired telephones. The whole telephone number is stored in a memory (eg, ROM, PROM, or RAM) known in the art as a numerical allocation module (NAM) which is coupled with the control circuits, generally to a cell phone microprocessor . When an infringer "steals" a valid cell phone number and doubles the number on another cell phone (ie, clone) the offender is free to use the telephone service while the legitimate owner charges. Unfortunately, when the roaming subscriber is using the service without the proper authority of the legitimate owner, the centralized administrative center or the legitimate owner of the service is not notified of illegal use until the invoice records of the second telephone company are received.

Security checks have been placed on a number in the system to filter and detect fraudulent calls before they are made. However, the ability of telecommunications networks to allow services to wandering subscribers while they can detect fraud in the system on a substantially real time basis after the call is made would also be desirable. The term "real time" for the purposes of the present invention involves a situation in which cases are handled or reported with a minimum delay of time after it actually occurs in the system. This ability will allow networks to minimize the illegal use of telecommunication services by narrowing the gap between the time the service is provided to an infringer and the time when the centralized administrative center receives billing records and detects fraud. This capability also fully supports the features and services within the telecommunication network that require both billing records and normal telecommunication information at the same time.

Compendium of the Invention Instead of using a tape drive or a separate network to transport the charge records to a centralized administrative center, the present invention advantageously connects to the administrative center of the cellular system as a node in the telecommunications / SS network and all the registers of charges are transported from each local exchange to the administrative center through SCCP signals. Because the hierarchical architecture requirements the strict synchronization required in a telecommunications network SS /, the implementation of the present invention allows the telecommunications network to continue to provide existing telecommunication services for roaming subscribers while illegal use is detected. with a minimum of delay in time. Furthermore, the present invention allows the telecommunications network to provide and support the characteristics of the subscriber and the telecommunications services that require both the billing records and the normal telecommunications information at the same time that the same network is used based on the real time.

In one aspect, the present invention provides a method and apparatus for handling the accounting messages in the telecommunications network SS7 in which the accounting messages are transported to the administrative billing center by the signals of SCCP SS7.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a telecommunications network SS7 wherein one of the nodes connected to the telecommunication network SS7 is an administrative billing center and the billing records are transported to the billing center according to the protocols of the SS7.

Brief Description of the Drawings For a more detailed understanding of the present invention, the additional objects and advantages thereof, reference may now be made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating a movable network of public land; Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating a network of local exchanges and transit exchanges serving a wandering wireless subscriber; Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating how two local exchanges unify their billing records by sending their information stored on a magnetic tape to a centralized administrative center; Figure 4 is a logic diagram that represents how two independent machines, such as telecommunication switches, reconcile the information of each one to communicate properly with one another; Figure 5 is a logic diagram representing the seven layers of the Open System Interface (OSI); Figure ß is a block diagram of a section of a telecommunications network SS7; Figure 7 is a block diagram illustrating how each local exchange connects to the CCS-SS7 network; Figure 8 is a logic diagram that compares the four levels of the SS7 with the seven layers of the OSI; Figure 9 is a logic diagram representing how the information message bearer (DHM) standard is interconnected with the Remote Operations Service (ROSE) element and the signals from the Association Control Service Element (ACSE) for the Transportation of the Detailed Call Records (CDR) records to a centralized administrative center as defined in the prior art; Figure 10 is a block diagram illustrating the use of SS7 protocols for communicating charge information in accordance with the teaching of the present invention; Figure 11 is a schematic of the signal SS7 representing a sequence of signals generated to connect and disconnect a communication link between a local switch and an administrative center in a common channel signaling network (CCS), and; Figure 12 is a block diagram illustrating how the SS7 telecommunications networks include the administrative center as one of its nodes in order to communicate with other local switches in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.

Detailed Description of Modalities Figure 1 shows a public land mobile network 10 in which the present invention can be implemented, as will be disclosed herein, the public land mobile network 10 (PLMN) which is used to communicate with a mobile user, comprises a Mobile Services Switching Center (MSC) 40, a Home Location Register (HLR) 30, a base station (BS) 50 and a mobile station (MS) 80. The PLMN 10 is interconnected with a switched telephone network public (PSTN) 20 to provide a communication link with other telephone subscribers. This interconnection can be done at a local, transit or international exit level. The BS 50 is connected to the MSC 40 using a digital or analog communication link 60, and communicates with a mobile station via a radio channel. The HLR 30 is an information base that contains almost all subscribers, their services and their location. In large networks with a high density of subscribers, HLR 30 are separate nodes. In small networks, they can be integrated into the MSC 40 as shown in Figure 1. The BS 50 provides a communication link with a mobile station 80 when the mobile station is within the coverage area BS known as a cell. The MSC 40 containing the mobile subscription station 80, is labeled as the "MSC home".

If the subscriber crosses the border with another MSC area during a conversation, a loose exchange command will take place and the adjacent MSC, known as a "visited MSC" then handles the conversation - this process is known as "roaming". In addition, if the mobile station 80 moves to another MSC area and tries to use its telecommunications service, the newly visited MSC notifies the HLR home 30 and requests the confirmation information and therefore provides the telecommunication service to the visiting mobile station. 80 - This process is also known as "wandering".

A call from the mobile subscriber begins when the mobile subscriber first puts the number key of the desired destination and then presses the send button. If the mobile subscriber is within the coverage area of the household switch, an access channel is captured, from where the mobile identity and the desired number are automatically transmitted to the MSC 40 via the BS 50. The MSC 40 analyzes the category of the calling party to verify that the caller is allowed access to the system. The destination number that gave the key is also analyzed to determine if the caller is allowed to call that particular number. If all analyzes are affirmative, the mobile subscriber is assigned a digital or analog voice channel 70 and the call is established.

However, if the mobile subscriber is outside his MSC coverage area and is roaming in a new MSC area, the mobile station automatically registers the current area with the new control of the MSC when the cell unit is turned on. The visited MSC verifies if this mobile station is already registered. If not, the visited MSC informs home MSC 40 or HLR 30 about the new position of the mobile station. The MSC 40 home or HLR 30 warns in which service area the mobile station is roaming in order to reroute all incoming calls to the new MSC. The wandering subscriber can now originate and receive the calls in the same way as it was used in the MSC home. All special services (call transfer, call waiting, etc.) also automatically follow the lazy. The actual destination number and the access validation do not occur until the wandering subscriber dials the destination number. If the mobile station has wandered from a previously visited MSC to a recently visited MSC, or returns to the MSC home, the MSC home notifies the previously visited MSC to clear any information regarding that mobile from its visitor's record.

Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating a placement diagram of the local exchanges connected to each one in a telecommunications network. A mobile station (MS) 80 is connected to the telecommunications network via a Mobile Service Switching Center (MSC) 40A that is included within a local Dallas 120A exchange. The Dallas 10A local exchange also includes an HLR 30 as also shown in Figure 1 which retains the status and location footprint of the MS 80. When the MS 80 marks a destination subscriber 90 connected with a local exchange of Los Angeles 10B , a number of transit exchanges such as the transit exchanges 90 direct the call according to the MS interconnected with the subscriber 85.

If the MS 80 arrives in New York and tries to use its telephone, an MSC 40B linked to the local exchange in New York 10C classifies the MS 80 as a lazy one and asks for the validity of the user and the information of the subscriber data from the vague 10A Dallas local exchange. Once the validation and necessary information were received from a household switch, the MS 80 is allowed to use its service.

Figure 3 is a block diagram of how billing records are generated and consolidated when a mobile station uses more than one local exchange during vagrancy. When an MS 80 assigned to an MSC 40A home tries to use its telephone service while wandering in an area covered by another local exchange 10C having service of a visited MSC 40B, the visited MSC 40B requests the validation and data information of the MSC 40A. subscriber from the home switch 10A via the PSTN comprising the traffic exchanges 90. The home switch 10A in turn updates the HLR 40A and sends the necessary information back to the MSC 40B accessed via the same PSTN comprising the exchanges of transit 90. Once the MS 80 is concerned with a call to another subscriber as a subscriber 90 still connected to another local exchange 10, the Call Detailed Records (CDR) are produced by the visited MSC "40B. they send out to a centralized administrative center 140 for the additional process where other CDRs are also received from other local exchanges and the consolidated receipts 150 are general p for each individual subscriber. These CDRs are generally produced and produced on a magnetic tape 120 by the charge subsystems (CHS) 100 and archive the management subsystems (FMS) 100 within the local exchanges 10A and 10C and physically send them to the Administrative Center 140 via the magnetic tapes 120.

This dispatch has traditionally been intermittently oriented; however, recent trends have been to provide messages oriented to accounting services. Accordingly, as an alternative, these CDRs have been transported using a separate network 130 where all the CDR information is packaged and sent to the network 130 to the administrative center 140. The Data Message Handler (DHM) is an example of this standard. This is an intermediate standard (IS-124) developed by the Telecom Industry Association (TIA) for the exchange of accounting information among network providers.

Maintaining and using this separate network 130 is expensive, restrictive and unreliable. It is unreliable because the network usually has a simple node and a simple unsupported communication link to connect each local exchange. It is expensive since a separate network has to be maintained to connect each local exchange. It is expensive because a separate network has to be maintained to connect all the local switches with the centralized administrative center 140. In addition, as the number of connections representing local switches grows, the complexity and cost to maintain this network of work It becomes an insurmountable task. Finally, it could be restrictive if the local switches are only allowed to access the network for a hundred times or have to share the network with another system.

As a result, if an offender is using a clone mobile station to make illegal calls, these activities are not immediately detected due to the delay of time before those CDRs are received at the administrative center either on tape or packages.

Figure 4 is a logic diagram that represents how two independent computers, perhaps those that comprise telecommunications switches, synchronize and reconcile their information in order to communicate with each other. In a typical telecommunication network, virtually unlimited local exchanges exist and other support computers interconnected with each provide the telecommunication services with the subscribers. These local exchange switches and computers are manufactured by different vendors and each one can have its own protocols and specifications. Each computer, and each application program on the computer, may require a different communication access method and protocol (ie, a standard convention to communicate intelligently) for a viable "conversation" to proceed. This establishes very specific requirements in either party or in both parties for the conversation. In essence, the information must be presented to the end user in a way that they can recognize and manipulate. This may also involve converting the protocol to accommodate a format, code, and end-user language syntax.

As an illustration, due to developments and improvements in digital processing, telecommunication networks now support video and other interactive features of the client, as well as normal voice communication. In this vidiotex service, the supplier usually maintains a database or multiple database about a variety of topics of potential interest to the clients; Travel information, airline / hotel reservation information, shopping information, and more. Much of this information is in visual form and is sent to the client's terminal in a prescribed graphic format. The two parties to the "conversation" or session the supplier and the client, must first agree to establish a session through a network (or a series of networks). They must agree on the format of the information finally sent to the customer's terminal screen. If the sequence of bits sent to the packet terminal does not make sense with that terminal, even if the packet was sent correctly, something meaningless will appear on the screen.

The terminal also has the ability to regulate the proportion of information sent, otherwise the source computer that controls the source database could overwhelm the terminal. If the transmission is used without connection, the packets may arrive out of order and the receiving terminal must have the possibility to re-sequence these packets, all these tasks and others like them have nothing to do with the physical operation of the packets. The network may be sending packets correctly and to the right place, and yet the entire system may not be performing correctly, so it has become common to carry out a sequence of a task required in the network. an organized fashion, giving rise to the concept of communication architectures in layers as shown in Figure 4.

The above problems have led the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to launch an intensive effort to develop a standard global communication architecture that could allow different systems to communicate openly and resulted in the Reference Model for Open Systems Interconnection. (OR IF) . This architecture and others like it recognize that there are essentially two parts to end the problem of communication; (a) that of the information sent in time and correctly to the correct place on the network, and (b) that of sending recognizable information to the end users linked to a conversation or session in a network or series of networks.

A number of "network protocols" have been developed to handle the first part of the problem. The second part is solved by introducing the "higher level protocols" 180. Desirably, a complete architecture oriented to the end user covers both types of protocols. Accordingly, Figure 4 presents the communication between an end user A 190A and an end user B 190B as an example in terms of this characterization. A node of the intermediate network 200 in the network is also known. This node could also have end users connected to it. However, the purpose of the intermediate node, insofar as it refers to the users of the network, is only to provide the services of the appropriate network. Therefore, the services of the network 170 in the source node 160A and the corresponding network services 170 in the destination node 160B communicate with each other to allow the information to be transmitted and received to the destination correctly and on time. The high-level protocols 180 in the source node 160A and the corresponding high-level protocols 180 in the destination node 160B ensure that the information finally sent to the destination by the end user through the network services can be recognized and in the appropriate form for its correct use.

Moreover, the two groups, the protocols that provide the services of the network and the higher-level protocols are typically broken additionally into a series of levels or layers chosen to provide a particular service in terms of the basic problems that are encountered. they just described; the sending of information correctly, on time, and in the manner that can be recognized. More precisely, the concept has developed the fact that each layer provides a service to the layer on top of it.

Consequently, there are seven different layers in the OSI. As shown in Figure 5, they are Application Layer 260, Presentation Layer 250, Session Layer 240, Transport Layer 230, Network Layer 220, Data Layer 210, and Physical Layer 200.

Like the highest layer in the OSI Reference Model, Application Layer 260 provides a means for the application process to access the OSI medium. Since the Application Layer 260 is the only means for 1 application or the process for accessing the OSI medium and for serving as the interconnection between the corresponding application entities that are using the OSI to exchange meaningful information.

The Presentation Layer 250 provides the representation of information that communication entities either communicate or refer to in their communication. The Representation Layer 250 covers two complementary aspects of this representation of the information: (a) the representation of data that will be transferred between the entities of the application; and (b) the representation of the data structure whose application entities refer to in their communications, together with the representation of the set of actions that can be carried out in this data structure. However, the Presentation Layer is concerned only with the syntax (that is, the representation of the information) and with its semantics (that is, its meaning with the Application Layer) that is known only through the entities of the application.

The purpose of Session Layer 240 is to provide the necessary means for cooperation presentation entities to organize and synchronize their dialogues and manage their exchange of "data or information." To do this, Session Layer 240 provides services to establish a session connection between the two presentation entities and orderly support the interactions of the data exchange.

The Transport Layer 230 provides the transparent transfer of data between the entities of the session and relieves them of any concern with the detailed mode in which reliable and cost-effective data transfer is achieved. Therefore, the Transport Layer 230 optimizes the use of the available network service to provide the operation required by each entity of the session at minimal cost.

The Network Layer 220 provides the means to establish, maintain and terminate network connections between the open systems containing the communication application entities and the functional and procedural means for exchanging the service data units of the network. the network between transport entities in the network connections. This provides transport entities with the independence to make the routes and convey the considerations associated with the establishment and operation of a given network connection. This includes the case where several sub-networks are used in cascade or in parallel. This makes it invisible to transport entities how underlying resources such as data link connections are used to provide network connections.

The Data Link Layer 210 provides a functional or procedural means for establishing, maintaining and releasing the data link connections between the entities in the network and transferring the data link service data units. A data link connection is built on one or more physical connections. The Data Link Layer 210 also detects and possibly corrects errors that may occur in the Physical Layer 200.

Lately, the Physical Layer 200, which is the lowest and most equipment dependent layer in the OSI, provides the mechanical, electrical, functional and procedural means to activate, maintain and deactivate the physical connections for the bit transmission between the entities of the data link However, the fact "that a system is" "open" does not imply any implementation, of particular systems, technology or means of interconnection, but rather refers to mutual recognition and support of applicable standards. OSI does not attempt to serve as an implementation specification, nor as a basis for assessing the compliance of real implementations, nor does it provide a sufficient level of detail to precisely define the services and protocols or the interconnection architecture. a conceptual and functional framework that allows users to work productively and independently in the development of the standards for each layer of the OSI Reference Model, therefore, each network has to develop its own set of detailed specifications that make up the model of OSI to really achieve the combatible telecommunications network.

In the United States and throughout the world, the OSI standard most widely accepted for telecommunications communication has been the Common Channel Signaling (CCS). In the field of telecommunications, there are basically two different ways of sending several signaling messages in order to connect User A with User B. In the traditional telephone mode, referred to as signaling in band, the signaling messages are sent by the same lines of union as the information messages or the calls themselves. In recent years, the telephone networks began to introduce the signaling of the common channel, in which the messages or control signals are carried out in separate signaling channels. In the United States, in particular, this had led to the use of a separate packet switched network called the Common Channel signaling network. { CCS) to transmit the structuring of the call and the itinerary packages, as well as other supervision and control information. However, the CCS does not necessarily require a separate network as the signals could justly be sent also using dedicated signaling slots of a Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) framework.

With the advent of digital switching, the CCS has quickly become the preferred mode of handling the call connection in circuit switched networks. The objectives of the CCS will provide significant improvements in the time of connecting the call and considerably the capacity of the increased signaling. These are "made possible by modern digital techniques, the widespread use of digital controlled computer systems and by the availability of broadband transmission facilities.

As previously mentioned briefly, a separate signaling network can be used for the CCS, or the signaling can be done using the same physical facilities of the circuit-switched network, occupying the separate channels (commonly the time slots of a signaling frame). TDM) set aside for this purpose. Because the signaling messages themselves are packets or short blocks of data, the common channel signaling developed the use of packet switched technology. A telephony network that adopts the CCS as its method of handling the establishment and disintegration of the calls and circuit switched in this way uses two technologies: the circuit that switches the calls themselves; and the packet that switches the messages required to handle the connection and disconnection of the calls. The most commonly used technology to implement the CCS has been the Signaling System No. 7 (SS7) created by the CCITT. The Internatinal Telephone & The Telephone Consultative Committee (CCITT) is an UN convention organization made up of the telephone, telegraph and postal authorities of the member countries. The CCITT works closely with the ISO to develop standards for communications. A CCS system developed by the CCITT and adopted as a recommendation in 1981 is called the CCITT Common Channel Signaling System No. 7, or simply Signaling System No. 7 (SS7). It has quickly been recognized as the international standard. This CCS signaling system was designed using the concepts of switching packets and designed to conform to the OSI model, it was developed to be used with both national and international transit, for local and long distance networks, for the interchangeable signaling, and for various types of channels, including both terrestrial channels and satellites. In addition, the introduction of a packet switched network used to carry call signaling messages makes other data handling services also possible. These services include the simultaneous transmission of various types of traffic, information, voice and video, among others. They make available the possibility of special types of call services such as calling features and services "800", call forwarding, calling party identification and other database administrations.

Figure 6 is an illustrative diagram representing a section of a normal telecommunication network SS7. To carry out the itinerary and signaling function, the messages must be sent via the packet switched signaling network from a local exchange A 10A to a local exchange B 10C. Signal Transfer Points (STP) 270 either located in an exchange or separated geometrically, are designed to provide generation and transfer of signaling messages. A signaling channel 280 is shown associated with two local interleaves 10A and 10C. A voice channel 290 that allows "conversation" between the two exchanges is represented separately as shown. The messages that involve the use of the junction line (channels) that connects these two exchanges in this case are transmitted directly between them. However, signals related to local exchange A 10A and local exchange B 10C can also be transferred via an intermediate STP 270A, as shown. This mode of operation is called an unassociated one. Both modes of operation were defined in the SS7 and as a result provide great robustness and reliability because the failure of a link will not affect the entire operation.

Now referring to Figure 7, the SS7 - CCS network as shown, is fully connected due to reliability and robustness. The United States is divided into 10 regions and each of the 10 regions has two STP 270A and 270B interconnected duplicates. The regional STP 270A increased by the STP 270B area due to reliability. The A 500 links provide access to the network from a local switch 10A where the 10A switch is also connected for both the STP 270A and the 2703 due to reliability. STP such as 270A and 270C in the network are interconnected by the well known B 520 links, while the duplicate STP in a region is connected by the C-510 links. In addition, the SS7 was designed for the 56-kbps and 64-kbps transmission capabilities, which increases the speed of the call-up process, allows for faster signaling messages to be transmitted and dramatically increases capacity.

The hierarchy of the CCS-SS7 architecture allows the addition of a new node or switch to the network with minor adjustments, and because each region is supported by two STPs and two A-links and B-links, it provides great reliability and sturdiness. If an STP or a link goes down, the network will automatically re-route the information and maintain its reliability in the network automatically. Also, due to its address mechanism and the global translation of the title, the information can be transmitted through a local switch without the local switch knowing exactly where the destination switch is located. Finally, due to its transmission capabilities, the data transfer rate is greatly increased and the near real time capacity is achieved.

Referring time to Figure 8, although the SS7 protocol was designed to conform to the OSI Reference Model, it does not exactly fit the seven layers of the OSI. As shown in the Figure, there are fewer layers in the SS7. Basically, the SS7 has two parts, a part of the user and a part of message transfer. The user part comes in several varieties, each corresponding to the highest layer protocols that allow the user's functions, possibly in dissimilar machines to communicate with each one. Examples of these user parts include a Telephone User Part (TUO) 360 for the basic telephone service, and a User Part of the Integrated Service Digital Network (IDSN) (ISUO) 350 to provide the combined voice, information and video services. These user parts make use of the network sending services provided by the Message Transfer Part (MTP) 300 which provides a sequence transport service (datagram-typed). The function block labeled Signal Connection Control Point (SCCP) 310 provides for the conversion of the MTP 300 to the network service specified by the OSI model.

It is apparent from Figure 8, that different parts of the user enter the OSI model at different points in the hierarchy. The ISUP 350, for example, deals only with the services within the network and therefore appears in the network layer of the OSI. The user parts that redo within the network layer of the OSI, but that require presentation, session, and transport characteristics similar to those provided by the entire OSI model as shown in Figure 5, obtain these from the levels of the Part of the Service of the Application of the Network (TCAP) 330 and the part of the Intermediate Services (ISO) 320.

This structure of the SS7 network and the SS7 protocols are an improvement and are advantageous for the separate network used by the local exchanges to transmit the billing records to the administrative center as defined in the prior art. Accordingly, the preferred embodiment of the present invention uses this SS7 network to transport the CDR information to the administrative center to take full advantage of the benefits offered by the SS7 network.

The reason why the previous network CCS-SS7 and SS7 signals have not been used before for the transportation of billing records, historically, was because billing has always been considered the domain of data communications, while the SS7 it is considered of signaling. Due to this artificial distinction, the SS7 was not considered as a transport protocol although when it filled many of the requirements for the transportation of invaluable data such as billing. As a matter of fact, so-called DHM standards for the use of the Non-Signaling Data Protocol where an application-level protocol such as the Remote Operations Service Element (ROSE) established at the top of the transport mechanism as X.25 defined by the CCITT is generally used for the transport of packet data in a network, and the signals from the Association Control Service Element (ACSE) are used to establish the conversation between the switch and the administrative center. Therefore, instead of discarding all the existing standards and protocols used in the transportation of the billing records, the present invention discloses a system wherein the parts of the standards and protocols of the prior art are used above. of the SS7 protocols to minimize the modifications and changes of the existing SS7 network and use and save the existing DMH standard.

Figure 9 represents a logic diagram representing the interconnections between the different protocols that the separate network uses to transport the CDR information from a local switch to a centralized administrative center as defined in the prior art and partly saved according to the modality preferred of the present invention. In order to reconcile all received CDRs from a number of different local exchanges, a set of protocols and messages were created by the distributed billing collection known as Information Message Handler (DHM). According to DMH, all records that are produced have unique identifiers that are sequential and sequence numbers that allow them to be correlated. The DHM standard was actually developed by the cellular industry to resolve the issues of establishments associated with wandering subscribers. The DMH standard defines a set of messages and procedures for exchanging those establishment messages. In the DMH standard, this information is defined using the Abstract Syntax Observation One (ASN.l) and is transported using a protocol from the level of a separate application in a Service Part of the Open System Intercommunication Network (OSI). NSP) as the X.25 defined by the CCITT. The ASN.l itself was developed as a standard to provide an independent way of the machine to specify the structure of the information that needs to be transported from one machine to another. Therefore, the ASN.l standard defines such issues as how many bits are required to encode integers, real numbers and series.

As noted, the DMH also requires specifications for its damage content and a carrier or transport mechanism to transport the messages from one node to another node in the network. Therefore, the DMH 550 standard is supported by two separate protocols; The Element of Association Control Service (ACSE) 560 and the Remote Operations Service Element (ROSE) 570. The ACSE signals are used to initiate connection structuring and termination between the two nodes, and the ROSE signals are They used to store the contents of the information to send it to each one. Once the collision is established by the ACSE signals, the ROSE signals such as ROIV (Summon to ROSE), RORS (ROSE Result), R0ER (ROSE Error), and RORJ (Reject ROSE) are used to store and communicate Sreal information conforming to the ASN.l standard for sending it to the administrative center. Actual transportation is carried out through the OSI Network Service protocol as X.25 in the physical network.

The present invention discloses a system wherein by replacing the protocols of ACSE, ROSE and X.25 with corresponding parts in the SS7 protocol, the local switch can use the existing CCS-SS7 network to transport the CDR information to the administrative center without incur no additional cost. This network of work takes all the benefit of the SS7 network for having sent the information on a real time basis, while it is reliable, robust, organized and cost effective.

Accordingly, Figure 10 represents a logic diagram showing how the DMH 550 messages are interconnected with an SCCP 310 and transported by means of an MTP 300 in a telecommunication network CCS-SS7 in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. DMH no longer uses ACSE signals using a separate network to transport billing records to the centralized administrative center. The administrative center becomes one of the nodes supported by the STP and is completely connected to the telecommunications networks CCS-SS7. The DMH messages are interconnected with the SCCP 310 within each local exchange to structure and establish a connection and the CCS-SS7 MTO 300 is used as a physical means for the transportation of the billing records from the local switch to the administrative center.

Because the SCCP 310 does not currently support signals for the management of billing records, a new set of signals may be needed to stimulate the ACSE and ROSE signals in the SCCP signals. However, instead of creating a new set of messages to manage the structuring, disconnect and transfer the messages of the billing records in the SS7 network, the following map between the existing SS7 signals and the ACSE and ROSE signals is preferred in this invention: Table 1: ACSE / ROSE for the SCCP Message Map ACSE / ROSE Service SCCP MESSAGES M NOTE The ACSE Services Requirement is only (Set the Connection (CR) session / use the / Dismount the Refused (CREF) / field services released (RLSD) / mandatory Complete Release (RLC) ROIV (Invoke) Data form 2 Only (DT2) the mandatory DT2 fields are used RORS (Result) Data form 2 Only (DT2) the mandatory DT2 fields are used ROER (Error! Data form 2 Only [DT2 'the mandatory DT2 fields are used RORJ (Reject) Error (ERR) Spare codes are used to trace the map and find errors All operations Data form 2 DMH (Add Sent, (~ DT2) add Request, Certified shipment, Proportion of Request, Request registration Retransmission of the Request, Non-certified delivery In accordance with what is shown in Table 1, the ACSE establishes and disconnects the signals handled by the signals of the Normal Connection Request and the Released signals in the SS7 network. The ROSE signals to actually send the information are handled by the DT2 messages in the SS7 network. All other DMH operations such as the proportion of the requested transmission (Proportion Request) and the retransmission requests (Retransmission Request) are also handled by the DT2 messages on the SS7 network. The benefit of the previous map is to eliminate the need to introduce a new set of messages in the SS7 network and to reduce the modification that has to be made in the SCCP to accommodate the DMH operation.

Figure 11 is a signal chart SS7 representing a sequence of signals for connecting, sending or disconnecting a communication link between the local switch 10A and the administrative center 10C through an intermediate node 270 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. As previously mentioned, according to the present invention, the DMH no longer uses the ACSE or ROSE signals to transport the information or data. The administrative center 10C is one of the nodes supported by the STP and is completely connected to the telecommunications network SS7. When the local exchange 10A wishes to connect to the administrative center 10C to transport the billing records, the signal of the Connection Request SSCP (CR) 400 is transmitted to an appropriate STP 270 or STP 90. The STP 90, according to the translation table of the global title, is supported by the signal SCCP CR 400 for the correct destination. The administrative center 10C returns the connection request from the local switch 10A by returning a SCCP Connection Response signal 404 to the local switch 10A. Once the connection is established by both nodes, the local switch 10A encapsulates the billing data in a Data Form 2 signal SCCO (DY2) 408 and transmits it over the SS7 network to the administrative center 10C. The administrative center 10C returns the results of the data reception by storing a result code in a SCCP Data Form 2 signal (DT2) 408 and retransmits it to the local switch 10A. After the billing data transmission is terminated, the local switch 10A releases the call connection by sending a SCCP Release (RLSD) signal 416 to the administrative center 10C. Once the Release request is received at the administrative center 10C, the center recognizes it and releases the physical connection and transmits the final signal, the SCCP Complete Release (RLC) signal 420 back to the local switch 10A.

Although only one possibility has been indicated for the release of the call, the protocol is symmetric; both the calling party and the calling party can initiate the release via a Released 416 signal. The release can also be initiated by any of the nodes (switches), which becomes congested. In addition, DTI messages can also be used instead of transporting billing information.

Referring now to Figure 12, a sketch of the telecommunications network SS7 having an Administrative center 140"as one of its nodes served by the STP 270A and 270B as the preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. described above during the description of Figure 7, each node in the SS7 network, including the Administrative Center 140, is supported by the STP 270A and 270B and the dual communication line of the A 500 link. This network ensures total performance ambitious and latency requirements of capabilities such as a charge or fraud detection device.This network also reduces maintenance tasks as the number of DMH nodes grows in the networks.The hierarchical path available in the SCCP provides a mechanism for resolving names and the translation of the global title can be used to simplify the route or itinerary. It provides the level of robustness required for the transfer of accounting information because the SS7 NSP provides many mechanisms to re-route and recover the network to ensure the robustness of the network. Finally, the previous SS7 work network also fully supports the features required for both billing information and signaling information at the same time on a real-time basis (such as the sophisticated device of charging capabilities). This was not possible before, because the signaling networks and accounting networks were two different networks in the prior art. Including both the accounting information and the signaling information in the same SS7 network allows the nodes to provide the services that both types of information require at the same time (for example, to terminate a call if fraud is detected).

Although a preferred embodiment of the method and apparatus of the present invention was illustrated in the company of the Drawings and described in the above Detailed Description,. it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiment disclosed, but is capable of numerous new arrangements, modifications and substitutions without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth and defined in the following claims.

Claims (27)

1. A system for communication accounting messages within a telecommunications network, this system comprises: a switching node connected to the telecommunications network; this node provides the telecommunications services to a telecommunications subscriber for which the accounting messages are generated; an administrative center for the collection and analysis of accounting messages, and; a communication link that connects the node with the administrative center in which the accounting messages generated by the node are transmitted to the administrative center in accordance with a protocol of the Signal Connection Control Part (SCCP) of the Signaling System of the Common Channel No. 7 (SS7).

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the switching node comprises: a first subsystem for the format of accounting messages in accordance with the Data or Information Message Manipulator (DHM) standard; a second subsystem to process the SCCP signals; SSCP signals include: a first set of signals to establish communication between the switching node and the administrative center in the communications link, and; a second set of signals carrying the DHM accounting messages formatted from the first subsystem, and; a third subsystem for the transmission of the signals to the communication link to the administrative center using a level of the Message Transfer Part (MTP) of the protocols of the Signaling System No. 7.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the second set of the signals includes a Signal Data Form 2 (DT2) SCP SS7.

. The system of claim 2, wherein the first set of signals to establish communication simulates the signals of the Association Control Service Element (ACSE).

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the second set of signals for transporting the accounting messages of the formatted DMH of the first subsystem simulates the signals of the Remote Operation Service Element (ROSE).

6. The System of claim 1, wherein the administrative center comprises: a first subsystem for receiving the signals to the communication link from the switching node using a level of the Message Transfer Part (MTP) of Signaling System No. 7 protocols. a second subsystem for the processing of SCCP signals, these SSCP signals comprise: a first set of signals to establish communication between the switching node and the administrative center over the communication link, and; a second set of signals to receive the accounting messages, and; a third subsystem for the extraction of the accounting messages from the second set of signals according to the standard of the Data Message Manipulator (DHM).

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the second set of signals includes a Signal Data Form 2 SS7 SCCP (DT2).

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the first set of signals to establish communication simulates the signals of the Association Control Service Element (ACSE).

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the second set of signals for transporting the formatted DHM accounting messages of the first subsystem simulates the signals of the Remote Operation Service Element (ROSE).

10. A system of the re "d of the System of Signaling of Common Channel No. 7 (SS7) to transport the messages of accounting, this system of the network comprises: a plurality of nodes, wherein certain nodes thereof generate the formatted accounting messages of the Data Message (DHM) manipulator; a plurality of communication links interconnecting the plurality of nodes; a module of the Control Part of the Signaling Connection (SCCP) within each of the nodes for handling the DMH formatted accounting messages, and; a module of the Message Transfer Part (MTP) within each of the nodes connected to said SCCP module to transmit or receive the accounting messages formatted DMH in the communication links.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein certain of the pluralities of the nodes comprise a telecommunications switch, wherein the module generates the SCCP signals, these SCCP signals comprise: a first set of signals to establish communication between certain of the pluralities of the nodes and others of the plurality of the nodes, and; a second set of signals to transport the formatted accounting messages.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein one of the pluralities of the nodes is an administrative center for collecting and analyzing the billing records where the module receives the SCCP signals, these SCCP signals comprise: a first set of signals to establish communication between certain of the pluralities of the nodes and others of the plurality of the nodes, and; a second set of signals to transport the formatted accounting messages.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the set of signals for the transport of the DHM formatted accounting messages comprises the Signal Form 2 of the SS7 SCCP Signal.

14. A method for transporting the accounting information from a first node to a second node where the first node and the second node are connected within a telecommunications network (SS7) of the Common Channel Signaling System No. 7, this method comprises The steps of: format the data or accounting information according to a standard that the first node and the second node can recognize; initiating the structuring from the first node to the second node within the telecommunication network SS7 using the signals from the Signal Connection Control Point SS7 (SCCP); transporting the formatted accounting information from the first node to the second node within the telecommunications network using the signals of the Signal Connection Control Point SS7 (SCCP), and; disconnecting the connection from the first node to the second node within the telecommunication network SS7 using the signals of the Control Point of the Signal Connection SS7 (SCCP).

15. The accounting data transport method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the common standard comprises a data message handler (DHM) standard.

16. The method of transporting the accounting data as claimed in claim 15, wherein the step of transporting the formatted data DMH includes the step of interconnecting with a module of the Message Transfer Part (MTP) of each node.

17. The method of transporting the accounting data as claimed in claim 15, wherein the step of transporting the formatted data DMH includes the step of using the Data Form 2 of the SCCP Signal SS7 (DT2) to store the contents of the DHM formatted information.

18. The method of transporting the accounting data as claimed in claim 14, wherein the first node comprises a telecommunications switch.

19. The method of transporting the accounting data as claimed in claim 14, wherein the second node comprises an administrative billing center.

20. The method of transporting the accounting data as claimed in claim 14, wherein the step for the initiation of the structuring also includes the passage of the interconnection with a module of the Message Transfer Part (MTP) of each node .

21. A system for transporting accounting data from a first node to a second node within the telecommunications network of the Common Channel Signaling System No. 7 (SS7), where the system comprises: means for collecting and formatting the information of accounting according to the standard of the Data Message Handler (DMH) within the first node; means for initiating the structuring of the connection from a first node to a second node using the signals "of the Signal Connection Control Part SS7 (SCCP); means for storing the content of the DHM formatted information that uses the signals of the Signal Connection Control Part SS ~? (SCP), and; means for transporting the formatted information DHM stored in the SS7 SCCP signals from a first node to a second node.

22. A system for the communication of accounting messages within a telecommunication network, this system comprises: a telecommunications switch to provide telecommunications services; an administrative billing center for the collection and analysis of accounting messages; a telecommunications network of Signaling of the Common Channel (CCS) for the connection of the telecommunications switch with "the administrative billing center, and; a transport mechanism for transporting accounting messages from the telecommunications switch to the administrative billing center through the telecommunications network CCS.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the telecommunications network CCS comprises a protocol telecommunications network of the Common Channel Signaling System No. ~. { SSl).

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the transport mechanism for transporting the accounting messages through the telecommunications network SS7 comprises the signals of the Signal Connection Control Part (SCCP).

25. A telecommunications system comprising: a plurality of telecommunications switches; each switch generates a set of signaling messages to provide telecommunications services and generate accounting messages in response to the provision of telecommunications services; an administrative billing center for the collection and analysis of accounting messages; a Common Channel Signaling Network (CCS) for the interconnection of the plurality of telecommunication switches and the administrative billing center, and; a transport mechanism provided within each plurality of telecommunications switches for communication of the signaling messages between the plurality of telecommunications switches and for the communication of the accounting messages from each of the plurality of telecommunications switches to the administrative billing center.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the links of the CCS communications comprises a protocol telecommunications link of the CCS System No. 7 (SS7).

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the transport mechanism comprises signals; these signals are transported through the CCS network in accordance with a signaling protocol of the Signal Connection Control Part (SCCP).