Global wireless prepaid roaming

• US 6,684,072 B1
• Filed: 08/24/2000
• Issued: 01/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Level Z LLC
• Original Assignee: Level Z LLC
• Inventors: Anvekar, Dinesh Kashinath, Sundaram, Sridhar, Gopinath, Bhaskarpillai, Summerfelt, David Glenn
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, CONGVAN
• Application Number:
  US09/645,710
• Time in Patent Office: 1,251 Days
• Field of Search: 455/417, 455/432, 455/433, 455/406, 455/435, 455/438, 455/408, 455/922, 455/558, 379/114.2, 379/114.05, 379/114.06, 379/436, 379/438, 379/439
• US Class Current: 455/432.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A global prepaid roaming services method and apparatus is described in which a roaming phone located in a first region places an outgoing call to a destination party in a second region, and responsive to placing the call, a service processing node (SPN) establishes a first call connection between the roaming phone and the SPN, a second call connection between the SPN and the destination party is established and the SPN bridges the first and second call connections to establish a call connection between the roaming phone and the destination party. Incoming calls originating in a first region made to a wireless phone roaming in a second region are established by signaling from the first region to a home region associated with the wireless phone in order to determine that the wireless phone is roaming in the second region; signaling a cellular-switching center (CSC) in the second region, responsive to the determination that the wireless phone is roaming in the second region, to inform the CSC in the second region of a call connection request to the wireless phone; routing the call, responsive to the call connection request, from the CSC in the second region to a service processing node (SPN) in the second region and establishing a first call connection from the originating first region to the SPN in the second region; launching a message from the SPN in the second region to the wireless phone, the message instructing the wireless phone to establish a second call connection with the SPN in the second region; and bridging the first call connection with the second call connection, responsive to establishing the second call connection with the SPN.

Claims

1. A method for providing global pre paid roaming services for a user of a roaming phone, said method comprising the steps of:

calling, from said roaming phone located in a first region, a destination party in a second region;

establishing a first call connection, responsive to said calling step, between said roaming phone and a service processing node (SPN) in said first region;

establishing a second call connection, responsive to said step of establishing said first call connection, between said SPN in said first region to said destination party in said second region; and

bridging said first call connection with said second call connection to establish a call between said roaming phone and said destination party in said second region.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising the step of:

monitoring real-time prepaid account call detail data associated with usage of said roaming phone at said SPN and providing said global prepaid roaming services for said roaming phone only if an available account balance associated with said roaming phone is greater than a threshold value.

3. The method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said step of bridging said first call connection with said second call connection is contingent upon a determination made by said SPN that a subscriber rules basis associated with said roaming phone is met.

4. The method in accordance with claim 1 wherein continued bridging of said first call connection with said second call connection is contingent upon a determination made by said SPN that a real-time subscriber rules basis associated with said roaming phone is maintained.

5. A method for connecting a call from a originating first region to a wireless phone roaming in a second region, said method utilizing prepaid account services and comprising the steps of:

signaling from said first region to a home region associated with said wireless phone to determine that said wireless phone is roaming in said second region;

signaling a cellular-switching center (CSC) in said second region, responsive to said determination that said wireless phone is roaming in said second region, to inform said cellular-switching center in said second region of a call connection request to said wireless phone;

routing said call, responsive to said call connection request, from said CSC in said second region to a service processing node (SPN) in said second region and establishing a first call connection from said originating first region to said SPN in said second region;

launching a Short Message Service (SMS) message from said SPN in said second region to said wireless phone, said SMS message instructing said wireless phone to establish a second call connection with said SPN in said second region; and

bridging said first call connection with said second call connection, responsive to establishing said second call connection with said SPN.

6. The method in accordance with claim 5 further comprising the step of:

monitoring real-time prepaid account call detail data associated with usage of said wireless phone at said SPN and providing services for said wireless phone only if an available account balance associated with said wireless phone is greater than a threshold value.

7. The method in accordance with claim 5 wherein said step of bridging said first call connection with said second call connection is contingent upon a determination made by said SPN that a subscriber rules basis associated with said wireless phone is met.

8. The method in accordance with claim 5 wherein continued bridging of said first call connection with said second call connection is contingent upon a determination made by said SPN that a real-time subscriber rules basis associated with said wireless phone is maintained.

9. A method for registration of a wireless phone roaming in a first region, said method for use with global prepaid services and comprising the steps of:

registering a phone identification for said wireless phone with a first region mobile switching center (MSC) upon power-up and detection of said wireless phone in said first region;

launching an executable short message service (ESMS) message, responsive to said registering step, to said wireless phone to program said wireless phone to route an outgoing call made from said wireless phone to a service processing node (SPN) nearest said wireless phone;

conveying account and location information associated with said wireless phone from a home MSC associated with said wireless phone to a central prepaid accounts data center (CPADC);

forwarding said account and location information associated with said wireless phone from said CPADC to said SPN nearest said wireless phone; and

storing said account and location information associated with said wireless phone within a prepaid accounts data and rules database at said SPN nearest said wireless phone.

10. The method in accordance with claim 9 wherein said wireless phone includes a subscriber identification module (SIM) card for data storage and program execution associated with data and executables received via said ESMS message.

11. A method for providing global phone services, said method comprising the steps of:

calling, from a phone located in a first region, a destination party in a second region;

establishing a first call connection, responsive to said calling step, between said phone and a service processing node (SPN) in said first region; and

establishing a second call connection, responsive to said step of establishing a first call connection, between said SPN in said first region to said destination party in said second region.

12. The method in accordance with claim 11 further comprising the step of:

bridging said first call connection with said second call connection to establish a call between said phone and said destination party in said second region.

13. The method in accordance with claim 11 wherein said SPN provides optimized enhanced services for a user of said phone.

14. The method in accordance with claim 13 wherein said phone is a wireless phone.

15. The method in accordance with claim 11 wherein said SPN provides optimized enhanced services for a user of said phone.

16. The method in accordance with claim 11 wherein said optimized enhanced services are enabled through the use of a dynamically controlled protocol selection.

17. The method in accordance with claim 11 further comprising the step of:

routing information messages to and from said SPN utilizing a network other than the Signaling System 7 (SS7) network.

18. The method in accordance with claim 17 wherein said network utilizes Short Message Service (SMS).

19. The method in accordance with claim 17 wherein said network utilizes Wireless Application Protocol (WAP).

20. The method in accordance with claim 17 wherein said network is the Internet.

21. A method for registration of a wireless phone roaming in a first region, said method for use with global prepaid services and comprising the steps of:

registering a phone identification for said wireless phone with a first region mobile switching center (MSC) upon power-up and detection of said wireless phone in said first region;

determining, by said wireless phone, a wireless phone global location by analyzing data contained in a received transmission from said MSC;

launching a message containing wireless phone global location and wireless phone identity information, from said wireless phone to a central prepaid accounts data center (CPADC);

launching a message including said wireless phone identity and account information associated with said wireless phone from said CPADC to a service processing node (SPN) servicing said wireless phone;

storing said account information associated with said wireless phone within a prepaid accounts data and rules database at said SPN servicing said wireless phone; and

launching an executable short message service (ESMS) message from said SPN, to said wireless phone to program said wireless phone to route an outgoing call made from said wireless phone to said SPN servicing said wireless phone.

22. A method for connecting a call initiated from a caller in a first region to a wireless phone roaming in a second region, said method comprising the steps of:

establishing a first call connection between said caller and a first service processing node (SPN), said first SPN servicing said first region;

establishing, between a second SPN and said wireless phone, a second call connection;

establishing, between said second SPN and said first SPN₁ a third call connection;

bridging said second call connection with said third call connection to create a fourth call connection, said fourth call connection between said wireless phone and said first SPN; and

bridging said fourth call connection with said first call connection to complete said call between said caller and said wireless phone.

23. A method for registration of a wireless phone roaming in a first region, said method for use with global prepaid services and comprising the steps of:

registering a phone identification for said wireless phone with a first region mobile switching center (MSC) upon power-up and detection of said wireless phone in said first region;

determining, by said wireless phone, a wireless phone global location using data inputted by a user of said wireless roaming phone;

launching a message containing wireless phone global location and wireless phone identity information, from said wireless phone to a central prepaid accounts data center (CPADC);

launching a message including said wireless phone identity and account information associated with said wireless phone from said CPADC to a service processing node (SPN) servicing said wireless phone;

storing said account information associated with said wireless phone within a prepaid accounts data and rules database at said SPN servicing said wireless phone; and

launching an executable short message service (ESMS) message from said SPN, to said wireless phone to program said wireless phone to route an outgoing call made from said wireless phone to said SPN servicing said wireless phone.