Device billing agent

• US 7,426,381 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2005
• Issued: 09/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Maes, Stephane H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; David Q
• Application Number:
  US11/088,702
• Publication Number:
  US 20060217107A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,273 Days
• Field of Search: 455/405, 455/406, 455/407, 455/425, 205/40, 329/114.2, 213/193, 709/217, 709/202
• US Class Current: 455/405
• 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 15/30 the meter or calculation of charges not being controlled from an exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/31 Distributed metering or calculation of charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• 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 2215/0152 General billing plans, rate plans, e.g. charge rates, numbering plans, rate centers, customer accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/202 VoIP; Packet switched telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2033 WLAN
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/204 UMTS; GPRS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/96 Distributed calculation of charges, e.g. in different nodes like for mobiles between HLR and VLR, or between the terminal and the billing function
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

Access devices using billing agents and methods are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises capturing, at an access device, a communication to be transmitted from the access device. The method further comprises determining billing information about the communication and transmitting, from the wireless communications device, the billing information to a billing system.

Claims

1. A method of detecting and billing a customer communication between a customer access device and a sewer of a network provider, the customer communication being generated at the customer access device on behalf of a customer of the network provider and transmitted using a secure network, the method comprising:

capturing, by a billing agent at the customer access device, each customer communication to be transmitted from the customer access device, by routing each customer communication through the billing agent;

encrypting the customer communication;

determining billing information about the communication before encrypting, wherein the billing information is based on access to the secure network through the network provider;

transmitting, from the access device, the billing information to a billing system;

receiving, at the billing system associated with the network provider, the billing information from the access device communicating on the network, the billing information including communication information for at least one communication transmitted from the access device; and

billing the customer of the network provider based at least in part on the billing information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the billing agent is integrated with an operating system of the customer access device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the communication to a recipient.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the device billing agent operates at a layer between a user application on the access device and an encryption layer, further comprising before transmitting the communication, encrypting the communication.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein transmitting the communication comprises transmitting the communication over a secure network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the secure network comprises a virtual private network (VPN).

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request from the billing system for the billing information; and

wherein transmitting the billing information comprises transmitting the billing information in response to the request.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the billing information comprises transmitting the billing information at a predetermined time.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining additional billing information for a plurality of communications transmitted during a predetermined time interval; and

transmitting the additional billing information at the predetermined time.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

capturing, at the access device, a second communication received at the access device;

determining second billing information, the second billing information including information about the second communication; and

transmitting the second billing information to the billing system.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising before transmitting the billing information, encrypting the billing information.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the billing information comprises determining a communication type associated with the communication.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein determining the communication type comprises determining the communication is one of a Multi-Media Messaging Service (MMS) message, a Short Message Service (SMS) message, an Instant Message (IM), an email message, and a voice chat message.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the billing information comprises determining a length of the communication.

15. A method of detecting and billing a customer communication between a customer access device and a sewer of a network provider, the customer communication being generated at the customer access device by a customer of the network provider, the method comprising:

capturing, by a billing agent at the customer access device, each customer communication to be transmitted from the customer access device, by routing each customer communication through the billing agent;

monitoring each captured customer communication for billing information;

determining the billing information about the communication, wherein the billing information is based on access to the secure network through the network provider; and

transmitting, from the access device, the billing information to a billing system, the billing information including communication information for at least one communication transmitted from the access device, whereby, as a result of the transmitting step, the billing information is received by the billing system associated with the network provider and whereby the customer of the network provider is billed based at least in part on the billing information.