Charging server, charging method, recorded medium where charging program is stored, and recorded medium where connection program is stored

• US 20040091091A1
• Filed: 11/03/2003
• Published: 05/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mikio Maruyama
• Original Assignee: Mikio Maruyama
• Inventors: Tanaka, Shinchiro, Maruyama, Mikio
• Application Number:
  US10/432,182
• Publication Number:
  US 20040091091A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/114.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• 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 15/07 Split billing, i.e. both A-party and B-party charged for the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/08 Metering calls to called party , i.e. B-party charged for the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/09 Third party charged communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/55 for hybrid networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0184 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions, volume discounts, cell discounts, group billing, frequent calling destination(s) or user history list
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0192 Sponsored, subsidised calls via advertising, e.g. calling cards with ads or connecting to special ads, free calling time by purchasing goods
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/202 VoIP; Packet switched telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2046 Hybrid network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/44 Charging/billing arrangements for connection made over different networks, e.g. wireless and PSTN, ISDN, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/62 Called party billing, e.g. reverse billing, freephone, collect call, 0800 or 0900
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/64 Split billing, sharing the cost of calls, e.g. between calling and called parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/66 Third party billing, i.e. third party can also be the predetermined telephone line of the caller if he is calling from another telephone set

Abstract

A recording medium storing a program for connecting a caller terminal and a recipient terminal that make a call by using a network in which an IP address of a user is assigned when the user connects with the network is provided. The program includes an IP address acquiring module 300 for acquiring an IP address of the caller terminal from a provider in a case where a user of the caller terminal input a call request and an e-mail sending module 304 for creating an e-mail containing information indicating the IP address of the caller terminal and an indication button for instructing a request of the call from the recipient terminal to the caller terminal so as to send the e-mail to the recipient terminal.

Claims

1. An accounting server for charging a fee in accordance with a call to at least one of a caller terminal and a recipient terminal that makes said call by using a network in which an IP address of a user is assigned when the user connects with the network, comprising:

a calling information receiving unit operable to regularly receive calling information indicating that said terminals are making the call during said call from at least one of said caller terminal and said recipient terminal;

a charging unit operable to charge a phone charge to at least one of said caller terminal and said recipient terminal based on said calling information; and

an advertisement transmitting unit operable to transmit advertisement information to be displayed on at least one of said caller terminal and said recipient terminal to said at least one terminal, wherein

said charging unit reduces said phone charge based on an access to said advertisement information transmitted by said advertisement transmitting unit from a user of said at least one terminal.

2. An accounting server as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a call-start-request receiving unit operable to receive start-request information indicating that a request of said call was performed from said caller terminal in a case where said caller terminal sent said recipient terminal an e-mail requesting said call, wherein

said advertisement transmitting unit starts to transmit said advertisement information to said caller terminal on a condition that said start-request information was received.

3. An accounting server as claimed in claim 2, wherein said calling information receiving unit receives from said caller terminal information indicating a start of said call when said call was started, and includes a means operable to stop transmission of said advertisement information when receiving said information indicating the start of said call.

4. An accounting server as claimed in claim 1, wherein said advertisement transmitting unit transmits said advertisement information to said caller terminal during said call.

5. An accounting server as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

an advertisement displaying program holding unit operable to store a program for making a terminal display said advertisement information after an end of said call; and

a program transmitting unit operable to transmit said program stored in said advertisement displaying program holding unit to said caller terminal.

6. An accounting server as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

an advertisement displaying program holding unit operable to store a program for making a terminal display said advertisement information after an end of said call; and

a program transmitting unit operable to transmit said program stored in said advertisement displaying program holding unit to said recipient terminal.

7. An accounting server as claimed in claim 1, wherein said calling information receiving unit regularly receives said calling information during said call from said caller terminal and said recipient terminal.

8. An accounting server as claimed in claim 1, wherein said charging unit charges said phone charge to both said caller terminal and said recipient terminal.

9. An accounting server as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a calculating program storing unit operable to store a program for calculating a call duration during said call;

and

a program transmitting unit operable to transmit said program to said caller terminal or said recipient terminal.

10. An accounting server as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an advertisement-display information receiving unit operable to receive information indicating that said advertisement information has been displayed by said caller terminal or said recipient terminal in a case where said caller terminal or said recipient terminal has displayed said advertisement information, wherein

said charging unit reduces at least a part of said phone charge in a case where said advertisement-display information receiving unit received said information.

11. An accounting server as claimed in claim 1, wherein said advertisement information contains link information for allowing jump to detail information provided on said network, and

said charging unit reduces at least a part of said phone charge in a case where the jump was made from said advertisement information displayed by said caller terminal or said recipient terminal to said detail information.

12. An accounting server as claimed in claim 1, wherein said charging unit charges at least a part of a reduced amount of said phone charge to an advertiser of said advertisement information.

13. A recording medium storing a program for charging a fee in accordance with a call to at least one of a caller terminal and a recipient terminal that makes said call by using a network in which an IP address of a user is assigned when said user connects with said network, said program comprising:

a calling information receiving module operable to regularly receive calling information indicating that said call is being made from at least one of said caller terminal and said recipient terminal during said call;

a charging module operable to charge a phone charge to at least one of said caller terminal and said recipient terminal based on said calling information;

an advertisement transmitting module operable to transmit advertisement information to be displayed on at least one of said caller terminal and said recipient terminal to said at least one terminal; and

a phone charge discount module operable to reduce said phone charge based on an access to said advertisement information from a user of said at least one terminal.

14. A charging method for charging a fee in accordance with a call to at least one of a caller terminal and a recipient terminal that make said call by using a network in which an IP address of a user is assigned when said user connects with said network, comprising:

regularly receiving calling information indicating that said call is being made from at least one of said caller terminal and said recipient terminal during said call;

charging a phone charge to at least one of said caller terminal and said recipient terminal based on said calling information; and

reducing said phone charge based on an access to said advertisement information from a user of said at least one terminal.

15. A recording medium storing a program for connecting a caller terminal and a recipient terminal that make a call by using a network in which an IP address of a user is assigned when said user connects with said network, said program comprising:

an IP address acquiring module operable to acquire an IP address of said caller terminal from a provider in a case where a user of said caller terminal input a request of a call; and

an e-mail sending module operable to create an e-mail containing information indicating said IP address of said caller terminal and an indicating button for instructing a request of said call from said recipient terminal to said caller terminal and to send said e-mail to said recipient terminal.

16. A recording medium as claimed in claim 15, wherein said program further comprises a receiving module operable to receive advertisement information to be displayed on said caller terminal.

17. A recording medium as claimed in claim 16, wherein said receiving module receives said advertisement information until a start of said call.

18. A recording medium as claimed in claim 16, wherein said receiving module receives said advertisement information during said call.

19. A recording medium as claimed in claim 15, wherein said program further comprises a calling information transmitting module operable to transmit information indicating a start of said call to an accounting server for charging a phone charge when said call was started.

20. A recording medium as claimed in claim 16, wherein said program further comprises an advertisement displaying module operable to make said advertisement information be displayed after an end of said call.

21. A recording medium as claimed in claim 16, wherein said program further comprises an advertisement displaying module operable to make said advertisement information be displayed during said call.

22. A recording medium as claimed in claim 16, wherein said program further comprises an advertisement displaying module operable to make said advertisement information be displayed in said caller terminal before said call.

23. A recording medium as claimed in claim 15, wherein said program further comprises a calling information transmitting module operable to regularly transmit calling information indicating that said call is being made to an accounting server for charging a phone charge during said call.

24. A recording medium as claimed in claim 15, wherein said program further comprises a call duration calculating module operable to calculate a duration of said call during said call.

25. A recording medium as claimed in claim 24, wherein said program further comprises a call duration transmitting module operable to a total of said duration of said call calculated by said call duration calculating module to an accounting server for charging a phone charge.

26. A recording medium as claimed in claim 22, wherein said program further comprises an advertisement-displaying information transmitting module operable to transmit information indicating that said advertisement information was displayed on said caller terminal to an accounting server for charging a phone charge in a case where said advertisement information was displayed on said caller terminal.

27. A recording medium as claimed in claim 19, wherein said calling information transmitting module transmits information indicating an end of said call to said accounting server when said call was finished.