System and method for real-time billing in a radio telecommunications network

• US 5,784,442 A
• Filed: 02/02/1996
• Issued: 07/21/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Foti, George
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, DUC MINH
• Application Number:
  US08/596,005
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• Field of Search: 379/58, 379/59, 379/112, 379/114-115, 379/119, 379/121
• US Class Current: 455/405
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/28 with meter at substation or with calculation of charges at terminal
• 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 17/02 Coin-freed or check-freed systems , e.g. mobile- or card-operated phones, public telephones or booths
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A system and method for providing real-time billing (RTB) information to mobile subscribers operating mobile stations in a radio telecommunications network and involved in a call in which at least one of the mobile subscribers is a RTB subscriber. The system is implemented entirely within the network and without modifying the mobile stations. The system comprises a plurality of mobile switching centers (MSCs), which collect toll ticketing (TT) records associated with calls processed by each MSC and associate the collected TT records with individual calls by the use of billing identification numbers. Each MSC tags TT records that are associated with real-time billing calls, and sends the tagged records to a local post processing unit for immediate processing. Real-time billing information is computed and electronically transmitted to RTB subscribers immediately after the completion of the call. Intersystem calls between MSCs, and call transfers between MSCs, require modification of specified IS-41 intersystem signaling messages and, in some cases, the use of a new IS-41 Immediate Billing Call message.

Claims

1. A system for providing real-time billing (RTB) information to mobile subscribers operating mobile stations in a radio telecommunications network, said mobile subscribers being involved in a call in which at least one of said mobile subscribers is a RTB subscriber, and said system being implemented entirely within said network and without modifying said mobile stations, said system comprising:

a plurality of mobile switching centers (MSCs), each of said MSCs including;

means for collecting toll ticketing (TT) records associated with calls processed by said MSC;

means for associating said collected TT records with individual ones of said calls processed by said MSC;

means for tagging TT records that are associated with real-time billing calls that are conducted in each of a plurality of cells within said MSC'"'"'s service area; and

a port for sending said tagged TT records for immediate processing; and

a local post processing unit including;

means for receiving said tagged TT records from said MSCs;

a computer for immediately processing said received tagged TT records and computing real-time billing information; and

means for electronically and automatically sending said computed real-time billing information to said RTB subscribers, without modifying said mobile stations, immediately after the completion of said call.

2. Within a radio telecommunications network, a method of providing real-time billing (RTB) information to mobile subscribers operating mobile stations, said mobile subscribers being involved in a real-time billing (RTB) call in which at least one of said mobile subscribers is a RTB subscriber, said telecommunications network having a plurality of mobile switching centers (MSCs), and said method providing real-time billing (RTB) information without modifying said mobile stations, said method comprising the steps of:

collecting, within each of said plurality of MSCs, toll ticketing (TT) records associated with calls processed by each respective MSC;

associating, within each of said plurality of MSCs, said collected TT records with individual ones of said calls processed by each respective MSC;

tagging, within each of said plurality of MSCs, collected TT records that are associated with said RTB call;

sending said tagged TT records to a local post processing unit for immediate processing;

immediately processing said received tagged TT records and computing real-time billing information; and

electronically and automatically sending said computed real-time billing information to said RTB subscribers, without modifying said mobile stations, immediately after the completion of said RTB call.

3. The method of providing real-time billing (RTB) information of claim 2 further comprising, before the step of tagging TT records associated with said RTB call, the step of notifying each of said MSCs when one of said calls processed by one of said MSCs is a RTB call.

4. The method of providing real-time billing (RTB) information of claim 3 wherein said step of notifying each of said MSCs when one of said calls processed by one of said MSCs is a RTB call includes inserting a new/private data element in standard intersystem signaling messages identifying a call being processed by said MSC as a RTB call.

5. The method of providing real-time billing (RTB) information of claim 4 wherein said step of inserting a new/private data element in standard intersystem signaling messages includes inserting a new/private data element in IS-41 intersystem signaling messages identifying a call being processed by said MSC as a RTB call.

6. Within a radio telecommunications network, a method of providing real-time billing (RTB) information to mobile subscribers operating mobile stations, said mobile subscribers being involved in a real-time billing (RTB) call in which at least one of said mobile subscribers is a RTB subscriber, said telecommunications network having a plurality of mobile switching centers (MSCs), and said method providing said RTB information without modifying said mobile stations, said method comprising the steps of:

collecting, within each of said plurality of MSCs, toll ticketing (TT) records associated with calls processed by each respective MSC;

associating, within each of said plurality of MSCs, said collected TT records with individual ones of said calls processed by each respective MSC;

notifying each of said MSCs when one of said calls processed by one of said MSCs is a RTB call, said notifying step including the steps of;

inserting a new/private data element in IS-41 intersystem signaling messages identifying a call being processed by said MSC as a RTB call;

receiving, in one of said MSCs, said new/private data element in an IS-41 intersystem signaling message;

determining, in said one of said MSCs, whether said IS-41 intersystem signaling message with said new/private data element was received from the MSC from which said RTB call was received;

determining, upon determining that said IS-41 intersystem signaling message with said new/private data element was not received from the MSC from which said RTB call was received, whether said one of said MSCs originated said RTB call; and

sending, upon determining that said one of said MSCs did not originate said RTB call, an Immediate Billing Call message from said one of said MSCs to the MSC from which said RTB call was received;

tagging, within each of said plurality of MSCs, collected TT records that are associated with said RTB call;

sending said tagged TT records to a local post processing unit for immediate processing;

immediately processing said received tagged TT records and computing real-time billing information; and

electronically sending said computed real-time billing information to said RTB subscribers immediately after the completion of said RTB call.

7. The method of providing real-time billing (RTB) information of claim 6 wherein said step of tagging, within each of said plurality of MSCs, collected TT records that are associated with said RTB call includes introducing a new field in the TT records to support real-time billing.

8. The method of providing real-time billing (RTB) information of claim 7 further comprising the step of sending untagged TT records to a billing center for non-real time processing.

9. The method of providing real-time billing (RTB) information of claim 8 further comprising, after the step of electronically sending said computed real-time billing information to said RTB subscribers, the step of sending said computed real-time billing information to said billing center.

10. The method of providing real-time billing (RTB) information of claim 7 further comprising, after the step of sending said tagged TT records to a local post processing unit for immediate processing, the step of sending said collected TT records to a billing center for non-real time processing.

11. Within a radio telecommunications network, a method of automatically providing real-time billing (RTB) information to a RTB mobile subscriber operating a mobile station, said RTB mobile subscriber being involved in a RTB call which is handled by a plurality of mobile switching centers (MSCs), and said method providing said RTB information to said RTB subscriber without modifying said mobile station, said method comprising the steps of:

collecting, within each of said plurality of MSCs, toll ticketing (TT) records associated with said RTB call;

sending said TT records associated with said RTB call to a local post processing unit for immediate processing at the end of said RTB call;

immediately processing said TT records upon receipt at said local post processing unit and computing real-time billing information; and

electronically and automatically sending said computed real-time billing information to said RTB subscriber, without modifying said mobile station, immediately after the completion of said RTB call.