Method and System for Transmission-Based Billing Applications

• US 20070189514A1
• Filed: 04/19/2007
• Published: 08/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 4TH Pass Incorporated
• Original Assignee: 4TH Pass Incorporated
• Inventors: Jansen, Markus, Mehta, Samir, Nguyen, Ngochan, Ramadan, Mazin
• Granted Patent: US 8,310,943 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1485 Tariff-related aspects

Abstract

Computer- and network-based methods and systems for transmission-based billing are provided. Example embodiments provide a Packet-Based Billing System (“PBBS”), which enables application providers, such as carriers and content providers, to bill subscribers for the use of content on mobile subscriber devices, such as wireless devices, on a per-application, per-user basis based upon the extent of the usage. Embodiments of the present invention can also be used to bill subscribers for the use of content on a per-application, per-user basis for wired subscriber devices as well, using the same techniques. In operation, the PBBS provides modified content by inserting billing and tracking code into content returned to a requesting device. The modified content, when executed, tracks the amount of data sent and received between the content and a network and posts the accumulated data to a proxy/billing server according to business rules for an interval/frequency to post such data. The proxy/billing server stores the raw billing data and an accounting program retrieves the billing data to generate customer (call) data records. Business rules that specific different charges for different content or users can be incorporated into the system.

Claims

1. A method in a computer-based environment for providing transmission-based billing of content that transmits data over a network, comprising:

determining billing tracking code; and

instrumenting the determined billing tracking code into the content thereby modifying the content, such that, when the modified content is executed on a target device, the billing tracking code automatically communicates billing data based upon an amount of data transmitted between the modified content and the network.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the billing tracking code tracks the amount of data sent from the instrumented content over the network.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the billing tracking code tracks the amount of data received by the instrumented content from the network.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the instrumented content includes a security key and wherein the security key is transmitted with the automatically communicated billing data so that the integrity of the source of the billing data can be verified.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the billing data comprises at least one of amount of data sent, amount of data received, a time stamp, an application identifier, a security key, a transaction identifier, and a retry expiration indicator.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising integrating the billing data with customer-based billing information to generate a customer data record.

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30. The method of claim 28 wherein a priority is assigned to the content based upon transmission usage.

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50. A transmission-based billing system encoded in a memory in a computer environment configured to automatically generate billing data for content that executes on a client device comprising a modified content application resident in the memory and that transmits data over a network, comprising:

a content modifier component configured to instrument the content with billing tracking code, that, when executed on the client device, the modified content application is configured to communicate billing data that reflects an amount of data transmitted over the network.

51. The billing system of claim 50 wherein the modified content application is configured to track an amount of data sent over the network.

54. The billing system of claim 50 wherein the modified content application tracks an amount of data received from the network by the billing tracking code.

60. The billing system of claim 50 wherein the content includes a security key.

61. The billing system of claim 60 wherein the security key is based upon a random number.

65. The billing system of claim 50, further comprising a provisioning manager causing the instrumented content to be downloaded to a target device over a wireless transmission medium.

69. The billing system of claim 50 wherein the billing data comprises at least one of an amount of data sent, an amount of data received, a time stamp, an application identifier, a security key, a transaction identifier, and a retry expiration indicator.

72. The billing system of claim 50, further comprising an accounting program integrating the billing data with customer-based billing information to generate a customer data record.

74. The transmission-based billing system of claim 72 wherein the billing data includes a promotional offer.

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81. A computer-readable memory medium being encoded with instructions for controlling a computer processor in a wireless device to automatically transmit packet-based billing data on a per-content basis, by:

when a packet of data is received by content from a network, logging the amount of data received with an identifier of the content;

when a packet of data is to be sent by the content over the network, logging the amount of data to be sent with an identifier of the content; and

transmitting the logged amount of data with the identifier of the content to a server system to be accumulated, thereby enabling the server system to bill a subscriber based upon the accumulated data.

82. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 81 wherein the logging the amount of data is performed by code that is transparently loaded onto the wireless device.

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93. A wireless device that automatically transmits packet-based billing data, comprising:

a modified content application configured to transmit billing information comprised with billing and tracking code, stored within a computer readable memory medium of the wireless device, that, when a packet of data is received from a network, logs an amount of data received;

when a packet of data is to be sent over the network, logs an amount of data to be sent; and

transmits a logged amount of data to a server system to be accumulated, thereby enabling the server system to bill a subscriber based upon the accumulated data.

96. The wireless device of claim 93 wherein the billing and tracking code resides in network driver software of the wireless device and is invoked from the modified content application.

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