Charging systems for services in communications

• US 6,347,224 B1
• Filed: 03/05/1998
• Issued: 02/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Doyle, Katherine E, Smyth, Peter P, McKee, Paul F
• Primary Examiner(s): TO, DORIS HA
• Application Number:
  US09/029,616
• Time in Patent Office: 1,440 Days
• Field of Search: 455/406, 455/408, 455/453, 455/405, 455/407, 455/422, 379/113, 379/133, 379/111, 379/134, 379/137
• 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 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0188 Network monitoring; statistics on usage on called/calling number
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

In a charging system for cellular communications, real-time prices for new connections are offered to the customer. The real-time prices take into account both prevailing and historic traffic patterns, together with the probability that the customer will move from their current cell into a neighboring cell. Cells of the network are monitored in clusters. If a customer is located in one particular cell, the price offered to that customer will take into account the probability of handover to a neighboring cell during the connection, and may also take into account the probability of incoming traffic from neighboring cells during the connection. To enable this predictive pricing, the system stores, and may also update, historic data.

Claims

1. A charge control system for use in a cellular communications network infrastructure, wherein local charges are modifiable in response to current local traffic loading, the system comprising:

i) monitoring means to monitor current local traffic loading in the network;

ii) a data store to store historic traffic data related to cells of the network;

iii) data processing means arranged in operation to generate a local traffic-related parameter, dependent at least in part on the current traffic loading in a local area of the network and the historic traffic data pertaining to that local area; and

iv) charge setting means arranged in operation to set the rate at which traffic is charged by the network in said local area thereof, the rate set by the charge setting means being controlled at least in part by said local traffic-related parameter.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the charge setting means comprises a data store, or access to a data store, in which is loaded an updatable algorithm for applying to the local traffic-related parameter to generate the charge rate set by the charge-setting means.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the network is at least in part a mobile network and the historic traffic data comprises, at least in part, handover data, relating to historic handover patterns between cells of the network.

4. A system according to claim 1 wherein the monitoring means is arranged in operation to monitor current local traffic loading in respect of cell clusters, each cell cluster comprising a central cell together with the neighbouring cells from which the central cell would receive handover, the monitoring means, in operation, storing or outputting data sets, each data set relating to the cells of one cell cluster.

5. A system according to claim 1, further comprising means to output the rate set by the charge setting means to user equipment connected to the network.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the network is provided with an area-based management infrastructure, comprising base station controllers for controlling handover between cells of each cluster, the monitoring means being provided by the base station controllers.

7. A system according to claim 1, further comprising means to update the charge rate set by the system at regular intervals, and means to maintain a single charge rate applied by a billing system to any chargeable connection already established in the network before the end of one of said intervals.

8. A system according to claim 7 wherein the means to maintain a single charge rate comprises means for setting a charge rate field in a call record for the chargeable connection, which means is triggered by connection set-up.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring means has an output to the data store for historic traffic data and the historic traffic data is periodically refreshed such that the system has a learning, or adaptive, capacity.

10. A system as in claim 1 further comprising:

means to update the charge rate set by the system at regular intervals.

11. A system as in claim 10 further comprising:

means to maintain a single charge rate applied by a billing system to any chargeable connection already established in the network before the end of one of said intervals.

12. A method for use in a cellular communications network infrastructure,

wherein local charges are modifiable in response to current local traffic loading, the method comprising the steps of:

i) monitoring current local traffic loading in the network;

ii) generating a local traffic-related parameter, dependent at least in part on the current traffic loading in a local area of the network and historic traffic data pertaining to that local area; and

iii) determining the rate at which traffic is charged by the network in said local area thereof, the rate set by the charge setting means being controlled at least in part by said local traffic-related parameter.

13. A charge control method for use in a cellular communications network infrastructure, wherein local charges are modifiable in response to current local traffic loading, the method comprising:

i) monitoring current local traffic loading in the network;

ii) maintaining historic traffic data related to cells of the network;

iii) generating a local traffic-related parameter, dependent at least in part on the current traffic loading in a local area of the network and the historic traffic data pertaining to that local area; and

iv) setting the rate at which traffic is charged by the network in said local area controlled at least in part by said local traffic-related parameter.

14. A method as in claim 13 wherein the setting step comprises accessing a data store, in which is loaded an updatable algorithm for applying to the local traffic-related parameter to generate the charge rate set.

15. A method as in claim 13 wherein the network is at least in part a mobile network and the historic traffic data comprises, at least in part, handover data, relating network to historic handover patterns between cells of the network.

16. A method as in claim 13 wherein the monitoring step monitors current local traffic loading in respect of cell clusters, each cell cluster comprising a central cell together with the neighboring cells from which the central cell would receive handover, the monitoring step storing or outputting data sets, each data set relating to the cells of one cell cluster.

17. A method as in claim 13, further comprising

outputting the rate set by setting step to user equipment connected to the network.

18. A method as in claim 13 wherein the network is provided with an area-based management infrastructure, comprising base station controllers controlling handover between cells of each cluster, the monitoring step being performed by the base station controllers.

19. A method as in claim 13 further comprising

updating the charge rate set at regular intervals, and maintaining a single charge rate to any chargeable connection already established in the network before the end of one of said intervals.

20. A method as in claim 19 wherein the maintaining step comprises setting a charge rate field in a call record for the chargeable connection which is triggered by connection set-up.

21. A method as in claim 13 wherein the monitoring step outputs historic traffic data to a data store that is periodically refreshed such that the system has a learning, or adaptive, capacity.

22. A method as in claim 13 further comprising:

updating the charge rate set at regular intervals.

23. A method as in claim 22 further comprising:

maintaining a single charge rate to any chargeable connection already established in the network before the end of one of said intervals.

24. A method of charging for use of a cellular communications system, said method comprising:

maintaining historic data representing past use patterns of cells in the system;

measuring current use of cells in the system; and

communicating a current use charge to potential or actual users of the system that is a function of both said historic data and said current use.