Interactive billing system utilizing a thin web client interface

Abstract

An apparatus and method are provided for allowing a user to access detailed and up-to-date telecommunications billing information associated with multiple telephone numbers over a data network from a computer that has a web browser installed. The apparatus includes a billing server that maintains a database of telecommunications transaction records. Each time a new telecommunications event occurs, such as a toll call from a number in the user's account, a new transaction record is added to the data base. The user interfaces to the database of transaction records through a series of web pages that are transmitted over the internet by a web server. The web pages that are generated by the web server provide the user with the capability to query the data base and to view transaction records from his/her account that are retrieved from the data base as a result of the query. An event monitor is provided to alert the user when a preset threshold for selected accounts, within a given time period, is met.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An apparatus for presenting, and monitoring telecommunication transaction records via a thin web client interface, the apparatus comprising: 
 a billing server, configured to maintain the telecommunication transaction records, and to query the telecommunication transaction records in response to a request for prescribed data; and    a web server, coupled to said billing server, configured to send telecommunication transaction information to said billing server, to request said prescribed data in response to a user command via the thin web client interface, and to provide said prescribed data to the user;    wherein said prescribed data distinguishes between a first telecommunication transaction record and a second telecommunication transaction record.    
     
     
         2 . The apparatus as recited in    claim 1   , wherein each of the telecommunication transaction records documents a specific telecommunication event.  
     
     
         3 . The apparatus as recited in    claim 2   , wherein, upon execution of said specific telecommunication event, said web server sends said telecommunication transaction information to said billing server and said billing server generates a specific telecommunication transaction record.  
     
     
         4 . The apparatus as recited in    claim 3   , wherein said specific telecommunication event comprises a local toll call, a long distance call, or a calling card call.  
     
     
         5 . The apparatus as recited in    claim 4   , wherein said telecommunication transaction information comprises an account number, a calling number, a transaction date, a transaction time, a called number, a called place, a transaction duration, and a transaction cost.  
     
     
         6 . The apparatus as recited in    claim 1   , wherein the thin web client interface is a web browser capable of processing HTML-compatible web pages.  
     
     
         7 . The apparatus as recited in    claim 6   , wherein said web server is a computer that transmits and receives data packets over a data network to provide telecommunication services for said user.  
     
     
         8 . The apparatus as recited in    claim 7   , wherein said web server transmits HTML-compatible web pages over said data network to allow said user to view said prescribed data using the thin web client interface.  
     
     
         9 . The apparatus as recited in    claim 8   , wherein said web server receives said user command over said data network.  
     
     
         10 . The apparatus as recited in    claim 9   , wherein said web server employs TCP/IP protocol to transmit and receive said data packets.  
     
     
         11 . The apparatus as recited in    claim 10   , wherein said billing server maintains said telecommunication transaction records in a data base.  
     
     
         12 . The apparatus as recited in    claim 11   , wherein said data base is accessed by an Open Data Base Connectivity (ODBC)-compatible query.  
     
     
         13 . The apparatus as recited in    claim 12   , wherein said user specifies said prescribed data by requesting a query of said data base for selected transaction records that match parameters of said query, said parameters including a calling line field, a number called field, a called place field, and a transaction cost field, wherein said fields are entered by said user and transmitted to said web server via the thin web client interface.  
     
     
         14 . An interactive telecommunications billing mechanism, comprising: 
 a billing server, for maintaining a transaction data base, and for querying said transaction data base to retrieve selected transaction records that match parameters of a query, wherein each of said selected transaction records comprises: 
 a line field, documenting a first telephone number from which a call originates;  
 a number field, documenting a second telephone number to which said call is placed;  
 a place field, documenting a location corresponding to said number field; and  
 a cost field, documenting a cost of a corresponding call event; and  
   a web server, coupled to said billing server, for providing said query in response to a user command received from a data network, and for transmitting said selected transaction records to a user over said data network for viewing via a web browser.    
     
     
         15 . The interactive telecommunications billing mechanism as recited in    claim 14   , wherein said each of said selected transaction records documents a specific call event.  
     
     
         16 . The interactive telecommunications billing mechanism as recited in    claim 15   , wherein, upon execution of said specific call event, said billing server generates a corresponding specific transaction record.  
     
     
         17 . The interactive telecommunications billing mechanism as recited in    claim 14   , wherein said web browser is compatible with web pages generated using hypertext markup language (HTML).  
     
     
         18 . The interactive telecommunications billing mechanism as recited in    claim 16   , wherein said web server is a computer that transmits and receives data packets over said data network to provide call events for said user.  
     
     
         19 . The interactive telecommunications billing mechanism as recited in    claim 18   , wherein said web server transmits web pages over said data network to allow said user to view said selected transaction records using said web browser.  
     
     
         20 . The interactive telecommunications billing mechanism as recited in    claim 19   , wherein said web server employs TCP/IP protocol to transmit and receive said data packets.  
     
     
         21 . The interactive telecommunications billing mechanism as recited in    claim 20   , wherein said query of said transaction data base is an ODBC-compatible query.  
     
     
         22 . The interactive telecommunications billing mechanism as recited in    claim 21   , wherein said user command is generated based upon query parameters entered by said user on a web page hosted by said web browser.  
     
     
         23 . An apparatus for accessing selected telecommunications records over the internet from a user computer that is executing a web browser application, said apparatus comprising: 
 a billing server, for maintaining telecommunications records, and for providing the selected telecommunications records in response to a user request, said billing server comprising: 
 data base logic, for storing said telecommunications records, wherein each of said telecommunications records documents a specific telecommunications event;  
 maintenance logic, for providing said data base logic with a new telecommunications record corresponding to a new telecommunications event; and  
 query logic, for searching said telecommunications records in accordance with parameters prescribed by said user request, and for retrieving the selected telecommunications records; and  
   a web server, coupled to said billing server, for receiving said user request over the internet, and for providing the selected telecommunications records to the user computer over the internet.    
     
     
         24 . The apparatus as recited in    claim 23   , wherein said web server transmits a first web page over the internet to allow the user computer to display the selected telecommunications records.  
     
     
         25 . The apparatus as recited in    claim 24   , wherein said query logic is ODBC-compatible.  
     
     
         26 . The apparatus as recited in    claim 25   , wherein said parameters are entered in fields of a second web page displayed on the user computer.  
     
     
         27 . A method for providing access to telecommunications billing records in a billing computer over the internet, the access being obtained via a remote computer that is executing a thin web client application, the method comprising: 
 a) maintaining the telecommunications billing records in a data base, the telecommunications billing records documenting individual telecommunication events;    b) querying the data base in accordance with parameters provided by a completed search parameter entry web page; and    d) transmitting a search results web page to display the telecommunications billing records on the remote computer.    
     
     
         28 . The method as recited in    claim 27   , wherein the telecommunications billing records document charges associated with toll calls.  
     
     
         29 . The method as recited in    claim 28   , wherein TCP/IP protocol is used to transmit the web pages over the internet.  
     
     
         30 . A method for providing a user with detailed long distance telephonic transaction information via a thin web client, the method comprising: 
 a) providing a data server, coupled to local telephone switches, for tracking long distance telephone transactions for a plurality of telephone numbers;    b) providing a web server, coupled to the data server, for presenting to the user the detailed long distance telephonic transaction information; and    c) providing the user with a customizable event monitor, coupled to the web server and to the data server, the event monitor for alerting the user when telephone transactions meet a specified criteria.    
     
     
         31 . The method as recited in    claim 30    wherein the long distance telephonic transaction information comprises duration, date, and number called for each transaction.  
     
     
         32 . The method as recited in    claim 30    wherein the thin web client comprises Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator.  
     
     
         33 . The method as recited in    claim 30    wherein the data server and the web server are software programs.  
     
     
         34 . The method as recited in    claim 33    wherein the data server and the web server both execute on the same hardware device.  
     
     
         35 . The method as recited in    claim 30    wherein the event monitor is a customizable software program for automatically querying the data server for telephone transactions that meet the specified criteria.  
     
     
         36 . The method as recited in    claim 30    wherein the specified criteria comprises a total of long distance charges for one or more of the plurality of telephone numbers, within a specified time period.  
     
     
         37 . The method as recited in    claim 30    further comprising: 
 d) alerting the user according to customizable alert options.  
 
     
     
         38 . The method as recited in    claim 37    wherein the customizable alert options comprise email, fax or voice notification.  
     
     
         39 . A long distance transaction event monitor, coupled to a telephone network, for alerting a user when specified alert criteria relating to telephony transactions have been met, the event monitor comprising: 
 a web interface, for allowing a user to specify the alert criteria;    query logic, coupled to said web interface, for causing the specified alert criteria to query the telephony transactions; and    an event monitor, coupled to said query logic, for generating alert messages to the user when said query logic determines that the specified alert criteria is met by the telephony transactions.    
     
     
         40 . The long distance transaction event monitor, as recited in    claim 39    wherein said web interface comprises a web browser such as Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator.  
     
     
         41 . The long distance transaction event monitor, as recited in    claim 39    wherein said query logic comprises: 
 an HTML configuration screen for allowing the user to provided the specified alert criteria to the event monitor; and  
 an SQL engine, coupled to said HTML configuration screen, for presenting the specified alert criteria to a data server in structured query format.  
 
     
     
         42 . The long distance transaction event monitor, as recited in    claim 39    further comprising: 
 a data server, coupled to said query logic, for storing the telephony transactions, and for providing the transactions to said query logic, as needed.  
 
     
     
         43 . The long distance transaction event monitor, as recited in    claim 39    wherein said alert messages comprise email or fax alerts.  
     
     
         44 . The long distance transaction event monitor, as recited in    claim 43    wherein said alert messages are configured by the user via said web interface.