Accounting of data transmission costs in a mobile radio/telephone network

• US 20040121757A1
• Filed: 03/24/2003
• Published: 06/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Schmidt, Andreas, Laumen, Josef, Schmidt, Gunnar
• Granted Patent: US 7,412,227 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/405
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/201 Price look-up processing, e.g. updating
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1471 splitting of costs
• 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 15/08 Metering calls to called party , i.e. B-party charged for the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/28 with meter at substation or with calculation of charges at terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/67 Transmitting arrangements for sending billing related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• 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

Abstract

Accounting of data transmission costs in a mobile radio network

A method for the accounting of data transmission costs in a mobile radio network, in particular text and/or image data with or without sound, is carried out such that data which is or will be transmitted is assigned at least one cost signal for the costs of sending one or more replies relating to the transmitted data, and that this or these cost signal(s) are transmitted to the recipient(s) of the data.

Claims

1. A method for the accounting of data transmission costs for the transmission of multimedia messages in a mobile radio network, whereby data of a multimedia message which is or will be transmitted is assigned at least one cost signal for the costs of sending one or more replies relating to the data of the multimedia message which is transmitted, and that this or these cost signal(s) are transmitted to the recipient(s) of the data, whereby the cost signal contains information about an assumption of costs, by the original sender of the data, in respect of the reply or replies, whereby the cost signal includes an identification information for the data in order to allow the assignment of one or more replies to this data, and whereby the cost signal(s) is or are assigned one more header field(s) of the transmitted data of the multimedia message.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the cost signal specifies a time duration within which a reply to the transmitted data can be submitted free of charge by the original recipient.

3. The method as claimed in one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the cost signal specifies a number of replies which can be given to the transmitted data free of charge by the original recipient.

4. The method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that different cost signals are assigned to the relevant data messages by the data sender if data is transmitted to a plurality of recipients.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the difference between the cost signal(s) relates to the readiness to assume the costs of a reply and/or the time duration of this readiness and/or the number of permitted cost-free replies.

6. The method as claimed in one of the claims 1 with 5, characterized in that the information in the cost signal is indicated to the recipient visually or acoustically during or after receipt of the data.

7. The method as claimed in one of the claims 1 with 6, characterized in that the method is applied in the Mobile Messaging Service (MMS).

8. The method as claimed in one of the claims 1 with 7, characterized in that the method is applied in the transmission standard UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System), in GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication), in GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) and/or in EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Environments).

9. The method as claimed in one of the claims 1 with 8, characterized in that the readiness to assume the costs of one or more replies is stored in a header field and the time duration of the readiness to assume the costs is stored in a further header field.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that one or more cost signal(s) is or are stored in the header fields 0x1 to 0x1E.

11. The method as claimed in one of the claims 1 with 10, characterized in that one or more cost signals are transmitted respectively during the transmission of a data record (multimedia message) from the sender (MMS user agent A) to the MMS relay of the service provider, in the confirmation of receipt of a transmitted data record (multimedia message) by the MMS relay of the service provider to the sender (MMS user agent A), in the notification to the recipient (MMS user agent B) by the MMS relay of the service provider concerning the presence of a new data record (multimedia message), as well as during the transmission of a reply (multimedia message) from the recipient (MMS user agent B) of the original data to the MMS relay of the service provider, and when notifying the original sender (MMS user agent A) of the presence of a reply (multimedia message) from the original recipient (MMS user agent B).

12. The method as claimed in one of the claims 1 with 11, characterized in that additional header field(s) are assigned to the messages M-send.req, M-send.conf, M-Notification.ind and M-Retrieve.conf in each case.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that the outgoing message M-Send.req is assigned an additional header field for the option on the part of the sender of assuming the costs of one or more replies to the data to be sent by the sender, and an additional header field for determining the time duration of the readiness to assume the costs.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that the message M-send.conf returned to the data sender by a provider includes a header field containing confirmation of acceptance or (partial) rejection of the assumption of costs of the reply, and a header field containing information about the costs which the data sender can expect to incur.

15. The method as claimed in one of the claims 12 with 14, characterized in that the message M-Notification.ind sent to the recipient by the provider includes at least one header field containing a signal which indicates the assumption of costs and if appropriate which specifies a limit to the time duration and/or the number of replies.

16. The method as claimed in one of the claims 12 with 15, characterized in that the answer sent to the provider by the recipient contains an indicator that it is a reply to data which has been sent, and an identification information indicating the data concerned.

17. The method as claimed in one of the claims 12 with 16, characterized in that the notification to the original sender (MMS user agent A) contains information indicating that the message available for receipt is a reply, and identification information indicating the data concerned.

18. The method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one additional header field is assigned to the identification signal in each case, in which field a time limit for responding is set on the identification signal.

19. A mobile telecommunication device (5;

6) for carrying out the method as claimed in one of the claims 1 with 18.

20. A mobile telecommunication device (5;

6) as claimed in claim 19, characterized in that the mobile telecommunication device (5;

6) features an assumption switch (16) for permitting an assumption of costs of one or more replies.

21. The mobile telecommunication device as claimed in claim 20, characterized in that the mobile telecommunication device (5;

6) features an indicator means (15) for visual or acoustic indication of the assumption of costs of one or more replies and for the duration of this assumption of costs.

22. The mobile telecommunication device as claimed in one of the claims 20 or 21, characterized in that the assumption switch (16) is implemented in software and selectable by means of an input means.

23. The mobile telecommunication device (5;

6) as claimed in one of the claims 19 with 22, characterized in that the telecommunication device is assigned software for entering a cost signal, for an assumption of the costs of one or more replies, into header fields (17;

18;

19;

20;

21) of data messages (9;

13).