Method and system for rating notification

• US 7,865,171 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2003
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Karlsson, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Taylor; Barry W
• Application Number:
  US10/596,749
• Publication Number:
  US 20080188199A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,569 Days
• Field of Search: 455/406, 455/407, 455/408
• US Class Current: 455/408
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1414 in real-time
• 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 15/08 Metering calls to called party , i.e. B-party charged for the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/43 Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/745 Customizing according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. friends or family
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/81 Dynamic pricing, e.g. change of tariff during call
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8351 before establishing a communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8353 during the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8355 after the end of the communication
• 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 2215/0112 Dynamic pricing, e.g. change of tariff during call
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/018 On-line real-time billing, able to see billing information while in communication, e.g. via the internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0188 Network monitoring; statistics on usage on called/calling number
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/81 Notifying aspects, e.g. notifications or displays to the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8108 : before establishing a communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8112 : during the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8116 : after the end of the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/82 : Advice-of-Charge [AOC], i.e. notify subscriber of charges/cumulative charge; meter at the substation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing

Abstract

A method and system for generating rating notification to a user in a communications system, wherein a tariff structure is traversed, and during the traversing, one or more notification requests are detected for intermediate conditions. One or more notifications resulting from the one or more notification requests are sent to the user.

Claims

1. A method for generating rating notification to a user of a requested service in a communications system, comprising the steps of:

traversing a tariff structure;

during the traversing, detecting one or more notification requests for intermediate conditions; and

after the step of detecting said one or more notification requests,

analysing said detected one or more notification requests to determine if the notification should be sent directly to the user to be collected for post-analysis,

if the notification is determined to be sent directly, sending said one or more notifications to the user,

if the notification is determined to not be sent directly, storing said one or more notification requests for post analysis, and

if one or more notifications are collected for post-analysis, analysing all unsent notifications for determining which are to be sent.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising the step of merging one or more messages before they are sent to the user.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the merging is determined by a merging logic.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said analysis is run on enquiry;

before, during or after session/call/purchase;

or before, during, or after refill.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said one or more notification requests are for price enquiries.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein all conditions fulfilled during traversal is output as a log, wherein said log is processed in a subsequent step by a separate process to analyse the performed rating and produce corresponding one or more notifications.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein specific notification requests in the tariff structure triggers notifications that can either be issued in real-time or collected for further processing.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein one or more condition that is fulfilled is sent to an external notification process for analysis.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein a log of how the tariff structure has been traversed is created and processed after the analyses for generating a notification(s).

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the conditions affect the result being determined.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the notification is sent to another destination than the terminal involved in the chargeable session.

12. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing a computer to perform the method of claim 1, wherein the computer readable medium comprises a record medium, computer memory, or read-only memory.

13. A computer program embodied on a computer readable carrier and comprising computer executable instructions for causing a computer to perform the method according to claim 1, wherein the carrier comprises a record medium, computer memory, or read-only memory.

14. A system for generating rating notification(s) to a user in a communications system characterised by rating means including a computer apparatus adapted to perform the method of claim 1.

15. The system as in claim 14, wherein said system is operating in a mobile communications system.

16. The system as in claim 14, wherein said system is an Internet protocol based protocol or a common channel signalling system.

17. The system as in claim 14, wherein said service is a prepaid service.

18. The system as in claim 14, wherein said service is an electronic commerce/payment service.