Method and apparatus providing user with account balance notification of prepaid wireless packet data services

• US 20040137874A1
• Filed: 01/09/2003
• Published: 07/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Athalye, Sanjeev Arvind, Wang, Jun, Mahendran, Arungundram C., Hsu, Raymond T., Veerepalli, Sivaramakrishna
• Granted Patent: US 6,990,330 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/405
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/785 Reserving amount on the account
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/85 characterised by the type of condition triggering a notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/851 Determined tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/852 Low balance or limit reached
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/854 Available credit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/00 Prepayment of wireline communication systems, wireless communication systems or telephone systems using a coded card to authorise calls from a telephone set H04M1/675
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7295 Reserve amount, e.g. according to estimated costs for a typical communication duration or according to the estimated volume to be transferred
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/81 Notifying aspects, e.g. notifications or displays to the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/815 Notification when a specific condition, service or event is met
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8158 Low balance or limit reached
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8166 Available credit
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A wireless packet data network (120) provides subscriber stations 114 with account balance notification concerning prepaid wireless packet data services. The network (120) detects (404, 406) occurrence of predefined trigger events. Responsive to occurrence of any one of these predefined trigger events in conjunction with a prepaid wireless packet data subscriber station (114), the network (146) sends (408) a balance notification to the subscriber station (114).

Claims

1. A method for providing account balance notification of prepaid wireless packet data services in a wireless packet data network, comprising operations of:

detecting occurrence of predefined trigger events;

responsive to occurrence of any one of the predefined trigger events in conjunction with a given wireless subscriber station, sending a balance notification to the given subscriber station via the network.

2. The method of claim 1, where the operation of detecting occurrence of predefined trigger events comprises one or more components of the network sensing occurrence of one or more of the following events:

the given subscriber station'"'"'s account balance falling below a network-specified threshold;

the given subscriber station'"'"'s account balance falling below a subscriber station-specified threshold;

receipt of an account balance query from the given subscriber station;

receipt of an account balance query from a component of the network;

replenishment of the given subscriber station'"'"'s account balance;

arrival of a scheduled account balance notification time.

3. The method of claim 1, the sending operation comprising:

relaying the balance notification to the given subscriber station via the network utilizing network-architecture-specific signaling.

4. The method of claim 1, where:

the wireless packet data network includes at least one prepaid server, at least one prepaid client, at least one packet control function module, and at least one base station controller;

the sending operation comprises;

the prepaid server sending data representative of the balance notification to the prepaid client utilizing authentication-authorization-accounting (AAA) protocol;

the prepaid client sending data representative of the balance notification to the packet control function module utilizing A11 protocol;

the packet control function module sending data representative of the balance notification to the base station controller utilizing A11 protocol;

the base station controller sending data representative of the balance notification to the given subscriber station utilizing a prescribed over-the-air (OTA) protocol.

5. The method of claim 1, the sending operation comprising:

utilizing short message service (SMS) communications to relay the balance notification to the given subscriber station.

6. The method of claim 1, the sending operation comprising:

transmitting the balance notification to an internet protocol (IP) address of the given subscriber station.

7. The method of claim 6, where:

the operations further comprise, prior to the transmitting operation, querying at least one prescribed entity to obtain the IP address of the given subscriber station.

8. The method of claim 1, where the operations further comprise:

the given subscriber station submitting a balance query to a prepaid server;

the operation of detecting occurrence of predefined trigger events includes the prepaid server sensing receipt of the balance query.

9. The method of claim 8, where:

the submitting operation comprises the given subscriber station sending a balance query to a prepaid server utilizing one of the following communication modes;

network-architecture-specific signaling, short message service (SMS), application/internet protocol (IP) messaging.

10. The method of claim 1, where the operations further comprise:

a prepaid client submitting a balance query to a prepaid server on behalf of the given subscriber station;

the operation of detecting occurrence of predefined trigger events includes the prepaid server sensing receipt of the balance query.

11. A signal bearing medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital data processor to perform operations of providing account balance notification of prepaid wireless packet data services in a wireless packet data network, the operations comprising:

detecting occurrence of predefined trigger events;

responsive to occurrence of any one of the predefined trigger events in conjunction with a given wireless subscriber station, sending a balance notification to the given subscriber station via the network.

12. The medium of claim 11, where the operation of detecting occurrence of predefined trigger events comprises one or more components of the network sensing occurrence of one or more of the following events:

the given subscriber station'"'"'s account balance falling below a network-specified threshold;

the given subscriber station'"'"'s account balance falling below a subscriber station-specified threshold;

receipt of an account balance query from the given subscriber station;

receipt of an account balance query from a component of the network;

replenishment of the given subscriber station'"'"'s account balance;

arrival of a scheduled account balance notification time.

13. The medium of claim 11, the sending operation comprising:

transmitting the balance notification to the network for delivery to the given subscriber station utilizing network-architecture-specific signaling.

14. The medium of claim 11, the sending operation comprising:

transmitting the balance notification to the network for delivery to the given subscriber station utilizing short message service (SMS) communications.

15. The medium of claim 11, the sending operation comprising:

transmitting the balance notification to an internet protocol (IP) address of the given subscriber station.

16. The medium of claim 15, where:

the operations further comprise, prior to the transmitting operation, querying at least one prescribed entity to obtain the IP address of the given subscriber station.

17. The medium of claim 11, where:

one of the predefined trigger events comprising receiving a balance query;

the receiving operation comprising receiving the balance query via one of the following communication modes;

network-architecture-specific signaling, short message service (SMS), application/internet (IP) protocol messaging.

18. Circuitry including multiple interconnected electrically conductive elements configured to perform operations of providing account balance notification of prepaid wireless packet data services in a wireless packet data network, the operations comprising:

detecting occurrence of predefined trigger events;

responsive to occurrence of any one of the predefined trigger events in conjunction with a given wireless subscriber station, sending a balance notification to the given subscriber station via the network.

19. A prepaid server for use in providing account balance notification of prepaid wireless packet data services in a wireless packet data network, the prepaid server comprising:

a storage;

an input/output;

a digital data processing machine coupled to the storage and programmed to perform operations comprising;

detecting occurrence of predefined trigger events;

responsive to occurrence of any one of the predefined trigger events in conjunction with a given wireless subscriber station, sending a balance notification to the given subscriber station via the network.

20. A prepaid server for use in providing account balance notification of prepaid wireless packet data services in a wireless packet data network, the prepaid server comprising:

storage means;

means for input/output;

digital data processing means for performing operations comprising;

detecting occurrence of predefined trigger events;

responsive to occurrence of any one of the predefined trigger events in conjunction with a given wireless subscriber station, sending a balance notification to the given subscriber station via the network.

21. A communications network for providing prepaid wireless packet data services, comprising:

at least one prepaid packet data services client;

at least one base station controller;

at least one component to manage packet data communications between the prepaid client and base station controller;

a prepaid server, programmed to perform operations to provide account balance notification of prepaid wireless packet data services, the operations comprising;

detecting occurrence of predefined trigger events;

responsive to occurrence of any one of the predefined trigger events in conjunction with a given wireless subscriber station, sending a balance notification to the given subscriber station via the network.

22. The network of claim 21, where the prepaid server comprises part of a home authentication-authorization-accounting (AAA) component.

23. The network of claim 21, where the network includes a home authentication-authorization-accounting (AAA) component, and the prepaid server is externally coupled to the home AAA component.

24. The network of claim 21, where the network exhibiting one of the architectures:

CDMA-2000, W-CDMA, GPRS.

25. A communications network for providing prepaid wireless packet data services, comprising:

at least one prepaid packet data services client;

at least one base station controller;

means for managing packet data communications between the prepaid client and base station controller;

prepaid server means for providing account balance notification of prepaid wireless packet data services by;

performing operations comprising;

detecting occurrence of predefined trigger events;

responsive to occurrence of any one of the predefined trigger events in conjunction with a given wireless subscriber station, sending a balance notification to the given subscriber station via the network.