General charging method

• US 7,590,228 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2007
• Issued: 09/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lu, Zhijian, Zhang, Xin, Guo, Xiaozheng, Chen, Youkun, Chu, Qingchen
• Primary Examiner(s): Tieu; Binh K
• Application Number:
  US11/979,772
• Publication Number:
  US 20080065571A1
• Time in Patent Office: 677 Days
• Field of Search: 379/111, 379/114.01, 379/114.05, 379/114.06, 379/114.09, 379/114.1, 379/114.12, 379/121.02, 379/121.04, 379/127.04, 379/127.05, 379/128, 379/131, 379/114.03, 705/34, 705/40
• US Class Current: 379/114.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications

Abstract

A general charging method includes establishing a charging strategy and performing the charging according to the charging strategy. The charging strategy includes at least one priority each of which includes at least one time period and each of the time periods is provided at least one rate segment in each of which there is at least one rate. Performing the charging includes: matching with a corresponding charging strategy upon the time a subscriber uses a service and/or the subscriber'"'"'s current resource, and determining a charging mode; searching for a corresponding priority; performing the charging according to the charging mode. With such a structure of general charging strategy, the method can satisfy various charging demands and provide generality and adequate expansibility. Also, the method enables subscribers to configure different charging methods as necessary.

Claims

1. A general charging method comprising establishing a charging strategy and performing the charging according to the charging strategy, wherein:

the charging strategy comprises at least one priority each of which comprises at least one time period, and each of the at least one time period is provided with at least one rate segment in each of which there is at least one rate, wherein different time periods, rate segments and rates are combined to form different levels of priorities, each of which is set high or low as required; and

performing the charging comprises;

matching with a corresponding charging strategy upon the time a subscriber uses a service and/or the subscriber'"'"'s current resource;

searching for a corresponding priority to determine a charging mode; and

performing the charging according to the charging mode.

2. The charging method of claim 1, wherein searching for a corresponding priority comprises:

searching for the corresponding time period from the highest priority of the charging strategy to the lowest priority of the charging strategy.

3. The charging method of claim 1, further comprising:

judging whether there is any usage quantity that cannot be charged after a charging is performed;

if yes, recording it and terminating the charging;

otherwise, terminating the charging.

4. The charging method of claim 1, wherein the rate segment of the charging strategy corresponds to a type of rate segmentation.

5. The charging method of claim 2, further comprising:

judging whether there is any usage quantity that cannot be charged after a charging is performed;

if yes, recording it and terminating the charging otherwise, terminating the charging.

6. The charging method of claim 2, wherein the time period of the charging strategy corresponds to a type of rate segmentation.

7. The charging method of claim 4, wherein the rate segmentation comprises resource-accumulative segmentation type and usage-quantity segmentation type;

the resource-accumulative segmentation type refers to segmentation of a certain resource, wherein the charging is performed through selection of a rate according to a current value of the resource; and

the usage-quantity segmentation type refers to segmentation of the usage quantity, wherein the charging is performed through selection of a rate according to the once used quantity.

8. The charging method of claim 6, wherein the rate segmentation comprises resource-accumulative segmentation type and usage-quantity segmentation type;

the resource-accumulative segmentation type refers to segmentation of a certain resource, wherein the charging is performed through selection of a rate according to a current value of the resource; and

the usage-quantity segmentation type refers to segmentation of the usage quantity, wherein the charging is performed through selection of a rate according to the once used quantity.

9. The charging method of claim 7, wherein the charging according to the rate segments further comprises:

performing the charging according to the resource-accumulative segmentation if the type of the rate segmentation in the time period, within which the time is, is the resource-accumulative segmentation;

performing the charging according to the usage-quantity segmentation if the type of the rate segmentation is the usage-quantity segmentation; and

keeping on searching for the next priority if the charging cannot be completed in one priority due to insufficient resource for the subscriber or a configuration error.

10. The charging method of claim 8, wherein the charging according to the rate segments further comprises:

performing the charging according to the resource-accumulative segmentation if the type the rate segmentation in the time period, within which the time is, is the resource-accumulative segmentation;

performing the charging according to the usage-quantity segmentation if the type of the rate segmentation is the usage-quantity segmentation; and

keeping on searching for the next priority it the changing cannot be completed in one priority due to insufficient resource for the subscriber or a configuration error.

11. The charging method of claim 9, wherein the charging process according to resource-accumulative segmentation comprises:

comparing a current value of the resource with a boundary value on the left and a boundary value on the right for each of the rate segments, i.e. judging whether the current value of the resource is not smaller than the boundary value on the left of the segment and smaller than the boundary value on the right of the segment or the current value of the resource is larger than the boundary value on the left of the segment and not larger than the boundary value on the right of the segment;

determining which one of the rate segments the current value of the resource is within;

performing the charging according to the rates in the segment;

if the charging process makes the value of the resource go beyond either boundary of the segment, i.e. smaller than the boundary value on the left or larger than the boundary value on the right, truncating the boundary value, and going on the charging for the remaining value of the resource in another segment; and

taking the sum of the charges of all the respective segments as a total charge.

12. The charging method of claim 10, wherein the charging process according to resource-accumulative segmentation comprises:

comparing a current value of the resource with a boundary value on the left and a boundary value on the right for each of the rate segments, i.e. judging whether the current value of the resource is not smaller than the boundary value on the left of the segment and smaller than the boundary value on the right of the segment or the current value of the resource is larger than the boundary value on the left of the segment and not larger than the boundary value on the right of the segment;

determining which one of the rate segments the current value of the resource is within;

performing the charging according to the rates in the segment;

if the charging process makes the value of the resource go beyond either boundary of the segment, i.e. smaller than the boundary value on the left or larger than the boundary value on the right, truncating the boundary value, and going on the charging for the remaining value of the resource in another segment; and

taking the sum of the charges of all the respective segments as a total charge.

13. The charging method of claim 9, wherein the charging process according to usage-quantity segmentation comprises:

covering the respective rate segments according to a value of the usage quantity;

selecting segments which are entirely or partially covered;

performing the charging according to the respective rates in the rate segments; and

taking the sum of the charges of all the respective segments as a total charge.

14. The charging method of claim 10, wherein the charging process according to usage-quantity segmentation comprises:

covering the respective rate segments according to a value of the usage quantity;

selecting segments which are entirely or partially covered;

performing the charging according to the respective rates in the rate segments; and

taking the sum of the charges of all the respective segments as a total charge.