Method of processing information charge discount rates for service subscribers in premium-rate service

• US 5,793,852 A
• Filed: 12/12/1995
• Issued: 08/11/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, Korea Telecommunication Authority
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, Korea Telecommunication Authority
• Inventors: Kang, Tae Gyu, Bae, Hyun Joo, Yun, Kyong Ok
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOOMIS, PAUL A
• Application Number:
  US08/571,146
• Time in Patent Office: 973 Days
• Field of Search: 379/111, 379/112, 379/114, 379/115-121, 379/133, 379/134, 379/207, 379/220, 379/229, 379/230
• US Class Current: 379/115.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1439 time-based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1446 inter-operator billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1496 involving discounts
• 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 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0184 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions, volume discounts, cell discounts, group billing, frequent calling destination(s) or user history list

Abstract

A method of processing information charge discount rates for service subscribers in a premium-rate service. Information charge discount rate data for each service subscriber is registered and a service subscriber number and a calling number are received from Service Switching Point. The received service subscriber number is designated as an index value of a main table in a service subscriber database and the main table is then retrieved to check whether data corresponding to the designated index value are present in the main table. If the data corresponding to the designated index value are present, a service feature classification data field in the main table is retrieved to check whether the service subscriber has subscribed to a flexible charging-by-day/time service. If the service subscriber has subscribed, data are read from a day/time classification data field in the main table, and a specific data information charge discount rate, a specific day information charge discount rate, a specific time information charge discount rate and a holiday information charge discount rate are calculated according to the read data. The calculated information charge discount rates are transmitted together with an information charge class and a called number to a service switching point.

Claims

1. A method of processing information charge discount rates for service subscribers in a premium-rate service, said premium-rate service being applied to an intelligent network service control/management system, comprising the steps of:

(100) storing information charge discount rate data for each service subscriber;

(101) receiving a service subscriber number and a calling number;

(102) designating the received service subscriber number as an index to a main table in a service subscriber database;

(104) if data corresponding to the designated index is present in the main table in the service subscriber database, the further steps of;

(107) if the service subscriber has subscribed to a flexible charging-by-day/time service, the further steps of;

(108) reading data from a day/time classification data field in the main table; and

(109) calculating a specific date information charge discount rate, (110) a specific day information charge discount rate, (111) a specific time information charge discount rate and (112) a holiday information charge discount rate according to the read data from the day/time classification data field;

(107) otherwise, the further step of;

calculating the specific date information charge discount rate to be 0%;

(113) producing an information charge class and a called number; and

(114) transmitting the calculated information charge discount rate, the produced information charge class, and the called number to a service switching point;

(104) otherwise, the further step of;

(105) transmitting an error message.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said step (109) of calculating the specific date information charge discount rate includes the steps of:

(120) designating the received service subscriber number and a present date code value as indexes to a flexible charging-by-day/time table in the service subscriber database;

(122) if data corresponding to the designated indexes is present in the flexible charging-by-day/time table, the further step of;

(123) processing a present-date specific date information charge discount rate;

(122) otherwise, the further step of;

(124) processing a date-before-specific date information charge discount rate.

3. A method, as set forth in claim 2, wherein said step (123) of processing the present-date specific date information charge discount rate includes the steps of:

(125) if a designated start time is less than or equal to the present time, the further steps of;

(126,

     127) if the designated start time is less than a designated end time and the present time is greater than the designated end time, the further step of;

(129) designating a second date charging rate as the specific date information charge discount rate;

(126,

     127) otherwise, the further step of;

(128) designating a first date charging rate as the specific date information charge discount rate;

(125) otherwise, the further steps of;

(130) designating the second date charging rate as the specific date information charge discount rate; and

(131) processing the date-before-specific date information charge discount rate.

4. A method, as set forth in claim 2 or claim 3, wherein said step (124) of processing the date-before-specific date information charge discount rate includes the steps of:

(132) designating the service subscriber number and a previous date code value as indexes to the flexible charging-by-day/time table in the service subscriber database; and

(134) if data corresponding to the designated indexes is present in the flexible charging-by-day/time table, and

(135) if the designated start time is greater than the designated end time, and

(136) if the present time is greater than the designated end time, the further step of;

(137) designating the first date charging rate as the specific date information charge discount rate.

5. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said step (110) of calculating the specific day information charge discount rate includes the steps of:

(140) designating the service subscriber number and a present day code value as indexes to a flexible charging-by-day/time table in the service subscriber database;

(142) if data corresponding to the designated indexes is present in the flexible charging-by-day/time table, the further step of;

(143) processing a present-day specific day information charge discount rate;

(142) otherwise, the further step of;

(144) processing a day-before-specific day information charge discount rate.

6. A method, as set forth in claim 5, wherein said step (143) of processing the present-day specific day information charge discount rate includes the steps of:

(145) if a designated start time is less than or equal to the present time, the further steps of;

(146,

     147) if the designated start time is less than a designated end time, and if the the present time is greater than the designated end time, the further step of;

(149) designating a second day charging rate as the specific day information charge discount rate;

(146,

     147) otherwise, the further step of;

(148) designating a first day charging rate as the specific day information charge discount rate;

(125) otherwise, the further steps of;

(150) designating the second day charging rate as the specific day information charge discount rate; and

(151) processing a day-before-specific day information charge discount rate.

7. A method, as set forth in claim 5 or claim 6, wherein said step (144) of processing the day-before-specific day information charge discount rate includes the steps of:

(152) designating the service subscriber number and a previous day code value as indexes to the flexible charging-by-day/time table in the service subscriber database; and

(154) if data corresponding to the designated indexes is present in the flexible charging-by-day/time table, and

(155) if the designated start time is greater than the designated end time, and

(156) if the present time is greater than the designated end time, the further step of;

(157) designating the first day charging rate as the specific day information charge discount rate.

8. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said step (111) of calculating the specific time information charge discount rate includes the steps of:

(160) designating the service subscriber number and a present time code value as indexes to a flexible charging-by-day/time table in the service subscriber database;

repeating the following steps until reaching the step of ending the calculation of the specific time information charge discount rate;

(162) if data corresponding to the designated indexes is present in the flexible charging-by-day/time table, the further steps of;

(165) if a designated start time is greater than the present time, or (166) if the designated start time is less than a designated end time, and (167) the present time is greater than the designated end time, the further steps of;

(169) designating a second time charging rate as the specific date information charge discount rate;

(170) if the the present time code value is less than a limit iteration value, the further steps of;

(171) incrementing the service subscriber number and the present time code value by one, respectively; and

(172) designating the incremented service subscriber number and present time code as indexes to the flexible charging-by-day/time table in the service subscriber database;

(170) otherwise, the further step of;

(end) ending the calculation of the specific time information charge discount rate;

(165) otherwise, the further steps of;

(168) designating a first time charging rate as the specific time information charge discount rate; and

(end) ending the calculation of the specific time information charge discount rate;

(162) otherwise, the further steps of;

(163) transmitting the error message; and

(end) ending the calculation of the specific time information charge discount rate.

9. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said step (112) of calculating the holiday information charge discount rate includes the steps of:

(180) designating a present date code value as an index to a holiday table;

(182) if the present date code value is present in the holiday table or if (183) the present date code value is a Sunday, the further steps of;

(184) designating the service subscriber number and a holiday code value as indexes to a flexible charging-by-day/time table in the service subscriber database;

(186) if data corresponding to the designated indexes is present in the flexible charging-by-day/time table, the further step of;

(187) processing a present-date holiday information charge discount rate;

(186) otherwise, the further step of;

(188) transmitting the error message;

(182) otherwise, the further step of;

(189) processing a date-before holiday information charge discount rate.

10. A method, as set forth in claim 9, wherein said step (187) of processing the present-date holiday information charge discount rate includes the steps of:

(190) if a designated start time is smaller than or equal to the present time, the further steps of;

(191) if the designated start time is less than a designated end time and if (193) the present time is greater than the designated end time, the further step of;

(195) designating a second holiday charging rate as the holiday information charge discount rate;

(191) otherwise the further step of;

(194) designating a first holiday charging rate as the holiday information charge discount rate;

(190) otherwise, the further steps of;

(192) designating the second holiday charging rate as the holiday information charge discount rate;

(196) if the designated start time is greater than or equal to the designated end time, the further steps of;

(197) designating a previous date code value as an index to the holiday table;

(199) if data corresponding to the designated index is present in the holiday table or if (200) the present day is Monday, the further step of;

(201) designating the first holiday charging rate as the holiday information charge discount rate.

11. A method, as set forth in claim 9, wherein said step (189) of processing the date-before holiday information charge discount rate includes the steps of:

(202) designating a previous date code value as an index to the holiday table; and

(204) if data corresponding to the designated index is present in the holiday table, or if (205) the present day is Monday, the further steps of;

(206) designating the service subscriber number and the holiday code value as indexes to the flexible charging-by-day/time table in the service subscriber database;

(204) if data corresponding to the designated index value is present in the flexible charging-by-day/time table, the further steps of;

(210) if a designated start time is greater than the designated end time, and

(211) if the present time is less than the designated end time, the further step of;

(212) designating the first holiday charging rate as the holiday information charge discount rate;

(211) otherwise, the further step of;

(209) transmitting the error message.