Prepaid short messaging

• US 20120094632A1
• Filed: 11/08/2011
• Published: 04/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Inventors: Titus, Mark, Ung, Dara, Johnson, Carle S. Jr., Geil, Phillip, Hronek, Daniel, Wallace, Erik
• Granted Patent: US 8,175,953 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/405
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1432 Metric aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/51 for resellers, retailers or service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8207 Time based data metric aspects, e.g. VoIP or circuit switched packet data
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/854 Available credit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/90 using Intelligent Networks [IN] or Advanced Intelligent Networks [AIN]
• 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 17/10 Account details or usage
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/016 Billing using Intelligent Networks [IN] or Advanced Intelligent Networks [AIN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/28 SMS billing
• 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: H04M 2215/7813 : Time based data, e.g. VoIP or circuit switched packet data
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8166 : Available credit
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13093 : Personal computer, PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13098 : Mobile subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 : Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1313 : Metering, billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13134 : Coin boxes, payphone, prepaid
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13175 : Graphical user interface [GUI], WWW interface, visual indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13196 : Connection circuit/link/trunk/junction, bridge, router, gateway
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13336 : Store & forward, messaging systems email H04Q2213/13375
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13345 : Intelligent networks, SCP
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13375 : Electronic mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13377 : Recorded announcement
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 : LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 : Provisions for intelligent networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 : involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 : Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 : Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A prepaid messaging solution using open networking standards (e.g., TCP/IP) to support pre-payment of Internet messaging services. The disclosed prepaid architectures/methods determine if a subscriber has sufficient account balance to deliver a short message, prior to message delivery. A message may be prevented from being delivered (at the source end or destination end) if a subscriber account has insufficient funds. A prepaid tariff engine supports remote interaction with the SMSC and web chat servers to apply real-time billing for each message. A service provider may define subscriber rates and/or tariffing plans to apply real-time billing for sending/receiving messages. Message billing may be based upon, e.g., rate per message, message count, character count, Time of Day, Day of Week, message type, and/or mobile location. The prepaid short messaging service preferably supports internet access to subscriber'"'"'s account balances and status maintained in the prepaid short messaging database of the prepaid messaging server.

Claims

1-30. -30. (canceled)

31. A method of tariffing a text message, comprising:

providing a text message for tariff after transmission completion from a mobile device and before receipt by a recipient mobile device associated with said text message;

querying a physical account database to determine that an account corresponding to said recipient mobile device has prepaid for delivery of said text message;

permitting debit of a prepaid parameter of said account prior to delivery of said text message;

if said account is determined to be sufficiently prepaid, routing said text message to said recipient mobile device; and

if said account is determined to be insufficiently prepaid, preventing delivery of said text message to said recipient mobile device until said account is sufficient.

32. The method of tariffing a text message according to claim 31, wherein:

said debited parameter is a number of prepaid messages.

33. The method of tariffing a text message according to claim 31, wherein:

said debited parameter is a prepaid monetary value.

34. The method of tariffing a text message according to claim 31, further comprising:

sending an unsuccessful message to said addressed party device when said delivery of said text message was prevented.

35. The method of tariffing a text message according to claim 31, wherein:

said account is tariffed on a tariff platform external to a routing platform routing said text message to said recipient.

36. The method of tariffing a text message according to claim 31, wherein:

said account corresponding to said addressed party corresponds to a sender of said text message.

37. The method of tariffing a text message according to claim 31, wherein:

said account corresponding to said recipient mobile device corresponds to a recipient device of said text message.

38. The method of tariffing a text message according to claim 31, further comprising:

receiving said text message from a subscriber device.

39. The method of tariffing a text message according to claim 31, further comprising:

receiving said text message from a physical mobile servicing center (MSC).

40. The method of tariffing a text message according to claim 31, wherein:

said tariffing is different for peak and non-peak times.

41. The method of tariffing a text message according to claim 31, wherein:

said tariffing is different for different message types.

42. The method of tariffing a text message according to claim 31, wherein:

said tariffing is different based on a location of said mobile device.

43. The method of tariffing a text message according to claim 42, wherein:

a location of said mobile device is determined based on a network point code.

44. The method of tariffing a text message according to claim 31, wherein:

said tariffing is different based on a location of said recipient mobile device.

45. The method of tariffing a text message according to claim 44, wherein:

a location of said recipient mobile device is determined based on a network point code.

46. The method of tariffing a text message according to claim 45, wherein said different message types include at least one:

mobile terminated messages;

mobile originated messages; and

Internet Relay Chat (IRC) messages.

47. The method of tariffing a text message according to claim 31, further comprising:

automatically transmitting said text message.