Method, system and device for monitoring activity of a wireless communication device

• US 20020025795A1
• Filed: 07/30/2001
• Published: 02/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Msafe Limited
• Original Assignee: Msafe Limited
• Inventors: Sharon, Offer, Bittmann, Ran, Lasry, Meir
• Application Number:
  US09/917,212
• Publication Number:
  US 20020025795A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/405
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1432 Metric aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1439 time-based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/68 Payment of value-added services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0188 Network monitoring; statistics on usage on called/calling number
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0196 Payment of value-added services, mainly when their charges are added on the telephone bill, e.g. payment of non-telecom services, e-commerce, on-line banking
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/82 Advice-of-Charge [AOC], i.e. notify subscriber of charges/cumulative charge; meter at the substation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

A method, system and device for monitoring activity of a client wireless communication device (WCD), communicating through a communication medium is provided. A unit or device installed is as fitted onto said device monitors and records said activity and transmits it automatically, in a client non-controlled fashion, to an activity monitoring server utility.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring activity of a client wireless communication device (WCD) comprising:

(a) installing in or connection said WCD to an activity-monitoring unit that can record communication activity of said WCD, carried out over a wireless communication infrastructure of a wireless communication system and generate an activity data record; and

(b) in a client non-control communication session, transmitting said activity data record, through said wireless communication infrastructure, to an activity monitoring server utility of said communication system.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said WCD is a client end unit of a cellular communication network.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said activity comprises usage of a computer network accessible through said communication infrastructure.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the computer network is the Internet, an intranet or an extranet

5. A method according to ay one of claims 1-4, comprising:

(c) debiting or crediting a client account based on said activity data record.

6. A method for monitoring communication activity of wireless communication devices of clients of a wireless communication system, comprising:

(a) providing WCDs having each or being connected each to an individual activity-monitoring unit or installing or connecting individual activity-monitoring units to existing WCDs, the activity-monitoring unit can record communication activity of the WCD in which it is incorporated or to which it is connected that is carried out over a wireless communication infrastructure over a wireless communication system, and generates an activity data record; and

(b) providing the communication system with an activity-monitoring server utility, said server utility and said WCDs can communicate, in a client non-controlled communication session, over the wireless communication infrastructure, to transmit the generated activity data record from said units to said server utility.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein said WCD is a client end unit of a cellular communication network.

8. A method according to claim 6, wherein said activity comprises usage of a computer network accessible through said communication infrastructure.

9. A method according to claim 6, wherein the recorded activity comprises one or more of the group consisting of communication time, transmitted data packets, received data and received content.

10. A method for managing an account of a client of a wireless communication system, the account being billed or credited based on communication activity of a client WCD over a wireless communication infrastructure of the system, the method comprising:

(a) providing the client with a WCD having or being connected to an individual activity-monitoring unit, or installing an activity-monitoring unit in existing client WCD, said unit can record communication activity of said WCD carried out over the wireless communication infrastructure and generate an activity data record;

(b) providing said communication system with an activity-monitoring server utility, said server utility and said WCD can communicate over the wireless communication infrastructure to transmit said activity data record from said unit to said server utility; and

(c) billing or crediting client account based on the activity data.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the recorded activity comprises a transaction performed through the user of the said WCD within a computer network, trough a gateway provided by the wire communication infrastructure.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein said computer network is the Internet.

14. A method according to claim 12, wherein said transaction comprises purchasing a product, service or information from one or more sites of the network and said activity data record comprises data on the purchase costs of said product service or information.

15. A method according to claim 12, wherein said transaction comprises crediting the client with a value, said data record comprises data on said value.

16. A method according to claim 15, comprising:

crediting a client'"'"'s account with said value based on said data file.

18. A wireless communication system according to claim 17, wherein the communication session between said unit and said server utility is in a secure mode.

19. A wireless communication system according to claim 17, wherein said communication session is initiated by the server utility.

20. A wireless communication system according to claim 17, wherein said communication session is initiated by either the server utility or said unit at off-peak periods of usage of the wireless communication infrastructure.

21. A wireless communication system according to claim 17 wherein said server utility can control the set-up of one or more modules within said unit.

12. A method for carrying out a transaction over a computer network, comprising:

(a) a client through a client WCD, communicating with the computer network over a wireless communication infrastructure of a wireless communication system and via a gateway provided by the communication system and initiating the transaction;

(b) an activity-monitoring unit included within or connected to said WCD, recording particulars of said transaction and generating a transaction data record;

(c) through a client non-controlled communication session, transmitting said activity data record, over the wire communication infrastructure, to an activity-monitoring server utility; and

(d) based on said transaction data record, debiting or crediting a client account and respectively crediting or debiting an account of a transaction party.

17. A wireless communication system, comprising:

a wireless communication infrastructure and client wireless communication devices (WCDs) communicating through said infrastructure;

an activity monitoring server utility for recording activity of the WCDs; and

activity monitoring units being included within or being connected to at least some of said WCDs, each unit recording and storing activity of the WCD in which it is installed or to which it is connected to generate an activity data record;

said unit and said server utility can enter into a client non-controllable communication session over said communication infrastructure to transmit said activity data record to said server utility.

22. A client wireless communication device (WCD), permitting a client to communicate over a wireless communication infrastructure, said WCD having or being connected to an activity monitoring unit that records communication activity of the WCD to generate an activity data record;

said WCD being capable of entering into a client non-controllable communication session, over the wireless communication infrastructure, with an activity-monitoring server utility of a wireless communication system to transmit said data record to said server utility.

23. A WCD according to claim 22, wherein said WCD is a mobile phone or a personal digital assistant (PDA) and said communication infrastructure is a cellular network.

24. A mobile phone or a PDA according to claim 23, being configured such so it can link through the cellular network to the Internet.

26. A device according to claim 25, wherein said unit is functionally positioned on the data path between the WCD'"'"'s central processing unit (CPU) and the WCD'"'"'s modem.

27. A device according to claim 25, wherein said unit comprises:

a central processing unit (CPU);

a read only memory (ROM) storing operational codes of said unit;

flash memory for storing said activity data and user identification codes; and

a random access memory for holding intermediate data required for the CPU'"'"'s operation.

28. A device according to claim 25, wherein said unit comprises of an asymmetric data encryption standard accelerator for boosting performance of public key infrastructure (PKI) and secure connection handshake.

29. A device according to claim 25, wherein said unit comprises a symmetric data encryption standard accelerator.

30. A device according to claim 25, wherein said unit comprises a random key generator.

31. A device according to claim 25, wherein said unit comprises one or more real time clocks to record time and duration of recorded activity.

25. A device for installing in or connecting to a client wireless communication device (WCD), the device comprising a unit that records communication activity of the WCD to generate an activity data record;

said unit being capable of transmitting in a client non-controllable communication session over said communication infrastructure, said data file to an activity-monitoring server utility of a wireless communication system.