Customer billing in a communications network
First Claim
1. A method of billing a communications network user for goods or services associated with the transport of packet traffic from that communications network into a packet communications network, each packet having an address, wherein the method comprises;
- providing a set of rules, and determining from said rules and each packet address, a respective billing tariff and account for that packet.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In a packet communications network, e.g. a third generation wireless network, combined billing of a user is provided for the delivery of communications services to that user and for the on-line purchase of goods and services by the user via the communications network. A set of rules is provided and a respective billing tariff and account is determined from the rules and each packet address. Credit transfers are made between user accounts and the accounts of goods/services supplies held in a common database.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of billing a communications network user for goods or services associated with the transport of packet traffic from that communications network into a packet communications network, each packet having an address, wherein the method comprises;
- providing a set of rules, and determining from said rules and each packet address, a respective billing tariff and account for that packet.
- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
- 8. A method of on-line shopping in which the cost of goods or services purchased by a customer are debited to that customer'"'"'s pre-paid or postpaid account with a network operator, and a corresponding credit is applied to an account held by the provider of those goods or services.
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11. A method of providing combined billing of a communications packet network user for the delivery of communications services to that user and for the on-line purchase of goods and services by the user via the communications network, wherein the method comprises;
- providing a set of rules, and determining from said rules and each packet address, a respective billing tariff and account for that packet.
- View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. Apparatus for billing a communications network user for goods or services associated with the transport of packet traffic from that communications network into a packet communications network, the apparatus comprising:
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means for providing each packet with an address, a store having a set of rules, and a packet analyzer for determining from said rules and each packet address, a respective billing tariff and account for that packet. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification