Transaction-based service billing in a telecommunication system

• US 20040002324A1
• Filed: 09/13/2002
• Published: 01/01/2004
• 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, Keinanen, Kimmo
• Granted Patent: US 7,328,000 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/325 using wireless networks
• 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 2215/22 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 80/00 : Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 : Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A WAP Charging Gateway, and a method and system, for arranging transaction-based billing for WAP services in a telecommunication system that includes a telecommunication network, a terminal device connected to the telecommunication network and used for accessing WAP services, a WAP Gateway connected to the telecommunication network, a content provider of WAP services connected to the WAP Gateway, a billing log file, a transaction manager for recording transactions associated with billable services and generated from different WAP protocol levels in the billing log file, and reading devices for reading the billing log file. Transactions associated with billable services, generated from different WAP protocol levels, are written to the billing log file and are read from the billing log file (LOG). The transactions in the billing log file are converted into a readable form. First rules are applied to the converted transactions to generate and store predefined transaction parameters, and second rules are then applied to the stored transaction parameters for generating chargeable transactions therefrom.

Claims

1. A WAP charging gateway for providing transaction-based billing for WAP services from transaction data written to a billing log file in connection with provision of billable WAP services to a user, said gateway comprising:

a reader for reading the transaction data from the billing log file;

a converter for converting the read transaction data from the billing log file into an alternate readable form;

first rules applyable against the converted transaction data for generating and storing predefined transaction parameters based on the converted transaction data; and

second rules applyable against the stored transaction parameters for generating, from the stored transaction parameters, chargeable transactions for use in preparing transaction-based bills for the WAP services.

2. A WAP charging gateway in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a transmitter for sending billing information from the WAP charging gateway to a billing system.

3. A method for providing transaction-based billing for WAP services, comprising the steps of:

writing transaction data generated from different WAP protocol levels and associated with billable WAP services to a billing log file;

reading the written transaction data from the billing log file;

converting the read transaction data from the billing log file into an alternate readable form;

applying first rules to the converted transaction data to generate and store predefined transaction parameters based on the converted transaction data; and

applying second rules to the stored transaction parameters to generate chargeable transactions for use in preparing transaction-based bills for the WAP services.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the billing log file to which the generated transaction data is written is located in a WAP gateway.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said step of reading the written transaction data from the billing log file is carried out in a WAP charging gateway.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said step of reading the written transaction data from the billing log file in the WAP gateway is carried out in a WAP charging gateway.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the second rules are defined based on where WAP protocol messages are being transported.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the second rules are defined based on whether communications are effected via a wired connection or a wireless connection.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein at least one of the first and second rules are defined based at least one of error situations and service status data.

10. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of combining information relating to a single transaction into a separate billing ticket based on a specific identifier.

11. The method of claim 3, further comprising the steps of generating a billing ticket and sending the generated billing ticket to a billing system.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of combining information relating to a single transaction into a separate billing ticket based on a specific identifier.

13. A system for providing transaction-based billing for WAP services in a telecommunication system that includes a telecommunication network, a terminal device connected to the telecommunication network and operable for using WAP services, a WAP gateway connected to the telecommunication network, a content provider of WAP services connected to the telecommunication network, a billing log file, an event manager operable for writing to the billing log file transaction data generated from different WAP protocol levels and associated with billable transactions, and a reading device for reading the transaction data from the billing log file, said transaction-based billing system comprising:

a WAP charging gateway;

a converter in said WAP charging gateway for converting the transaction data in the billing log file into a readable form;

first rules for application in said WAP charging gateway against the converted transaction data for generating and storing predefined transaction parameters based on the converted transaction data; and

second rules for application in said WAP charging gateway against the stored transaction parameters for generating, from the stored transaction parameters, chargeable transactions for use in preparing transaction-based bills for the WAP services.

14. A system in accordance with claim 13, further comprising a billing management system for handling generated billing tickets.

15. A system in accordance with claim 13, further comprising a transmitter for sending billing information to a billing system.

16. A system in accordance with claim 14, further comprising a transmitter for sending billing information to the billing management system.

17. A system in accordance with claim 13, wherein the telecommunication network comprises a mobile communication network.

18. A system in accordance with claim 13, wherein the terminal device comprises a mobile station.