PAID INSTANT MESSAGE SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTHENTICATING IDENTITIES USING A MOBILE TELEPHONE NETWORK

• US 20140235199A1
• Filed: 02/21/2013
• Published: 08/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kamfu Wong
• Original Assignee: Kamfu Wong
• Inventors: Wong, Kamfu
• Granted Patent: US 9,402,178 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/39 Arrangements for preventing metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/75 Account location specifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/751 Card based account, e.g. smart card, SIM card or USIM
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/755 Account identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/7553 via service number, e.g. calling card
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/103 using SIMs (USIMs) or calling cards
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication

Abstract

A paid instant message system and method that authenticate identities using a mobile telephone network, which comprise: a message server, user cell phone, and mobile telephone networks. The user cell phone has an instant messaging application installed therein. Each user account includes a specified charge for sending and receiving messages. By means of a paying and charging mechanism, the present invention makes the cost for sending junk messages increase and make the people oversending messages to pay the corresponding price, thus preventing appearance of junk messages. As for the normal instant messaging among people, messages are sent and received by each other, so they pay each other, and in this case, the fees paid and charged by one person or by one company will almost be equal, hence this will not cause any burden and influence to anyone who normally uses the instant messaging.

Claims

1. A paid instant message system that authenticates identities using a mobile telephone network, which is characterized in that said system comprises a message server (1), cell phones (2) of different users, mobile telephone networks (3) of cell phones (2) of different users, wherein, said message server (1) is communicatively connected to each mobile telephone network (3) and is provided with a server end software for instant messaging, so that the cell phone (2) of each user accesses the message server (1) through the mobile telephone network (3) to perform instant messaging;

the message server (1) includes a user account of each user, each user account is associated with an identity by which the cell phone (2) of said user accesses the mobile telephone network (3);

a instant messaging application is installed in the cell phone (2) of the user, and the cell phone (2) accesses the message server (1) through said instant messaging application via the mobile telephone network (3) to perform instant messaging with cell phones (2) of other users, and each user account includes a specified charge, when a user uses the instant messaging application of the cell phone (2) to transmit message to other cell phones (2) through the message server (1), he needs to pay the user of the cell phone (2) receiving the message the fee specified by the charge in the user account of the receiver.

2. The paid instant message system that authenticates identities using a mobile telephone network according to claim 1, characterized in that said message server (1) confirms the user'"'"'s identity by using the instant messaging application in the cell phone (2) of the user to verify the SIM card information of said cell phone (2).

3. The paid instant message system that authenticates identities using a mobile telephone network according to claim 1, characterized in that said system further comprises a bank (5) provided with the user'"'"'s bank account, and in that the fee is charged by the message server (1) to the bank account of the user of the cell phone (2) sending the message when settling the account, and is paid into the bank account of the user of the cell phone (2) receiving the message after a commission charge having been deducted.

4. A paid instant message method that authenticates identities using a mobile telephone network, which is characterized in that said method comprises:

providing a message server (1), said message server (1) being communicatively connected to each mobile telephone network (3) and being provided with a server end software for instant messaging, so that the cell phone (2) of each user accesses the message server (1) through the mobile telephone network (3) to perform instant messaging;

the message server (1) includes a user account of each user, each user account is associated with an identity by which the cell phone (2) of said user accesses the mobile telephone network (3);

a instant messaging application is installed in the cell phone (2) of the user, and the cell phone (2) accesses the message server (1) through said instant messaging application via the mobile telephone network (3) to perform instant messaging with cell phones (2) of other users, and each user account includes a specified charge, when a user uses the instant messaging application of the cell phone (2) to transmit message to other cell phones (2) through the message server (1), he needs to pay the user of the cell phone (2) receiving the message the fee specified by the charge in the user account of the receiver.

5. The paid instant message method that authenticates identities using a mobile telephone network according to claim 4, characterized in that a list of charges is provided in the user account, which contains one or more records, each record including a specified charge as well as the identity information of the message sender.

6. The paid instant message method that authenticates identities using a mobile telephone network according to claim 4, characterized in that said fee is charged by the message server (1) to the mobile phone account of the mobile telephone network (3) to which the message sending cell phone (2) belongs when settling the accounts, and is paid into the mobile telephone account of the mobile telephone network (3) to which the message receiving cell phone (2) belongs after a commission charge having been deducted therefrom.

7. The paid instant message method that authenticates identities using a mobile telephone network according to claim 4, characterized in that and said fee is charged by the message server (1) to the bank account of the user of the cell phone (2) sending the messages and is paid into the bank account of the user of the cell phone (2) receiving the messages after a commission charge having been deducted therefrom.

8. The paid instant message method that authenticates identities using a mobile telephone network according to claim 4, characterized in that said user account also includes a message transmission status record, which records the status of the cell phone (2) receiving messages via the message server (1), including:

whether a messages has been successfully transmitted to the receiver cell phone (2), whether a message has been read in the receiver cell phone (2), and so on, and the message server (1) performs operations of paying and charging according to the message transmission status record in the user'"'"'s account when settling the accounts.

9. The paid instant message method that authenticates identities using a mobile telephone network according to claim 4, characterized in that said method further comprises a group of steps A of setting the charges by the user, said group of steps A is that the user sets a charge to the message server (1) through the instant messaging application in the cell phone (2) before the user'"'"'s cell phone (2) receives instant messages from other cell phones (2), the specific group of steps A is as follows:

A1;

the user sending the message, i.e. the sender, using the instant messaging application of his cell phone (2) to transmit a request for message transmission to the message server (1) via the mobile telephone network (3), said request for message transmission including such content as the relevant information of the user receiving the message, i.e. the receiver;

A2;

the message server (1) transmitting the identity information of the sender to the cell phone (2) of the receiver via the mobile telephone network (3) according to the content of the request for message transmission to request the receiver to prepare to receive the message;

A3;

the receiver learning the identity of the sender by checking the received message using the instant messaging application in his cell phone (2), and using the instant messaging application in the cell phone (2) to transmit the charge to the message server (1) via the mobile telephone network (3) if he agrees to receive the message;

A4;

the message server (1) receiving the charge transmitted from the receiver and transmitting said charge to the cell phone (2) of the sender via the mobile telephone network (3);

A5;

the sender transmitting the instant message that needs to be transmitted to the receiver to the message server (1) via the mobile telephone network (3) using the instant messaging application in his cell phone (2) if a payment is agreed;

A6;

the message server (1) transmitting said instant message to the cell phone (2) of the receiver via the mobile telephone network (3);

A7;

when the receiver opens said instant message using the instant messaging application of his cell phone (2), the instant messaging application of said cell phone (2) marking said instant message as being read already, which means that said instant message has been read in the cell phone (2) of the receiver, and reporting the latest status of said instant message to the message server (1);

A8;

the message server (1) storing the latest status of said instant message in the message transmission state records of the user accounts of the sender and the receiver, respectively, and performing the charging and paying operations according to the message transmission status record of the user'"'"'s account when settling the accounts.