Network controller billing system and method of operation

Claim 2

A controller for controlling connections through two or more cross-connect networks, with at least one of said networks serving a plurality of different customers, each customer having one or more lines associated therewith and connected to said one network, said one network having a plurality of links for interconnecting said cross-connect network with another cross-connect network, said cross-connect networks each operable for establishing connections under control of said controller, for periods of time, from selected lines associated with selected ones of said customers to certain of said inter-network links; said controller comprising: means for receiving instructions from any of said customers; means for monitoring the scheduled use of said inter-network links; means controlled jointly by received instructions from one of said customers and by said monitoring means for reserving certain of said inter-work links for selected lines of said one customer for fixed determined periods of time; means controlled by said reserving means for establishing through said cross-connect network connections from said one customer's selected lines to said reserved links at said designated period of time; and means for proving data pertaining to the length of time that any of said inter-network links are reserved by any particular customer.

Claim 3

The controller set forth in claim 1 further comprising: means controlled by said reserving means for removing said established network connections to said reserved links upon receipt of a received instruction from said one customer; and means for indicating said removed established connection in said provided data.

Claim 4

The controller set forth in claim 2 wherein some of said links of said network are dedicated to certain of said customers and wherein certain of said links are pooled between said customers and wherein said reserved links are within said pool.

Claim 5

The controller set forth in claim 3 further comprising: means for associating each of said customers with certain network link capacity; and wherein said reserving means includes: means for checking said associating means to determine the validity of any customer instruction.

Claim 6

The controller set forth in claim 1 wherein said reserving means includes: means enabled by a received instruction from a customer pertaining to a desired inter-network connection at a future period of time for identifying a proposed series of inter-network links which will be available during said period of time and which have not been reserved for use by any other customer; and means for storing said identified links until said designated period of time.

Claim 7

The controller set forth in claim 5 wherein said providing means includes: means for reflecting the cost of each of said identified links in said provided data.

Claim 8

The controller set forth in claim 6 wherein said establishing means includes: means operative at said designated reserved period of time for obtaining said stored identified links; and means for verifying the availability of said stored identified links.

Claim 9

The controller set forth in claim 7 wherein said establishing means further includes: means operative upon a determination of non-availability of any of said links for establishing a new set of links for connection at said designated period of time.

Claim 10

The controller set forth in claim 8 wherein said determining means is operative at a period of time just prior to said designated period of time.

Claim 11

The controller set forth in claim 1 wherein said establishing means includes: means for periodically checking to see if any internetwork connections are reserved for establishment during a next block of time; means for initiating said link establishment for any reserved links prior to the actual reserved time; and wherein said data providing means also provides data pertaining to the time of said actual link establishment said data including a starting time corresponding to the reserved period of time without regard to any early link establishment.

Claim 12

A network controller for use in a switched network having a plurality of nodes, each node having at least one remotely programmable cross-connect field, said nodes having communication links between them and at least some of said nodes having end user facilities connected to them, each said link containing one or more channels and wherein said end users can communicate over said links to and from a plurality of communication facilities connected to various ones of said nodes, and wherein each said cross-connect field is programmable to establish communication paths from selected facilities to selected channels of said links and from selected end users to selected channels of said links, said network controller comprising: means for receiving instructions from said end users pertaining to facilities or other end users at certain of said nodes which are desired to be in a communicating relationship therewith during certain defined time periods, said instructions including the desired bandwidth capacity of each of said relationships; means for preassigning channels of said links between the proper nodes for each said end user instruction on a first instruction received first preassigned basis, all for connection at said certain end users' defined period of time; and means for providing cost accounting data pertaining to said preassigned channels, said data including the time of the preassignment and said end users' defined period of time.

Claim 13

A network controller for use in a switched network having a plurality of nodes, each node having at least one remotely programmable cross-connect field, said nodes having communication links between them and at least some of said nodes having end user facilities connected to them, each said link containing one or more channels and wherein said end users can communicate over said links to and from a plurality of communication facilities connected to various ones of said nodes, and wherein each said cross-connect field is programmable to establish communication paths from selected facilities to selected channels of said links and from selected end users to selected channels of said links, said network controller comprising: means for receiving instructions from said end users pertaining to facilities or other end users at certain of said nodes which are desired to be in a communicating relationship therewith during certain defined time periods, said instructions including the desired bandwidth capacity of each of said relationships; means for preassigning channels of said links between the proper nodes for each said end user instruction on a first instruction received first preassigned basis, all for connection at said certain end users' defined period of time; and means for providing cost accounting data pertaining to said preassigned channels, said data including the time of the preassignment and said end users' defined period of time.

Claim 14

The controller set forth in claim 11 further comprising: means operative at each said defined period of time for establishing said preassigned desired communication relationships for each said end user using said preassigned channels.

Claim 15

The controller set forth in claim 12 further comprising: means at each said defined period of time for ascertaining the continued availability or unavailability of said preassigned channels; and means for changing said preassigned channels under control of said continued validity ascertaining means.

Claim 16

The controller set forth in claim 13 further comprising: modifying means operative prior to said predetermined period of time with respect to any said end user for changing said preassigned channels; and wherein said providing means for modifying said cost accounting data in accordance with said changed preassigned channels.

Claim 17

The controller set forth in claim 14 wherein said modifying means is operative in response to further instructions from said end user.

Claim 18

The controller set forth in claim 15 wherein said modifying means is further operative in response to said unavailability with respect to one or more of said preassigned channels.

Claim 19

The controller set forth in claim 14 wherein said preassigning means includes: means for packing said channels of said links in an efficiently packed manner to utilize the full bandwidth capacity of each of said links, wherein the bandwidth of each said end user instructions utilizes contiguous channels of the same link.

Claim 20

The controller set forth in claim 11 further comprising: means controlled by said reserving means for removing said established network connections to said reserved links at the expiration of said reserved period of time.

Claim 21

The controller set forth in claim 18 wherein said preassigning means includes: means enabled by a received instruction from an end user pertaining to a desired inter-network connection at a future period of time for identifying a proposed series of inter-network links and channels thereof which will be available during said period of time and which have not been reserved for use by any other end user; means for storing said identified channels of said identified links until said designated period of time; and wherein said providing means includes means for including said identified series of links in said accounting information.

Claim 22

The controller set forth in claim 19 wherein said identifying means includes: means for determining which link routing will be the most cost effective for said end user at said designated period of time.

Claim 23

A switched network having a plurality of nodes, each node having at least one remotely programmable cross-connect field, said nodes having communication links between them and at least some of said nodes having end user facilities connected to them, each said link containing one or more channels and wherein said end users can communicate over said links to and from a plurality of communication facilities connected to various ones of said nodes, and wherein each said cross connect field is programmable to establish communication paths from selected facilities to selected channels of said links and from selected end users to selected channels of said links, said network comprising: means for receiving instructions from said end users pertaining to facilities or other end users at certain of said nodes which are desired to be in a communicating relationship therewith during certain defined time periods, said instructions including the desired bandwidth capacity of each of said relationships; means for preassigning channels of said links between the proper nodes for each said end user instruction on a first instruction received first preassigned basis, all for connection at said certain end user defined period of time; and means for providing cost accounting data on an individual end user basis for each said preassigned channel.

Claim 24

A switched network having a plurality of nodes, each node having at least one remotely programmable cross-connect field, said nodes having communication links between them and at least some of said nodes having end user facilities connected to them, each said link containing one or more channels and wherein said end users can communicate over said links to and from a plurality of communication facilities connected to various ones of said nodes, and wherein each said cross connect field is programmable to establish communication paths from selected facilities to selected channels of said links and from selected end users to selected channels of said links, said network comprising: means for receiving instructions from said end users pertaining to facilities or other end users at certain of said nodes which are desired to be in a communicating relationship therewith during certain defined time periods, said instructions including the desired bandwidth capacity of each of said relationships; means for preassigning channels of said links between the proper nodes for each said end user instruction on a first instruction received first preassigned basis, all for connection at said certain end user defined period of time; and means for providing cost accounting data on an individual end user basis for each said preassigned channel.

Claim 25

The network set forth in claim 21 further comprising: means operative at each said defined period of time for establishing said preassigned desired communication relationships for each said end user using said preassigned channels; and wherein said providing means includes means for providing data pertaining to said established desired communication relationships.

Claim 26

The network set forth in claim 22 further comprising: means at each said defined period of time for ascertaining the continued validity of said preassigned channels; and modifying means for changing said preassigned channels under control of said continued validity ascertaining means.

Claim 27

The network set forth in claim 23 further comprising: means operative prior to said predetermined period of time with respect to any said end user for changing said preassigned channels; and means operative in response to said modifying means for modifying said provided cost accounting information in accordance with said changed preassigned channels.

Claim 28

The network set forth in claim 24 wherein said modifying means is operative in response to further instructions from said end user.

Claim 29

The network set forth in claim 25 wherein said modifying means is further operative in response to ascertained problems with respect to one or more of said preassigned channels.

Claim 32

The method set forth in claim 27 wherein said network includes a central administrator and wherein said method further includes the step of: providing said billing information upon demand of any end user.

Claim 33

The method set forth in claim 27 wherein said network includes a central administrator and wherein said method further includes the step of: providing said billing information upon demand of said network administrator.

Claim 36

The method set forth in claim 30 further including the steps of: removing said established network connections to said reserved links upon receipt of a received instruction from said one customer; and indicating said removed established connection in said provided data.

Claim 37

The method set forth in claim 30 wherein said reserving step includes the steps of: identifying a proposed series of inter-network links which will be available during a period of time defined by a customer and which have not been reserved for use by any other customer; storing said identified links until said designated period of time; and indicating the cost of each of said identified links in said provided data.