Determining services accessible via a subscription in a communication system

• US 20030027554A1
• Filed: 07/17/2002
• Published: 02/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Haumont, Serge
• Granted Patent: US 7,764,773 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/08 Metering calls to called party , i.e. B-party charged for the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/745 Customizing according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. friends or family
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/765 Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/77 involving multiple accounts per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/88 Provision for limiting connection, or expenditure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/00 Prepayment of wireline communication systems, wireless communication systems or telephone systems using a coded card to authorise calls from a telephone set H04M1/675
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/10 Account details or usage
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0108 Customization according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. customer preferences, friends and family, selecting services or billing options, Personal Communication Systems [PCS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0116 Provision for limiting expenditure, e.g. limit on call expenses or account
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/62 Called party billing, e.g. reverse billing, freephone, collect call, 0800 or 0900
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/724 Linked accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7254 Multiple accounts per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems

Abstract

A method, a system and a network node for determining services accessible via a subscription. In order to provide access to certain services even when the subscription having an account with a predetermined limit cannot be used for services to be charged from the subscription, at least two sets of services are defined for the subscription, one set of services being used (204) when the predetermined limit is not reached (203) and the other one being used (207) when the predetemined limit has been reached (203). The latter set of services preferably comprises services free of charge.

Claims

1. A method of determining services accessible via a subscription having an account and at least a first limit in a communication system,

characterized by the method comprising the steps of:

defining at least a first and a second set of services to be used with the subscription, each set of services defining services accessible via the subscription;

comparing (203) the balance of the account with the first limit;

using (204) the first set of services when the balance of the account does not reach the first limit; and

using (207) the second set of services when the balance reaches the first limit.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized by the method further comprising the steps of:

using in the communication system access point names to define where and how to connect the user of the subscription;

selecting during connection activation the access point name to be used with this connection;

defining a first access point name for the first set of services; and

defining a second access point name for the second set of services.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 and 2, characterized by

the communication system comprising a firewall;

and

the method further comprising the step of defining accessible services via a set of services by defining at least a firewall configuration for the set of services.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized by the method further comprising the step of defining accessible services via a set of services by defining at least a range of allowed addresses for the set of services.

5. A method as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized by the method further comprising the step of indicating the set of services which is to be used by the charging characteristics to be applied.

6. A method as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized by the second set of services comprising services free of charge.

7. A method as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized by the second set of services being a subset of the first set of services.

8. A method as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized by the method further comprising the step of informing the user of the subscription of the services accessible via the second set of services in response to using the second set of services.

9. A method as claimed in any of the preceding claims characterized by

the subscription being a postpaid subscription;

the first limit being the maximum allowed amount of the bill; and

the balance of the account indicating the amount of the bill to be charged from the subscription.

10. A method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8, characterized by

the subscription being a prepaid subscription;

the first limit being the preset minimum value for the account; and

the balance of the account indicating the amount of money the subscriber still has in use.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10, characterized by at least the second set of services comprising a deposition service.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11, characterized by

the depositing service utilizing the authentication of the communication system when authenticating the one who wants to deposit.

13. A communication system providing a subscription with an account and at least a first limit, the communication system comprising:

a first node (SCP) monitoring the balance of the account, characterized in that

the communication system (S) comprises memory for storing definitions of at least a first and a second set of services to be used with the subscription, each set of services defining services accessible via the subscription; and

the communication system (S) is arranged to compare the balance with the first limit and to allow access to the first set of services when the balance has not reached the first limit, and to allow access to the second set of services when the balance has reached the first limit.

14. A communication system as claimed in claim 13,

characterized in that

the first node (SCP) is arranged to perform the comparison during connection activation and to indicate which set of services is to be used with the connection;

and in response to a connection with access to the first set of services to trigger deactivation of the connection when the balance reaches the first limit.

15. A communication system as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that

the communication system (S) further comprises a second node (HLR) maintaining subscription information including at least an indication indicating an allowed set of services for the subscription;

the first node (SCP) is arranged to perform the comparison and in response to the balance reaching the first limit to direct the second node to set the second set of services as the allowed set of services and in response to the balance, not any more reaching the first limit after reaching the first limit, to direct the second node to set the first set of services as the allowed set of services; and

the second node (HLR) is arranged to send at least information on the allowed set of services as a part of the subscription information to the communication system during connection activation;

in response to a received direction from the first node (SCP) to modify the first indication to correspond to the received direction; and

in response to modifying the allowed set of services of an active connection to trigger deactivation of the connection.

16. A communication system as claimed in claim 15, characterized in that the subscription information maintained in the second node (HLR) further includes at least identification information on the first and second set of services and the indication indicates which one of the sets of services is the allowed set of services.

17. A communication system as claimed in claim 14, 15 or 16 characterized in that

the communication system (S) supports the General Packet Radio Service;

and

the connection is activated by activating a PDP context.

18. A network node (SCP) in a communication system providing a subscription with an account and at least a first limit, the network node being arranged to monitor the balance of the account,

characterized in that

the network node (SCP) is arranged to compare the balance with the first limit and to allow access to a first set of services when the balance does not reach the first limit, and to allow access to a second set of services when the balance reaches or has reached the first limit.

19. A network node (SCP) in a communication system providing a subscription with an account and at least a first limit, the network node being arranged to monitor the balance of the account,

characterized in that

the network node (SCP) is arranged to communicate with a second network node;

to compare the balance with the first limit; and

to indicate to the second network node which set of services from among at least two different set of services defined for the subscription is the allowed set of services on the basis of said comparison.

20. A network node (SCP) as claimed in claim 19, characterized in that the network node (SCP) is arranged to indicate the allowed set of services in response to the balance reaching the limit and in response to the balance not any more reaching the limit.

21. A network node (GGSN, 2, FW) in a communication system providing a subscription, characterized in that the network node (GGSN, 2 FW, HLR) is arranged to receive from the communication system an indication indicating the use of a certain set of services from among at least two different set of services defined for the subscription;

and in response to receiving the indication to provide access only to services included in the indicated certain set of services.

22. A network node as claimed in claim 21, characterized in that the network node (GGSN, 2 FW, HLR) is arranged, in response to receiving the indication, to inform the user of the subscription of the services accessible via the indicated certain set of services.

23. A network node as claimed in claims 21 or 22, characterized in that the network node (GGSN, 2 FW, HLR) is arranged to receive an access point name as the indication of the set of services, the access point name being used in the communication system to define where and how to connect the user of the subscription.

24. A network node as claimed in claims 21, 22 or 23, characterized in that the network node is an application server (2).