Method and apparatus for monitoring packet based communications in a mobile environment

• US 20020155823A1
• Filed: 04/24/2001
• Published: 10/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Medius Inc
• Original Assignee: Medius Inc
• Inventors: Preston, Dan Alan, Lutter, Robert Pierce
• Application Number:
  US09/841,755
• Publication Number:
  US 20020155823A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/30 the meter or calculation of charges not being controlled from an exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/70 Administration or customization aspects; Counter-checking correct charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/73 Validating charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/70 Administration aspects, modify settings or limits or counter-check correct charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7072 Validate charges
• 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: H04M 2215/92 Autonomous calculations of charges in terminal, i.e. meter not controlled from exchange

Abstract

A mobile unit establishes a session for transferring content with a service. The mobile unit then identifies a cost of service rate for the content. The mobile unit derives cost of service data according to the type of content and the identified cost of service rate. The cost of service data derived by the mobile unit is then sent back to the service provider.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring packet based communications in a mobile environment, comprising:

establishing a session;

transferring content during the session;

identifying a cost of service rate for the content;

generating cost of service data according to the content and the identified Cost of Service rate; and

sending the cost of service data to a service provider.

2. A method according to claim 1 including receiving the content at a mobile unit and generating the cost of service data in the mobile unit.

3. A method according to claim 1 including conducting a cost of service protocol with a network at a session layer or higher in a IOS model used by the network, the cost of service protocol providing parameters for identifying the cost of service rate and generating the cost of service data.

4. A method according to claim 1 including identifying an amount of content by tracking a number of packets transferred during the session or a duration of the session and using the identified amount of content to generate the cost of service data.

5. A method according to claim 1 including identifying a type of content transferred during the session and using the identified type of content to generate the cost of service data.

6. A method according to claim 5 including:

dynamically identifying different types of content that are transferred during the session;

dynamically identifying different cost of service rates associated with each of the identified different types of content; and

applying the different cost of service rates to the associated identified different types of content to generate the cost of service data.

7. A method according to claim 6 including:

identifying a first type of content associated with a voice portion of the session and using a first cost of service rate for tracking a voice cost of service for the voice portion;

identifying a second type of content associated with a digital data potion of the session and using a second cost service rate for tracking a data cost of service for the digital data portion; and

combining the voice cost of service with the data cost of service to generate the cost of service data.

8. A method according to claim 1 including identifying different cost of service rates requested from the network or from a local mobile unit operator and generating the cost of service data according to the identified cost of service rates.

9. A method according to claim 1 including:

detecting an end of the session;

transmitting the cost of service data to a network;

terminating the session when an acknowledge is received from the network indicating that the cost of service data has been successfully received; and

flagging cost of service data as unsuccessfully transmitted when the acknowledge is not received from the network.

10. A method according to claim 9 including:

periodically retransmitting the cost of service data when no acknowledge is received from the network;

repeating the retransmission until the acknowledge has been received or a timeout period has occurred;

flagging the cost of service data as being unsuccessfully transmitted when no acknowledge is received before the timeout period; and

terminating the session.

11. A method according to claim 10 including:

establishing another session with the network;

checking for any cost of service data in the mobile unit flagged as unsuccessfully transmitted;

retransmitting the flagged cost of service data to the network; and

waiting for an acknowledge from the network that the flagged cost of service data has been successfully received before continuing the other session.

12. A method according to claim 1 including:

receiving a public key from the network during the establishment of the session;

encrypting the cost of service data generated in a mobile unit according to the public key; and

sending only the encrypted cost of service data to the network.

13. A method according to claim 1 including identifying the cost of service rate according to both an identified quality of service and an identified content associated with the session.

15. A mobile communication device according to claim 14 including a memory configured to store the cost of service data during the session.

16. A mobile communication unit according to claim 15 wherein the memory includes a billing table for identifying different cost of service rates associated with different types of content and different types of services identified by the processor during the session.

17. A mobile communication device according to claim 15 wherein the processor is configured to encrypt the cost of service data stored in the memory.

18. A mobile communication device according to claim 14 including a user input configured to manually modify the content or the cost of service rate for the session.

19. A mobile communication device according to claim 18 wherein the processor dynamically changes the cost of service rate used for generating the cost of service data associated with the content according to the user input.

20. A mobile communication device according to claim 18 wherein the user input comprises a menu and key entries in a cellular telephone.

21. A mobile communication device according to claim 14 wherein the processor is configured to conduct a cost of service protocol at a session layer or higher with a network that establishes the parameters used for generating the cost of service data.

22. A mobile communication device according to claim 14 wherein the processor is configured to identify an amount of content by tracking a number of content packets or a duration of the session and use the identified amount of content to generate the cost of service data.

14. A mobile communication unit, comprising:

a processor configured to establish a wireless session and transfer content during the session, the processor further configured to identify a cost of service rate for the content and generate cost of service data according to the content and the identified cost of service rate.