Device Group Partitions and Settlement Platform

• US 20140024340A1
• Filed: 09/25/2013
• Published: 01/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Headwater Research LLC (Greg Raleigh)
• Original Assignee: Headwater Partners I LLC (Greg Raleigh)
• Inventors: Raleigh, Gregory G.
• Granted Patent: US 9,565,543 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 15/28 with meter at substation or with calculation of charges at terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/30 the meter or calculation of charges not being controlled from an exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/31 Distributed metering or calculation of charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/53 using mediation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/75 Account location specifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/752 Terminal based account
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/765 Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices
• 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 2215/0172 Mediation, i.e. device or program to reformat CDRS from one or more switches in order to adapt to one or more billing programs formats
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/72 Account specifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7213 Terminal based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/724 Linked accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/96 Distributed calculation of charges, e.g. in different nodes like for mobiles between HLR and VLR, or between the terminal and the billing function
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A method performed by a network system communicatively coupled to a device over a wireless network, the method comprising: receiving authentication information from the device over the wireless network, the authentication information enabling the network system to authenticate the device; obtaining a charging data record (CDR) comprising information identifying a device activity over the wireless network associated with the device and indicating a usage amount associated with the device activity; and using one or more rules, processing the CDR to generate information configured to assist in (a) providing to a partner entity an accounting of a first portion of usage of the wireless network associated with the device activity indicated by the CDR, the partner entity providing an Internet-based service to the device, and (b) determining an accounting of a second portion of the usage of the wireless network associated with the activity indicated by the CDR.

Claims

1. A method performed by a network system communicatively coupled to an end-user device over a wireless data network, the method comprising:

receiving authentication information from the end-user device over the wireless data network, the authentication information enabling the network system to authenticate the end-user device;

obtaining one or more electronically-storable charging data records (CDRs) from one or more CDR sources, wherein each CDR of the one or more CDRs comprises information identifying one or more device activities over the wireless data network associated with the end-user device, and wherein each CDR indicates a usage amount associated with the one or more device activities; and

using one or more electronically-stored rules, processing at least one of the one or more CDRs to generate accounting and settlement information configured to assist in (a) providing to a partner entity an accounting of at least a first portion of usage of the wireless data network is associated with the one or more device activities indicated by the at least one of the one or more CDRs, the partner entity being an entity that provides an Internet-based service to the end-user device, and (b) determining an accounting of at least a second portion of the usage of the wireless data network associated with the one or more device activities indicated by the at least one of the one or more CDRs.

2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the information identifying one or more device activities comprises one or more transaction codes.

3. The method recited in claim 1, wherein each of the one or more device activities is associated with a billing event.

4. The method recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more device activities comprises a network access associated with a search, online commerce, book downloading, music downloading, application downloading, or a transaction.

5. The method recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more device activities comprises a network access associated with a particular end-user device application or program, a particular network end point, a particular website, a particular content source, a particular content type, a particular transaction service, or a particular online commerce service.

6. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising generating a reconciliation record based on the accounting and settlement information.

7. The method recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more CDR sources is the end-user device or a network element.

8. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more CDR sources include the end-user device and a network element, and the one or more CDRs include a first CDR from the end-user device and a second CDR from the network element.

9. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more CDR sources include a first network element and a second network element, and the one or more CDRs include a first CDR from the first network element and a second CDR from the second network element.

10. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more CDR sources include a network element, and the one or more CDRs include a first CDR from the network element and a second CDR from the network element.

11. The method recited in claim 8, wherein the first CDR or the second CDR includes information identifying a particular device activity available to the end-user device.

12. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more rules are configured to assist in splitting billing for a particular usage amount in a particular CDR of the one or more CDRs between the partner entity and a second entity.

13. The method recited in claim 12, wherein the second entity is a user or a subscriber associated with the end-user device.

14. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more rules are configured to assist in

billing the partner entity for the at least a first portion of usage of the wireless data network associated with the one or more device activities indicated by the at least one of the one or more CDRs, and

billing a second entity for the at least a second portion of the usage of the wireless data network associated with the one or more device activities indicated by the at least one of the one or more CDRs.

15. The method recited in claim 14, wherein the second entity is a user or a subscriber associated with the end-user device.

16. The method recited in claim 14, wherein the one or more CDRs identify a first device activity and a second device activity.

17. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more rules are configured to:

determine an offset based on the at least one of the one or more CDRs, the offset being a positive value,

include at least a portion of the offset in the accounting and settlement information.

18. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more rules are configured to:

determine a revenue share or bounty based on the at least one of the one or more CDRs, and

include at least a portion of the revenue share or bounty in the accounting and settlement information.

19. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more rules are configured to:

determine an offset based on the at least one of the one or more CDRs and based on a user behavior, and

include at least a portion of the offset in the accounting and settlement information.

20. The method recited in claim 19, wherein the user behavior comprises activation of the end-user device, selection of a data plan for the end-user device, activation of the end-user device within a particular period of time, or a purchase.

21. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more rules are configured to assist in implementing a revenue share between the partner entity and a second entity.

22. The method recited in claim 21, wherein the second entity is a user or a subscriber associated with the end-user device.

23. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more rules are configured to assist in implementing a revenue share between the partner entity and the operator of the wireless data network.

24. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more rules are configured to assist in allocating a fixed fee to the partner entity.

25. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the accounting and settlement information assists in billing a user or a subscriber associated with the end-user device.

26. The method recited claim 1, wherein the partner entity is a first partner entity, and wherein the accounting and settlement information assists in providing an accounting of the at least a second portion of the usage of the wireless data network associated with the one or more devices indicated by the at least one of the one or more CDRs to a second partner entity, wherein the second partner entity is a different partner entity than the first partner entity.

27. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the partner entity comprises a device group partner, an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), an ambient service partner, a roaming service partner, a carrier network partner, a service seller, a service re-seller, a retailer, a distributor, a service re-seller, a service wholesaler, a service provider, a carrier, a carrier network partner, a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), or a virtual MVNO.

28. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising accepting, through an administrator interface, information identifying the one or more device activities or the one or more rules.

29. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the end-user device belongs to a first device group of a plurality of device groups, the first device group comprising one or more end-user devices including the end-user device, and wherein at least a subset of the one or more rules is based on the end-user device belonging to the first device group.

30. The method recited in claim 29, further comprising accepting, through an administrator interface, information identifying the first device group, the one or more device activities, or the one or more rules.

31. The method recited in claim 29, wherein the first device group is associated with an enterprise.

32. The method recited in claim 29, wherein the first device group is associated with a device group partner, a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), a virtual MVNO, an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), an ambient service partner, a roaming service partner, a carrier network partner, a service seller, a service re-seller, a retailer, a distributor, a service wholesaler, a service provider, a carrier, or a carrier network partner.

33. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the Internet-based service is a transaction service, a search service, an e-mail service, a social networking service, a music service, a shopping service, or an application-downloading service.

34. A network system communicatively coupled to an end-user device over a wireless data network, the network system comprising:

means for receiving authentication information from the end-user device over the wireless data network, the authentication information enabling the network system to authenticate the end-user device;

means for obtaining one or more charging data records (CDRs) from one or more CDR sources, wherein each CDR of the one or more CDRs comprises information identifying one or more device activities associated with the end-user device, and wherein each CDR indicates a usage amount associated with the one or more device activities; and

means for generating, using one or more rules and at least one of the one or more CDRs, accounting and settlement information configured to assist in (a) providing to a partner entity an accounting of at least a first portion of usage of the wireless data network associated with the one or more device activities indicated by the at least one of the one or more CDRs, the partner entity being an entity that provides an Internet-based service to the end-user device, and (b) determining an accounting of at least a second portion of the usage of the wireless data network associated with the one or more device activities indicated by the at least one of the one or more CDRs.