Method and system for providing a service

• US 20030104801A1
• Filed: 11/05/2002
• Published: 06/05/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Sarkkinen, Sinikka, Koulakiotis, Dimitris
• Granted Patent: US 7,031,694 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1467 involving prepayment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8066 According to the number of recipients
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services

Abstract

The invention is directed to a method for providing a service to a user comprising the steps of defining an area in which the service is available, transmitting information to a plurality of users in the said area at the same time via a common channel to determine if the user is in the said area. If the user is in the said area, the user is arranged to receive the information transmitted on the common channel, and if the user is outside the said area, the user is provided with the option of receiving the information via a dedicated channel or the option of not receiving the information. The user is charged for the information received via the common channel in dependence with the selected option.

Claims

1. A method for providing a service to a user comprising the steps of:

defining an area in which said service is available;

transmitting information to a plurality of users in said area at the same time via a common channel;

determining if the user is in said area and if said user is in said area, said user being arranged to receive said information transmitted on said common channel, wherein if said user is outside said area, said user being provided with the option of receiving said information via a dedicated channel or the option of not receiving said information, said user being charged for the information received via the common channel in dependence with the selected option.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said common channel comprises a radio channel.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, comprising the step of handing off said user when the user moves between said area and outside said area.

4. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising the step of determining if said user is permitted to receive said information if said user is outside said area and only providing said user with said information outside said area if said user is permitted to receive said information.

16. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said user is charged in dependence on the number of services to which the user subscribes.

18. A method as claimed in claim 19, wherein said preventing step comprises changing the configuration of said user.

19. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising the step of charging said user for the service in dependence on the quality of service provided to the user.

20. A method as claimed in claim 19, wherein said quality of service is either substantially real time or non real time.

21. A method as claimed in claim 20, wherein said information is transmitted once at substantially real time and once at substantially non real time

22. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said service is a multicast service.

23. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said service is a multicast broadcast multimedia service.

24. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said user is user equipment.

25. A method as claimed in claim 24, wherein said user equipment comprises a mobile station.

26. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said method is provided in a wireless telecommunications network.

29. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising the step of storing information relating to a users expected multicast behaviour.

5. A method of providing a service to a user comprising the steps of:

transmitting information to said user;

determining the amount of information received by said user; and

charging said user in dependence on the amount of information received by said user.

8. A method as claimed in claim 5 or 7, wherein said amount of information received by said user is determined by said user.

9. A method as claimed in claim 5, 7 or 8, comprising the step of sending information relating to the amount of information received to a charging entity associated with said service.

10. A method as claimed in any of claims 5, 7, 8, or 9, wherein information on the amount of information received is sent to a network in one or more of the following messages:

core network level signalling message;

radio resource control message;

paging response message;

routing update message;

dedicated control channel;

cell update message;

URA update message; and

routing area update message.

11. A method as claimed in any of claims 5 or 7 to 10, wherein information on the amount of information received is sent to a network via an encrypted connection.

12. A method as claimed in any of claims 5 or 7 to 11, wherein information on the amount of information received is sent periodically to a network.

13. A method as claimed in claim 5 or any claim appended thereto, comprising the step of preventing said user from receiving information if information on the amount of information received has not been received for a predetermined period of time.

14. A method as claimed in claim 6 or any claim appended thereto or claim 13, wherein said step of preventing said user comprises reconfiguring said user.

15. A method as claimed in claim 6 or 13 or any claimed appended thereto, wherein said step of preventing said user comprises updating the configuration parameters required by users to obtain said service without providing said updated configuration parameters to said prevented user.

6. A method of providing a service to a user comprising the steps of:

paying in advance to receive a predetermined amount of information;

transmitting information to a user;

preventing said user from receiving any further information when said user has received said predetermined amount of information.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, comprising the step of determining the amount of information received by said user.

17. A method of providing a service to a user comprising the steps of:

subscribing to receive information in accordance with said service, for a predetermined time;

transmitting information to a user; and

preventing said user from receiving information outside said predetermined time.

27. A method of providing a service to a user comprising the steps of:

subscribing to receive information with one of at least two different quality of service;

transmitting substantially the same information with each of said different qualities of service; and

receiving said information at said user with the quality of service for which the user has subscribed.

28. A method as claimed in claim 27, wherein at least one of said quality of service is a real time service and at least one of said quality of service is a non real time service.

30. A telecommunications system in which a service is provided to at least one user, said network comprising:

a first area in which said service is available and a second area in which said area is not available;

means for determining if a user is in said first area or said second area;

means for transmitting information to a plurality of users in said first area at the same time via a common channel, wherein if said user is outside said area, said user being provided with the option of receiving said information via a dedicated channel or the option of not receiving said information; and

charging means arranged to charge said user for the information receive via the common channel in dependence with the selected option.

31. A telecommunication system in which at least one service is provided to a user, said system comprising

means for transmitting information to said user;

means for determining the amount of information received by said user; and

means for charging said user in dependence on the amount of information received by said user.

32. A telecommunication system in which at least one service is provided to a user comprising:

means for allowing a user to pay in advance to receive a predetermined amount of information;

means for transmitting information to a user; and

means for preventing said user from receiving any further information when said user has received said predetermined amount of information.

33. A telecommunication system in which at least one service is provided to a user comprising

means for allowing a user to subscribe to receive information in accordance with said service, for predetermined time interval;

means for transmitting information to a user; and

means for preventing said user from receiving information outside said predetermined time interval.

34. User equipment for use in a telecommunication system, said user equipment comprising:

means for receiving information;

means for determining the amount of information received; and

means for transmitting information on the amount of information received.

35. User equipment for use in an telecommunication system, said user equipment comprising;

means for receiving information;

means for determining if a predetermined amount of information has been received; and

means for preventing said user equipment from receiving any further information if said user equipment has received the predetermined amount of information.

36. User equipment for use in an telecommunication system, said user equipment comprising;

means for receiving information in a predetermined time interval;

means for determining if a current time is outside said time interval; and

means for preventing said user equipment from receiving any further information if the current time is outside said predetermined time interval.