Package billing for micro-transactions

• US 20080009263A1
• Filed: 01/17/2007
• Published: 01/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SMS AC Incorporated
• Original Assignee: SMS AC Incorporated
• Inventors: Pousti, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,848,736 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/407
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and system for billing a mobile device user for a services and/or products requested by the user, in which a message request is received from the mobile service that is directed to the mobile device user, and wherein the mobile phone user is charged only once for a predefined amount or number of message-related services or products, thereby making the billing experience clearer to the user.

Claims

1. A method for billing a mobile device user for a services and/or goods requested by the user, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a message request from the mobile service that is directed to the mobile device user;

determining if the mobile service utilizes a predefined package of premium messages and standard messages corresponding to a package price;

processing, in the event that the mobile service utilizes a predefined package of premium messages and standard messages corresponding to a package price, the received message request by;

determining if the received message is the first message of the predefined package to be sent to the user;

sending to the user, in the event that the received message is the first message of the predefined package, a premium message containing a price code that represents the package price; and

sending to the user, in the event that the received message is not the first message of the predefined package, a standard message which does not contain a price code; and

processing, in the event that the mobile service does not utilize a predefined package of premium messages and standard messages corresponding to a package price, the received message request by sending to the user a premium message containing a price code that represents a single-message price which is different than the package price.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the first determining step, stored data corresponding to the mobile device user is accessed to make the determination of whether the mobile device user has requested a mobile service that utilizes a predefined package of premium messages and standard messages corresponding to a package price.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the stored data is maintained in a database and includes data corresponding to the services and applications requested by that user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the second determining step, stored data corresponding to the mobile device user is accessed to make the determination of whether the received message is the first message of the predefined package to be sent to the user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the stored data is maintained in a database and includes a message credit balance that corresponds to a number of remaining standard messages that are allowed to the user according to the predefined package of premium messages and standard messages.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the premium messages and standard messages correspond to audio or video or photographic or audiovisual files.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the premium messages and standard messages correspond to songs.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the premium messages and standard messages correspond to videos.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the predefined package corresponds to an album.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the premium messages and standard messages correspond to messages selected from the group consisting of:

stock prices, weather data, horoscope data, blogs, “

how to”

content, applications, data corresponding to Beauty, Health and Wellness, Dating and Relationships, Developer Tools, Education and Reference, Entertainment, Finance, Flash Applications, Flash Games, Flash Movies, Games, Inspirational, Maps, Directions and Travel, Miscellaneous, Mobile Blogs, News, Weather, Shopping, Sports, Ringtones and combinations of the above.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the premium messages and standard messages correspond to data from a webcam.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the premium messages and standard messages correspond to services.

13. The method of claim 2, wherein the predefined package provides a predefined number of premium messages, standard messages, or a combination, to be received by the user over a predefined time period.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the predefined package is renewed periodically.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the period is selected from the group consisting of:

monthly, weekly, and yearly.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the renewal occurs via sending a premium message to the user.

17. A computer readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for carrying out the method of claim 1.

18. A system for billing a mobile device user for a services and/or products requested by the user, the system comprising:

a message interface unit in communication with multiple mobile phone carriers and the mobile service;

a database unit in communication with the message interface unit, the database unit containing mobile service data corresponding to the mobile service requested by the user and indicating whether the mobile service utilizes a predefined package of premium messages and standard messages corresponding to a package price, and also containing message balance data indicating a message credit balance that corresponds to a number of remaining standard messages that are allowed to the user according to the predefined package of premium messages and standard messages; and

a database billing engine unit that operates in conjunction with the database, the database engine unit executing code to perform the steps of;

receiving a message request from the mobile service that is directed to the mobile device user;

determining if the mobile service utilizes a predefined package of premium messages and standard messages corresponding to a package price;

processing, in the event that the mobile service utilizes a predefined package of premium messages and standard messages corresponding to a package price, the received message request by;

determining if the received message is the first message of the predefined package to be sent to the user;

sending to the user, in the event that the received message is the first message of the predefined package, a premium message containing a price code that represents the package price; and

sending to the user, in the event that the received message is not the first message of the predefined package, a standard message which does not contain a price code; and

processing, in the event that the mobile service does not utilize a predefined package of premium messages and standard messages corresponding to a package price, the received message request by sending to the user a premium message containing a price code that represents a single-message price which is different than the package price.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the premium messages and standard messages correspond to audio or video or photographic or audiovisual files.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the premium messages and standard messages correspond to songs.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the premium messages and standard messages correspond to videos.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the predefined package corresponds to an album.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the premium messages and standard messages correspond to messages selected from the group consisting of:

stock prices, weather data, horoscope data, blogs, “

how to”

content, applications, data corresponding to Beauty, Health and Wellness, Dating and Relationships, Developer Tools, Education and Reference, Entertainment, Finance, Flash Applications, Flash Games, Flash Movies, Games, Inspirational, Maps, Directions and Travel, Miscellaneous, Mobile Blogs, News, Weather, Shopping, Sports, Ringtones and combinations of the above.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the premium messages and standard messages correspond to data from a webcam.