Short message system, especially prepaid message system

• US 7,003,306 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2002
• Issued: 02/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nilcom
• Original Assignee: Nilcom
• Inventors: Henry-Labordere, Arnaud
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Lester G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Torres, Marcos L
• Application Number:
  US10/127,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20030036394A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,401 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/445, 455/412.1, 455/462, 455/560, 455/555, 455/406, 455/408, 705/39
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• 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 15/43 Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/51 for resellers, retailers or service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/70 Administration or customization aspects; Counter-checking correct charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/73 Validating charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8207 Time based data metric aspects, e.g. VoIP or circuit switched packet data
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/90 using Intelligent Networks [IN] or Advanced Intelligent Networks [AIN]
• 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 17/026 Constructional features
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/103 using SIMs (USIMs) or calling cards
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/106 using commercial credit or debit cards
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/20 with provision for recharging the prepaid account or card, or for credit establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2017/12 using calling, telephone credit/debit cards
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2017/14 using commercial credit/debit cards, e.g. VISA, AMEX
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/016 Billing using Intelligent Networks [IN] or Advanced Intelligent Networks [AIN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/202 VoIP; Packet switched telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/28 : SMS billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 : Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/54 : Resellers-retail or service providers billing, e.g. agreements with telephone service operator, activation, charging/recharging of accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/70 : Administration aspects, modify settings or limits or counter-check correct charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7072 : Validate charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7813 : Time based data, e.g. VoIP or circuit switched packet data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 : Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/184 : Messaging devices, e.g. message centre
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 : Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

Short message system (SMS-MO) comprising switching arrangements (MSC) and servers (SMSC) at which the messages arrive in the form of messages “destined for a mobile” (SMS-MT). The sending mobile (SMS-MO) includes in the message the address of the server (SMSC) of its card (SIM). The system comprises a virtual server (SMSC-V) which is defined by its address (ADR-V) and is associated with an operator, a real server (SMSC-R) which is defined by its address (ADR-R), the address (ADR-V) of the virtual server (SMSC-V) being the only server address recorded on the operator'"'"'s cards (SIM), the switching arrangement (MSC) contains an address translator for replacing the address of the virtual server (SMSC-V) with that of the real server (SMSC-R) to which the message (SMS-MO) will be routed, which real server handles the message and routes it to the intended receiver (MO′).

Claims

1. Short message system for handling short messages (SMS-MO) sent by mobiles (MO), comprising switching arrangements (MSC) on which the mobiles (MO) depend for radio connection, and short message servers (SMSC) at which the messages from a mobile (SMS-MO) arrive and are routed back, in the form of messages “

destined for a mobile”

(SMS-MT), to the destination mobiles (MO′

), the mobile sending messages (SMS-MO) including in the message the address of the server (SMSC) of a card (SIM), the system comprising;

a virtual server (SMSC-V) which is defined by its address (ADR-V) and is associated with an operator, the address (ADR-V) of the virtual server (SMSC-V) being the only server address recorded on said cards (SIM);

a real server (SMSC-R) which is defined by its address (ADR-R);

the switching arrangement (MSC) contains an address translator for replacing the address (ADR-V) of the virtual server (SMSC-V) with the address (ADR-R) of the real server (SMSC-R) to which the message (SMS-MO) will be routed, which real server handles the message and routes it to the intended receiver (MO′

);

a prepaid card database (BD-CP RP) containing credit accounts of prepaid short message cards and their associated code numbers; and

a prepaid short message card (CA), having a secret code (CD), which the subscriber purchases, the subscriber using a secret code (CD) and including the secret code (CD) in his short messages (SMS-MO), when there is no interactive vocal server (SVI) for top-up, whereby the real short message server (SMSC-R), upon receipt of a short message (SMS) from a mobile, verifies authorisation of transmission by checking the code (CD) and the account credit assigned to that code (CD) in the prepaid card database (BD-CPRP), and thereupon sends the message to the intended receiver (SMS-MT) if the credit permits, and, if no credit is permitted, the server (SMSC-R) sends a credit exhaustion message to the mobile (MO) which sent the message (SMS-MO).

2. Short message system according to claim 1 wherein the real server (SMSC-R) is located in a different country than the country in which the operator is located, and the connection between the switching arrangement (MSC) of the operator visited by the transmitting subscriber (MO) and the real server (SMSC-R) is made by way of the international network (SS7).

3. System according to claim 1 wherein the virtual server (SMSC-V) has an address in the country of the operator on which the subscriber (MO) sending the message (SMS-MO) depends.

4. System according to claim 1 further comprising allowing the real server (SMSC-R) to also supply the short message service (SMS-MO) to non-prepaid subscribers without checking the secret code, solely on the basis of the number of the sending subscriber, by obtaining the subscriber profile from the HLR in order to ascertain whether the subscriber is prepaid or not, and by behaving like a VLR which carries out a GSM location update procedure (MAP-UPDATE-LOCATION) without updating location information.