Pay-per use for data-network-based public access services

• US 6,243,450 B1
• Filed: 12/28/1998
• Issued: 06/05/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Corporation
• Inventors: Isgro, Nick, Celkowski, Tomasz, Jansen, Bernie G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): BARNIE, REXFORD N
• Application Number:
  US09/220,963
• Time in Patent Office: 890 Days
• Field of Search: 379/144, 379/114, 379/112, 379/91.01, 379/201, 379/900, 379/100.04, 370/352, 395/200.3, 395/200.33, 395/200.55, 395/200.59, 705/400, 709/200, 709/93.09
• US Class Current: 379/144.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/16 for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/00 Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus
• 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 15/68 Payment of value-added services
• 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: H04M 2215/0176 Billing arrangements using internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0196 Payment of value-added services, mainly when their charges are added on the telephone bill, e.g. payment of non-telecom services, e-commerce, on-line banking
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/90 Internet, e.g. Internet phone, webphone, internet-based telephony

Abstract

An apparatus for vending public multimedia services has a telephone, a multimedia terminal, a payment receiver for receiving an authorization to accept charges for enabling use of at least one of the telephone and the multimedia terminal, a file receiver for receiving a file, the file containing a field with cost per unit time for a service and a field with a modifier for the cost per unit time for the service, memory for storing the file, and a usage cost determiner for determining a usage cost based on a time of use of the service and information in the file.

Claims

1. An apparatus for vending public multimedia services, the apparatus comprising:

a telephone;

a multimedia terminal;

said telephone and said multimedia terminal for receiving data at a rate that is variable on a second-by-second basis;

a payment receiver for receiving an authorization to accept charges for enabling use of at least one of said telephone and said multimedia terminals;

a file receiver for receiving a file, said file containing a cost-per-unit time for a service and a data arrival rate modifier for said service;

memory for storing said file;

a data rate measurer for periodically determining a rate at which data associated with said services is received; and

a usage cost determiner for determining a usage cost based upon both a time of use of said service and said periodically determined rate at which data associated with said service was received.

2. The apparatus for vending public multimedia services according to claim 1, further comprising means for deducting a pre-payment amount from a payment card or account.

3. The apparatus for vending public multimedia services according to claim 1, further comprising a means for displaying billing information about cost of said service.

4. The apparatus for vending public multimedia services according to claim 3, further comprising a means for displaying a round-up threshold indicating what fraction of a unit of usage will be rounded up to a full unit of usage for said service.

5. The apparatus for vending public multimedia services according to claim 1, wherein said data rate measurer comprises means for calculating a data arrival rate over a period of time and comparing said calculated data arrival rate with a pre-stored value to generate a charge modifier.

6. The apparatus for vending public multimedia services according to claim 5, wherein said usage cost determiner comprises means for calculating a time of use of said service, multiplying said time of use by a cost-per-unit time for said service to determine a charge and then multiplying said charge by said charge modifier.