Billing method using ssl/tls

• US 20030069852A1
• Filed: 05/29/2002
• Published: 04/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deutsche Telekom AG
• Original Assignee: Deutsche Telekom AG
• Inventors: Schwenk, Joerg, Martin, Tobias
• Granted Patent: US 7,194,440 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/52
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/166 at the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/48 Secure or trusted billing, e.g. trusted elements or encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/68 Payment of value-added services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/745 Customizing according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. friends or family
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0104 Augmented, consolidated or itemised billing statement, e.g. additional billing information, bill presentation, layout, format, e-mail, fax, printout, itemised bill per service or per account, cumulative billing, consolidated billing
• 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 2215/0156 Secure and trusted billing, e.g. trusted elements, encryption, digital signature, codes or double check mechanisms to secure billing calculation and information
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0176 Billing arrangements using internet
• 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 2215/82 Advice-of-Charge [AOC], i.e. notify subscriber of charges/cumulative charge; meter at the substation

Abstract

The invention relates to a billing method for requesting contents or data in a network. According to said billing method, the client or the person representing the client has a certificate for the billing method. Said certificate contains data that prove the client'"'"'s identity and that facilitate establishment of a bill or statement. The Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol or a variant of the SSL protocol which allows display of a dialog box is used for the client-server connection, using an SSL client certificate that contains an extension indicating that the certificate is suitable for the purpose of billing, the server transmitting the price for the required content or the data during the handshake protocol. A confirmation message that is also contained in the SSL protocol and that contains a digital signature is sent from the client to the server, said confirmation message confirming the previously transmitted price.

Claims

1. A billing method for requesting contents or data in a network, the client or the customer who uses the client having a certificate for the billing method, the certificate containing verified data which identifies the customer and permits preparation of a bill or billing,

wherein the Secure Socket Layer-(SSL-) protocol or a variant of the SSL protocol is used for the client/server connection, an SSL client certificate being used in which an extension is set which indicates that the certificate is suitable for billing purposes;

and

during the handshake protocol, the price for the requested content or the data is transmitted from the server to the client, and an acknowledgment message, which is also integrated in the SSL protocol and contains a digital signature, is transmitted from the client to the server, the acknowledgment message acknowledging the previously transmitted price.

2. The billing method as recited in claim 1,

wherein the acknowledgment messages and/or log files are logged by the server and the data contained therein are used for billing.

3. The billing method as recited in one of the preceding claims,

wherein the SSL connection is disconnected upon download of the paid content or of the paid data.

4. The billing method as recited in claim 3,

wherein the disconnection is carried out automatically by the server.

5. The billing method as recited in one of the preceding claims,

wherein a possibly existing SSL connection is disconnected by the server or an interconnected Internet page prior to selecting an Internet page which is subject to charge and thereupon, a new client authentication takes place for downloading the Internet page which is subject to charge.

6. The billing method as recited in one of the preceding claims,

wherein an interrogation is carried out at the client site, in particular, using a dialog box, prior to signing the acknowledgment message, in which the displayed cost for the selected Internet page or the selected data which are subject to charge can be manually acknowledged, the content or the data which are subject to charge being transmitted from the server to the client upon acknowledgment of the cost, or else the interrogation process being terminated.

7. The billing method as recited in claim 6,

wherein the interrogation is implemented via an error message of the client (for example, Certificate Name Check).

8. The billing method as recited in claims 1 through 6,

wherein the SSL protocol or a variant thereof is implemented via a Java applet or an Active-X application which, in particular, are signed themselves.

9. The billing method as recited in one of the preceding claims,

wherein cost information is transmitted to the client via signed XML (eXtended Markup Language) pages.

10. The billing method as recited in claim 10,

wherein the pages are signed with a price indication and/or with a time indication.

11. The billing method as recited in claim 11,

wherein a hash value of the content of the page which is subject to charge is also included in the signature.