The invention generally relates to accurate call data recordkeeping operations in a telecommunications environment. More specifically the invention relates to a process of consolidating all separately generated call detail records associated with a given call such as a telephone call.
In conventional telecommunications, networks, particularly, in those involving some sort of telephony such as is in a voice over interne protocol (VoIP) communication arrangement, it is common for each call that is set up in the arrangement to initiate the generation of a new call detail record. Each call detail record contains parameters relating to a given call. Such parameters may include things as the origin terminus of the call, the destination terminus of the call, the start time of the call, the end time of the call, an information about the links and/or nodes which make up the call connection to establish the call, etc. Additional parameters maybe associated with the given call detail record where such metrics are easily detected within the network in question and affiliated with the given call. These call detail records therefore provide a detailed set of characteristics which describe the essential aspects of the call from the service providers perspective. Call detail records can be used in connection with such processes as facilities resource management, billing, etc.
Call detail records are also useful in connection with providing an overall perspective of the quality of the service being provided to the customers of the service provider. In addition, this can be an important indicator to the service provider as to either areas within the service or service backbone which require either immediate attention, such as for the treatment of an existing fault, or failure within the service or network or alternatively, proactive treatment of service or network component aspects of the arrangement.
In certain situations within the known communications arrangements, multiple call detail records may actually be produced in connection with attempts to set up the same call. An example of this is illustrated in FIG. 1.
In this arrangement 100, an origin device may seek to communicate with a user at destination 1 (155). The origin device (110) interacts with a network element 115 within network 170. As the caller attempts to establish the call through the network element 115, a call data record 1 is generated (116). Since the call is intended for destination 1 (155), network element 115 attempts to establish the call through network elements 125 and 150 respectively. It may happen that the user at destination (155) may operate to attempt to transfer the call to a user at destination 2 (145); the transfer of the call is delineated by the dashed lines which show that the call is being transferred via network elements 150, 125 and 140 to destination 2 (145). Thus, the origin device (110) is now connected via network elements 115 and 125 and 140 to destination 2. However, for purposes of the perspective of origin device (110), this constitutes the same call. Nonetheless, because the network element 125 has been prompted to reroute or switch the call to destination 2 via the transfer operation requested by destination 1, that network element 125 generates its own call detail record, too (126). These two call detail records CDR1 and CDR2 are provided to respective call detail record databases 120 and 130. Thus, in the prior art, multiple call detail records may be generated in connection with the establishment of the same call from an origin device perspective and those multiple CDRs may be transferred to distinct databases. In this case then, the system does not have the capability of providing an accurate reflection of the user experience by the user of origin device 110 as the two separate aspects of the single call are treated as two separate events in two distinct databases. It would be beneficial to provide an arrangement whereby the service provider can have a more complete and accurate view of the user experience of the user of origin device 110.