Method and system for billing for multicast communications to wireless terminals

• US 7,424,283 B1
• Filed: 04/22/2004
• Issued: 09/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Mangal, Manish
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah; Charles N
• Assistant Examiner(s): AJIBADE AKONAI, OLUMIDE
• Application Number:
  US10/830,376
• Time in Patent Office: 1,601 Days
• Field of Search: 455/405, 455/406, 455/407, 455/408, 455/518, 455/519, 455/409, 370/400, 370/401, 370/432, 370/338, 370/352, 370/351, 370/312, 370/389, 370/390
• 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 12/1428 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 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/16 Multipoint routing
• 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: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services

Abstract

A method and system for billing an account of a wireless terminal to reflect multicast transmission of data to the wireless terminal. A first record is sent to a billing system indicating that, at a given time, data was transmitted to a multicast group. A second record is sent to the billing system indicating that, at the given time, a given wireless terminal was a member of the multicast group. The billing system correlates the first and second records to determine that the data was transmitted to a given wireless terminal. The billing system may then generate a charge for transmission of the data to the given wireless terminal.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

sending to a billing system a first record indicating transmission of data at a given time to a multicast group;

sending to the billing system a second record indicating that, at the given time, a given wireless terminal is a member of the multicast group;

correlating the first record and the second record to determine that the data was transmitted to the given wireless terminal; and

generating a charge to an account of the given wireless terminal for transmission of the data to the given wireless terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first record comprises an indication of how much data was transmitted to the multicast group.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the second record identifies the given wireless terminal by an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein both the first record and the second record take the form of an Internet Protocol detail record (IPDR).

5. A method performed by a billing system, the method comprising:

receiving a first record indicating transmission of data at a given time to a multicast group;

receiving a second record indicating that, at the given time, a given wireless terminal is a member of the multicast group;

correlating the first record and the second record to determine that the data was transmitted to the given wireless terminal; and

generating a charge to an account of the given wireless terminal for transmission of the data to the given wireless terminal.

6. A system comprising:

a billing system;

a packet gateway communicatively coupled to the billing system;

a multicast session manager communicatively coupled to the billing system;

wherein the packet gateway is arranged to send to the billing system a first record indicating transmission of data at a given time to a multicast group;

wherein the multicast session manager is arranged to send to the billing system a second record indicating that, at the given time, a given wireless terminal is a member of the multicast group;

wherein the billing system is arranged (i) to receive the first record and the second record, (ii) to correlate the first record and the second record to determine that the data was transmitted to the given wireless terminal, and (iii) to generate a charge to an account of the given wireless terminal for transmission of the data to the given wireless terminal.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the first record comprises an indication of how much data was transmitted to the multicast group.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the second record identifies the given wireless terminal by an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein both the first record and the second record take the form of an Internet Protocol detail record (IPDR).

10. A billing system comprising:

a processor;

memory; and

computer instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to perform the functions of;

receiving a first record indicating transmission of data at a given time to a multicast group;

receiving a second record indicating that, at the given time, a given wireless terminal is a member of the multicast group;

correlating the first record and the second record to determine that the data was transmitted to the given wireless terminal; and

generating a charge to an account of the given wireless terminal for transmission of the data to the given wireless terminal.

11. The billing system of claim 10, wherein the first record comprises an indication of how much data was transmitted to the multicast group.

12. The billing system of claim 10, wherein the second record identifies the given wireless terminal by an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

13. The billing system of claim 10, wherein both the first record and the second record take the form of an Internet Protocol detail record (IPDR).