Billing system for wireless device activity

• US 20040044623A1
• Filed: 08/28/2002
• Published: 03/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Yu, Julie, Wake, Susan L.
• Application Number:
  US10/231,818
• Publication Number:
  US 20040044623A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3223 Realising banking transactions through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• 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 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A system, method, and computer program for tracking billable events occurring on wireless devices on a wireless network and billing the appropriate parties. The billable events occur from the end-users of the wireless devices selectively communicating with other computer devices across the wireless network and downloading and executing software applications thereupon. The billable event data is ultimately gathered at a server on the wireless network from which billing for the wireless device billable events can be generated.

Claims

1. A system for tracking billable events occurring on wireless devices on a wireless network, comprising:

one or more wireless devices selectively in communication with other computer devices across a wireless network, each wireless device including an end-user and computer platform further selectively downloading and executing software applications thereupon and accessible by the end-user, the end-user interaction with the wireless device and with other computer devices across the wireless network causing one or more billable events;

at least one server selectively in communication with the one or more wireless devices across the wireless network; and

wherein billable event data for the one or more wireless devices is gathered at the at least one server.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the billable event data is gathered only at the at least one server.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the billable event data is gathered at the wireless device and transmitted to the at least one server.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one server further generates a bill for a wireless device based upon the gathered billable event data.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the generated bill is transmitted from the at least one server to another computer device on the wireless network.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the billable event is the download of an application from an application download server on the wireless network to the wireless device computer platform.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the billable event is the execution of an application on the wireless device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the billable event is access to an application resident on another computer device on the wireless network.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the billable event is the elapse of a duration of execution of an application.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless devices transmits billable event data to the at least one server at the completion of the event.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless devices transmits billable event data to the at least one server upon query from the at least one server.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless devices transmits billable event data to the at least one server at predetermined intervals of time.

13. A system for tracking billable events occurring on wireless devices on a wireless network, comprising:

a wireless communication means for selectively communicating with computer devices across a wireless network, the wireless communication means causing one or more billable events; and

a means for gathering the billable event data from the wireless communication means.

14. A wireless device selectively in communication with other computer devices across a wireless network, the wireless device including an end-user and computer platform further selectively downloading and executing software applications thereupon and accessible by the end-user, the end-user interaction with the wireless device and with other computer devices across the wireless network causing one or more billable events, and the wireless device gathering billable event data.

15. The wireless device of claim 14, wherein the billable event data is transmitted to another computer device across the wireless network.

16. The wireless device of claim 14, wherein the billable event is the download of an application to the wireless device computer platform.

17. The wireless device of claim 14, wherein the billable event is the execution of an application on the wireless device.

18. The wireless device of claim 14, wherein the billable event is access of the wireless device to an application resident on another computer device on the wireless network.

19. The wireless device of claim 14, wherein the billable event is the elapse of a duration of execution of an application at the wireless device computer platform.

20. The wireless device of claim 15, wherein the wireless devices transmits billable event data to another computer device at the completion of the billable event.

21. The wireless device of claim 15, wherein the wireless device transmits billable event data to another computer device at predetermined intervals of time.

22. A billing server for tracking and invoicing billable events occurring on wireless devices on a wireless network, the server selectively in communication with one or more wireless devices across the wireless network where each wireless device includes an end-user and computer platform further selectively downloading and executing software applications thereupon and accessible by the end-user, the end-user interaction with the wireless device and with other computer devices across the wireless network causing one or more billable events, and the server gathering billable event data from the one or more wireless devices.

23. The server of claim 22, wherein the billable event data is gathered only at the server.

24. The server of claim 22, wherein the billable event data is transmitted from one or more other computer devices on the network to the server.

25. The server of claim 22, wherein the server further generates a bill for a wireless device based upon the gathered billable event data.

26. The server of claim 25, wherein the generated bill is transmitted from the server to another computer device on the wireless network.

27. The server of claim 22, wherein the server prompts the one or more wireless devices to transmit billable event data.

28. The server of claim 24, wherein the server gathers billable event data based upon applications downloaded by wireless devices from other computer devices on the network.

29. A method for tracking billable events occurring on wireless devices on a wireless network, comprising the steps of:

causing one or more billable events to occur through end-user interaction with a wireless device selectively in communication with other computer devices across a wireless network, the wireless device including a computer platform further selectively downloading and executing software applications thereupon and accessible by the end-user;

creating billable event data based upon the one or more billable events; and

gathering the billable event data with at least one server on the wireless network.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein step of gathering the billable event data occurs only at the at least one server.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the step of gathering billable event data occurs at the wireless device, and further comprising the step of transmitting the billable event data to the at least one server.

32. The method of claim 29, further comprising the step of generating a bill at the at least one server for a wireless device based upon the gathered billable event data.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising the step of transmitting the bill from the at least one server to another computer device on the wireless network.

34. The method of claim 29, wherein the step of causing one or more billable events is causing a billable event through the download of an application from an application download server on the wireless network to the wireless device computer platform.

35. The method of claim 29, wherein the step of causing one or more billable events is causing a billable event through the execution of an application on the wireless device.

36. The method of claim 29, wherein the step of causing one or more billable events is causing a billable event through access of the wireless device to an application resident on another computer device on the wireless network.

37. The method of claim 29, wherein the step of causing one or more billable events is causing a billable event through the elapse of a duration of execution of an application at the wireless device.

38. The method of claim 31, wherein the step of transmitting billable event data from the wireless device is transmitting the billable event data to the at least one server at the completion of the event.

39. The method of claim 31, further comprising the step of prompting the wireless device from the at least one server to transmit billable event data.

40. The method of claim 31, wherein the step of transmitting billable event data from the wireless device is transmitting the billable event data to the at least one server at predetermined intervals of time.

41. The method of claim 34, wherein the step of creating billable event data occurs at the at least one server.

42. The method of claim 29, wherein the step of creating billable event data occurs at the wireless device.

43. A method for tracking billable events occurring on wireless devices on a wireless network, comprising the steps of:

a billable event causation step at a wireless device on a wireless network;

a data creation step of billable event data based upon the one or more billable events; and

a data gathering step of the billable event data that occurs at an at least one server on the wireless network.

44. A computer program that, when executed by a computer device on a wireless network, records billable events occurring on wireless communication devices on a wireless network through performing the steps of:

gathering data from one or more wireless communication devices for billable events that occur through end-user interaction with the wireless communication device, the wireless communication device selectively in communication with other computer devices across the wireless network and selectively downloading and executing software applications thereupon; and

creating billing data for the one or more wireless communication devices based upon the one or more billable events that occur at the respective wireless devices.

45. The program of claim 44, wherein the program causes the step of gathering the billable event data to occur only at the computer device.

46. The program of claim 44, wherein the program causes the step of gathering billable event data to occur at the wireless communication device, and further comprising the step of transmitting the billable event data to the at least one server.

47. The program of claim 44, wherein the program further directs the computer device to perform the step of generating a bill for a wireless communication device based upon the gathered billable event data.

48. The program of claim 44, wherein the program further directs the computer device to perform the step of transmitting the bill to another computer device on the wireless network.

49. The program of claim 44, wherein the program further directs the computer device to perform the step of prompting a wireless communication device to transmit billable event data.