Contract system and communication method for cellular phone

• US 20030119479A1
• Filed: 12/12/2002
• Published: 06/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Ashihara, Toyonori, Arima, Keiko
• Granted Patent: US 6,836,652 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/408
• 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 15/745 Customizing according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. friends or family
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/75 Account location specifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/765 Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/7655 shared by technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/77 involving multiple accounts per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/772 per service, e.g. prepay or post-pay
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/773 per technology, e.g. PSTN or wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8016 based on quality of service [QoS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8033 location-dependent, e.g. business or home
• 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 2215/0104 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 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/72 Account specifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/724 Linked accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/725 Shared by technologies, e.g. one account for different access technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7254 Multiple accounts per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7263 per service, e.g. prepay and post-pay
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7268 : per technology, e.g. PSTN or wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7414 : QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7435 : Location dependent, e.g. Bussiness or home

Abstract

According to the present invention, multiple contract sets, which are selectable by the user of the cellular phone and which each include a phone number, an available service, a payment method and a payer as contract clauses, are registered in the single cellular phone as contracts for the respective multiple phone numbers; and the cellular phone communication system manages communications for every contract sets according to the contract clauses defined in the respective contract sets and charges rates separately for the respective contract sets.

Claims

1. A contract system for a cellular phone in a cellular phone communication system which allows multiple phone numbers to be registered in a single cellular phone,

wherein multiple contract sets, which are selectable by the user of the cellular phone and which each include a phone number, an available service, a payment method and a payer as contract clauses, are registered in the single cellular phone as contracts for the respective multiple phone numbers;

and

wherein the cellular phone communication system manages communications for every contract sets according to the contract clauses defined in the respective contract sets and charges rates separately for the respective contract sets.

2. A contract system according to claim 1, wherein the cellular phone is always set to a contract set selected among the multiple contract sets, and for transmission, communication using the cellular phone takes place according to the contract clauses defined in the currently selected contract set.

3. A contract system according to claim 2, wherein:

multiple contract sets having items corresponding to the contract clauses of the contract sets registered in the cellular phone are registered in a charging system of a switching network;

when the switching network receives communication from the cellular phone, the switching network manages communication designated in the contract set relative to this communication; and

the charging system calculates rates for the respective contract sets and charges the rates according to the payment methods and payers defined in the respective contract sets.

4. A contract system according to claim 2, wherein the cellular phone receives an incoming call corresponding to any of the contract sets registered in the cellular phone regardless of the currently selected contract set.

5. A contract system according to claim 3, wherein the available service comprise an e-mail service and a Web browsing service.

6. A contract system according to claim 4, wherein a melody call signal, an answerphone mode and an incoming call/an e-mail refusal mode can be selected for each of the contract sets registered in the cellular phone.

7. A contract system according to claim 3, wherein multiple contract sets made with different cellular phone communication system providers are registered.

8. A communication method for a cellular phone in a cellular phone communication system which allows multiple phone numbers to be registered in a single cellular phone, the method comprising the steps of:

registering multiple contract sets, which are selectable by the user and which each include a phone number, an available service, a payment method and a payer as contract clauses, in the single cellular phone as contracts for the respective multiple phone numbers; and

registering multiple contract sets having items corresponding to the contract clauses of the contract sets in a charging system of a switching network,

wherein the cellular phone transmits a message according to the contract clauses defined in the contract set selected by the user of the cellular phone, and

upon receiving the message from the cellular phone, the switching network manages communication designated in the contract set relative to the communication, and the charging system calculates rates for the respective contract sets and charging the rates separately for the respective contracts sets according to the payment methods and the payers defined in the contract sets.

9. A communication method according to claim 8, wherein the cellular phone receives an incoming call corresponding to any of the contract sets registered in the cellular phone regardless of the currently selected contract set.

10. A communication method for a cellular phone according to claim 8, wherein the user of the cellular phone sets contract sets for different purposes of the cellular phone.