Billing system with authenticated wireless device transaction event data

• US 7,266,519 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2003
• Issued: 09/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Sprigg, Stephen A., Minear, Brian, Chandhok, Ravinder, Gardner, Richard Wayne III, Yamada, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau; Ronald
• Application Number:
  US10/610,439
• Publication Number:
  US 20040267646A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,527 Days
• Field of Search: 705/34, 705/30, 705/29, 705/40, 705/44, 455/3.01, 713/166, 713/170
• US Class Current: 705/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/325 using wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• 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 15/48 Secure or trusted billing, e.g. trusted elements or encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/68 Payment of value-added services
• 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 2215/0196 Payment of value-added services, mainly when their charges are added on the telephone bill, e.g. payment of non-telecom services, e-commerce, on-line banking
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A system, method, and computer program for billing wireless device subscribers based upon billable interaction with applications and services resident on third party computer devices that are accessible through a wireless network. The system uses authenticatable transaction data that is created when a wireless device conducts a billable transaction whereby the data is a secure indication that a wireless device has performed a specific billable transaction event. The transaction data can be authenticated and then aggregated to generate billing for billable transaction events that occur on the wireless network. The billing can occur from a billing computer on the network or the aggregated data can be sent to a wireless service provider for ultimate billing to the wireless device subscriber.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a wireless network;

at least one computer device, each in selective communication with said wireless network, each computer device for supporting a billable transaction, each computer device having an associated first key identifying the billable transaction;

at least one wireless device, each in selective communication with said wireless network, each of said wireless devices comprising a computer platform having an associated second key identifying the wireless device, each said wireless device capable of conducting a billable transaction with said one of said computer devices over said wireless network, said billable transaction generating an authenticable transaction event data on said wireless network; and

at least one billing computer in selective communication with the wireless network and gathering at least some of the authenticatable transaction event data for the wireless devices, each for authenticating and aggregating the authenticated transaction event data into transaction event billing data such that each transaction event is billable to the specific wireless device that effected that transaction event;

wherein said authenticable transaction event data comprises said first and second keys.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a wireless service provider that provides access for the wireless devices to the wireless network;

wherein each wireless device has a subscriber that is billed by the wireless service provider for the access of the wireless computer device to the wireless network.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the billing computer further generates a bill to the subscriber of each wireless computer device.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the billing computer further transmits the transaction event billing data to a service provider.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein a transaction event is the download of an application to the wireless device from one of the computer devices across the wireless network.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein a transaction event is the subscription to a service provided by one or more computer devices to the wireless device across the wireless network.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the authenticatable transaction event data is sent to the billing computer at the time of the transaction event occurrence.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more application download servers on the wireless network that selectively download applications to the one or more wireless devices;

wherein the authenticatable transaction event data is stored at the application download server and then transmitted to the billing computer.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said second key is a digital signature associated with said wireless device.

10. A method for utilizing authenticated transaction data to generate billing for wireless devices conducting transactions across a wireless network comprising:

receiving transaction event data from one or more wireless devices;

authenticating the transaction event data; and

aggregating the authenticated transaction event data into transaction event billing data such that each transaction event is billable to the specific wireless device that effected that transaction event;

wherein

said transaction event data is caused by one or more billable transaction events caused by a wireless device interacting with a computer device over the wireless network;

each of said billable transaction events generating an authenticatable transaction event data that can verify that the specific wireless device has performed the specific billable transaction event, and

each authenticable transaction event data comprises;

a first key from the computer device participating in the billable transaction event, and

a second key from the specific wireless device,

the first key identifying the billable transaction and the second key identifying the specific wireless device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of aggregating the authenticatable transaction event data occurs at a billing computer in selective communication with the wireless network.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein a service provider provides access of the wireless computer device to the wireless network, and each wireless device has a subscriber, and further comprising the step of billing the wireless device subscriber for the transaction events caused by the wireless device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

generating a bill to the subscriber of each wireless device based upon the authenticated and aggregated transaction event data.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

generating transaction event billing data based upon the authenticated transaction event data, and transmitting the transaction event billing data to a wireless service provider.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of causing a billable transaction event is downloading an application to the wireless device from another computer device across the wireless network.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of generating authenticatable transaction event data is generating authenticatable transaction event data from the downloaded application.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein step of causing a billable transaction event is effecting a subscription to a service provided by one or more computer devices to the wireless device across the wireless network.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of aggregating the authenticated transaction event data into transaction event billing data occurs at the time of the transaction event occurrence.

19. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

storing the authenticatable transaction event data, and transmitting the stored authenticatable transaction event data to another computer device on the network.

20. The method of claim 10, wherein said second key is a digital signature associated with said wireless device.

21. A computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer on a wireless network causes the computer to utilize authenticated transaction data to generate billing for wireless devices conducting transactions across a wireless network through performing the steps of:

receiving authenticatable transaction event data that is created from wireless devices interacting with other computer devices across the wireless network, the authenticatable transaction event authentication data usable to verify that a specific wireless device has performed a specific transaction event;

authenticating the transaction event data; and

aggregating the authenticated transaction event data into transaction event billing data such that each transaction event is billable to the specific wireless device that effected one or more transaction events;

wherein said authenticable transaction event data comprises;

a first key from the computer device participating in the billable transaction event, and

a second key from the specific wireless device,

the first key identifying the billable transaction and the second key identifying the specific wireless device.

22. The medium of claim 21, wherein a service provider provides access of the wireless computer device to the wireless network, and each wireless device has a subscriber therefor, and which causes the computer to further perform the step of billing the wireless device subscriber for the transaction events caused by the wireless device.

23. The medium of claim 22, wherein said instructions further cause the computer to perform the step of generating a bill to the subscriber of each wireless device based upon the authenticated and aggregated transaction event data.

24. The medium of claim 22, wherein said instructions further cause the computer to perform the step of transmitting the transaction event billing data to a service provider.

25. The medium of claim 21, wherein said second key is a digital signature associated with said wireless device.

26. A wireless device in selective communication with other computer devices across a wireless network, the wireless device including a computer platform and able to conduct billable transactions with other computer devices across the wireless network, and a billable transaction causing transaction event authenticatable data to be generated which verifies that the wireless device has performed a specific transaction event, and the wireless device further selectively transmitting the authenticatable transaction event data to one or more computer devices on the wireless network;

wherein

a transaction event is the download of an application to the wireless device from another computer device across the wireless network,

the application includes a secure first key identifying the application, and the device further includes a second key identifying the wireless device, and

upon download of the application, the first and second keys form the authenticatable transaction event data.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein the device selectively transmits the authenticatable transaction event data to a wireless service provider that provides access of that wireless computer device to the wireless network.

28. The device of claim 26, wherein the device selectively transmits the authenticatable transaction event data at the time of the billable transaction.

29. The device of claim 26, wherein the device stores the authenticatable transaction event data and then selectively transmits the stored authenticatable transaction event data to another computer device on the wireless network.

30. The device of claim 26, wherein said second key is a digital signature associated with said wireless device.

31. A method for generating authenticatable transaction data at a wireless device conducting transactions across a wireless network with a computer device comprising:

interacting with the computer device across the wireless network to cause a billable transaction event;

generating authenticatable transaction event data that can verify that the specific device has performed the specific billable transaction event, said authenticable transaction event data comprising a first key associated with the billable transaction event received from the computer device, and a second key identifying the wireless device; and

selectively transmitting the authenticatable transaction event data to a billing device in selective communication with the wireless network.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the device transmits the authenticatable transaction event data to a wireless service provider for that device.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the step of causing a billable transaction event is downloading an application to the wireless device from the computer device.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein step of causing a billable transaction event is effecting a subscription to a service provided by the computer devices to the wireless device.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein the step of transmitting the authenticated transaction event data occurs at the time of the billable transaction event occurrence.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

storing the authenticatable transaction event data, and then selectively transmitting the stored authenticatable transaction event data to another computer device on the network.

37. The method of claim 31, wherein said second key is a digital signature associated with said wireless device.