System and method for monitoring communications in a network
View Patent ↗Methods and systems are described for monitoring communications in a packet-switched network. More specifically, the system initiates a communication between a network endpoint associated with a call mediator and at least a second network endpoint; records, at the call mediator, information associated with the communication; and upon termination of the communication, communicates, from the call mediator to an enterprise gatekeeper, the information associated with the communication.
1. A method for monitoring communications in a packet-switched network, the method comprising:
receiving, by a computer, information associated with communications between endpoints, wherein the information comprises at least a termination cause code generated by a call mediator, the termination cause code being received in a first format and indicating a termination cause for a given communication;
translating the termination cause code from the first format into a second format; and
using the termination cause code to identify communications that should not be billed.
2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the using further comprises:
identifying communications that should not be billed if a corresponding termination cause code indicates a network failure as the termination cause.
3. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first format is an alphanumeric format, the translating further comprising:
translating the termination cause code from the alphanumeric format to the second format.
4. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the second format is a PSTN format, the translating further comprising:
translating the termination cause code from the first format to the PSTN format.
5. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the information comprises a disconnect request and a billing token, the method further comprising:
processing at least one of the disconnect request and the billing token to create an authentication record.
6. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the information further comprises an amount of data transferred between endpoints of the given communication.
7. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the information further comprises at least one of:
a start time of the given communication;
a stop time of the given communication; and
a duration of the given communication.
8. A system for monitoring communications in a packet-switched network, the system comprising:
an enterprise gatekeeper communicably coupled to a call mediator, wherein a first endpoint is communicably coupled to the call mediator;
wherein the enterprise gatekeeper is operable to receive, from the call mediator, information associated with a communication between the first endpoint and a second endpoint, the information comprising at least a termination cause code generated by the call mediator in a first format indicating a termination cause of the communication;
wherein the enterprise gatekeeper is operable to translate the termination cause code from the first format into a second format; and
wherein the enterprise gatekeeper is operable to use the termination cause code to determine whether the communication should be billed.
9. The system as recited in claim 8 , wherein the enterprise gatekeeper is operable to:
determine that the communication should not be billed if the termination cause code indicates a network failure as the termination cause.
10. The system as recited in claim 8 , wherein the first format is an alphanumeric format, the enterprise gatekeeper further operable to:
translate the termination cause code from the alphanumeric format to the second format.
11. The system as recited in claim 8 , wherein the second format is a PSTN format, the enterprise gatekeeper further operable to:
translate the termination cause code from the first format to the PSTN format.
12. The system as recited in claim 8 , wherein the information comprises a disconnect request and a billing token, the enterprise gatekeeper further operable to:
process at least one of the disconnect request and the billing token to create an authentication record.
13. The system as recited in claim 8 , wherein the information comprises an amount of data transferred between the first endpoint and the second endpoint.
14. The system as recited in claim 8 , wherein the information comprises at least one of:
a duration of the communication;
a start time of the communication; and
a stop time of the communication.
15. An enterprise gatekeeper comprising:
a processor;
a memory operable to store information associated with communications between endpoints over a packet-switched network;
wherein the enterprise gatekeeper is operable to receive, from a call mediator, information associated with a communication between a first endpoint and a second endpoint, the information comprising at least a termination cause code generated by the call mediator in a first format indicating a termination cause of the communication;
wherein the enterprise gatekeeper is operable to translate the termination cause code from the first format into a second format; and
wherein the enterprise gatekeeper is operable to use the termination cause code to determine whether the communication should be billed.
16. The enterprise gatekeeper as recited in claim 15 , further operable to:
determine that the communication should not be billed if the termination cause code indicates a network failure as the termination cause.
17. The enterprise gatekeeper as recited in claim 15 , further operable to:
translate the termination cause code from an alphanumeric format to a PSTN format.