Methods and systems for differential billing of services used during a mobile data service session

• US 7,809,351 B1
• Filed: 04/28/2006
• Issued: 10/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ma, Weimin, Iyer, Jayaraman, Panda, Biswaranjan
• Primary Examiner(s): Pérez-Gutiérrez; Rafael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Arevalo; Joseph
• Application Number:
  US11/414,408
• Time in Patent Office: 1,621 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/406, 455/414.4, 455/408, 455/456.1, 455/414.3, 455/414.2, 455/414.1, 455/407, 455/410, 455/457, 455/411, 455/422.1, 455/426, 455/428, 705/14, 705/28.26
• 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 12/1485 Tariff-related aspects
• 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 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/82 Criteria or parameters used for performing billing operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8228 Session based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/74 Rating aspects, e.g. rating parameters or tariff determination apects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/78 Metric aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7833 Session based
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

Methods and systems for differential billing of services used during a mobile data service user session are disclosed. A method includes identifying a mobile data service user session and identifying a mobile data service user that is associated with the identified mobile data service user session. One or more services used by the mobile data service user during the mobile data service user session are identified. A service usage report is generated for each of the one or more services used by the mobile data service user. The usage reports are based on a measure of service usage of each of the identified one or more services and a billing profile that is associated with the user. Access is provided to the user service usage reports for storage as a part of billing records.

Claims

1. A method for differential billing of services used during a mobile data service user session, comprising:

identifying a user session;

identifying a user profile that is associated with said user session;

identifying a plurality of service parameters of said user session, wherein said plurality of service parameters correspond to one or more of Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) layers 4 through 7;

identifying a plurality of different types of services associated with said plurality of service parameters, wherein each of said different types of services is identified by a different one of said plurality of service parameters, wherein said plurality of different types of services are provided during said user session, wherein said plurality of different types of services are provided on a General Packet Radio Service/Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (GPRS/UMTS) network, and wherein said plurality of different types of services utilize a same packet data protocol of said GPRS/UMTS network;

accessing an online charging server to obtain triggers and thresholds for generating a plurality of service-level usage reports;

generating a service usage report for each of said plurality of different types of services, wherein said service usage report is generated at a gateway support node located within said GPRS/UMTS network, wherein said service usage report comprises a billing rate that is based on both said user profile and at least one of said plurality of service parameters, and wherein said plurality of different types of services are associated with different billing rates;

providing access to said service usage report for storage as a part of billing records, wherein said billing records comprise a plurality of service usage reports associated with said user profile; and

compiling said plurality of service usage reports to determine a total charge associated with said user session.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising accessing an online charging server for quota authorization and usage reporting.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more service parameters comprise post-paid services and pre-paid services, and wherein a billing rate associated with both said post-paid services and said user profile is different than a billing rate associated with both said pre-paid services and said user profile.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of different types of services comprises Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services and email services, and wherein a billing rate associated with said VoIP services is different than a billing rate for said email services.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of different types of services comprises world-wide-web (WWW) services and email services, and wherein a billing rate associated with said WWW services is different than a billing rate for said email services.

6. An apparatus, comprising:

a computer readable memory unit;

one or more processors coupled to said memory unit, said one or more processors for executing a method for differential billing of services used during a mobile data service user session, comprising;

identifying a user session;

identifying a user profile that is associated with said user session;

identifying a plurality of service parameters of said user session;

identifying a plurality of different types of mobile Internet data services associated with said plurality of service parameters, wherein each of said different types of mobile Internet data services is identified by a different one of said plurality of service parameters, wherein said plurality of different types of mobile Internet data services are provided on a General Packet Radio Service/Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (GPRS/UMTS) network, and wherein said plurality of different types of mobile Internet data services are provided using a specific data protocol of said GPRS/UMTS network;

accessing an online charging server to obtain triggers and thresholds for generating a plurality of service usage reports;

generating a service usage report for each of said plurality of different types of mobile Internet data services, wherein said service usage report is generated at a gateway support node of said GPRS/UMTS network, wherein said service usage report comprises a billing rate that is based on both said user profile and at least one of said plurality of service parameters, and wherein said plurality of different types of mobile Internet data services are associated with different billing rates; and

determining a total charge for said user profile, wherein said total charge is determined by compiling said plurality of service usage reports associated with said plurality of different types of mobile Internet data services.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said plurality of service parameters comprises a post-paid service and a pre-paid service, and wherein a billing rate associated with a service usage report for said post-paid service is different than a billing rate associated with a service usage report for said pre-paid service.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

providing access to said service usage report for storage as a part of billing records, wherein said billing records comprise a plurality of service usage reports associated with said user profile, and wherein said billing records contain service based billing parameters that indicate said plurality of different types of mobile Internet data services that are to be billed.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said billing records contain closure criteria based on a specific number of service records.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said billing records are a part of a Gateway Call Detail Record (G-CDR) structure, wherein said G-CDR structure comprises usage information associated with said specific data protocol of said GPRS/UMTS network.

11. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said plurality of different types of mobile Internet data services comprises Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services and world-wide-web (WWW) services, and wherein a billing rate associated with said VoIP services is different than a billing rate for said WWW services.

12. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said plurality of different types of mobile Internet data services comprises Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services and text messaging services, and wherein a billing rate associated with said VoIP services is different than a billing rate for said text messaging services.

13. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said plurality of different types of mobile Internet data services comprises world-wide-web (WWW) services and text messaging services, and wherein a billing rate associated with said WWW services is different than a billing rate for said text messaging services.

14. The system of claim 6, wherein said plurality of service parameters corresponds to one or more of Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) layers 4 through 7.

15. A system for differential billing of services used during a mobile data service user session, comprising:

means for identifying a user session;

means for identifying a user profile associated with said user session;

means for identifying a plurality of service parameters for said user session;

means for identifying a plurality of services provided during said user session, wherein each of said plurality of services is associated with a different one of said plurality of service parameters, wherein said plurality of services are provided on a General Packet Radio Service/Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (GPRS/UMTS) network, and wherein said plurality of services are provided using a same data protocol of said GPRS/UMTS network;

means for accessing an online charging server to obtain triggers and thresholds for generating a plurality of service usage reports;

means for generating a service usage report for each of said plurality of services, wherein said service usage report comprises a billing rate that is based on both said user profile and at least one of said plurality of service parameters, and wherein said plurality of services are associated with different billing rates; and

means for determining a total charge for said user profile, wherein said total charge is determined by compiling said plurality of service usage reports associated with said plurality of services provided during said user session.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

providing access to said service usage report for storage as a part of billing records, wherein said billing records comprise a plurality of service usage reports associated with said user profile, wherein said billing records are a part of a Gateway Call Detail Record (G-CDR) structure, and wherein said G-CDR structure comprises usage information associated with said same data protocol.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein said plurality of service parameters comprises post-paid services and pre-paid services, and wherein a billing rate associated with both said post-paid services and said user profile is different than a billing rate associated with both said pre-paid services and said user profile.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein said plurality of services comprises world-wide-web (WWW) services, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services, and email services, and wherein different billing rates are associated with each of said WWW services, said VoIP services, and said email services.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein said service usage report is generated at a gateway support node of said GPRS/UMTS network.