Patent Grant
8712372
This application claims the priority benefit of EPO Application NO. 05425611.0 filed Aug. 31, 2005 and Italian Application No. MI2005A001618 filed Aug. 31, 2005, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
1. Technical Field
This invention relates to telecommunications processing systems. In particular, this invention relates to an efficient and flexible architecture which integrates prepaid account processing systems and post-paid account processing systems.
2. Related Art
Rapid advances in data processing and telecommunications technology have lead to a vast array of communication services available to the consumer. Such telecommunication services include Internet service, cable television service, cellular phone service, paging service, combined voice and data delivery service, and many other services. Furthermore, most services may be wireless or wireline based.
With the increase in available services has also come increased flexibility in paying for those services. Traditionally, most customer accounts were post-paid accounts. For post-paid accounts, the service provider tracked all of the time a customer spent using a service, determined the applicable cost, and billed the customer (e.g., monthly). In other words, the customer paid only after using the service.
More recently, prepaid accounts have become a viable option for paying for telecommunications services. For a prepaid account, a customer makes an initial payment to the service provider which establishes a credit balance with the service provider. The customer may then use a telecommunications service until the credit balance is exhausted, with accounting performed during or after the termination of each service use transaction.
In the past, service providers implemented processing architectures in which independent systems supported prepaid and post-paid customers and performed customer management. The post-paid systems provided support for payment collection, invoicing, billing, discount and loyalty management, as well as other post-paid support functions. The prepaid systems provided support for credit refills, usage statements, balance management, and other prepaid support functions. However, architectures with independent prepaid, post-paid, and customer management processing systems significantly increased the complexity of providing both prepaid and post-paid services, resulted in a greater number of architectural impacts when rolling out new products, and increased both operational expenditures and capital expenditures to support products and services across both types of payment plans.
In addition, the lack of interaction between systems limited the products, services, discounts, billing flexibility, incentives, rewards, and other telecommunication service aspects which the service provider could provide for its customers. For example, a post-paid account generally had no interaction with a prepaid account, even when the accounts were for a common customer. Thus, the telecommunications service provider could not readily offer cross-product discounts, incentives, or billing options.
One aspect of the invention is a convergent telecommunications system architecture. The convergent architecture unites traditionally independent telecommunications architectures which perform a wide variety of functions. For example, the convergent architecture may unite a self care system, customer care system, billing system, and other support systems which exist in a telecommunications support architecture with a prepaid account balance manager and real time rating system which exist in a prepaid architecture. Efficient and flexible messaging interfaces unite the architectures. In an alternate convergent architecture, a telecommunications support architecture is integrated with a combined rating and billing architecture. As a result, the architectures may efficiently communicate data between the traditionally independent architectures and may support additional products and services and may offer enhanced billing options, such as cross product discounts.
In one implementation, the telecommunications support architecture maintains prepaid rating balances (e.g., in a billing system) and post-paid account balances for service customers. In other words, any given service customer may establish either or both types of payment plans for any one or more types of telecommunications products and services. The telecommunications support architecture may maintain create, update, and/or delete control over the balances in order to establish itself as the primary authority for maintaining the customer balance data.
The prepaid architecture tracks service usage for prepaid services. The rating system may receive telecommunication network mediation requests for service for a customer. In response, the rating system tracks usage of the prepaid service, determines the cost of the usage, and synchronizes usage data with the billing system in the telecommunications support architecture.
In one implementation, the convergent architecture connects the telecommunications support architecture and the prepaid architecture with a bi-directional messaging interface. The messaging interface establishes information flow from the telecommunications support architecture to the rating system and from the rating system to the telecommunications support architecture. The telecommunications support architecture and the rating system are thereby integrated into a single telecommunications architecture.
The messaging interface, for example, includes customer account management interface and a service usage interface. The customer account management interface defines message flows from the telecommunications support architecture to the prepaid architecture. The service usage interface defines message flows from the prepaid architecture to the telecommunications support architecture.
As one example, the customer account management interface defines a refill interface establishing a refill message which the telecommunications support architecture sends to the prepaid architecture. In response, the prepaid architecture credits a prepaid account balance as specified in the refill message. An adapter may translate the refill event message as specified by a refill message mapping into a form for refill messages supported by the prepaid architecture.
As additional examples of the customer account management interfaces, the messaging interface may include a balance adjustment interface and a subscriber account interface. The balance adjustment interface defines a balance adjustment message sent from the customer care system to the rating system. The subscriber account interface defines messages for customer and customer account creation and modification.
In addition, the messaging interface supports information flow from the rating system to the telecommunications support architecture. The information flow may be a batch file or message flow which runs on a periodic schedule, in real time, or according to any other schedule. More specifically, the messaging interface defines a service usage interface from the prepaid rating system to the telecommunications support architecture.
The service usage interface allows the rating system to communicate service usage information for prepaid service use to the telecommunications support architecture where centralized management of the customer balances occurs. To that end, the service usage interface may establish a messaging protocol which constructs messages and/or files based on a service use event record. The service use event record provides an efficient and flexible message transport mechanism which delivers a wide variety of information from the rating system to the telecommunications support architecture using a consistent message format.
The service use event record may include an event header and an event attribute list. The service usage interface may then define multiple event type definitions. Each definition may include an event attribute definition which specifies event attributes for insertion into the event attribute list in the service use event record. As examples, the event type definitions may specify rating information for services including voice traffic, short message service (SMS), Internet traffic, voice over Internet protocol service, Internet protocol television service, or any other telecommunications service.
The service use event record need not change to support additional event types. Instead, a new event type definition may be provided which fits within the service use event record. Accordingly, the telecommunications architecture efficiently and flexibly supports the integration of prepaid and post-paid processing systems over a wide range of telecommunications products and services.
Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the invention will be, or will become, apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages be included within this description and be protected by the following claims.
The invention can be better understood with reference to the following drawings and description. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. Moreover, in the figures, like referenced numerals designate corresponding parts or elements throughout the different views.
The elements illustrated in the Figures interoperate as explained in more detail below. Before setting forth the detailed explanation, however, it is noted that all of the discussion below, regardless of the particular implementation being described, is exemplary in nature, rather than limiting. For example, although selected aspects, features, or components of the implementations are depicted as being stored in memories, all or part of systems and methods consistent with the reverse rating systems and method may be stored on, distributed across, or read from other machine-readable media, for example, secondary storage devices such as hard disks, floppy disks, and CD-ROMs; a signal received from a network; or other forms of ROM or RAM either currently known or later developed.
Furthermore, although specific components of the convergent architecture will be described, methods, systems, and articles of manufacture consistent with the convergent architecture may include additional or different components. For example, a processor may be implemented as a microprocessor, microcontroller, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), discrete logic, or a combination of other type of circuits or logic. Similarly, memories may be DRAM, SRAM, Flash or any other type of memory. Flags, data, databases, tables, and other data structures may be separately stored and managed, may be incorporated into a single memory or database, may be distributed, or may be logically and physically organized in many different ways. Programs may be parts of a single program, separate programs, or distributed across several memories and processors.
The convergent architecture 100 connects the support architecture 102 with the prepaid architecture 104 through messaging interfaces.
The telecommunications support architecture 102 may be implemented in many different ways and may provide a wide range of functionality. As one example,
The billing system 110 generates usage statements and/or invoices 118 for the telecommunication service provider customers. In handling both prepaid and post-paid customer accounts, the billing system 110 may maintain both rating balances and account balances for the service provider customers and may exercise centralized control over the rating balances and account balances. In other words, the billing system 110 has mastership (e.g., has exclusive create, update, and delete access) of the rating balances and account balances in the architecture 100. However, in other implementations, the customer care system 112 or other system may establish mastership of the rating balances and account balances.
The rating balances are associated with services for which a customer prepays. On the other hand, account balances are generally associated with services for which a customer pay after the service is used. As will be described in more detail below, as the customer uses the prepaid service, the billing system 110 decrements the rating balance. As the customer uses the postpaid service, the billing system 110 increments the account balance. The telecommunications support architecture 102, for any given customer, may maintain and track one or more rating balances and account balances.
The self care system 114 may process prepaid account refill actions. As will be explained in more detail below, the self care system 114 may communicate refill messages to the prepaid architecture 104. The prepaid architecture 104 will accordingly update rating balance information stored locally in the prepaid architecture 104.
The revenue management system 116 may provide information which allows the communications service provider to make informed decisions concerning demand for products and services so that the communications service provider may take steps to maximize revenue. The revenue management system 116, for example, may review and analyze historical data, current demand levels, and product and service usage forecasts, and output suggested rates for the telecommunications products and services.
The telecommunications support architecture 102 receives inputs from external sources. As one example, the telecommunications support architecture 102 receives postpaid account payment messages 120. The payment messages 120 may arrive from, for example, financial institutions such as banks and may indicate payment of invoices to the telecommunications support architecture 102. In response to the payment messages 120, the telecommunications support architecture 102 may update customer account balances maintained by the billing system 110.
As another example, the telecommunications support architecture 102 may receive prepaid payment messages 122. The prepaid payment messages 122 may arrive in response to customers funding their prepaid accounts, for example by making a credit card or bank account payment. In response to the prepaid payment messages 122, the telecommunications support architecture 102 may update customer rating balances maintained by the billing system 110. Similarly, the telecommunications support architecture 102 may receive and process voucher refill actions 124. The voucher refill actions 124 may also replenish prepaid account balances. Thus, in response to a voucher refill action 124, the telecommunications support architecture may also update customer rating balances maintained by the billing system 110.
All of the functionality within the telecommunications support architecture 102 may communicate to enhance the service provided to the customer. For example, the customer care system 112 and the revenue management system 116 may communicate balance adjustment messages, dispute resolution messages, or other messages to one another. Accordingly, all of the functionality within the telecommunications support architecture 102 has access to and may report a consistent view of customer data.
In one implementation, the systems 110-116 are implemented with Accenture Communications Solutions™ components available from Accenture S.a.P of Rome, Italy. In other implementations, the Geneva™ platform available from Convergys of Chicago Ill. and/or the Siebel 7.7 CME™ platform available from Siebel Systems, Inc. of San Mateo, Calif., may implement one or more of the systems 110-116. The systems 110-116 may run under the Unix™, Windows 2000 ™, Linux™, or other operating system. Underlying databases may be implemented with an Oracle™ SQL database platform available from Oracle of Redwood Shores, Calif., Microsoft™ SQL database platform available from Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash., and/or Siebel™ SQL database platform. The systems 110-116 may be implemented in other manners, however.
The telecommunications support architecture 102 connects to the prepaid architecture 104. The prepaid architecture 104 includes a real-time rating system 126, prepaid account data 128, and the prepaid balance manager 130. The prepaid architecture 104 communicates with the mediation system 106 through a messaging interface 132.
The messaging interface 132 receives messages from, and communicates messages to, the mediation system 106. For example a messaging interface 132 may receive a service use authorization request from the mediation system 106. In response, the prepaid architecture 104 may verify that the prepaid account has a balance which supports the requested service. The prepaid architecture 104 may then respond with a service use authorization or denial message to the mediation system 106. In addition, the mediation system 106 and the prepaid architecture 104 exchange messages concerning the type or amount charges to be incurred for the use of a particular product or service.
Furthermore, the mediation system 106 may provide postpaid service usage accounting messages to the prepaid architecture 104. For example, the postpaid service usage messages may report the type and duration of a postpaid telecommunications service usage, such as the duration of a cellular phone call. As will be described in more detail below, the prepaid architecture may provide postpaid service usage account messages to the telecommunications support architecture 102. The telecommunications support architecture 102 may then appropriately update postpaid account balances for the applicable customer.
The prepaid architecture 104 monitors and tracks ongoing usage of prepaid telecommunications services. To that end, the real-time rating system 126 continuously rates the ongoing service. For example, when a customer has prepaid for cellular phone service, the real-time rating system 126 monitors the duration of ongoing cellular phone calls and provides consistent cost updates to the prepaid balance manager 130. In response, the prepaid balance manager 130 continuously decrements the prepaid account balance in the prepaid account data 128. Accordingly, the prepaid balance manager 130 may determine when the prepaid customer account balance is exhausted and may then take steps to terminate the prepaid service.
Like the telecommunications support architecture 102, the prepaid architecture 104 may receive input from external sources. For example the prepaid architecture 104 may receive prepaid account refill messages 134. The refill messages 134 may arrive from many different refill channels.
As examples, point-of-sale terminals, automated teller machines, and/or interactive voice response systems may communicate refill messages directly to the prepaid architecture 104. Because the prepaid architecture 104 is integrated with the telecommunications support architecture 102 in the convergent architecture 100, the prepaid architecture 104 will communicate the refill information received in the refill messages 134 to the telecommunications support architecture 102. As noted above, the telecommunications support architecture 102 maintains centralized control over the rating balances and account balances for the telecommunications systems customers.
The prepaid architecture 104 may be implemented in many technologies. In one implementation, the Am-Beo nCharge™ and/or nRate™ platform may implement the real time rating system 126 and prepaid balance manager 130, and may maintain the prepaid account data 128. However, the prepaid architecture 104 does not maintain the prepaid account data 128 in isolation. Instead, the telecommunications support architecture 102 provides centralized management of the prepaid account data (e.g., the rating balances), as well as postpaid account data, thereby integrating the prepaid architecture 104 and the telecommunications support architecture 102 in one architecture.
The synchronization between the prepaid architecture 104 and the telecommunications support architecture 102 may be implemented by an efficient and flexible messaging interface. In particular, the architecture 100 includes a bidirectional messaging interface 136 which connects the telecommunications support architecture 102 and the prepaid architecture 104. Message flow from the telecommunications support architecture 102 to the prepaid architecture 104 may be governed by a customer account management interface 138. Similarly, message flow from the prepaid architecture 104 to the telecommunications support architecture 102 may be governed by a service usage interface 140.
The customer account management interface 138 may define interfaces, including messages and/or communication protocols, for information flow to the prepaid architecture 104. As examples, the customer account management interface 138 may define a prepaid account refill interface 142, a balance adjustment interface 144, and a subscriber account interface 146. Similarly, the service usage interface 140 may define interfaces, including messages, file structures, and/or communication protocols, for information flow from the prepaid architecture 104 to the telecommunications support architecture 102. As examples, the service usage interface 140 may establish a detailed rated usage interface 148 as well as an aggregated usage interface 150. The customer account management interface 138 and the service usage interface 140 are described in more detail below.
The account management adapters 154 implement message and message content conversion from the message format in place in the telecommunications support architecture 102 to the message format in place in the prepaid architecture 104. For example, the account management adapters 154 may provide a refill message adapter which translates the refill message sent from the telecommunications support architecture 102 to a form expected by the prepaid architecture 104. Similarly, the account management adapters 154 may also provide a balance adjustment message adapter and subscriber account message adapters for customer and customer account creation and modification messages.
As a result, the rating and billing architecture 204 need not report detailed or aggregate usage information back to the telecommunications support architecture 202. Instead, the rating and billing architecture 204 processes the service usage data internally and establishes and maintains the rating balances and account balances for the telecommunications system customers locally. Nevertheless, the telecommunications support architecture 202 exercises control over customer creation and modification, customer account creation and modification, as well as other aspects of customer accounts.
The telecommunications support architecture 202 and the rating and billing architecture 204 are integrated through a messaging interface 208. As described above, the messaging interface 208 establishes the customer account management interface 138. The customer account management interface 138 communicates customer and customer account creation and modification messages from the telecommunications support architecture 202 to the rating and billing architecture 204.
The architecture 200 may be implemented in many ways. For example, the account and billing system 204 may include Convergys Geneva™ platform components which implement a rating engine, a billing engine, and account management. As another example, the account and billing system 204 may include SingleView™ platform components available from Intec Telecom Systems PLC of Surrey England. The Singl.eView™ components may implement a commerce engine, event normalization and rating processes, a balance and reservations management system, billing and invoicing generation processes, an accounting system, or other systems.
To that end, the message publication system 302 may establish subscriber records 304 and subscriber topics 306. The message publication system 302 may then send each subscriber to a given topic a copy of each message sent to that topic when the message is received at the message publication system 302. For example, the prepaid architecture 104 may subscribe to customer account management messages, such as refill messages 308, balance adjustment messages 310, customer and customer account creation and modification messages 312, and other messages. As the message publication system 302 receives such messages from the telecommunications support architecture 102, the message publication system 302 provides a copy of each message to the prepaid architecture 104.
The message publication system 302 may also provide one or more adapters 314 in the adapter interface 152.
The refill adapter 316 performs message and message data translation, mapping, and transformation from the refill messages 308 to a format expected by a subscriber, such as the prepaid architecture 104. The refill mapping 318 specifies the message and message data translations, mappings, and transformations which produce a refill message for processing by the prepaid architecture 104 starting with the known format of the refill messages 308. In other words, the adapter mappings support transformation of messages and/or message content from a format defined by one schema (e.g., a schema for messages to adhere to in the telecommunications support architecture 102) to another format defined by another schema (e.g., a schema for messages to adhere to in the prepaid architecture 104 and/or the account and billing system 204).
The message publication system 302 and adapter interfaces 152 may be implemented, for example, with TIBCO AdaptersSM and TIBCO Rendezvous™ messaging, available from TIBCO Software Inc. of Palo Alto, Calif. In one implementation, the messages communicated are eXtensible Markup Language (XML) messages and the adapters perform transformation according to extensible Stylesheet Language for Transformations (XSLT) stylesheets. The transformations may transform data between schemas for any of XML, Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP), Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), Web Service Definition Language (WSDL), extensible Scheme Diagram (XSD), Java Database Connectivity/Open Database Connectivity (JDBC/ODBC) or other message format, content standards, or communication protocols in place in the architectures 100 and 200.
The prepaid architecture 104 may communicate the detailed usage data 320 (e.g., through the detailed rated usage interface 148) and aggregate usage data 322 (e.g., through the aggregated usage interface 150) to the telecommunications support architecture 102 as streams of messages, as batches of files, and/or in other manners. For example, the prepaid architecture 104 may stream the detailed usage data 322 to the telecommunications support architecture 102 as soon as the detailed usage data 320 is available. Accordingly, the detailed usage data 320 arrives in the input data directory 348 of the telecommunications support architecture 102 as a detailed usage data stream 348.
As another example, the aggregate usage data 322 may arrive in the input data directory 348 of the telecommunications support architecture 102 as an aggregate batch file 352 for processing by the telecommunications support architecture 102. Any of the detailed usage data 320 and aggregate usage data 322 may be delivered to the telecommunications support architecture 102 via an FTP interface, or other communication mechanism.
The detailed usage data 320 may provide a record of each telecommunications service event for which the prepaid architecture 104 is configured to provide detailed usage data. The detailed event files 326 contain records specific to any given type of event, any number of which may be accompanied by a control file 324 when the detailed usage data 320 is delivered to the telecommunications support architecture 102.
The control file header 330, the detailed event file header 332, and the aggregate file header 334 may share a common format. Specifically, the headers 330 and 332 may be built as follows. Line 1 may identify the file as being a prepaid architecture file and may specify a file format (e.g., a text based data file). The second line may identify a pre-defined format from one or more possible pre-defined file formats for the file. Lines 3, 4, and 5 may define the character set, the type of the file, and the sub-type of the file. For example, the character set may be ASCII-8. As examples, the file type may specify a control file or an event file, and each type may have a subtype which identifies a specific type of service (e.g., wireline, SMS, or GSM service).
Lines 6, 7 and 8 may include information which confirms the identification of the file within a group of multiple files transferred to the telecommunications support architecture 102. Lines 9 and 10 provide two general purpose fields. In some implementations, lines 9 and 10 include distinguishing identifiers so that multiple concurrent processes may process at one time files which have different sources. Table 1, below, provides additional detail concerning the headers 330-334.
Table 2 provides an example of a control file header.
Table 3 provides an example of an event file header.
The control file footer 342 and detailed event file footer 344 may also share a common format shown below in Table 4.
Table 5 provides an example of a footer for control and event files.
Table 6, below, shows an example implementation of the data section 336 in a control file.
Table 7 provides an example of a data record for a control file.
The data section 338 provides an efficient mechanism for transferring usage data to the telecommunications support architecture 102 over a vast range of different event types, each of which may specify different event characteristics. Inside each data section 338 is a common event header followed by an event attribute list. The attribute list provides data fields which store information which characterizes any particular event. Thus, the data section 338 need not change, and new events may be defined at any time, with the data section 338 providing a consistent transport mechanism for the event characteristics. Furthermore, established events may be modified without the need to redefine the data section 338.
Table 8, below, shows an example implementation of the data section 338 in an event file. Table 8 defines an event header that extends up to the “Authorization Code” field, followed by event attributes.
The prepaid architecture 104 also establishes multiple event type definitions. Each definition may include an event attribute definition section which specifies event attributes which characterize the event. The event attributes are inserted into the data section 338 in the event file.
Table 9, below, shows an example implementation of an event type definition for GSM voice traffic.
Table 10, below, shows an example implementation of an event type definition for general packet radio service traffic.
Table 11, below, shows an example implementation of an event type definition for SMS data traffic.
Table 12, below, shows an example implementation of an event type definition for MMS data traffic.
Table 13, below, shows an example implementation of an event type definition for other data content traffic.
Table 14, below, shows an example implementation of an event type definition for streaming video traffic.
Table 15, below, shows an example implementation of an event type definition for Internet traffic.
Table 16, below, shows an example implementation of an event type definition for Voice over Internet Protocol traffic.
Table 17, below, shows an example implementation of an event type definition for IP Television traffic.
The aggregated usage data 322 may be provided to the telecommunications support architecture 102 on a regular basis (e.g., by a monthly batch file). The aggregated event files 328 may follow the same format as the control files 324 and detailed event files 326. Examples of event type definitions for aggregated data are given below.
Table 18, below, shows an example implementation of an aggregated event type definition for GSM voice traffic.
Table 19, below, shows an example implementation of an aggregated event type definition for GPRS data traffic.
Table 20, below, shows an example implementation of an aggregated event type definition for SMS data traffic.
Table 21, below, shows an example implementation of an aggregated event type definition for MMS data traffic.
Table 22, below, shows an example implementation of an aggregated event type definition for general content traffic.
Table 23, below, shows an example implementation of an aggregated event type definition for streaming video traffic.
Table 24, below, shows an example implementation of an aggregated event type definition for Internet traffic.
Table 25, below, shows an example implementation of an aggregated event type definition for Voice over IP traffic.
Table 26, below, shows an example implementation of an aggregated event type definition for IP Television traffic.
As noted above, the architectures 100, 200 implement customer account management interfaces 138. The interfaces 138 include a prepaid account refill interface 142, a balance adjustment interface 144, and a subscriber account interface 146. Each interface 142-146 may define messages sent from the telecommunications support architecture 102 to the prepaid architecture 104 or the account and billing system 204. The messages may be XML messages sent with a SOAP call. For each message, the architectures 100 and 200 may define an XSD schema used to validate the XML to be sent in the SOAP call.
The telecommunications support architecture 102 may initiate a create customer event when an order for a new customer is submitted. When the first order for a new customer is submitted, the telecommunications support architecture 102 sends to the billing system 110 and 206 the information which creates a customer in the billing system 110 and 206. Customer creation occurs before account creation since a customer may have one or more accounts. The billing system 110 and 206 may further differentiate the creation of a residential customer and a business customer based on the information received from the telecommunications support architecture 102.
The create customer message definition 602 includes a first name field 612, a customer code field 614, and additional data fields 616 explained below in an exemplary implementation shown in Table 29.
Customer data modifications include changes to any fields of the customer account, such as a change to a customer's name or address. The telecommunications support architecture 102 may handle customer modification events by sending a customer modification message to the systems 104 or 204 and/or the supporting billing systems 110, 206.
The telecommunications support architecture 102 may initiate a create account event when an order for a new customer is submitted and after a new customer is created. The create account message definition 604 includes a customer code field 624, a currency code field 626, and additional data fields 628 explained below in an exemplary implementation shown in Table 31.
Customer account modifications include changes to any fields of the account, such as a change to an account currency or language. The telecommunications support architecture 102 may handle customer account modification events by sending a customer account modification message to the systems 104 or 204 and/or the supporting billing systems 110, 206.
The customer account management interfaces 138 may also define an asset component message interface. The asset components may define in the billing system and/or rating system information about products, services, and discounts which inform the billing system how the products and services should be billed and rated. A discount may be implemented as a product with a negative cost. The system which receives the asset component message parses the event and identity of the products and discounts based on a product catalog identifier field.
The telecommunications support architecture 102 publishes a refill message 1002 to the message publication system 302. The message publication system 302 provides an acknowledgement 1004. The message publication system 302 also sends the refill message (optionally after adaptation) to subscribers of refill topics, including the prepaid architecture 104.
The adapted refill message 1006 arrives at the prepaid architecture 104 (or the combined rating and billing architecture 204). The systems 104 and/or 204 may communicate an acknowledgement message 1008 to the message publication system 302. After the adapted refill message 1006 arrives, the systems 104 and 204 process the message and refill the customer account balance. If the message publication system 302 cannot parse the refill message, or cannot deliver the refill message, the message publication system 302 may instead deliver an error reporting message 1010 to an exception database 1012 when error logs are maintained.
The convergent architectures 100, 200 reduce the cost and complexity of providing support for both prepaid and postpaid products and services. The messaging interfaces provide interaction between traditionally separate prepaid and postpaid processing systems and telecommunications support architectures. Accordingly, a telecommunications service provider may offer cross category products, discounts, and other service enhancements which include characteristics of both prepaid and postpaid products and services, with less architectural impact and less cost than completely replacing existing customer management and/or rating and billing architectures.
In meeting the technical challenges of providing an enhanced telecommunications service provider architecture, the messaging interfaces were designed to provide flexible and efficient communication of data between the customer care systems and the rating and billing architectures. In particular, the service usage interface 140 defines a message format which conveys information about a wide range of different events to the telecommunications support architecture 102.
The service usage interface 140 provides an extensible message format for delivering information to the telecommunications support architecture 102. The service use files are characterized by an event header and an event attribute list. The architectures 100 and 200 may then define multiple event type definitions independently of the service use event record. In other words, the service use event record need not change to support additional event types. Instead, a new event type definition may be provided which fits within the service use event record. Accordingly, the telecommunications architectures 100 and 200 efficiently and flexibly support the integration of prepaid and post-paid processing systems over a wide range of telecommunications products and services.
The convergent architectures 100 and 200 provide significant advantages, including service delivery technology independence, customer centric viewpoint, and payment method flexibility. Service delivery technology independence provides rating and billing for virtually all combinations of telecommunications products, services, and use events independently of the technology actually used to deliver the product or service. As a result, the architectures 100 and 200 provide common and consistent product infrastructures, reduced complexity through consolidated infrastructure, and reduced capital and operational expenditure costs.
The customer centric viewpoint provides a perspective of the customer and the customer billing across widely varying prepaid and postpaid industries and services. As a result, the architectures 100 and 200 may support offers for bundles of products and services from multiple different product and service lines which attracts and keeps customers. In addition, the architectures 100 and 200 support discounts across multiple products and services based on any particular product or service. The flexible support for products and services also allows rapid creation and rollout of new product and service offerings, as well as dynamic reconfiguration of existing offerings with lower risk and at lower cost.
Payment method flexibility permits handling either type of payment as well as varying whether any service within a customer account is prepaid or postpaid. Such flexibility attracts and retains customers regardless of their associated customer segment. This flexibility also allows customers to manage and control family spending through advanced balance control, credit control, hierarchy of accounts, and a unified balance maintained in the architectures 100 and 200 and which pays for any number of pre-paid services. Furthermore, the architectures 100 and 200 reduce financial risk through real time rating and associated credit control management.
While various embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible. Accordingly, the invention is not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents.
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