Interface Architecture of Subscriber Information Management Billing, Prepaid System for Mobile Network System, and Prepaid Method Using the Interface Architecture

• US 20080228610A1
• Filed: 08/19/2004
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SK Planet Co., Ltd. (SK Telecom Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: SK Telecom Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kwon, O-Hyon, Oh, Tae-Ho, Cha, Young-In, Nam, Gi-Seon, Kim, Yon-Hee
• Granted Patent: US 8,737,960 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• 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 15/51 for resellers, retailers or service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/54 Resellers-retail or service providers billing, e.g. agreements with telephone service operator, activation, charging/recharging of accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

Disclosed are an interface architecture of subscriber information management, billing, prepaid system for mobile network system, and a prepaid method using the interface architecture. The present invention is embodied by a Workflow engine classified as a business logic and a processing logic to access the interface rapidly for clients. The workflow engine is applicable to the subscriber information management and the billing through a voice subscriber, a data subscriber and contents provider. Interfacing is possible to apply changeable embodiment of system and adapt environment changes through a workflow engine. Therefore, the present invention provides a wireless portal platform to increase efficiency in subscribing procedures and using service. In addition, the present invention provides solution of obstacles on respective module between the prepaid billing client and the prepaid billing gateway, or between the prepaid billing gateway and the prepaid billing server.

Claims

1. An interface architecture of a subscriber information management, billing, and prepaid system for interfacing of a subscriber information management system for a mobile communication system comprising a portal subscriber management unit for managing a portal subscriber, a subscriber management unit for managing a additional service subscriber, and a cp access management unit for controlling the access of the contents provided by contents provider, wherein the interface architecture comprises a interface management unit for accepting, approving and registering of portal subscriber information and additional service subscriber information on the basis of predetermined rule.

2. An interface architecture of a subscriber information management, billing, and prepaid system for a mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein the subscriber information comprises the information of web ID, pass word and registration number of residence.

3. An interface architecture of a subscriber information management, billing, and prepaid system for a mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein the interface management unit performs a validation on the basis of the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), takes a registration operation of the subscriber accepted through the additional service including the acceptance and registration of the contents provider, and keeps the predetermined rule information providing a voice subscriber and a data subscriber with subscribing procedures and subscribing information.

4. An interface architecture of a subscriber information management, billing, and prepaid system for a mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein the Common Information Module (CIM) services are built in the interface management unit, which support the Workflow providing the subscriber with the LDAP works associated, CP works associated and Rule application on his request.

5. An interface architecture of a subscriber information management, billing, and prepaid system for a mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein the interface management unit comprises:

An interface group composed of a plurality of interface for receiving the information of a portal subscriber and a additional service subscriber through wire communication and wireless communication networks;

A LDAP data base for storing the subscriber information of voice clients;

A subscriber data base for storing the information of the portal subscriber and the additional service subscriber, and the predetermined rule built in for performing the subscription procedures and the subscription validation of the subscriber associated with the workflow engine;

A Workflow engine for inquiring the current state of a subscriber on the basis of the LDAP data base and the subscriber data base, and for registering and managing the primary information of a subscriber and the information of additional service subscribed on the basis of the predetermined rule;

A Recovery Management for storing the requests from a plurality of interface on the workflow engine s error and for restarting the works according to the requests in releasing the error of the workflow engine; and

,

A CP Query Engine for performing the query of a validation request received from the interface group.

6. An interface architecture of a subscriber information management, billing, and prepaid system for a mobile communication system according to claim 5, wherein the interface group is associated with the CP interface for interfacing with the contents provider, the voice subscriber system interface for inputting the information of a voice subscriber, the WAP interface for receiving the subscriber information through a wireless access using a wireless terminal, the WEB interface for receiving the data subscriber information using a wire terminal, and the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) for receiving the data subscriber information with accessing to a simple network.

7. An interface architecture of a subscriber information management, billing, and prepaid system for a mobile communication system according to claim 5, wherein the workflow engine further comprises a Application Management for supporting co-ownership of additional service information such as a Email Provider, personal information management system provider (PIMS/UMS Provider), and other service provider.

8. An interface architecture of a subscriber information management, billing, and prepaid system for a mobile communication system according to claim 5, wherein the workflow engine comprises a Deployment Tool for practically adjusting the management of information imputed and the corresponding rules depending on External Systems and environment changes.

9. An interface architecture of a subscriber information management, billing, and prepaid system for a mobile communication system according to claim 8, wherein the Deployment Tool plays a role of producing of a Meta Data and a library about input and out data requested by the clients, and is a management input tool for providing validation and inquiry services on the basis of the corresponding rule.

10. An interface architecture of a subscriber information management, billing, and prepaid system for a mobile communication system according to claim 9, wherein the validation and inquiry services are capable of producing, changing and inquiring of client information, and are the management tools for establishing functions of addition, change and deletion of the terminal, and for subscribing, releasing and inquiring of the additional services.

11. An interface architecture of a subscriber information management, billing, and prepaid system for a mobile communication system according to claim 5, wherein the rule performs a inquiry and a validation of the input and output data with the Global Rule about the information requested by the clients.

12. An interface architecture of a subscriber information management, billing, and prepaid system for a mobile communication system according to claim 11,

wherein the validation and inquiry services are capable of producing, changing and inquiring of client information, and are the management tools for establishing functions of addition, change and deletion of the terminal, and for subscribing, releasing and inquiring of the additional services.

13. An interface architecture of a subscriber information management, billing, and prepaid system for a mobile communication system according to claim 5, wherein the workflow engine comprises:

A Server Startup Module for fetching the data necessary for initial starting and the rule information from the subscriber data base, and for transmitting them into a internal memory;

A Business Module for processing the Request of data registered on the basis of the rule information with applying the rule information to the workflow engine;

A Communication Handler for performing of communication interfacing by allocating communication channel with PV, WEB, CP and WAP accessing to the interface group;

A validation LDAP module for inquiring and approving the subscriber information on the basis of LDAP data base in inputting and modifying of the subscriber information received from the communication handler;

A workflow management module for processing the request of subscriber information, subscriber request information, contents provider and additional service received from the communication handler on the basis of the rule information, and for producing the corresponding results; and

,

A notification module for transmitting of the result information provided from the workflow management module to the clients.

14. An interface architecture of a subscriber information management, billing, and prepaid system for a mobile communication system according to claim 5, wherein the workflow engine further comprises a billing system which produces the total use data format of a predetermined additional service including use information of subscriber and billing information according to use of contents, and performs a operation and a management of billing and prepaid on the basis of the data format;

wherein the billing system is associated with a billing server deducting the deposit from the client for accounting the billing and the prepaid.

15. An interface architecture of a subscriber information management, billing, and prepaid system for a mobile communication system according to claim 14, wherein the billing system comprises a billing unit providing of a wireless portal platform to unify and simplify the billing procedure;

and a prepaid unit of wireless portal platform for performing the prepaid in wireless portal platform regardless of prepaid server size which is not standardized.

16. An interface architecture of a subscriber information management, billing, and prepaid system for a mobile communication system according to claim 15, wherein the billing unit comprises;

the first data production server for producing of use data format containing of predetermined use information by using a user log from a WAP gate or contents provider;

a billing unit for producing of total use data format in the use data, containing of billing information according to WAP use and predetermined information, and for transferring it into billing data registering format; and

,

a billing server for accounting of billing by using of the billing data register format inputted from the billing unit.

17. An interface architecture of a subscriber information management, billing, and prepaid system for a mobile communication system according to claim 16, wherein the predetermined use information is user information (user ID), Uniform Resource Locator (URL) information used by user during special times (visiting time) and terminal information of user.

18. An interface architecture of a subscriber information management, billing, and prepaid system for a mobile communication system according to claim 16, wherein the predetermined information is any one of information of statistical value of using rate by user, the information updated to terminal recently, or preference information by user.

19. An interface architecture of a subscriber information management, billing, and prepaid system for a mobile communication system according to claim 18, wherein the predetermined information is the information of prepaying subscriber notifying whether a subscriber prepays or not to prevent the prepaying subscriber from double billing.

20. An interface architecture of a subscriber information management, billing, and prepaid system for a mobile communication system according to claim 15, wherein the billing unit comprises:

a first data production server for producing of use data format containing of the predetermined use information by using of user log from WAP gateway or contents provider;

a billing unit outputting billing information according to WAP use;

a billing server for producing of total use data format containing of the billing information and the predetermined information and transferring it into billing data register format, and for accounting of the billing by using of the billing data register format inputted from the billing unit.

21. An interface architecture of a subscriber information management, billing, and prepaid system for a mobile communication system according to claim 20, wherein the predetermined use information is user information (user ID), Uniform Resource Locator (URL) information used by user during special times (visiting time) and terminal information of user.

22. An interface architecture of a subscriber information management, billing, and prepaid system for a mobile communication system according to claim 20, wherein the predetermined information is any one of information of statistical value of using rate by user, the information updated to terminal recently, or preference information by user.

23. An interface architecture of a subscriber information management, billing, and prepaid system for a mobile communication system according to claim 20, wherein the predetermined information is the information of prepaying subscriber notifying whether a subscriber prepays or not to prevent the prepaying subscriber from double billing.

24. An interface architecture of a subscriber information management, billing, and prepaid system for a mobile communication system according to claim 16, wherein the billing unit comprises the second data production server for producing of the use data format by inputting of the user log from the content provider on the case only that the user log is not produced in WAP gateway or the content provider is reliable.

25. An interface architecture of a subscriber information management, billing, and prepaid system for a mobile communication system according to claim 15, wherein the prepaid billing unit comprises:

a) a prepaid billing client for performing the billing after receiving the information of user deposit and for outputting the billing data therefrom;

b) a prepaid billing gateway for inputting of the billing data outputted on the size promised with the prepaid billing client and for outputting of the billing data after confirming of client information; and

,

c) a prepaid billing server for accounting of billing with inputting of the billing data or for deducting of the deposit of client according to the accounting of the billing.

26. An interface architecture of a subscriber information management, billing, and prepaid system for a mobile communication system according to claim 25, wherein

The prepaid billing gateway comprises:

b-1) a client handler for playing a role as a middle medium between the prepaid billing client and the prepaid billing server, and for inputting of the billing data outputted on the size promised with the prepaid billing client and outputting of the billing data after comparing with the client information; and

,

b-2) a prepaid billing service Plug-In (PPS Plug-In) for inputting of the billing data of the client handler, and for outputting of the billing data to the server with operation depending on the server size to prepare services regardless of kinds of the prepaid billing server.

27. An interface architecture of a subscriber information management, billing, and prepaid system for a mobile communication system according to claim 25, wherein

the billing procedures is done by inquiring of information of residual money of user, performing of billing to terminal user, canceling of the billing done and performing of the billing reserved.

28. An interface architecture of a subscriber information management, billing, and prepaid system for a mobile communication system according to claim 25, wherein the billing procedures is not done by all of steps, but done selectively by all or a part of steps depending on state of the billing of user.

29. An interface architecture of a subscriber information management, billing, and prepaid system for a mobile communication system according to claim 25, wherein the prepaid billing gateway further comprises a obstacle solving unit for solving of obstacle of respective module between the prepaid billing client and the prepaid billing gateway, or between the prepaid billing gateway and the prepaid billing server.

30. An interface architecture of a subscriber information management, billing, and prepaid system for a mobile communication system according to claim 25, wherein the prepaid billing gateway further comprises a connection manager for controlling entirely of the respective unit function of the prepaid billing gateway.

31. An interface architecture of a subscriber information management, billing, and prepaid system for a mobile communication system according to claim 29, wherein

in the obstacle solving unit, the billing data is transferred from the prepaid client to the prepaid gateway directly on the case that the use Option is not used.

32. The prepaid billing method using of a interface architecture of a subscriber information management, billing, and prepaid system for a mobile communication system, wherein the prepaid billing method of wireless portal platform comprises steps of:

A) the prepaid billing client of writing the billing data on data base, not transmitting to the prepaid billing gateway on the case that the obstacle solving Option is used;

B) transmitting the prepaid billing data extracted from the data base to the prepaid billing server; and

,

C) re-transmitting the prepaid billing data where the transmission of the billing data is on obstacle.

33. The prepaid billing method of wireless portal platform according to claim 32, wherein the method comprises step of the prepaid billing client of transmitting the billing data directly to the prepaid billing gateway where the obstacle solving Option is not used.

34. The prepaid billing method of wireless portal platform according to claim 32,

Wherein in the step B), after transmitting the billing data, a state of the billing data is changed to Success instead of deleting it on the data base.

35. The prepaid billing method of wireless portal platform according to claim 32,

Wherein in the step B), the state of a billing data is changed to Error where a obstacle is on transmitting the data to the prepaid billing server, and trying to re-transmit the data.

36. The prepaid billing method of wireless portal platform according to claim 32,

Wherein the trial numbers of re-transmitting in the step C) is predetermined, and the state of the billing data is changed to Give-up and not transmitted where the numbers exceed to the predetermined.

37. The prepaid billing method of wireless portal platform according to claim 36,

Wherein after Network Management Operator finds the reason to Give up, the billing data is transmitted by the lump.