Prepaid short messaging

• US 7,428,510 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2001
• Issued: 09/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Inventors: Johnson, Jr., Carle S., Wallace, Erik, Geil, Phillip, Hronek, Daniel, Titus, Mark, Ung, Dara
• Primary Examiner(s): Dass, Harish T.
• Application Number:
  US09/790,979
• Publication Number:
  US 20020029189A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,769 Days
• Field of Search: 370/389, 370/352, 370/329, 370/235, 370/466, 379/165, 379/115, 348/14.12, 705/53, 705/418, 705/67, 455/406, 455/558, 455/408, 455/466, 380/9
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1432 Metric aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/51 for resellers, retailers or service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8207 Time based data metric aspects, e.g. VoIP or circuit switched packet data
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/854 Available credit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/90 using Intelligent Networks [IN] or Advanced Intelligent Networks [AIN]
• 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 17/10 Account details or usage
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/016 Billing using Intelligent Networks [IN] or Advanced Intelligent Networks [AIN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/28 SMS billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/54 Resellers-retail or service providers billing, e.g. agreements with telephone service operator, activation, charging/recharging of accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7813 : Time based data, e.g. VoIP or circuit switched packet data
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8166 : Available credit
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13093 : Personal computer, PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13098 : Mobile subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 : Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1313 : Metering, billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13134 : Coin boxes, payphone, prepaid
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13175 : Graphical user interface [GUI], WWW interface, visual indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13196 : Connection circuit/link/trunk/junction, bridge, router, gateway
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13336 : Store & forward, messaging systems email H04Q2213/13375
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13345 : Intelligent networks, SCP
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13375 : Electronic mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13377 : Recorded announcement
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 : LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 : Provisions for intelligent networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 : involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 : Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 : Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A prepaid messaging solution which uses open networking standards (e.g., TCP/IP) and which supports pre-payment of enhanced Internet messaging services. The disclosed prepaid architectures and methods accurately determine if a subscriber has sufficient account balance to deliver a complete short message, prior to delivery of the message. The short message may be prevented from being delivered (either at the source end or at the destination end) if insufficient funds are in the subscriber'"'"'s account. A prepaid tariff engine is preferably extensible over a TCP/IP network, and supports remote interaction with the SMSC and web chat servers for the purpose of applying a real-time billing charge for each message. A service provider may create subscriber classes of service that define and uniquely identify subscriber rate and/or tariffing plans used to apply real-time billing charges for sending or receiving of messages. The prepaid short message tariff engine determines the appropriate message billing based upon, e.g., flat rate per message, message count (e.g., 10 messages @ $ 5.00), character count (e.g., $0.01/char.), Time of Day, Day of Week (i.e., peak & non-peak hours), type of message, and/or mobile location (i.e., network point code). The prepaid short messaging service preferably supports Internet web page access to subscriber'"'"'s relating to their short messaging account balances and status maintained in the prepaid short messaging database of the prepaid messaging server.

Claims

1. A method of handling a prepaid Short Messaging Service, comprising:

tariffing a short message service (SMS) message after complete transmission from a mobile wireless device but before receipt by a recipient of said SMS message;

querying an account database to determine that the account corresponding to an addressed party of said SMS message has sufficient funds to pay for delivery of said SMS message;

debiting said account in real time prior to delivery to said SMS message and delivering said SMS message to said recipient when said account has sufficient funds, and sending an unsuccessful message to said addressed party when said account does not have sufficient funds; and

preventing message delivery until said account has sufficient funds and then delivering said SMS message to said recipient after said account has sufficient funds.

2. The method of handling a prepaid Short Messaging Service according to claim 1, wherein:

said addressed party is a sender of said SMS message.

3. The method of handling a prepaid Short Messaging Service according to claim 1, wherein:

said addressed party is a recipient of said SMS message.

4. The method of handling a prepaid Short Messaging Service according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving said SMS message from a subscriber.

5. The method of handling a prepaid Short Messaging Service according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving said SMS message from a mobile servicing center (MSC).

6. The method of handling a prepaid Short Messaging Service according to claim 1, wherein:

said tariffing is based on a flat rate per SMS message.

7. The method of handling a prepaid Short Messaging Service according to claim 1, wherein:

said tariffing is based on a rate per length of said SMS message.

8. The method of handling a prepaid Short Messaging Service according to claim 1, wherein:

said tariffing implements peak and non-peak times, and asserts higher fees for transmissions during peak times.

9. The method of handling a prepaid Short Messaging Service according to claim 1, wherein:

said tariffing utilizes different rates for different message types.

10. The method of handling a prepaid Short Messaging Service according to claim 9, wherein said different message types include at least one of the following:

mobile terminated messages;

mobile originated messages; and

Internet Relay Chat (IRC) messages.

11. The method of handling a prepaid Short Messaging Service according to claim 1, wherein:

said SMS message transmission is performed automatically.

12. The method of handling a prepaid Short Messaging Service according to claim 11, wherein:

said automatic SMS message transmission is performed periodically.

13. Apparatus for handling a prepaid Short Messaging Service, comprising:

means for tariffing a short messaging service (SMS) message after complete transmission from a mobile wireless device but before receipt by a recipient of said SMS message;

means for querying an account database to determine that the account corresponding to said addressed party of said SMS message has sufficient funds to pay for delivery of said SMS message;

means for debiting said account in real time prior to delivery to said SMS message and delivering said SMS message to said recipient when said account has sufficient funds, and sending an unsuccessful message to said addressed party when said account does not have sufficient funds; and

means for preventing message delivery until said account has sufficient funds and then delivering said SMS message to said recipient after said account has sufficient funds.

14. The apparatus for handling a prepaid Short Messaging Service according to claim 13, wherein:

said addressed party is a sender of said SMS message.

15. The apparatus for handling a prepaid Short Messaging Service according to claim 13, wherein:

said addressed party is a recipient of said SMS message.

16. The apparatus for handling a prepaid Short Messaging Service according to claim 13, further comprising:

means for receiving said SMS message from a subscriber.

17. The apparatus for handling a prepaid Short Messaging Service according to claim 13, further comprising:

means for receiving said SMS message from a mobile servicing center.

18. The apparatus for handling a prepaid Short Messaging Service according to claim 13, wherein:

said means for tariffing prices said SMS messages based on a flat rate per short message.

19. The apparatus for handling a prepaid Short Messaging Service according to claim 13, wherein:

said means for tariffing prices said SMS messages based on a rate per length of said SMS message.

20. The apparatus for handling a prepaid Short Messaging Service according to claim 13, wherein:

said means for tariffing implements peak and non-peak times, and asserts higher fees for transmissions during peak times.

21. The apparatus for handling a prepaid Short Messaging Service according to claim 13, wherein:

said means for tariffing utilizes different rates for different message types.

22. The apparatus for handling a prepaid Short Messaging Service according to claim 21, wherein said different message types include at least one of the following:

mobile terminated messages;

mobile originated messages; and

Internet Relay Chat (IRC) messages.

23. The apparatus for handling a prepaid Short Messaging Service according to claim 13, wherein:

said means for said SMS message transmission is performed automatically.

24. The apparatus for handling a prepaid Short Messaging Service according to claim 23, wherein:

said means for automatically transmitting said SMS message periodically transmits said SMS message.