PREPAID BILLING SOLUTIONS FOR PUSH-TO-TALK IN A WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK

• US 20110217949A1
• Filed: 03/03/2011
• Published: 09/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kodiak Networks (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Kodiak Networks (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kumar, Ravi Shankar, Nagubhai, Narasimha Raju, Ayyasamy, Ravi, Patel, Krishnakant M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,369,829 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 15/765 Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/7652 shared by users
• 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 2215/20 Technology dependant metering
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/724 Linked accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7245 Shared by users, e.g. group accounts or one account for different users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

Advanced group services for use in a mobile phone network include a prepaid billing solution. In the mobile phone network, a real-time exchange interfaces to at least one mobile switching center to provide the advanced group services therein. Both the real-time exchange and the mobile phones that use the advanced group services communicate with each other using call setup and in-band signaling within the mobile phone network, wherein the real-time exchange switches the voice frames for the advanced group services between the mobile phones across bearer paths and through at least one mobile switching center in the mobile phone network. A real-time billing mechanism is provided for a prepaid subscriber of the advanced group services. The real-time billing mechanism may use a prefix-based billing solution or a charging number based billing solution.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing prepaid billing solutions for advanced group services in a mobile phone network, comprising:

a mobile phone network for making calls between mobile phones, wherein the calls are initiated by call setup and in-band signaling within the mobile phone network and voice frames for the calls are switched between the mobile phones by at least one mobile switching center across bearer paths in the mobile phone network; and

a real-time exchange that interfaces to at least one mobile switching center in the mobile phone network to provide the advanced group services therein;

wherein both the real-time exchange and the mobile phones that use the advanced group services communicate with each other using the call setup and in-band signaling within the mobile phone network, and the real-time exchange switches the voice frames for the advanced group services between the mobile phones across the bearer paths and through at least one mobile switching center in the mobile phone network; and

wherein a real-time billing mechanism is provided for a prepaid subscriber of the advanced group services.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the real-time billing mechanism uses a prefix-based billing solution for the advanced group services used by the prepaid subscriber, such that the prefix is placed on numbers for one or more terminating legs of the call, so that the prepaid subscriber is billed for the terminating legs.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the real-time billing mechanism uses a charging number based billing solution for the advanced group services used by the prepaid subscriber.

4. A method for providing prepaid billing solutions for advanced group services in a mobile phone network, comprising:

making calls between mobile phones in a mobile phone network, wherein the calls are initiated by call setup and in-band signaling within the mobile phone network and voice frames for the calls are switched between the mobile phones by at least one mobile switching center across bearer paths in the mobile phone network; and

interfacing a real-time exchange to at least one mobile switching center in the mobile phone network to provide the advanced group services therein;

wherein both the real-time exchange and the mobile phones that use the advanced group services communicate with each other using the call setup and in-band signaling within the mobile phone network, and the real-time exchange switches the voice frames for the advanced group services between the mobile phones across the bearer paths and through at least one mobile switching center in the mobile phone network; and

wherein a real-time billing mechanism is provided for a prepaid subscriber of the advanced group services.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the real-time billing mechanism uses a prefix-based billing solution for the advanced group services used by the prepaid subscriber, such that the prefix is placed on numbers for one or more terminating legs of the call, so that the prepaid subscriber is billed for the terminating legs.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the real-time billing mechanism uses a charging number based billing solution for the advanced group services used by the prepaid subscriber.