HANDLING OF OPEN RESERVATIONS IN REAL-TIME ENVIRONMENT

• US 20100017317A1
• Filed: 11/20/2008
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Anglert, Niclas, Abrahamsson, Andreas
• Application Number:
  US12/274,658
• Publication Number:
  US 20100017317A1
• 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 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/43 Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/57 for integrated multimedia messaging subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/59 based on real time
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/775 Account specifications on parallel communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/78 Redistributing amount between accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/785 Reserving amount on the account
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/82 Criteria or parameters used for performing billing operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8228 Session based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/00 Prepayment of wireline communication systems, wireless communication systems or telephone systems using a coded card to authorise calls from a telephone set H04M1/675
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0104 Augmented, consolidated or itemised billing statement, e.g. additional billing information, bill presentation, layout, format, e-mail, fax, printout, itemised bill per service or per account, cumulative billing, consolidated billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0164 Billing record, e.g. Call Data Record [CDR], Toll Ticket[TT], Automatic Message Accounting [AMA], Call Line Identifier [CLI], details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2033 WLAN
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/204 UMTS; GPRS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/208 IMS, i.e. Integrated Multimedia messaging Subsystem
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7277 Account specifications on parallel communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7281 : Redistribute amount between accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7295 : Reserve amount, e.g. according to estimated costs for a typical communication duration or according to the estimated volume to be transferred
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/78 : Metric aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7833 : Session based
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing

Abstract

A method of operating a communications system comprises, during a communications session involving a user of the communications system, making one or more reservations toward a postpaid account for a user, the postpaid account for the user being maintained in a real time account record. The method further comprises, upon receipt of a trigger signal, in conjunction with the reservation(s) assessing the account for the user only for the reservation(s) which have been evaluated by an interrogation. The method also comprises, upon close of billing period for the session, in conjunction with any yet-evaluated reservation(s): (1) assessing the account for the user only for a part of the yet-evaluated reservation(s) that is actually utilized; and (2) deleting from the account for the user any unused part of the yet-evaluated reservation(s).

Claims

1. A method of operating a communications system comprising:

during a communications session involving a user of the communications system, making one or more reservations toward an account for a user, the account for the user being maintained in a real time account record;

upon receipt of a trigger signal, in conjunction with the reservation(s) assessing the account for the user only for the reservation(s) which are evaluated by an interrogation during the billing period;

upon close of a billing period for the session, in conjunction with any yet-evaluated reservation(s);

assessing the account for the user only for a part of the yet-evaluated reservation(s) that is actually utilized; and

deleting from the account for the user any unused part of the yet-evaluated reservation(s).

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, at the close of the billing period, resetting a balance for the account for the user.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

including plural time frames in the billing period;

evaluating the reservation(s) upon receipt of the interrogation during one or more of the time frames.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the trigger signal is one of a close of billing period trigger signal, a pre-arranged or pre-negotiated trigger signal, and a management trigger signal.

5. A communications system comprising:

an account database configured to maintain a real time account record for a user of the communications system;

an accounts processor configured;

upon receipt of a trigger signal, to assess an account for the user in conjunction with a reservation(s), the account being maintained in the real time account record;

upon close of a billing period for a session involving the user, and in conjunction with any yet-evaluated reservation(s);

to assess the account for the user only for a part of the yet-evaluated reservation(s) that is actually utilized; and

to delete from the account for the user any unused part of the yet-evaluated reservation(s).

6. The communications system of claim 5, further comprising a communications activity monitor configured to issue one or more interrogations to the accounts processor.

7. The communications system of claim 5, wherein the accounts processor is further configured at the close of the billing period, to reset a balance for the account for the user.

8. The communications system of claim 5, wherein the accounts processor is further configured to include plural time frames in the billing period and to evaluate the reservation(s) upon receipt of an interrogation during one or more of the time frames.

9. The communications system of claim 5, wherein the trigger signal is one of a close of billing period trigger signal, a pre-arranged or pre-negotiated trigger signal, and a management trigger signal.

10. The communications system of claim 5, wherein the accounts processor comprises an account bill/report generator configured to execute a first mode wherein the account for the user is assessed only for the reservations(s) which are evaluated by an interrogation during a same time frame.

11. The communications system of claim 10, wherein the account bill/report generator is further configured to execute a second mode wherein the account bill/report generator:

evaluates the account for the user for the reservation(s), if any, which are initiated by an interrogation during previous time frames;

assesses the account for the user only for a part of the yet-evaluated reservation(s) that is actually utilized;

deletes from the account for the user any unused part of the yet-evaluated reservation; and

resets the balance for the account after an invoice or bill has been generated.