Reliable related billing ID information method for call delivery

• US 5,796,790 A
• Filed: 03/24/1995
• Issued: 08/18/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Brunner, Robert Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): CUMMING, WILLIAM D
• Application Number:
  US08/409,664
• Time in Patent Office: 1,243 Days
• Field of Search: 379/58, 379/59, 379/60, 379/61, 379/67, 379/112, 370/54, 380/21, 390/825.31
• 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 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/49 Connection to several service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/50 for cross-charging network operators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8038 Roaming or handoff
• 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 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/34 Roaming
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/46 Connection to several service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/52 Interconnection, inter-exchange, reseller billing, billing agreements between different operators, e.g. billing identifier added on the CDR in order to cross charge the other operator, inter-operator accounting, reconciliation, bill directly resellers customers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7442 Roaming
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A system and method for communicating accounting and billing operations information between a gateway mobile switching center (G-MSC) and a visiting mobile switching center (V-MSC) to which a call is being directed to a mobile station within a cellular telecommunications network. The method comprises the steps of: generating in the serving MSC first billing identification data for the call; transmitting the first billing identification data to the destination MSC; generating second billing identification data in the destination MSC corresponding to a call transaction that has occurred in the destination MSC; and returning the second billing identification data as related billing identification data to the serving MSC after an outcome for the call has been determined in the destination MSC. The outcome of the call is determined when a page response has been received in the V-MSC from the mobile station or alternatively, a call has been delivered by seizing a trunk from the serving MSC to the destination MSC. The method has application in a data message handler communication protocol system for communicating accounting and billing operations within the cellular telecommunications network.

Claims

1. A data message handler (DMH) communication protocol system for use in a cellular telecommunications network for communicating accounting and billing information associated with a call to a mobile station within the network, said system comprising:

a visiting mobile switching center (V-MSC) where said mobile station to which the call is being directed is located;

a gateway mobile switching center (G-MSC) which upon delivery of said call to the G-MSC, generates first billing identification data and transmits the first billing identification data as part of a call invoke message to said V-MSC;

means within said V-MSC for allocating second billing identification data corresponding to a call transaction that has occurred in the V-MSC in response to said call invoke message; and

means within said V-MSC for returning said second billing identification data to the G-MSC as related billing identification data after an outcome for the call has been determined.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the outcome for the call is determined by the V-MSC upon receipt of a page response from the mobile station or after a call has been delivered from the G-MSC to the V-MSC.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the V-MSC returns an information back for call delivery message that includes the related billing identification data and the first billing identification data forwarded from the G-MSC to the V-MSC, the information back for call delivery message being returned after the outcome of the call is determined in the V-MSC.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the related billing identification data is formulated in the V-MSC by the V-MSC allocating an incremented leg number to the leg number of a previously generated related billing identification data when the delivered call is an extension of the original call to the mobile station and by the V-MSC allocating a new billing identification data when the delivered call is a new call or not an extension of an existing call.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the V-MSC is selected from the group consisting of a mobile switching center (MSC) where the mobile station was last paged, a bordering MSC to the MSC where the mobile station was last registered and from which a page response message from the bordering MSC has been received, and a bordering MSC that receives an "unknown" page response from a mobile station that was paged by another MSC.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the call invoke message generated by the G-MSC is selected for the group consisting of a feature request message, an origination request message, a location request message and a transfer number request message.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the first billing identification data and the related billing identification data each include a switch identity number, a call identification, and a segment number identifying a call leg.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the invoke message is sent to a home locating register (HLR) associated with the G-MSC, the HLR in turn sending a route request message to a visiting location register (VLR) associated with the V-MSC where the mobile station was last registered and said VLR in turn sending a route request message to said associated V-MSC.

9. A method of communicating accounting and billing operations information between a serving mobile switching center (serving MSC) and a destination mobile switching center (destination MSC) to which a call is being directed to a mobile station within a cellular telecommunications network, the method comprising the steps of:

generating in the serving MSC first billing identification data for the call;

transmitting the first billing identification data to the destination MSC;

generating second billing identification data in the destination MSC corresponding to a call transaction that has occurred in the destination MSC; and

returning the second billing identification data as related billing identification data to the serving MSC after an outcome for the call has been determined in the destination MSC.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the outcome of the call is determined in the destination MSC by the destination MSC first checking if there is a receipt of a page response from the mobile station and, if not, determining that a call has been delivered from the serving MSC to the destination MSC.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of returning a related billing identification data to the serving MSC includes returning an information back for call delivery message that includes the related billing identification data and the first billing identification data transmitted from the serving MSC to the destination MSC.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of generating second related billing identification data in the destination MSC includes:

allocating an incremented leg number to the leg number of a previously generated related billing identification data when the delivered call is an extension of an original call to the mobile station, and

allocating a new billing identification data when the delivered call is a new call or not an extension of an existing call.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of generating a first billing identification data for the call includes generating a call invoke message for one of the group consisting of a feature request message, an origination request message, a location request message, and a transfer number request message.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the first billing identification data and the related billing identification data each include a switch identity number, a call identification number, and a segment number identifying a call leg.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the invoke message is sent to a home location register (HLR) associated with the serving MSC, the HLR in turn sending a route request message to a visiting location register (VLR) associated with the destination MSC where the mobile station was last registered and said VLR in turn sending a route request message to said associated destination MSC.

16. A data message handler (DMH) communication protocol system for use in a cellular telecommunications network for communicating accounting and billing information associated with a call to a mobile station within the network, said system comprising:

a visiting mobile switching center (V-MSC) where said mobile station to which the call is being directed is located;

a gateway mobile switching center (G-MSC) which upon delivery of said call to the G-MSC, generates first billing identification data and transmits the first billing identification data as part of a call invoke message to said V-MSC;

means within said V-MSC for allocating second billing identification data corresponding to a call transaction that has occurred in the V-MSC in response to said call invoke message; and

means within said V-MSC for returning said second billing identification data to the G-MSC as related billing identification data after the call has been delivered from the G-MSC to the V-MSC.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the V-MSC returns an information back for call delivery message that includes the related billing identification data and the first billing identification data forwarded from the G-MSC to the V-MSC, the information back for call delivery message being returned after the outcome of the call is determined in the V-MSC.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the related billing identification data is formulated in the V-MSC by the V-MSC allocating an incremented leg number to the leg number of a previously generated related billing identification data when the delivered call is an extension of the original call to the mobile station and by the V-MSC allocating a new billing identification data when the delivered call is a new call or not an extension of an existing call.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein the V-MSC is selected from the group consisting of a mobile switching center (MSC) where the mobile station was last paged, a bordering MSC to the MSC where the mobile station was last registered and from which a page response message from the bordering MSC has been received, and a bordering MSC that receives an "unknown" page response from a mobile station that was paged by another MSC.

20. The system of claim 16 wherein the call invoke message generated by the G-MSC is one of group consisting of a feature request message, an origination request message, a location request message and a transfer number request message.

21. The system of claim 16 wherein the first billing identification data and the related billing identification data each include a switch identity number, a call identification, and a segment number identifying a call leg.

22. The system of claim 16 wherein the invoke message is sent to a home locating register (HLR) associated with the G-MSC, the HLR in turn sending a route request message to a visiting location register (VLR) associated with the V-MSC where the mobile station was last registered and said VLR in turn sending a route request message to said associated V-MSC.

23. A method of communicating accounting and billing operations information between a serving mobile switching center (MSC) and a destination MSC to which a call is being directed to a mobile station within a cellular telecommunications network, the method comprising the steps of:

generating in the serving MSC first billing identification data for the call;

transmitting the first billing identification data to the destination MSC;

generating second billing identification data in the destination MSC corresponding to a call transaction that has occurred in the destination MSC; and

,

returning the second billing identification data as related billing identification data to the serving MSC after the call has been delivered from the serving MSC to the destination MSC.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the step of returning related billing identification data to the serving MSC includes returning an information back for call delivery message that includes the related billing identification data and the first billing identification data transmitted from the serving MSC to the destination MSC.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the step of generating second billing identification data in the destination MSC includes:

allocating an incremented leg number to the leg number of a previously generated related billing identification data when the delivered call is an extension of an original call to the mobile station, and

allocating a new billing identification data when the delivered call is a new call or not an extension of an existing call.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the step of generating a first billing identification data for the call includes generating a call invoke message for one of the group consisting of a feature request message, an origination request message, a location request message and a transfer number request message.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein the first billing identification data and the related billing identification data each include a switch identity number, a call identification number, and a segment number identifying a call leg.

28. The method of claim 24 wherein the invoke message is sent to a home locating register (HLR) associated with the serving MSC, the HLR in turn sending a route request message to a visiting location register (VLR) associated with the MSC where the mobile station was last registered, and said VLR in turn sending a route request message to its associated MSC.