Methods and apparatus for charging a subscriber roaming in a mobile communication network

• US 20070004380A1
• Filed: 09/01/2005
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Ylikoski, Martti
• Granted Patent: US 8,374,578 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/405
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

The invention relates to a solution for charging a subscriber roaming in a mobile communication network. In the invention, a temporary user subscription is created for the roaming subscriber and an account balance is set for the temporary user subscription allowing the subscriber to use services attached to the temporary user subscription while roaming in the packet data based mobile communication network.

Claims

1. A method for charging a subscriber roaming in a mobile communication network for at least one service accessible though the mobile communication network, the method comprising:

creating a temporary user subscription for the roaming subscriber, the temporary subscription associated with the at least one service; and

setting an account balance for the temporary user subscription allowing the roaming subscriber to use the at least one service associated with the temporary user subscription while roaming in the mobile communication network.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a session establishment request at a gateway node of the mobile communication network from a user terminal;

holding the session establishment request;

sending a request for charging information to the user terminal;

receiving charging information from the user terminal;

creating the temporary user subscription for the roaming subscriber based on the charging information; and

continuing the session establishment after successfully creating the temporary user subscription.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the charging information comprises at least one of credit card information and a usage limit.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the charging information comprises at least a usage limit, whereby the method further comprises:

monitoring use of the at least one service by the roaming subscriber.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the method further comprises:

when the usage limit is reached, sending a message asking permission to institute a new usage limit.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein the charging information comprises a sequence printed on a voucher.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the initial steps of:

accessing a web site; and

entering charging information to the web page;

whereby the temporary user subscription is created for the roaming subscriber using the charging information.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a session establishment request at a gateway node of the mobile communication network from a user terminal;

identifying at the gateway node that the session establishment request comes from a subscriber for which a temporary user subscription has already been created; and

applying the created temporary user subscription for the roaming subscriber.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the charging information comprises at least one of credit card information and a usage limit.

10. A system for charging a subscriber roaming in a mobile communication network for at least one service accessible through the mobile communication network, the system comprising:

the mobile communication network; and

a temporary user subscription generator coupled to the mobile communication network, wherein the temporary user subscription generator is configured to create a temporary user subscription associated with the at least one service for the roaming subscriber and to set an account balance for the temporary user subscription allowing the subscriber to use the at least one service associated with the temporary user subscription while roaming in the mobile communication network.

11. The system according to claim 10, further comprising:

a gateway node coupled to the mobile communication network, wherein the gateway node is configured to

receive a session establishment request from a user terminal;

hold the session establishment request;

request charging information from the user terminal;

receive charging information from the user terminal;

wherein the temporary user subscription generator is configured to create the temporary user subscription for the roaming subscriber based on the charging information, and

wherein the gateway node is configured to continue the session establishment after the temporary user subscription generator has successfully created the temporary user subscription.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the charging information comprises at least one of credit card information and a usage limit.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein the charging information comprises a sequence printed on a voucher.

14. The system according to claim 10, wherein the temporary user subscription generation further comprises:

a payment site configured to receive charging information from a user,

whereby the temporary user subscription generator is configured to create the temporary user subscription for the roaming subscriber based on the charging information.

15. The system according to claim 14, further comprising:

a gateway node, coupled to the mobile communication network, wherein the gateway node is configured to

receive a session establishment request at a gateway node of the mobile communication network from a user terminal;

identify that the session establishment request comes from a subscriber for which a temporary user subscription has already been created; and

apply the created temporary user subscription for the roaming subscriber.

16. The system according to claim 14, wherein the charging information comprises at least one of credit card information and a usage limit.

17. A network element of a mobile communication network, comprising:

a temporary user subscription generator configured to create a temporary user subscription for a roaming subscriber and to set an account balance for the temporary user subscription allowing the subscriber to use services attached to the temporary user subscription while roaming in the mobile communication network.

18. A network element of a mobile communication network, the network element comprising:

a first receiver configured to receive a session establishment request from a user terminal;

a controller configured to hold the session establishment request;

a first transmitter configured to request charging information from the user terminal;

a second receiver configured to receive charging information from the user terminal;

a second transmitter configured to send a request for a temporary user subscription to a temporary user subscription generator;

a third receiver configured to receive a response from the temporary user subscription generator after a successful creation of the temporary user subscription; and

wherein the controller is configured to continue the session establishment.

19. A network element of a mobile communication network, comprising:

a first receiver configured to receive a session establishment request from a user terminal;

an analyzer configured to identify that the session establishment request comes from a subscriber for which a temporary user subscription has already been created;

a first transmitter configured to send a request for the created temporary user subscription to a temporary user subscription generator;

a second receiver configured to receive subscription information from the temporary user subscription generator; and

a controller configured to apply the created temporary user subscription for the roaming subscriber.

20. A program component comprised of instructions embodied in a processor-readable memory medium, wherein when the instructions are executed by a data processor the following operations are performed:

creating a temporary user subscription for the roaming subscriber; and

setting an account balance for the temporary user subscription allowing the subscriber to use at least one service attached to the temporary user subscription while roaming in the mobile communication network.

21. A program component comprised of instructions embodied in a processor-readable memory medium, wherein when the instructions are executed by a data processor the following operations are performed:

receiving a session establishment request at a gateway node of a mobile communication network from a user terminal;

holding the session establishment request;

sending a request for charging information to the user terminal;

receiving charging information from the user terminal;

sending a request for a temporary user subscription for the roaming subscriber based on the charging information to a charging system;

creating the temporary user subscription; and

continuing the session establishment after successfully creating the temporary user subscription.

22. A program component comprised of instructions embodied in a processor-readable memory medium, wherein when the instructions are executed by a data processor the following operations are performed:

receiving a session establishment request at a gateway node of a mobile communication network from a user terminal;

identifying at the gateway node that the session establishment request comes from a subscriber for which a temporary user subscription has already been created; and

applying the created user temporary subscription for the roaming subscriber.