SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MOBILE VIRTUAL NETWORK OPERATOR MOBILE TO MOBILE SERVICE

• US 20080176535A1
• Filed: 01/19/2007
• Published: 07/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Cai, Yigang
• Granted Patent: US 7,885,661 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• 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 15/48 Secure or trusted billing, e.g. trusted elements or encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/62 based on trigger specification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0156 Secure and trusted billing, e.g. trusted elements, encryption, digital signature, codes or double check mechanisms to secure billing calculation and information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

Call rating systems and methods using a mobile to mobile database with operator prefixes and a rating key table in which network operators subscribed to by mobile to mobile calling and called parties are identified by database queries and a rating key is obtained according to the prefixes to rate the call according to the rating key value representing agreed discounts for calls between subscribers of mobile network operators and mobile virtual network operators.

Claims

1. A communications system, comprising:

a network associated with a mobile network operator and operative to support calls between mobile devices associated with subscribers of the mobile network operator and mobile devices associated with subscribers of a mobile virtual network operator;

a mobile to mobile data store operatively associated with the network, the mobile to mobile data store comprising entries for mobile subscribers of the mobile network operator and entries for mobile subscribers of the mobile virtual network operator;

a first network element that obtains a call rating key indicative of an agreed rating for a call between calling party and called party subscribers of one or both of the mobile network operator and the mobile virtual network operator according to the entries in the mobile to mobile data store for the calling and called party subscribers; and

a rating component operatively associated with the network that rates the call at least partially according to the call rating key.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the call is a prepaid call and wherein the rating component is operatively associated with a prepaid service component of the network.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the call is a postpaid call and wherein the rating component is operatively associated with a billing system.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first network element is operatively associated with the billing system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the individual entries of the mobile to mobile data store comprise a network operator prefix indicative of the network operator to which the corresponding mobile subscriber is subscribed.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the first network element comprises a rating key table including entries with a rating key value for possible pairs of network operator prefixes.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the rating key table is included in the mobile to mobile data store.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first network element comprises a rating key table including entries with a rating key value for possible pairs of network operators.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the rating key table is included in the mobile to mobile data store.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile to mobile data store further comprises entries for mobile subscribers of another mobile network operator and wherein the first network element is operative to obtain a rating key according to the entries in the mobile to mobile data store for the mobile subscribers of the other mobile network operator and another mobile subscriber.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile to mobile data store further comprises entries for mobile subscribers of another mobile virtual network operator and wherein the first network element is operative to obtain a rating key according to the entries in the mobile to mobile data store for the mobile subscribers of the other mobile virtual network operator and another mobile subscriber.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the first network element obtains a call rating key according to the entries in the mobile to mobile data store for the calling party and called party mobile subscribers and according to a roaming status of at least one of the calling party and called party mobile subscribers.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the first network element obtains a call rating key according to the entries in the mobile to mobile data store for the calling party and called party mobile subscribers and according to a home zone status of the calling party mobile subscriber.

14. A call rating system for rating a mobile to mobile call, comprising:

a first network element that obtains a call rating key indicative of an agreed rating for calls between a calling party mobile subscriber of one of a first mobile network operator and a second mobile network operator and a called party mobile subscriber of one of the first mobile network operator and the second mobile network operator; and

a rating component operatively associated with the network that rates a call between the calling party and called party subscribers at least partially according to the call rating key.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the first and second mobile network operators is a mobile virtual network operator.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the first network element comprises:

a mobile to mobile data store comprising;

an entry for a first mobile subscriber of the first mobile network operator with a network operator prefix indicative of the first mobile network operator, and

an entry for a second mobile subscriber of the second mobile network operator with a network operator prefix indicative of the second mobile network operator; and

a rating key table including entries with a rating key value for possible pairs of network operator prefixes.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the first network element obtains a call rating key at least partially according to a roaming status of at least one of the subscribers.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the first network element obtains a call rating key at least partially according to a home zone status of at least one of the subscribers.

19. A method for rating a mobile to mobile call, the method comprising:

obtaining a call rating key indicative of an agreed rating for calls between a calling party mobile subscriber of one of a first mobile network operator and a second mobile network operator and a called party mobile subscriber of one of the first and second mobile network operators; and

rating a call between the calling party and called party subscribers at least partially according to the call rating key.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

determining a roaming status of at least one of the calling and called party subscribers; and

rating the call at least partially according to the call rating key and the roaming status.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

determining a home zone status of the calling party subscriber; and

rating the call at least partially according to the call rating key and the home zone status.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein obtaining a call rating key comprises:

querying a mobile to mobile data store to obtain network operator prefix values corresponding to the mobile network operators to which the calling and calling party subscribers are subscribed; and

obtaining a rating key corresponding to the network operator prefix values.