Method and Apparatus for Improved Billing For Converged Wireless Networks

• US 20080160955A1
• Filed: 12/29/2006
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Giesecke, David W.
• Granted Patent: US 9,538,015 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/406
• 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 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

The invention includes a method and apparatus for computing a bill for a wireless subscriber communicating using a converged wireless network. The method includes obtaining service usage information for communications by the wireless subscriber using a wide-area wireless network, obtaining service usage information for communications by the wireless subscriber using a small-area wireless network, and computing a bill value using the wide-area service usage information and the small-area service usage information, and adjusting the bill value using a bill adjustment value that is determined using the small-area service usage information and a bill adjustment parameter. The present invention enables the wireless subscriber to subscribe to a single wireless subscription, track a single set of service credits associated with the service subscription, and receive a single bill for the service subscription, despite different costs of communications by the wireless subscriber using the wide-area and small-area wireless networks.

Claims

1. A method for determining a bill for a wireless subscriber communicating using a converged wireless network, comprising the steps of:

obtaining service usage information for communications by the wireless subscriber using a wide-area wireless network;

obtaining service usage information for communications by the wireless subscriber using a small-area wireless network;

determining a bill value using the wide-area service usage information and the small-area service usage information; and

adjusting the bill value using a bill adjustment value that is determined using the small-area service usage information and a bill adjustment parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the bill value comprises the steps of:

determining a number of available service credits;

determining, using the wide-area service usage information and the small-area service usage information, a number of used service credits; and

determining the bill value using the number of available service credits and the number of used service credits.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the number of used service credits comprises the steps of:

determining, using the wide-area service usage information, a number of service credits used by the wireless subscriber for the communications using the wide-area wireless network;

determining, using the small-area service usage information, a number of service credits used by the wireless subscriber for communications using the small-area wireless network; and

summing the number of service credits used by the wireless subscriber for communications using the wide-area wireless network and the number of service credits used by the wireless subscriber for communications using the small-area wireless network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the bill value using the bill adjustment value comprises the step of:

computing the bill adjustment value using the small-area service usage information and the bill adjustment parameter.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the bill adjustment parameter comprises one of a fixed adjustment factor and a variable adjustment factor.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the bill adjustment value comprises a refund to the wireless subscriber.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the wide-area wireless network comprises a cellular wireless network and the small-area wireless network comprises a WiFi network.

8. An apparatus for determining a bill for a wireless subscriber communicating using a converged wireless network, comprising:

means for obtaining service usage information for communications by the wireless subscriber using a wide-area wireless network;

means for obtaining service usage information for communications by the wireless subscriber using a small-area wireless network;

means for determining a bill value using the wide-area service usage information and the small-area service usage information; and

means for adjusting the bill value using a bill adjustment value that is determined using the small-area service usage information and a bill adjustment parameter.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the means for determining the bill value comprises:

means for determining a number of available service credits;

means for determining, using the wide-area service usage information and the small-area service usage information, a number of used service credits; and

means for determining the bill value using the number of available service credits and the number of used service credits.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the means for determining the number of used service credits comprises:

means for determining, using the wide-area service usage information, a number of service credits used by the wireless subscriber for the communications using the wide-area wireless network;

means for determining, using the small-area service usage information, a number of service credits used by the wireless subscriber for communications using the small-area wireless network; and

means for summing the number of service credits used by the wireless subscriber for communications using the wide-area wireless network and the number of service credits used by the wireless subscriber for communications using the small-area wireless network.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the means for adjusting the bill value using the bill adjustment value comprises:

means for computing the bill adjustment value using the small-area service usage information and the bill adjustment parameter.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the bill adjustment parameter comprises one of a fixed adjustment factor and a variable adjustment factor.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the bill adjustment value comprises a refund to the wireless subscriber.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the wide-area wireless network comprises a cellular wireless network and the small-area wireless network comprises a WiFi network.

15. A computer readable medium storing a software program, that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform a method comprising:

obtaining service usage information for communications by a wireless subscriber using a wide-area wireless network;

obtaining service usage information for communications by the wireless subscriber using a small-area wireless network;

determining a bill value using the wide-area service usage information and the small-area service usage information; and

adjusting the bill value using a bill adjustment value that is determined using the small-area service usage information and a bill adjustment parameter.

16. A wireless terminal, comprising:

means for communicating using a wide-area wireless network; and

means for communicating using a small-area wireless network;

wherein the wireless terminal is adapted to prefer communicating using the small-area wireless network;

wherein communications by a wireless subscriber using the wireless terminal are monitored for determining a bill for the wireless subscriber communicating using the wireless terminal, wherein the bill is determined by determining a bill value using wide-area service usage information for communications by the wireless subscriber using the wide-area wireless network and small-area service usage information for communications by the wireless subscriber using the small-area wireless network, and adjusting the bill value using a bill adjustment value that is determined using the small-area service usage information and a bill adjustment parameter.

17. A system, comprising:

a wide-area wireless network;

a small-area wireless network;

a wireless terminal adapted for communicating using the wide-area wireless network and the small-area wireless network, wherein the wireless terminal is adapted to prefer communicating using the small-area wireless network; and

a billing system in communication with the wide-area wireless network and the small-area wireless network, the billing system adapted for determining a bill for a wireless subscriber communicating using the wireless terminal by;

obtaining service usage information for communications by the wireless subscriber using a wide-area wireless network;

obtaining service usage information for communications by the wireless subscriber using a small-area wireless network;

determining a bill value using the wide-area service usage information and the small-area service usage information; and

adjusting the bill value using a bill adjustment value that is determined using the small-area service usage information and a bill adjustment parameter.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein determining the bill value comprises the steps of:

determining a number of available service credits;

determining, using the wide-area service usage information and the small-area service usage information, a number of used service credits; and

determining the bill value using the number of available service credits and the number of used service credits.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein determining the number of used service credits comprises the steps of:

determining, using the wide-area service usage information, a number of service credits used by the wireless subscriber for the communications using the wide-area wireless network;

determining, using the small-area service usage information, a number of service credits used by the wireless subscriber for communications using the small-area wireless network; and

summing the number of service credits used by the wireless subscriber for communications using the wide-area wireless network and the number of service credits used by the wireless subscriber for communications using the small-area wireless network.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein adjusting the bill value using the bill adjustment value comprises the step of:

computing the bill adjustment value using the small-area service usage information and the bill adjustment parameter.