Communication terminal device and billing device

• US 7,869,430 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2007
• Issued: 01/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: S Aqua Semiconductor LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Daita Frontier Fund LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Kiyomatsu, Hisanori, Takatori, Sunao
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh; Ayaz R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Haliyur; Venkatesh
• Application Number:
  US11/696,498
• Publication Number:
  US 20070244814A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,378 Days
• Field of Search: 370229-463, 705 30- 34, 705 40- 43, 705 76- 78
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0855 involving a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1085 involving automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3821 Electronic credentials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• 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 15/56 for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/68 Payment of value-added services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0184 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions, volume discounts, cell discounts, group billing, frequent calling destination(s) or user history list
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0196 Payment of value-added services, mainly when their charges are added on the telephone bill, e.g. payment of non-telecom services, e-commerce, on-line banking
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/202 VoIP; Packet switched telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2033 WLAN
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/42 Least cost routing, i.e. provision for selecting the lowest cost tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/745 Least cost routing, e.g. Automatic or manual, call by call or by preselection

Abstract

For transmitting transmission data generated by a transmission data generator of a communication terminal device, a packet unit determining unit determines a packet unit for a lowest data communication rate for the transmission of the transmission data, among packet units (packet sizes) that can be recognized by a destination communication terminal device and that can be transmitted from the communication terminal device. A packet generator packetizes the transmission data according to the packet unit determined by the packet unit determining unit, and transmits the packetized transmission data to the destination communication terminal device.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a billing record generating device configured to generate a billing record comprising billing information that includes a transmitted packet size, a number of transmitted packets, and a packet communication rate, with respect to an identification (ID) to be billed;

a packet gateway processor configured to;

determine the number of transmitted packets corresponding to an address of transmitted packets from a packet network;

calculate the transmitted packet size for the transmitted packets;

calculate the packet communication rate for the transmitted packets; and

generate the billing information with respect to an ID to be billed based on the address of the transmitted packets; and

a charging record generating device configured to generate a charging record for the ID to be billed for a predetermined period,

wherein the billing record generating device is further configured to dynamically set;

a range of packet sizes transferrable and receivable in subsequent communications based upon the calculated transmitted packet sizes; and

packet communication rates corresponding to the range of packet sizes set by the billing record generating device.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the packet communication rate comprises a cost per packet.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the billing record generating device is further configured to generate the packet size of transmitted packets based on the billing information received from the packet gateway processor.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the packet gateway processor is further configured to generate the billing information based on an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the received packets from the packet network, the billing information further including subscriber information and communication terminal device location information.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the packet gateway processor is coupled to a subscriber database and the packet network to process the received packets from the packet network and provide subscriber information used to authenticate a user.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the packet network comprises an Internet.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the billing record generating device is further configured to generate the number of transmitted packets based on the number of transmitted packets determined by the packet gateway processor.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the billing information further comprises an ID of a communication terminal device, an ID of a destination communication terminal device in each packet transmitting process, a data communication rate based on the packet communication rate, a starting date of data transmission, an ending date of data transmission, a location of a communication terminal device, or a status of transmission.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the charging record generating device is further configured to withdraw a charged amount of money from a bank account associated with the ID to be billed.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the charging record is transmitted through an e-mail message to a communications terminal device associated with the ID to be billed.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmitted packet size comprises about 128 bytes/packet, 384 bytes/packet, or 1280 bytes/packet.

12. A computer-implemented method comprising:

generating, by a computing device, a billing record comprising billing information that includes a transmitted packet size, a number of transmitted packets, and a packet communication rate, with respect to an identification (ID) to be billed;

determining, by the computing device;

the number of transmitted packets corresponding to an address of transmitted packets from a packet network;

the transmitted packet size for the transmitted packets;

the packet communication rate for the transmitted packets; and

the billing information with respect to an ID to be billed based on the address of the transmitted packets;

generating, by the computing device, a charging record for the ID to be billed for a predetermined period; and

dynamically setting, by the computing device;

a range of packet sizes transferrable and receivable in subsequent communications based upon the calculated transmitted packet sizes; and

packet communication rates corresponding to the range of packet sizes set by the computing device.

13. An article of manufacture including a non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, execution of which by a computing device cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

generating a billing record comprising billing information that includes a transmitted packet size, a number of transmitted packets, and a packet communication rate, with respect to an identification (ID) to be billed;

determining the number of transmitted packets corresponding to an address of transmitted packets from a packet network;

calculating the transmitted packet size for the transmitted packets;

calculating the packet communication rate for the transmitted packets;

generating the billing information with respect to an ID to be billed based on the address of the transmitted packets;

generating a charging record for the ID to be billed for a predetermined period; and

dynamically setting;

a range of packet sizes transferrable and receivable in subsequent communications based upon the calculated transmitted packet sizes; and

packet communication rates corresponding to the range of packet sizes.

14. A billing device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing control logic comprising;

means for generating a billing record comprising billing information that includes a transmitted packet size, a number of transmitted packets, and a packet communication rate, with respect to an identification (ID) to be billed;

means for determining the number of transmitted packets corresponding to an address of transmitted packets from a packet network;

means for calculating the transmitted packet size for the transmitted packets;

means for calculating the packet communication rate for the transmitted packets;

means for generating the billing information with respect to an ID to be billed based on the address of the transmitted packets;

means for generating a charging record for the ID to be billed for a predetermined period; and

means for dynamically setting;

a range of packet sizes that can be transferred and received in subsequent communications based upon the calculated transmitted packet sizes; and

packet communication rates corresponding to the range of packet sizes.