Methods and systems for triggerless prepaid SMS screening and accounting in a signaling message routing node

• US 20030091170A1
• Filed: 08/14/2002
• Published: 05/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tekelec Global, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Tekelec
• Inventors: Marsico, Peter Joseph, McCann, Thomas Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 7,181,194 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/114.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/854 Available credit
• 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 2215/202 VoIP; Packet switched telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2073 Multipoint, e.g. messaging, broadcast or group SMS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/28 SMS billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8166 Available credit
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/184 Messaging devices, e.g. message centre

Abstract

A prepaid SMS screening, accounting, and routing node performs prepaid SMS screening and accounting functions. When the prepaid SMS screening, accounting, and routing node receives an SMS message, it determines whether the originating subscriber is a ported subscriber attempting to access an SMSC from the donor network. If the originating subscriber is a ported subscriber attempting to access a donor network SMSC, the SMS message may be discarded. If the originating subscriber is not a ported subscriber, the prepaid SMS screening, accounting, and routing node determines whether the subscriber is a prepaid subscriber. If the subscriber is a prepaid subscriber, the prepaid SMS screening, routing, and accounting node determines whether the subscriber has sufficient credit to send the SMS message. If the subscriber has sufficient credit to send the message, the prepaid SMS screening, accounting, and routing node debits its accounting database and forwards the message to its intended destination. Prepaid SMS screening and accounting may also be performed for messages directed to subscribers with terminating prepaid SMS service. In such situations, the prepaid SMS screening, accounting, and routing node may screen messages to determine whether the terminating subscriber is a prepaid SMS subscriber, and, if so, debit the terminating subscriber'"'"'s prepaid SMS account.

Claims

1. A method for providing localized prepaid short message service (SMS) screening and accounting, the method comprising:

at a prepaid SMS screening, accounting, and routing node;

(a) receiving, from an originating node, a first SMS message including mobile subscriber identification information;

(b) determining whether the mobile subscriber has prepaid SMS service or post-paid SMS service; and

(c) in response to determining that the mobile subscriber has prepaid SMS service, determining whether the mobile subscriber has sufficient prepaid SMS credit for delivery of the first SMS message.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a first SMS message from an originating node includes receiving a MAP mobile-originated forward short message message from a mobile switching center.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a first SMS message from an originating node includes receiving a MAP mobile-terminated forward short message message from a short message service center.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a first SMS message from an originating node includes intercepting a MAP mobile-originated forward short message message addressed to a short message service center.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a first SMS message from an originating node includes intercepting a MAP mobile-terminated forward short message message.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein determining whether the mobile subscriber has prepaid SMS service includes performing a lookup in a prepaid SMS screening database internal to the prepaid SMS screening, accounting, and routing node.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein performing a lookup in the prepaid SMS screening database includes performing a lookup using originating mobile subscriber information extracted from the first SMS message to determine whether the originating mobile subscriber has prepaid SMS service.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein performing a lookup in the prepaid SMS screening database includes performing a lookup using terminating mobile subscriber information extracted from the first SMS message to determine whether the terminating mobile subscriber has prepaid SMS service.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein determining whether the mobile subscriber has sufficient credit for delivery of the first SMS message includes performing a lookup in a prepaid SMS accounting database internal to the prepaid SMS screening, accounting, and routing node.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein performing a lookup in the prepaid SMS accounting database includes performing a lookup using originating mobile subscriber information extracted from the first SMS message to determine whether the originating mobile subscriber has sufficient credit to send the first SMS message.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein performing a lookup in the prepaid SMS accounting database includes performing a lookup using terminating mobile subscriber information extracted from the first SMS message to determine whether the terminating mobile subscriber has sufficient credit to receive the first SMS message.

12. The method of claim 1 comprising, in response to determining that the mobile subscriber has sufficient prepaid credit for delivery of the first SMS message, forwarding the first SMS message to a destination node.

13. The method of claim 1 comprising, in response to determining that the mobile subscriber does not have sufficient prepaid credit for delivery of the first SMS message, generating a second SMS message indicating non-delivery of the first SMS message and forwarding the second SMS message to the originating node.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein generating a second message includes generating a mobile-originated-forward-short-message error message.

15. The method of claim 1 comprising, in response to determining that the mobile subscriber does not have sufficient prepaid credit for delivery of the first SMS message, discarding the first SMS message.

16. The method of claim 1 comprising, in response to determining that the mobile subscriber does not have sufficient prepaid credit for delivery of the first SMS message, sending an SMS message to the message originator indicating non-delivery of the SMS message and a reason for non-delivery.

17. The method of claim 1 comprising, in response to determining that the mobile subscriber has post-paid SMS service, forwarding the first SMS message to its intended destination without performing a lookup in a prepaid SMS accounting database.

18. The method of claim 1 comprising, in response to determining that the mobile subscriber has post-paid SMS service, generating and storing an SMS transaction record for the mobile subscriber.

19. The method of claim 1 comprising, in response to determining that the mobile subscriber has sufficient credit, debiting an entry in a prepaid SMS accounting database associated with the mobile subscriber.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein debiting an entry includes debiting an entry based on a time of day at which the first SMS message is received.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein debiting an entry includes debiting an entry based on the location of the intended recipient of the first SMS message.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein debiting an entry includes debiting an entry based on the size of the first SMS message.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein performing steps (a)-(c) at a prepaid SMS screening, accounting, and routing node includes performing steps (a)-(c) at a signal transfer point.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein performing steps (a)-(c) at a prepaid SMS screening, accounting, and routing node includes performing steps (a)-(c) at an SS7/IP gateway.

25. The method of claim 1 comprising:

(a) determining whether the mobile subscriber is a subscriber of a first network;

(b) in response to determining that the mobile subscriber is not a subscriber of the first network, checking an SMSC ID in the first SMS message to determine whether the SMSC ID is of the first network; and

(c) in response to determining that the SMSC ID is of the first network, preventing the mobile subscriber from accessing the SMSC.

26. The method of claim 25 comprising, in response to determining that the mobile subscriber is of the first network, allowing the mobile subscriber to access an SMSC in the first network.

27. A prepaid SMS screening, accounting, and routing node for providing prepaid short message service (SMS) screening, the routing node comprising:

(a) a link interface module for sending and receiving SMS messages over a network;

(b) a prepaid SMS screening database including information for identifying prepaid SMS messages;

(c) a prepaid SMS accounting database including information for determining whether sufficient credit exists in prepaid SMS subscriber accounts for delivery of SMS messages; and

(d) a prepaid SMS processing module for extracting information from the databases to determine whether SMS messages received by the link interface module require prepaid SMS processing and whether sufficient credit exists in the prepaid subscriber accounts to forward the received SMS messages to their intended destinations.

28. The prepaid SMS screening, accounting and routing node of claim 27 wherein the link interface module is adapted to send and receive SS7-based SMS messages over an SS7 network.

29. The prepaid SMS screening, accounting, and routing node of claim 27 wherein the link interface module is adapted to intercept prepaid SMS messages that are not addressed to the prepaid SMS screening, accounting, and routing node.

30. The prepaid SMS screening, accounting, and routing node of claim 27 wherein the prepaid SMS processing module is adapted to forward the SMS messages to their intended destinations in response to detecting sufficient credit in the prepaid SMS subscriber accounts.

31. The prepaid SMS screening, accounting, and routing node of claim 27 wherein the prepaid SMS processing module is adapted to generate a message for notifying a prepaid subscriber of insufficient credit in his or her account in response to determining that the account lacks sufficient credit for delivering an SMS message.

32. The prepaid SMS screening, accounting, and routing node of claim 27 wherein the prepaid SMS processing module is adapted to discard a received SMS message in response to determining that an originating mobile subscriber lacks sufficient credit in his or her account.

33. The prepaid SMS screening, accounting, and routing node of claim 27 wherein the prepaid SMS processing module is adapted to discard a received SMS message in response to determining that a terminating mobile subscriber lacks sufficient credit in his or her account.

34. The prepaid SMS screening, accounting, and routing node of claim 27 wherein the prepaid SMS processing module is adapted to perform a lookup in the prepaid SMS accounting database only in response to determining that a received SMS message originates from a prepaid mobile subscriber.

35. The prepaid SMS screening, accounting, and routing node of claim 27 wherein the prepaid SMS processing module is adapted to screen SMS messages to determine whether the SMS messages originate from ported-out subscribers attempting to access an SMSC in the subscribers'"'"' former networks.

36. The prepaid SMS screening, accounting, and routing node of claim 35 wherein the prepaid SMS processing module is adapted to discard the SMS messages originating from ported out subscribers attempting to access the SMSCs in the subscribers'"'"' former networks.

37. The prepaid SMS screening, accounting, and routing node of claim 27 wherein the prepaid SMS processing module is adapted to debit subscriber accounts based on the time of day that prepaid SMS messages are sent.

38. The prepaid SMS screening, accounting, and routing node of claim 27 wherein the prepaid SMS processing module is adapted to debit subscriber accounts based on the size of prepaid SMS messages.

39. A prepaid SMS screening and accounting module comprising:

(a) a prepaid SMS screening function for receiving SMS messages and determining whether the SMS messages are associated with prepaid subscribers; and

(b) a prepaid SMS accounting function co-located with the prepaid SMS screening function for determining, for the prepaid SMS messages associated with prepaid subscribers, whether the subscribers have sufficient credit for delivery of the SMS messages, and, in response, for sending the SMS messages to their intended destinations.

40. The prepaid SMS screening and accounting module of claim 39 wherein the prepaid SMS screening function is adapted to determine whether SMS messages originate from ported-out subscribers attempting to access SMSCs of their former networks, and, in response, for discarding the SMS messages.

41. The prepaid SMS screening and accounting module of claim 39 wherein the prepaid SMS accounting function is adapted to debit prepaid subscriber accounts in response to sending the SMS messages.

42. The prepaid SMS screening and accounting module of claim 39 wherein the prepaid SMS accounting function is adapted to debit the subscriber accounts based on the time of day that SMS messages are sent.

43. The prepaid SMS screening and accounting module of claim 39 wherein the prepaid SMS accounting function is adapted to debit the subscriber accounts based on the sizes of the SMS messages.

44. The prepaid SMS screening and accounting module of claim 39 comprising a prepaid SMS screening database co-located with the prepaid SMS screening function for storing information for identifying prepaid SMS subscribers.

45. The prepaid SMS screening and accounting module of claim 39 comprising a prepaid SMS accounting database co-located with the prepaid SMS accounting function for storing account information for prepaid SMS subscribers.

46. The prepaid SMS screening and accounting module of claim 39 comprising a prepaid SMS screening and accounting database co-located with the prepaid SMS screening and accounting functions for storing information for identifying prepaid SMS subscribers and account information for the prepaid SMS subscribers.

47. A prepaid SMS accounting and routing module comprising:

(a) an SMS accounting database for storing subscriber records for prepaid and post-paid SMS subscribers;

(b) an SMS accounting function operatively associated with the SMS accounting database for accessing the subscriber records in response to received SMS messages to determine whether prepaid subscribers have sufficient credit for delivery of SMS messages and to record SMS transaction information for prepaid and post-paid subscribers; and

(c) a routing function operatively associated with the SMS accounting function for routing SMS messages for prepaid subscribers with sufficient credit and SMS messages for postpaid subscribers to destination nodes.