Device and Method for Managing Communication Credits Associated to Use of Services by a Terminal

• US 20090092238A1
• Filed: 06/23/2006
• Published: 04/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Original Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Inventors: Bouvier, Hervé, Lecourvoisier, Jacques, Grosso, Julien
• Granted Patent: US 8,422,652 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/114.05
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• 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 15/68 Payment of value-added services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/02 Coin-freed or check-freed systems , e.g. mobile- or card-operated phones, public telephones or booths
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0196 Payment of value-added services, mainly when their charges are added on the telephone bill, e.g. payment of non-telecom services, e-commerce, on-line banking
• 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: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

This client device (20) is able to use a service on a telecommunications network (1). It includes means (21) for storing a call credit (C_S1, C_S2) associated with that service and means (30) for updating that credit as a function of the use of that service by the client (20) on reception of a request from a service provider (FS1, FS2).

Claims

1. A client device (20) adapted to use a service on a telecommunications network (1), including means (21) for storing a call credit (C_S1, C_S2) associated with said service and means (30) for updating said credit as a function of the use of said service by said client (20), wherein the client device includes means (15) for receiving a request to update said call credit (C_S1) from a provider (FS1, FS2) of said service and means (15) for sending a response representing the effective updating of said call credit (C_S1) prior to use of said service.

2. The client device according to claim 1, comprising means (30) for creating a call credit (C_S2) associated with a service for which it does not manage or no longer manages call credits and means for receiving from a server (100) an initial call credit associated with that service.

3. The client device according to claim 1, comprising means (15) for sending to a server (100) a request to increase said call credit and in that said updating means (30) are adapted to increase said credit (C_S1) on reception of a positive response to said request from said server (100).

4. The client device according to claim 1, wherein said updating means (30) apply an updating rule (R1-R3) specific to said service and/or to the user of said client (20).

5. The client device according to claim 1, comprising means for evaluating, by itself, use of said service and the updating means (30) use the result of said evaluation to update said call credit.

6. A server (FS1, FS2) adapted to provide a service accessible by a client device (20) according to claim 1, comprising means for sending the said client device (20) a request to update a call credit (C_S1, C_S2) associated with the use of said service by said client device and means for receiving from said client device a response representing the effective updating of said call credit, said response constituting a condition necessary for the use of said service by said client device.

10. Use of a client device (20) according to claim 1, included in a terminal (5) able to use a plurality of services on a telecommunications network (1) to send servers (FS1, FS2) providing access to those services messages that are independent of each other and are processed by said servers to authorize or refuse access to said services as a function of call credits (CS_1, C_S2) that are associated with said services and managed and stored by said client device (20).

7. A call credit management method usable in a client device seeking to use a service on a telecommunications network comprising the steps of:

storing in said client device a call credit associated with the use of said service;

receiving from a service provider (FS2) a request to update said call credit;

updating said call credit as a function of the use of said service by said client; and

sending a confirmation response to said service provider (FS2).

8. A computer program including instructions for executing the steps of the management method according to claim 7 when said program is executed by a computer.

9. A computer-readable storage medium on which is stored a computer program including instructions for executing the steps of the management method according to claim 7.