Paying for telephone services using electronic cash

• US 20030177088A1
• Filed: 02/04/2003
• Published: 09/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Nilsson, Patrik, Lundstrom, Johan Edvin Gunnar
• Application Number:
  US10/343,900
• Publication Number:
  US 20030177088A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/06 Private payment circuits, e.g. involving electronic currency used among participants of a common payment scheme
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3226 Use of secure elements separate from M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3229 Use of the SIM of a M-device as secure element
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/326 Payment applications installed on the mobile devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/353 Payments by cards read by M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/363 with the personal data of a user
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0866 by active credit-cards adapted therefor G07F7/1008 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/67 Transmitting arrangements for sending billing related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/68 Payment of value-added services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• 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 17/103 using SIMs (USIMs) or calling cards
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/204 on-line recharging, e.g. cashless
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2017/12 using calling, telephone credit/debit cards
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2017/24 with on-line recharging of an account or card, e.g. cashless
• 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 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/48 Sending information over a non-traffic network channel or another connection than the one actually used, e.g. signalling, D-channel, data and voice
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/82 Advice-of-Charge [AOC], i.e. notify subscriber of charges/cumulative charge; meter at the substation

Abstract

A method of using electronic cash to pay for services obtained from or via a telecommunications network 1. The method comprises storing electronic cash in a memory 3 of or coupled to a user terminal 2, extracting electronic cash from said memory 3 and sending the extracted cash to the telecommunications network 1 inside a signalling message sent over a signalling channel or using a dedicated PDP context.

Claims

1. A method of using electronic cash to pay for services obtained from or via a telecommunications network providing a packet switched service, the method comprising:

storing electronic cash in a memory of or coupled to a user terminal;

establishing a bearer between the UE and a charging control node of the network using the packet switched service, the bearer being dedicated to the transfer of electronic cash, and the network operator not charging for data sent over the bearer; and

whenever a chargeable service is initiated, extracting electronic cash from said memory, sending the extracted cash to the charging control node of the telecommunications network over the dedicated bearer, and establishing a further bearer for carrying data associated with the initiated chargeable service.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said free-of-charge bearer is established when the UE is turned on, and is terminated when the UE is turned off so that the free-of-charge bearer is always available for transferring electronic cash when the UE is in use.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, upon receipt of electronic cash from the UE, the charging control node sends an authorisation signal to the node which is responsible for providing or facilitating the service to the UE.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the node which receives the authorisation is an MSC or SGSN.

5. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said packet switched service is the GPRS service and the bearer established between the UE and the charging control node comprises a PDP context established between the UP and a GGSN of the GPRS network.

6. A method of using electronic cash to pay for services obtained from or via a telecommunications network, the method comprising:

storing electronic cash in a memory of or coupled to a user terminal; and

extracting electronic cash from said memory and sending the extracted cash to the telecommunications network inside a message sent over a signalling channel.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the telecommunications network is a mobile telecommunications network and the user terminal is a mobile wireless terminal.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the network is a GSM network and the signalling messages used to carry electronic cash are DTAP messages.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein electronic cash is carried in one of a SETUP, FACILITY, DISCONNECT, or RELEASE message.

10. A method according to claim 6, wherein the user terminal is coupled to the telecommunications network via a fixed line using the ISDN protocol and said signalling channel is the ISDN D-channel and the message carrying the electronic cash is a DSS1 message.

11. A method according to any one of claims 6 to 10 and further comprising a step of returning electronic cash to the user using a signalling message sent over a signalling channel.

12. A method according to any one of claims 6 to 11 and comprising consuming the electronic cash within a node of the network to pay for services obtained by the user and, upon termination of a service, either refunding unused electronic cash to the user or retaining unused cash as future credit for the user.