Billing in mobile communications system employing wireless application protocol

• US 7,904,054 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2002
• Issued: 03/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Data Advisors LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Juntunen, Ari, Huostila, Tero, Keinänen, Kimmo, Immonen, Marko
• Primary Examiner(s): Addy; Anthony S.
• Application Number:
  US10/243,366
• Publication Number:
  US 20030073425A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,099 Days
• Field of Search: 455405-408, 455/414.1, 455/456.3, 455/414.2, 455/414.3, 455418-420, 705/1, 705/34, 705/40, 705/26, 705/27, 705/37, 709226-229, 718/104, 725 1- 8, 379/114.03, 379/114.19, 379/114.2, 379/114.21, 379/114.23
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• 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: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• 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 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8214 Data or packet based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0104 Augmented, consolidated or itemised billing statement, e.g. additional billing information, bill presentation, layout, format, e-mail, fax, printout, itemised bill per service or per account, cumulative billing, consolidated billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2013 Fixed data network, e.g. PDN, ATM, B-ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/204 UMTS; GPRS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2073 Multipoint, e.g. messaging, broadcast or group SMS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 : Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/28 : SMS billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 : Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/782 : Data or packet based
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 : Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 : Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation

Abstract

The invention relates to a network part and a method for generating billing data in a mobile communications system employing a wireless application protocol. The network part of the mobile communications system comprises: means for setting up a bi-directional wireless data transmission connection to a subscriber terminal; means for transmitting a service request sent by the subscriber terminal to a contents server providing the service; means for transmitting response data generated in the contents server on the basis of the service request to the subscriber terminal; identifying means for identifying transactions associated with the service from among the service requests and the response data on the basis of the identification of the Internet address of the service referred to in the service request and the response data; and billing means for generating billing data for the service using the transactions identified on the basis of the service'"'"'s Internet address.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a service request comprising an Internet address Universal Resource Locator (URL) at a node in a communications system;

identifying one or more service parameters within the Internet address URL received in the service request;

comparing at least a portion of the one or more service parameters with one or more data records stored in a database, wherein the comparing is in accordance with a service priority order that is set based on a number of service parameters associated with a particular data record;

determining a service name associated with the Internet address URL based on the comparison; and

generating billing data for the service request based on the service name,

wherein comparing at least a portion of the one or more service parameters with the one or more data records comprises comparing a parameter name and a value with the one or more data records stored in the database, and wherein the parameter name and the value are identified based on one or more separator characters proximate to the parameter name and the value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more data records comprises an Internet address URL, a service parameter, a service priority, and a service name.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the service name is unique within the database.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more service parameters are determined based on separator characters located within the Internet address URL.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein billing data is not generated if the Internet address URL is determined to be not subject to a charge.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing a file name from the Internet address URL prior to identifying the one or more service parameters within the Internet address URL.

7. A system comprising:

a database configured to store one or more data records; and

one or more computing devices in communication with the database, wherein the one or more computing devices are configured to;

receive a service request comprising an Internet address Universal Resource Locator (URL);

identify one or more service parameters within the Internet address URL received in the service request;

compare at least a portion of the one or more service parameters with one or more data records stored in the database, wherein the one or more computing devices are configured to compare in accordance with a service priority order that is set based on a number of service parameters associated with a particular data record;

determine a service name associated with the Internet address URL based on the comparison; and

generate billing data for the service request based on the service name,

wherein comparing at least a portion of the one or more service parameters with the one or more data records comprises comparing a parameter name and a value with the one or more data records stored in the database, and wherein the parameter name and the value are identified based on one or more separator characters proximate to the parameter name and the value.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein each of the one or more data records comprises an Internet address URL, a service parameter, a service priority, and a service name.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the service name is unique within the database.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more service parameters are determined based on separator characters located within the Internet address URL.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein billing data is not generated if the Internet address URL is determined to be not subject to a charge.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to remove a file name from the Internet address URL prior to identifying the one or more service parameters within the Internet address URL.

13. A system comprising:

a database configured to store one or more data records; and

a computing device in communication with the database, wherein the computing device is configured to;

receive a service request comprising an Internet address Universal Resource Locator (URL);

identify one or more service parameters within the Internet address URL received in the service request;

compare at least a portion of the one or more service parameters with one or more data records stored in the database, wherein the computing device is configured to compare in accordance with a service priority order that is set based on a number of service parameters associated with a particular data record;

determine a service name associated with the Internet address URL based on the comparison; and

generate billing data for the service request based on the service name,

wherein comparing at least a portion of the one or more service parameters with the one or more data records comprises comparing a parameter name and a value with the one or more data records stored in the database, and wherein the parameter name and the value are identified based on one or more separator characters proximate to the parameter name and the value.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein each of the one or more data records comprises an Internet address URL, a service parameter, a service priority, and a service name.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the service name is unique within the database.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more service parameters are determined based on separator characters located within the Internet address URL.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein billing data is not generated if the Internet address URL is determined to be not subject to a charge.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the computing device is further configured to remove a file name from the Internet address URL prior to identifying the one or more service parameters within the Internet address URL.