Method and apparatus in a telecommunications system

• US 7,054,843 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2005
• Issued: 05/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Charas, Phillippe
• Primary Examiner(s): Knight, Anthony
• Assistant Examiner(s): BARNES-BULLOCK, CRYSTAL JOY
• Application Number:
  US11/069,069
• Publication Number:
  US 20050177619A1
• Time in Patent Office: 455 Days
• Field of Search: 705/64, 705/65, 705/67, 705/68, 705/70, 705/72, 705 74- 79, 705 39- 41, 705/35, 705/249, 705/44, 380/247, 370352-356, 709/203, 709/226, 709217-219, 709/229, 709/249, 455/410, 726 26- 30
• US Class Current: 705/74
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/085 involving remote charge determination or related payment systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/383 Anonymous user system
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/401 Transaction verification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/55 for hybrid networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/66 Policy and charging system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/7655 shared by technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/77 involving multiple accounts per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/772 per service, e.g. prepay or post-pay
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8038 Roaming or handoff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8235 Access based
• 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 2215/0104 Augmented, consolidated or itemised billing statement, e.g. additional billing information, bill presentation, layout, format, e-mail, fax, printout, itemised bill per service or per account, cumulative billing, consolidated billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2046 : Hybrid network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 : Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/34 : Roaming
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/725 : Shared by technologies, e.g. one account for different access technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7254 : Multiple accounts per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7263 : per service, e.g. prepay and post-pay
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7442 : Roaming
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/784 : Access based
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 : Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 : Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/24 : Negotiating SLA [Service Level Agreement]; Negotiating QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/085 : involving hierarchical organized mobility servers, e.g. hierarchical mobile IP [HMIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 : Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 : Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

The present invention relates to methods for providing access independent global roaming between heterogeneous networks. The invention solves this problem and provides policy enforcement and service transparency when terminals roam between different heterogeneous networks. By providing a policy enforcement point associated with the terminal, and by concerning the transport mechanism between terminals and servers as a packet pipe, adding no extra value except transport and Quality of Service classification thereof. The payment for access and services can be separated and access may be paid in real-time by an anonymous payment method. In accordance with the invention, the terminal becomes more like a personal profile manager, managing rights to services and access. The ability to purchase access opens the possibility for the terminal to act as an e-commerce platform, and the subscriber can access any network any time since access is paid for in real time.

Claims

1. A method for anonymous payment of a subscriber for a service of a network, said method comprising the steps of:

requesting a service by a subscriber using a mobile terminal;

transmitting encrypted payment information from the mobile terminal to an access node;

reading, by the access node, the encrypted payment information;

adding, by the access node, a transaction number to the encrypted payment information;

transmitting the encrypted payment information from the access node to a credential verifier server identified in the payment information;

decrypting, by the credential verifier server, the encrypted payment information;

verifying, by the credential verifier server, whether the decrypted payment information is correct;

transmitting the transaction number and a positive acknowledgment from the credential verifier sewer to the access node;

transmitting a message including an IP address and the positive acknowledgment from the access node to the mobile terminal; and

storing in a policy enforcement point the IP address associated with the service requested by the subscriber.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of the policy enforcement point enabling the service requested by the subscriber.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

monitoring the transactions of the subscriber using the service; and

storing the transactions as accounting information.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

sending the accounting information from the policy enforcement node to a secure mobile portal;

comparing the sent accounting information with accounting information generated in the secure mobile portal;

sending a positive accounting confirmation if the sent and generated accounting information correspond; and

sending a negative accounting confirmation if the sent and generated accounting information do not correspond.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of ending the requested service by transmitting an end session message.