Call authorization and billing message routing capability

• US 7,170,982 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2004
• Issued: 01/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Wang, Peng, Zhang, Lei, Liu, Min, Li, Xiang Yang, Zhao, Jay Z., Wang, Yile Enoch, Reid, John B., Yang, Jun Zheng, Starner, Guy H., Trivedi, Ashish
• Primary Examiner(s): TAYLOR, BARRY W
• Application Number:
  US10/926,503
• Publication Number:
  US 20060045249A1
• Time in Patent Office: 887 Days
• Field of Search: 379/126, 379/114.03, 379/114.28
• US Class Current: 379/126
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1428 Invoice generation, e.g. customization, lay-out, database processing, algorithms for calculating the bill or formatting invoices as WWW pages invoicing in general G06Q30/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/48 Secure or trusted billing, e.g. trusted elements or encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/49 Connection to several service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0156 Secure and trusted billing, e.g. trusted elements, encryption, digital signature, codes or double check mechanisms to secure billing calculation and information
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/204 UMTS; GPRS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/46 Connection to several service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

A method and apparatus for routing billing request and response messages to a billing server for serving calls by a particular subscriber. When the subscriber originates a call, an original billing request message is transmitted to an agent server. The agent server determines which billing server serves that subscriber and forwards the billing message to the selected billing server. The billing server responds to the request message with billing request data. Advantageously, this arrangement minimizes the problems of updating a large number of subscriber identification/billing server identification databases.

Claims

1. In a telecommunications network, a method of controlling the billing of calls comprising the steps of:

receiving an originating request for establishment of a telecommunications call in a billing client;

transmitting a message, including an identification of a caller of said call, in a first dialect, from said billing client to a common agent server;

in said agent server, determining an identity of a billing server for authorizing and billing said call;

responsive to said determining, transmitting a billing request message, including an identity of said billing server, to said billing server;

responsive to receiving said billing request message, generating a response message in said first dialect in said billing server; and

transmitting said response message to said billing client.

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

transmitting subsequent billing request messages for said call to said billing server without requiring a repetition of said determining step.

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

transmitting another message in a second dialect to said billing agent; and

in said billing agent, translating said another message in said second dialect into a corresponding message in said first dialect for transmission to said billing server, and

translating another response message in said first dialect from said billing server to a corresponding response message in said second dialect for transmission to a source of said another message.

4. In a telecommunications network, apparatus for controlling the billing of calls comprising:

means for receiving an originating request for establishment of a telecommunications call;

means for transmitting a message, including an identification of a caller of said call, in a first dialect from said means for receiving to a common agent server;

in said agent server, means for determining an identity of a billing server for authorizing and billing said call;

means, responsive to said determining, for transmitting a billing request message, including an identity of said billing server, to said billing server;

means, responsive to receiving said billing request message, for generating a response message in said first dialect in said billing server; and

means for transmitting said response message to said means for receiving.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising:

means for transmitting subsequent billing request messages for said call to said means for receiving without requiring a repetition of said determining step.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising:

means for transmitting another message in a second dialect to said billing server; and

in said billing agent, means for translating said another message in said second dialect into a corresponding message in said first dialect for transmission to said billing server; and

means for translating another response message in said first dialect from said billing server to a corresponding response message in said second dialect for transmission to a source of said another message.