Method and arrangement for setting the charge rate in a wireless pay phone

• US 6,327,466 B1
• Filed: 03/17/1999
• Issued: 12/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Savolainen, Kimmo
• Primary Examiner(s): MAUNG, NAY AUNG
• Application Number:
  US09/242,230
• Time in Patent Office: 993 Days
• Field of Search: 455/406, 455/407, 455/409, 455/427, 379/114
• US Class Current: 455/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/30 the meter or calculation of charges not being controlled from an exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• 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 2215/0184 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
• 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: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

The destination zone of a call is defined (2) according to the prior art in a wireless pay phone, for example, by analyzing a selected phone number, and the present invention is characterized in that, additionally, the location of the pay phone is defined (3) and the originating zone of the call is defined based on the location, and the charge rate is set based on at least the originating zone and destination zone of the call. The charge rate is advantageously set by means of a tariffing algorithm realized in the pay phone, which algorithm specifies several charge rate classes and corresponding parameter values, which set (7) a charge rate corresponding to a charge rate class. To set a charge rate class, first a distance class may be set (5) based on the originating zone and destination zone, and then a charge rate class may be set (6) based on the distance class and possibly other factors. The present invention makes it possible to realize a tariffing within a wireless pay phone itself, which functions sufficiently well and fairly even though the pay phone roams extensively, for example, in different countries.

Claims

1. An arrangement for setting a user charge rate in a pay phone, which includes:

a mobile phone part comprising a mobile phone that operates;

in a mobile station system, and

connected to said mobile phone part, a pay phone part for defining a destination zone of a call, characterized in that the pay phone part and mobile phone part comprise means for making location information maintained in the mobile phone part available for use by the pay phone part,

the pay phone part comprises means for defining an originating zone of a call based on the location information, and

the pay phone part includes means for setting the user charge rate based on at least the originating zone, the destination zone of the call and a tariffing algorithm.

2. The arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the location information includes one or more of the following:

base station code, exchange code, network code (MNC), country code.

3. The arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that a tariffing algorithm comprises a first part, which sets a distance class based on an originating zone and a destination zone.

4. The arrangement according to claim 3, characterized in that said tariffing algorithm also comprises:

a second part, which sets a user charge rate class based on at least the distance class, and

a third part, which sets a user charge rate corresponding to a user charge rate class according to defined parameter values.

5. The arrangement according to claim 4, characterized in that said second part sets the user charge rate class based additionally on one or more of the following:

day of the week, time of day and pay card that is used in the pay phone.

6. A method of setting a charge rate for a telephone call over a wireless telephone comprising the steps of:

using a locator in the telephone to determine an origination zone of the telephone call;

using an analyzer in the telephone to determine a destination zone of the telephone call;

using a computing device in the telephone to determine the charge rate for the telephone call based upon the origination zone and the destination zone.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of using an analyzer in the telephone to determine a destination zone of the telephone call further comprises the steps of:

converting a phone number dialed into an international format; and

associating the converted phone number to a destination zone by searching a destination zone table stored in a memory device in the telephone for a match to the converted phone number.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of using a computing device in the telephone to determine the charge rate for the telephone call based upon the origination zone and the destination zone further comprises the steps of:

setting a distance class for the call based on the originating zone and the destination zone;

setting a charge rate class for the call based on the distance class and a time of the call; and

inputting the distance class and charge rate class into the computing device to determine the charge rate for the call.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of using a computing device in the telephone to determine the charge rate for the telephone call based upon the origination zone and the destination zone further comprises the step of determining a card class for a pay card used with the telephone, the card class being used to set the charge rate.