Determining services accessible via a subscription in a communication system

• US 7,764,773 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2001
• Issued: 07/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Haumont, Serge
• Primary Examiner(s): SING, SIMON P
• Application Number:
  US10/089,405
• Publication Number:
  US 20030027554A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,283 Days
• Field of Search: 455/406, 455/414, 455/408, 455/419, 455/432.1, 455/566, 455/558, 455/433, 455/404.1, 455/414.1, 370/338, 379/114.03, 37911415-1142, 379/114.29, 379/45
• US Class Current: 379/114.17
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/08 Metering calls to called party , i.e. B-party charged for the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/745 Customizing according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. friends or family
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/765 Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/77 involving multiple accounts per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/88 Provision for limiting connection, or expenditure
• 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 2215/0108 Customization according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. customer preferences, friends and family, selecting services or billing options, Personal Communication Systems [PCS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0116 Provision for limiting expenditure, e.g. limit on call expenses or account
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/62 Called party billing, e.g. reverse billing, freephone, collect call, 0800 or 0900
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/724 Linked accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7254 Multiple accounts per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems

Abstract

A method, a system and a network node for determining services accessible via a subscription having an account and at least a first limit in a communication system. The method includes defining at least a first set of services and a second set of services to be used with the subscription, each set of services defining services accessible via the subscription, comparing the balance of the account with the first limit, using the first set of services when the balance of the account does not reach the first limit, and using the second set of services when the balance reaches the first limit.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining services accessible via a subscription having an account and at least a first limit in a communication system;

defining at least a first set of services and a second set of services to be used with the subscription, each of said first and said second set of services defining services accessible via the subscription;

defining a first access point name for the first set of services;

defining a second access point name for the second set of services;

comparing a balance of the account with the first limit;

selecting, in response to the result of the comparison, a range of allowed IP addresses to be used for accessing one of said first and second set of services, wherein

the first range of allowed IP addresses is selected when the balance of the account does not reach the first limit; and

the second range of allowed IP addresses is selected when the balance reaches the first limit.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, the communication system comprising a firewall, the method further comprising defining accessible services via a set of services by defining at least a firewall configuration for the set of services.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, the method further comprising using in the communication system access point names to define where and how to connect the user of the subscription;

and linking each defined range of allowed IP addresses to an access point name.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, the method further comprising indicating a particular set of services which is to be used by charging characteristics to be applied.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, the second set of services comprising free of charge services.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, the method further comprising informing the user of the subscription of the services accessible via the second set of services in response to using the second set of services.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the subscription is a postpaid subscription;

the first limit is the maximum allowed amount of the bill; and

the balance of the account indicates the amount of the bill to be charged from the subscription.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the subscription is a prepaid subscription;

the first limit is the preset minimum value for the account; and

the balance of the account indicates the amount of money the subscriber still has in use.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein at least the second set of services comprises a depositing service.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the depositing service utilizes authentication of the communication system when authenticating the one who wants to deposit.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the subscription further has subscription information maintained in the communication system;

the method further comprising adding to the subscription information at least one of the first range of allowed IP addresses and the second range of allowed IP addresses.

12. A communication system comprising:

a first node configured to monitor a balance of an account;

a memory configured to store definitions of at least a first set of services associated with a first access point name and a second set of services associated with a second access point name to be used with a subscription, each set of services defining services accessible via the subscription,

wherein the first node compares the balance of the account with the first limit, and selects, in response to the result of the comparison, a range of allowed IP addresses to be used with this connection for accessing one of said first and second set of services,

wherein the first range of allowed IP addresses is selected when the balance of the account does not reach the first limit and the second range of allowed IP addresses is selected when the balance reaches the first limit;

the communication system being configured to provide the subscription with the account and at least a first limit.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

memory including computer program code;

the memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform;

associating a first range of allowed IP addresses with a first set of services, and a second range of allowed IP addresses with a second set of services, both sets of services defining services accessible via the subscription;

comparing a balance of an account with a first limit;

selecting, in response to the result of the comparison, a range of allowed IP addresses to be used for accessing one of said first and second set of services,

wherein the first range of allowed IP addresses is selected when the balance of the account does not reach the first limit and the second range of allowed IP addresses is selected when the balance reaches the first limit;

the apparatus being in a communication system configured to provide the subscription with the account and at least a first limit, the apparatus being further configured to monitor the balance of the account.

14. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

memory including computer program code;

the memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform;

associating a first range of allowed IP addresses with a first set of services and a second range of allowed IP addresses with the second set of services, both sets of services defining services accessible via a subscription;

communicating with a second apparatus;

comparing a balance of an account with a first limit;

selecting in response to the result of the comparison, range of allowed IP addresses to be used for accessing one of said first and second set of services, wherein the first range of allowed IP addresses is selected when the balance of the account does not reach the first limit and the second range of allowed IP addresses is selected when the balance reaches the first limit, and

indicating to the second apparatus the selected range of allowed IP addresses;

the apparatus being in a communication system configured to provide the subscription with the account and at least a first limit, the apparatus being further configured to monitor the balance of the account.

15. A apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the apparatus is configured to indicate the selected range of allowed IP addresses in response to the balance reaching the limit and in response to the balance not any more reaching the limit and in response to the balance not any more reaching the limit.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

memory including computer program code;

the memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform;

storing a first range of allowed IP addresses used in a communication system to define where and how to connect a user of a subscription;

providing access to a first set of services accessible to the subscription using the first range of allowed IP addresses;

receiving from the communication system a second range of allowed IP addresses indicating the use of a second set of services instead of the first set of services for the for the subscription, and, in response to receiving the second range of allowed IP addresses,

modifying the stored first range of allowed IP addresses with the received second range of allowed IP addresses, and

providing access only to services included in the indicated second set of services accessible to the subscription using the second range of allowed IP addresses;

the apparatus being in a communication system configured to provide the subscription.

17. An apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the apparatus is configured, in response to receiving the indication, to inform the user of the subscription of the services accessible via the indicated certain set of services.

18. A apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the apparatus is an application server.

19. A processor comprising:

memory including computer program code;

the memory and the computer program code configured to cause an apparatus in a communication system at least to perform;

providing a subscription with an account and at least a first limit;

associating a first access range of allowed IP addresses with a first set of services, and a second range of allowed IP addresses with a second set of services, both sets of services defining services accessible via the subscription;

monitoring a balance of the account;

comparing a balance with the first limit;

selecting, in response to the result of the comparison, a range of allowed IP addresses to be used for accessing one of said first and second set of services in response to the result of the comparison, wherein

the first range of allowed IP is selected when the balance of the account does not reach the first limit and

the second range of allowed IP addresses is selected when the balance reaches the first limit.

20. A processor comprising:

memory including computer program code;

the memory and the computer program code configured to cause an apparatus in a communication system at least to perform;

providing a subscription with an account and at least a first limit;

associating a first range of allowed IP addresses with a first set of services, and a second range of allowed IP addresses with a second set of services, both sets of services defining services accessible via the subscription;

communicating with a second apparatus;

comparing a balance with the first limit;

selecting, in response to the result of the comparison, a range of allowed IP addresses to be used for accessing one of said first and second set of services, wherein

the first range of allowed IP addresses is selected when the balance of the account does not reach the first limit and

the second range of allowed IP addresses is selected when the balance reaches the first limit; and

indicating, in a form of the selected range of allowed IP addresses to the second apparatus, which set of services from among at least two different sets of services defined for the subscription is the allowed set of services on the basis of said comparison.

21. A processor as claimed in claim 20, further comprising program code configuring the apparatus to indicate the allowed set of services in response to the balance reaching the limit and in response to the balance not any more reaching the limit.

22. A processor comprising:

memory including computer program code;

the memory and the computer program code configured to cause an apparatus in a communication system at least to perform;

providing a subscription,

storing a first range of allowed IP addresses used in the communication system to define where and how to connect a user of the subscription;

providing access to a first set of services accessible to the subscription using the first range of allowed IP addresses;

receiving from a communication system a second range of allowed IP addresses indicating the use of a second set of services instead of the first set of services for the subscription; and

, in response to receiving the indication, to

modify the stored first range of allowed IP addresses with the received second range of allowed IP addresses, and

provide access only to services included in the indicated second set of services using the second range of allowed IP addresses.

23. A processor as claimed in claim 22, further comprising program code configuring the apparatus to, in response to receiving the indication, inform the user of the subscription of the services accessible via the indicated certain set of services.

24. A computer readable storage medium encoding and storing a computer program of instructions therein for executing a computer process for determining services accessible via a subscription having an account and at least a first limit in a communication system, the process comprising:

defining at least a first set of services and a second set of services to be used with the subscription, each set of services defining services accessible via the subscription;

defining a first range of allowed IP addresses for the first set of services; and

defining a second range of allowed IP addresses for the second set of services;

comparing a balance of the account with the first limit;

selecting, in response to the result of the comparison, a range of allowed IP addresses to be used for accessing one of said first and second set of services, wherein

the first range of allowed IP addresses is selected when the balance of the account does not reach the first limit; and

the second range of allowed IP addresses is selected when the balance reaches the first limit.