Communication network

• US 20050102205A1
• Filed: 12/06/2004
• Published: 05/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Masaaki, Kobayashi, Shinji, Yamaguchi, Kenichi, Yakura, Kenichi
• Application Number:
  US11/006,196
• Publication Number:
  US 20050102205A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1428 Invoice generation, e.g. customization, lay-out, database processing, algorithms for calculating the bill or formatting invoices as WWW pages invoicing in general G06Q30/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1432 Metric aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1446 inter-operator billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1471 splitting of costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/08 Metering calls to called party , i.e. B-party charged for the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/51 for resellers, retailers or service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/53 using mediation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8214 Data or packet based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0172 Mediation, i.e. device or program to reformat CDRS from one or more switches in order to adapt to one or more billing programs formats
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2013 Fixed data network, e.g. PDN, ATM, B-ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/54 Resellers-retail or service providers billing, e.g. agreements with telephone service operator, activation, charging/recharging of accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/62 Called party billing, e.g. reverse billing, freephone, collect call, 0800 or 0900
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/782 Data or packet based
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

When an IP (Information Provider) server is accessed from a mobile station, a gateway server determines whether or not the IP server is to be IP billed (S101). If it is not to be IP billed, then user billing is applied. In this case, the gateway server sends a user management number of the mobile station and the number of exchanged packets to a billing system (S102). The billing system calculates a communication fee in accordance with the number of packets, and issues a bill to the user specified by the user management number (S103). On the other hand, if the accessed IP server is to be IP billed, then IP billing is applied. In this case, the gateway server sends the number of exchanged packets and the address of the accessed IP server to the billing system (S104). The billing system calculates a communication fee in accordance with the number of packets, and issues a bill to the IP (S105).

Claims

1-13. -13. (canceled).

14. A gateway server communicating with at least one information provider server via a first network and communicating with a plurality of mobile telephones via a second network, the gateway server comprising:

a first memory for storing registration information for the information provider server and the mobile telephones;

a second memory for storing electronic mail for the plurality of mobile telephones;

a third memory for storing electronic mail for the plurality of mobile telephones; and

processor for receiving electronic mail and storage information from the information provider server, the storage information identifying which of the second and third memory to store the electronic mail, the processor for routing the electronic mail sent from the information provider server to at least one of the plurality of mobile telephones based on the first memory.

15. The gateway server of claim 14, wherein the first network is an Internet;

and

wherein the second network is a mobile communication network.

16. The gateway server of claim 14, wherein the first network follows a first communication protocol, and the second network follows a second communication protocol different from that of said first communication network;

and

wherein the process coverts between the first and second protocols.