System and method for billing augmentation

• US 20050216403A1
• Filed: 05/04/2004
• Published: 09/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sybase 365 Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Sybase 365 Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Lovell, Robert C. Jr., Tam, Derek Hung Kit
• Granted Patent: US 7,640,211 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• 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 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/50 for cross-charging network operators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0104 Augmented, consolidated or itemised billing statement, e.g. additional billing information, bill presentation, layout, format, e-mail, fax, printout, itemised bill per service or per account, cumulative billing, consolidated billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0152 General billing plans, rate plans, e.g. charge rates, numbering plans, rate centers, customer accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/28 SMS billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/52 Interconnection, inter-exchange, reseller billing, billing agreements between different operators, e.g. billing identifier added on the CDR in order to cross charge the other operator, inter-operator accounting, reconciliation, bill directly resellers customers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

System and method for providing augmented billing services. Where a billing system cannot keep pace with new services being marketed and the specialized pricing associated with such new services, a system and method are provided that generate a billing augmentation messages that are sent to the billing entity and that cause an incremental increase of a bill for the handling of a particular message type. The incremental increase is equivalent to a charge that the billing system is already configured to bill. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the message is an electronic message such as an SMS message and the billing augmentation messages are generated by and sent from an intercarrier vendor.

Claims

1. A billing augmentation method, comprising:

receiving, over an electronic network, a message sent by a customer;

analyzing the message to determine if the message falls into a first service charge category or a second service charge category, the second service charge category having a billing charge greater than that of the first service charge category;

processing the message and generating an initial billing event to bill the customer an amount in accordance with the first service charge category; and

when the message falls into the second service charge category, generating a subsequent billing event to bill the customer an amount in accordance with the first service charge category to cause a charge to the customer to be augmented such that an overall charge to the customer is substantially the same as the billing charge of the second service charge category.

2. The billing augmentation method of claim 1, wherein the first service charge category is applied to basic messages for which a service provider has an existing associated billing event and the second service charge category is applied to premium messages for which the service provider does not have an existing associated billing event.

3. The billing augmentation method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing is performed by an outside vendor to determine whether the subsequent billing event needs to be generated.

4. The billing augmentation method of claim 3, wherein the initial billing event is generated by the service provider and the outside vendor generates the subsequent billing event.

5. The billing augmentation method of claim 4, wherein the initial billing event and the subsequent billing event cause the overall charge to be increased by a same amount.

6. The billing augmentation method of claim 4, wherein the initial billing event and the subsequent billing event cause the overall charge to be increased by different amounts.

7. The billing augmentation method of claim 1, wherein the subsequent billing event is triggered by a billing augmentation message (BAM).

8. A billing augmentation system, comprising:

a first entity for receiving a message from a customer;

a second entity for receiving and analyzing the message from the first entity;

the first entity generating an initial billing event based upon receipt of the message; and

the second entity triggering one or more subsequent billing events to augment a charge to the customer.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the second entity triggers the one or more subsequent billing events by sending one or more billing augmentation messages to the first entity.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the first entity is a wireless service provider.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the second entity is an inter-carrier vendor.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the inter-carrier vendor processes the message from a customer and sends the message from the customer on to a second wireless service provider for delivery.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more billing augmentation messages are sent at a time substantially corresponding to a time at which the message from the customer is received.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more billing augmentation messages are delayed from being sent at a time substantially corresponding to a time at which the message from the customer is received.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more billing augmentation messages are gated.

16. A billing augmentation method, comprising:

a wireless carrier receiving a message from a customer;

the wireless carrier triggering an initial billing event based on the message;

the wireless carrier sending the message to an inter-carrier vendor for further processing;

the inter-carrier vendor analyzing the message to determine its type based on the content thereof; and

the inter-carrier vendor, in determining the message type, sending a billing augmentation message to the wireless carrier to trigger a subsequent billing event such that an overall charge to the customer will be commensurate with a predetermined charge for that type of message.