Billing in mobile communications system employing wireless application protocol

• US 20030073425A1
• Filed: 09/12/2002
• Published: 04/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Sonera Oyj
• Inventors: Juntunen, Ari, Huostila, Tero, Immonen, Marko, Keinanen, Kimmo
• Granted Patent: US 7,904,054 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• 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 12/1428 Invoice generation, e.g. customization, lay-out, database processing, algorithms for calculating the bill or formatting invoices as WWW pages invoicing in general G06Q30/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1485 Tariff-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8214 Data or packet based
• 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 2215/2013 Fixed data network, e.g. PDN, ATM, B-ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/204 UMTS; GPRS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2073 Multipoint, e.g. messaging, broadcast or group SMS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 : Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/28 : SMS billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 : Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/782 : Data or packet based
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 : Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 : Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation

Abstract

The invention relates to a network part and a method for generating billing data in a mobile communications system employing a wireless application protocol. The network part of the mobile communications system comprises: means for setting up a bi-directional wireless data transmission connection to a subscriber terminal; means for transmitting a service request sent by the subscriber terminal to a contents server providing the service; means for transmitting response data generated in the contents server on the basis of the service request to the subscriber terminal; identifying means for identifying transactions associated with the service from among the service requests and the response data on the basis of the identification of the Internet address of the service referred to in the service request and the response data; and billing means for generating billing data for the service using the transactions identified on the basis of the service'"'"'s Internet address.

Claims

1. A network part of a mobile communications system employing a wireless application protocol, comprising:

means for setting up a bi-directional wireless data transmission connection to a subscriber terminal of the mobile communications system;

means for transmitting a service request sent by the subscriber terminal to a contents server providing the service;

means for transmitting response data generated in the contents server on the basis of the service request to the subscriber terminal;

identifying means for identifying transactions associated with the service from among the service requests and the response data on the basis of the identification of the Internet address of the service referred to in the service request and the response data; and

billing means for generating billing data for the service using the transactions identified on the basis of the service'"'"'s Internet address.

2. A network part according to claim 1, wherein the identifying means carry out the identification on the basis of service parameters placed into the Internet address of the service.

3. A network part according to claim 2, wherein the identifying means pick the parameters from the service'"'"'s Internet address on the basis of separator characters placed between the parameters.

4. A network part according to claim 2, wherein the identifying means distinguish the parameters names and values on the basis of separator characters placed between them.

5. A network part according to claim 1, wherein the identifying means comprise a service identification table which comprises a service name, Internet address, service parameters and service priority for each service.

6. A network part according to claim 5, wherein the service priority determines the order in which the services in the service identification table are checked.

7. A network part according to claim 6, wherein the priorities are set such that the service having the most parameters in one and the same Internet address enjoys the highest priority, and the service having the fewest parameters in one and the same Internet address has the lowest priority.

8. A network part according to claim 1, wherein the identifying means carry out the identification on the basis of the service'"'"'s Internet address.

9. A network part according to claim 1, wherein the service identification table only comprises Internet addresses of services subject to a charge.

10. A method for generating billing data in a mobile communications system employing a wireless application protocol, the method comprising:

setting up a bi-directional wireless data transmission connection to a subscriber terminal of the mobile communications system;

transmitting a service request sent by the subscriber terminal to a contents server providing the service;

transmitting response data generated in the contents server on the basis of the service request to the subscriber terminal;

identifying transactions associated with the service from among the service requests and the response data on the basis of the identification of the Internet address of the service referred to in the service request and the response data; and

generating billing data for the service using the transactions identified on the basis of the service'"'"'s Internet address.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the identifying means carry out the identification on the basis of service parameters placed into the Internet address of the service.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the identifying means pick the parameters from the service'"'"'s Internet address on the basis of separator characters placed between the parameters.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein the identifying means distinguish the parameter names and values on the basis of separator characters placed between them.

14. A method according to claim 10, wherein the identifying means comprise a service identification table which comprises a service name, Internet address, service parameters and service priority for each service.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the service priority determines the order in which the services in the service identification table are checked.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the priorities are set such that the service having the most parameters in one and the same Internet address enjoys the highest priority, and the service having the fewest parameters in one and the same Internet address has the lowest priority.

17. A method according to claim 10, wherein the identifying means carry out the identification on the basis of the service'"'"'s Internet address.

18. A method according to claim 10, wherein the service identification table only comprises Internet addresses of services subject to a charge.