Mobile network content based charging and access control system

• US 7,107,039 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2004
• Issued: 09/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Far Eastone Telecommunications Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Far Eastone Telecommunications Company Limited
• Inventors: Liang, Chia-Jung, Liao, Sheng-Hsuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thier, Michael
• Application Number:
  US10/893,247
• Publication Number:
  US 20050090230A1
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• Field of Search: 455405-411, 379111-134, 379/144.01, 370/254, 370/352
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1482 involving use of telephony infrastructure for billing for the transport of data, e.g. call detail record [CDR] or intelligent network infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/375 Access point names [APN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/854 Available credit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8166 Available credit
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

The invention provides an accurate, effective, and efficient system for content based charging, access barring, and network browsing, for pre-paid and post-paid subscribers of a wireless mobile communication network system comprising a gateway general packet radio service support node with service based content charge module; a separate WAP gateway for post-paid and pre-paid subscribers; IP, domain name and URL white list filtering; call detail records; a mediation gateway; data warehouse; and billing system. Access to the internet or free domain networks are efficiently controlled and content charges are accurately billed for both pre-paid and post-paid subscribers.

Claims

1. A system for charging and controlling access of a wireless mobile communication network system comprising:

a gateway general packet radio service support node (GGSN) for providing mobile network access, further comprising;

a service based content charging module for recording a GGSN call detail record;

a post-paid subscriber wireless application protocol gateway for providing network access for post-paid subscribers;

a pre-paid subscriber wireless application protocol gateway for providing network access for pre-paid subscribers;

a management domain for collecting call detail records;

a billing system for billing customers;

a data warehouse for creating analysis reports;

a general packet radio service (GPRS) free domain for providing content, further comprising;

a service platform for providing a URL white list to the management domain and the pre-paid subscriber wireless application protocol gateway;

wherein access to an internet domain through the GGSN or pre-paid subscriber wireless application protocol gateway or access to the GPRS free domain is blocked for pre-paid subscribers;

wherein pre-paid subscribers are only allowed access to network content whose URL is contained in the URL white list; and

wherein a post-paid subscriber is billed for internet domain traffic by volume through the GGSN to the internet domain, plus internet domain traffic by volume through the WAP gateway, plus GPRS free domain traffic by volume directly through the GGSN.

2. The system for charging and controlling access of a wireless mobile communication network system of claim 1, wherein the URL white list is stored on the management domain and the pre-paid subscriber WAP gateway.

3. The system for charging and controlling access of a wireless mobile communication network system of claim 1, wherein post-paid subscribers are assigned a post-paid WAP gateway IP address by the GGSN.

4. The system for charging and controlling access of a wireless mobile communication network system of claim 1, wherein pre-paid subscribers are assigned a pre-paid WAP gateway IP address by the GGSN.

5. The system for charging and controlling access of a wireless mobile communication network system of claim 1, wherein the management domain collects call detail records from the GGSN and both WAP gateways and provides charges to the billing system after filtering.

6. The system for charging and controlling access of a wireless mobile communication network system of claim 1, wherein the management domain provides content information to the data warehouse.

7. A system for charging and controlling access of a wireless mobile communication network system comprising:

a gateway general packet radio service support node (GGSN) for providing mobile network access, further comprising;

a service based content charging module for recording a GGSN call detail record;

a post-paid subscriber wireless application protocol gateway for providing network access for post-paid subscribers;

a pre-paid subscriber wireless application protocol gateway for providing network access for pre-paid subscribers;

a management domain for collecting call detail records;

a billing system for billing customers;

a data warehouse for creating analysis reports;

a general packet radio service (GPRS) free domain for providing content, further comprising;

a service platform for providing a URL white list to the GGSN and the pre-paid subscriber wireless application protocol gateway;

wherein access to an internet domain through the GGSN or pre-paid subscriber wireless application protocol gateway is blocked for pre-paid subscribers;

wherein pre-paid subscribers are only allowed access to network content whose URL is contained in the URL white list; and

wherein a post-paid subscriber is billed for internet domain traffic by volume through gateway GPRS Support Nodes (GGSN) to the internet domain, plus internet domain traffic by volume through the post-paid WAP gateway.

8. The system for charging and controlling access of a wireless mobile communication network system of claim 7, wherein the URL white list is stored on the GGSN and the pre-paid subscriber WAP gateway.

9. The system for charging and controlling access of a wireless mobile communication network system of claim 7, wherein post-paid subscribers are assigned a post-paid WAP gateway IP address by the GGSN.

10. The system for charging and controlling access of a wireless mobile communication network system of claim 7, wherein pre-paid subscribers are assigned a pre-paid WAP gateway IP address by the GGSN.

11. The system for charging and controlling access of a wireless mobile communication network system of claim 7, wherein the management domain collects call detail records from the GGSN and provides charges to the billing system after filtering.

12. The system for charging and controlling access of a wireless mobile communication network system of claim 7, wherein the management domain provides content information to the data warehouse.

13. A system for charging and controlling access of a wireless mobile communication network system comprising:

a gateway general packet radio service support node (GGSN) for providing mobile network access, further comprising;

a service based content charging module for recording a GGSN call detail record;

a post-paid subscriber wireless application protocol gateway for providing network access for post-paid subscribers;

a pre-paid subscriber wireless application protocol gateway for providing network access for pre-paid subscribers;

an L4 switch for preventing access to an internet domain from the pre-paid subscriber wireless application protocol gateway;

a management domain for collecting call detail records;

a billing system for billing customers;

a data warehouse for creating analysis reports;

a general packet radio service (GPRS) free domain for providing content, further comprising;

a service platform for providing a URL white list to the management domain and a domain name white list to the L4 switch;

wherein access to an internet domain or GPRS free domain through the GGSN is blocked for pre-paid subscribers;

wherein pre-paid subscribers are only allowed access to network content whose domain name is contained in the domain name white list; and

wherein a post-paid subscriber is billed for internet domain traffic by volume through gateway GPRS Support Nodes (GGSN) to the internet domain, plus internet domain traffic by volume through the WAP gateway, plus GPRS free domain traffic by volume directly through the GGSN.

14. The system for charging and controlling access of a wireless mobile communication network system of claim 13, wherein the URL white list is stored on the management domain and the domain name white list is stored on the L4 switch.

15. The system for charging and controlling access of a wireless mobile communication network system of claim 13, wherein post-paid subscribers are assigned a post-paid WAP gateway IP address by the GGSN.

16. The system for charging and controlling access of a wireless mobile communication network system of claim 13, wherein pre-paid subscribers are assigned a pre-paid WAP gateway IP address by the GGSN.

17. The system for charging and controlling access of a wireless mobile communication network system of claim 13, wherein the management domain collects call detail records from the GGSN and both WAP gateways and provides charges to the billing system after filtering.

18. The system for charging and controlling access of a wireless mobile communication network system of claim 13, wherein the management domain provides content information to the data warehouse.