Method for location-based billing for mobile communication

• US 6,954,630 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2002
• Issued: 10/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks GmbH & Co. KG (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Offer, Gero
• Primary Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US10/319,319
• Publication Number:
  US 20030114141A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,033 Days
• Field of Search: 455/406, 455/407, 455/408, 379/11, 379/112.01, 379/112.06, 379/114.01, 379/114.05, 379/114.1, 379/114.12, 379/115.01, 379/121.01, 379/121.02
• 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 15/745 Customizing according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. friends or family
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/765 Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/7652 shared by users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8033 location-dependent, e.g. business or home
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/81 Dynamic pricing, e.g. change of tariff during call
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0108 Customization according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. customer preferences, friends and family, selecting services or billing options, Personal Communication Systems [PCS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0112 Dynamic pricing, e.g. change of tariff during call
• 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: H04M 2215/724 Linked accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7245 Shared by users, e.g. group accounts or one account for different users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7435 Location dependent, e.g. Bussiness or home
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/82 Advice-of-Charge [AOC], i.e. notify subscriber of charges/cumulative charge; meter at the substation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A method for location-based billing for mobile telecommunication is described in this application. In this context, subscribers communicating on a mobile basis are subject to separate billing within a special billing zone as soon as a network server establishes that the mobile stations belonging to the subscribers are present within this zone at the same time.

Claims

1. A method for location-based billing for mobile telecommunication, which comprises:

registering mobile stations in a cellular mobile radio network formed by base stations and a network server including at least call-processing facilities, facilities for sending/receiving information, and a billing facility;

recording, forwarding, and transmitting communication information between the mobile stations and/or between the mobile stations and a network server;

forming a special billing zone by combining a subset of radio cells associated with base stations in the cellular mobile radio network and covering a geographical area;

using the billing facility to bill, based on a locally valid tariff for the special billing zone, for communication between ones of the mobile stations temporally concurrently localized within the special billing zone;

storing in a given mobile station a zone identifier as evidence of registration when the given mobile station is registered within the special billing zone; and

after re-registering the given mobile station, selecting one of;

questioning the zone identifier stored by the given mobile station with the network server, or

transmitting the zone identifier to the network server with the given mobile station.

2. The method according to claim 1, which comprises:

providing a zone register having a collection of cell identifiers defining the special billing zone; and

using the network server to manage the zone register and to check whether the ones of the mobile stations are located within the special billing zone by comparing current cell identifiers for the ones of the mobile stations with the zone register.

3. The method according to claim 2, which comprises:

after establishing that a first mobile station is localized within the special billing zone and after the first mobile station initiates a connection setup over the mobile communication network to a second mobile station localized within the special billing zone, using the network server to send a confirmation indicating that the second mobile station is located within the special billing zone.

4. The method according to claim 3, which comprises indicating the confirmation visually and/or audibly on at least one of the first mobile station and the second mobile station.

5. The method according to claim 1, which comprises:

when a first mobile station and a second mobile station are currently involved in a communication and one of the first mobile station and the second mobile station is leaving the special billing zone, sending a notification selected from a group consisting of a visual signal, an audible signal, a text

message, and a voice message to at least one of the first mobile station and the second mobile station.

6. The method according to claim 1, which comprises:

if the special billing zone is left during an ongoing communication between a first mobile station and a second mobile station, insuring that the billing facility maintains a tariff associated with the special billing zone at least until the ongoing communication has ended.

7. The method according to claim 1, which comprises:

communicating between at least two mobile stations based on a tariff associated with the special billing zone irrespective of whether the two mobile stations are localized within the special billing zone, provided that at least one of the two mobile stations has transmitted a zone identifier to the network server.

8. The method according to claim 1, which comprises providing the zone identifier with a periodic validity or with a validity having a time limit.

9. The method according to claims 1, which comprises insuring that the given mobile station prescribes the zone identifier without being initialized by the registration procedure.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the given mobile station stores the zone identifier on a subscriber identification module.