Device billing agent

• US 20060217107A1
• Filed: 03/23/2005
• Published: 09/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Maes, Stephane H.
• Granted Patent: US 7,426,381 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/405
• 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 15/30 the meter or calculation of charges not being controlled from an exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/31 Distributed metering or calculation of charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• 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 2215/0152 General billing plans, rate plans, e.g. charge rates, numbering plans, rate centers, customer accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/202 VoIP; Packet switched telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2033 WLAN
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/204 UMTS; GPRS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/96 Distributed calculation of charges, e.g. in different nodes like for mobiles between HLR and VLR, or between the terminal and the billing function
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

Access devices using billing agents and methods are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises capturing, at an access device, a communication to be transmitted from the access device. The method further comprises determining billing information about the communication and transmitting, from the wireless communications device, the billing information to a billing system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

capturing, at an access device, a communication to be transmitted from the access device;

determining billing information about the communication; and

transmitting, from the access device, the billing information to a billing system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the access device is a wireless device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the communication to a recipient.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising before transmitting the communication, encrypting the communication.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein transmitting the communication comprises transmitting the communication over a secure network

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the secure network comprises a virtual private network (VPN).

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request from the billing system for the billing information; and

wherein transmitting the billing information comprises transmitting the billing information in response to the request

8. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the billing information comprises transmitting the billing information at a predetermined time.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining additional billing information for a plurality of communications transmitted during a predetermined time interval; and

transmitting the additional billing information at the predetermined time.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

capturing, at the access device, a second communication received at the access device;

determining second billing information, the second billing information including information about the second communication; and

transmitting the second billing information to the billing system.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising before transmitting the billing information, encrypting the billing information.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the billing information comprises determining a communication type associated with the communication.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein determining the communication type comprises determining the communication is one of a Multi-media Messaging Service (MMS) message, a Short Message Service (SMS) message, an Instant Message (IM), an email message, and a voice chat message.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the billing information comprises determining a length of the communication.

15. A method comprising:

receiving, at a billing system associated with a network provider, billing information from an access device communicating on a network, the billing information including communication information for at least one communication transmitted from the access device; and

billing a customer of the network provider based at least in part on the billing information.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the access device is a wireless device.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising before receiving the billing information, transmitting, from the billing system, a request to the access device to transmit the billing information.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising authenticating the billing information.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining a billing agent included on the access device is not active; and

reporting the access device to the network provider.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein determining the billing agent is not active comprises detecting a failed authentication of the access device.

21. An access device comprising:

application logic;

billing agent logic, communicatively coupled with the application logic, to monitor the application logic, to capture a communication transmitted from the application logic, and to determine billing information about the communication; and

a communication component to transmit the billing information to a billing system and to transmit the communication.

22. The access device of claim 21, further comprising an encryption component, communicatively coupled with the application logic, to encrypt the communication.

23. The access device of claim 21, wherein the access device further comprises a secure component, and at least a portion of the billing agent logic is stored on the secure module.

24. The access device of claim 21, wherein the secure component comprises one of a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) and a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM).

25. The access device of claim 21, wherein the access device comprises a wireless device.

26. The access device of claim 25, wherein the wireless device comprises a mobile telephone.