Method for providing paying services, user identification device, and device for providing said services

• US 20060135117A1
• Filed: 09/24/2003
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Schmidt, Andreas, Van Niekerk, Sabine, Laumen, Josef
• Granted Patent: US 7,890,139 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/405
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/403 Solvency checks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1457 using an account
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/48 Secure or trusted billing, e.g. trusted elements or encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/57 for integrated multimedia messaging subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/854 Available credit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0156 Secure and trusted billing, e.g. trusted elements, encryption, digital signature, codes or double check mechanisms to secure billing calculation and information
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/208 IMS, i.e. Integrated Multimedia messaging Subsystem
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8166 Available credit
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A method is provided for providing paying services in a radio communication network which operates, in particular, according to the GSM Standard “Global System Mobile” or the UMTS Standard “Universal Mobile Telecommunications System”,” via at least one radio communication terminal having a device for user identification, especially a “Subscriber Identity Module” or a “UMTS Subscriber Identity Module” (U)SIM, and at least one device for providing the services. According to the present invention, when a request for a service is made by the radio communication terminal to the device for providing the services, at least one message generated by the user identification device is transmitted. The present invention also relates to a network control unit for carrying out such method, the unit including at least parts for generating a request message aimed at a device for providing a paying service, and to a device for providing the services, the device including parts for evaluating at least one message generated by the user identification device during the request for a service made by the radio communication terminal, in addition to parts for initiating the service, and parts for providing the service.

Claims

1-13. -13. (canceled)

14. A method for providing paying services within a radio communication network operating in accordance with one of a GSM Standard and a UMTS Standard, the method comprising:

providing at least one radio communication terminal including a device for user identification, the device being one of an SIM and a USIM;

providing at least one device for providing the paying services;

making a request for one of the paying services by the radio communication terminal; and

transmitting, in response to the request, at least one message generated by the user identification device to the device for providing the paying services.

15. A method for providing paying services as claimed in claim 14, wherein the device for providing the paying services, upon receipt of at least one message, effects a method comprising:

initiating a check of an account status assigned to the user identification device;

enabling provision of the requested paying service if a result of the check is positive; and

blocking provision of the requested paying service if the result of the check is negative.

16. A method for providing paying services as claimed in claim 14, wherein at least one message is formulated as a command of a command set implemented in the user identification device as specified in one of an SIM Application Toolkit, a USIM Application Toolkit and a Card Application Toolkit.

17. A method for providing paying services as claimed in claim 14, wherein the at least one message contains a first item of information identifying the radio communication terminal.

18. A method for providing paying services as claimed in claim 17, wherein the at least one message contains a second item of information identifying a current service request.

19. A method for providing paying services as claimed in claim 14, wherein the at least one message describes an order of the services requested by the radio communication terminal.

20. A method for providing paying services as claimed in claim 14, wherein the paying services are at least one of a transfer of mobile emails, instant messaging, video telephony, a multimedia messaging service and a short message service, and the at least one message contains, depending upon a type of requested service, additional data required for providing the service.

21. A user identification device in a radio communication terminal for use in a method for providing paying services within a radio communication network operating in accordance with one of a GSM Standard and a UMTS Standard, comprising parts for generating, upon a request being made for one of the paying services by the radio communication terminal, a request message addressed to a device for providing the paying services, the request message thereafter being transmitted to the device for providing the paying services.

22. A user identification device as claimed in claim 21, wherein the user identification device is one of an SIM and a USIM.

23. A user identification device as claimed in claim 21, wherein a command set implemented in the user identification device as specified in one of an SIM Application Toolkit, a USIM Application Toolkit and a Card Application Toolkit generates the request message.

24. A device for providing paying services within a radio communication network operating in accordance with one of a GSM Standard and a UMTS Standard, comprising:

parts for evaluating at least one message generated by a user identification device of a radio communication terminal during a request for one of the paying services made by the radio communication terminal;

parts for initiating the requested paying service; and

parts for providing the requested paying service.

25. A device for providing paying services as claimed in claim 24, wherein the device is embodied as a distributed arrangement including a network control device of the radio communication system for controlling a server, with the network control device including both the parts for evaluating and the parts for initiating the requested paying services.

26. A device for providing paying services as claimed in claim 24, wherein the device is embodied as a server.