Prepaid billing solutions for push-to-talk in a wireless communications network

• US 8,369,829 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2011
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kodiak Networks (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Kodiak Networks (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nagubhai, Narasimha Raju, Kumar, Ravi Shankar, Patel, Krishnakant M., Ayyasamy, Ravi
• Primary Examiner(s): PHUONG, DAI
• Application Number:
  US13/039,635
• Publication Number:
  US 20110217949A1
• Time in Patent Office: 705 Days
• Field of Search: 455/405, 455/406, 455/428, 4554321-439
• US Class Current: 455/406
• 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 15/765 Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/7652 shared by users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8228 Session based
• 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 2215/20 Technology dependant metering
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/724 Linked accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7245 Shared by users, e.g. group accounts or one account for different users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

Advanced group services for use in a mobile phone network include a prepaid billing solution. In the mobile phone network, a real-time exchange interfaces to at least one mobile switching center to provide the advanced group services therein. Both the real-time exchange and the mobile phones that use the advanced group services communicate with each other using call setup and in-band signaling within the mobile phone network, wherein the real-time exchange switches the voice frames for the advanced group services between the mobile phones across bearer paths and through at least one mobile switching center in the mobile phone network. A real-time billing mechanism is provided for a prepaid subscriber of the advanced group services. The real-time billing mechanism may use a prefix-based billing solution or a charging number based billing solution.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing billing solutions for advanced group services in a mobile phone network, comprising:

a mobile phone network for making calls between mobile phones, wherein the calls are initiated by call setup and in-band signaling within the mobile phone network and voice frames for the calls are switched between the mobile phones by at least one mobile switching center across bearer paths in the mobile phone network; and

a real-time exchange that interfaces to at least one mobile switching center in the mobile phone network to provide the advanced group services therein;

wherein both the real-time exchange and the mobile phones that use the advanced group services communicate with each other using the call setup and in-band signaling within the mobile phone network, such that at least one mobile switching center routes an originating leg of the advanced voice services from an originating mobile phone to the real-time exchange, the real-time exchange initiates one or more terminating legs of the advanced voice services to one or more terminating mobile phones through at least one mobile switching center, and the real-time exchange switches the voice frames for the advanced group services between the originating and terminating mobile phones across the bearer paths and through at least one mobile switching center in the mobile phone network; and

wherein a billing mechanism is provided for a prepaid or real-time billing subscriber of the advanced group services, in that;

the mobile switching center identifies the originating mobile phone as the prepaid or real-time subscriber to the real-time exchange when routing the originating leg of the advanced voice services to the real-time exchange,

the real-time exchange identifies the originating mobile phone as the prepaid or real-time subscriber to the mobile switching center when routing the terminating legs of the advanced voice services to the mobile switching center, and

the mobile switching center communicates with a billing server to bill the originating mobile phone for the originating leg and all of the terminating legs, when the originating mobile phone is identified as the prepaid or real-time subscriber.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the billing mechanism uses a prefix-based billing solution for the advanced group services used by the prepaid or real-time subscriber.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the mobile switching center identifies the originating mobile phone as the prepaid or real-time subscriber by placing a prefix on a number for the real-time exchange.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the real-time exchange identifies the originating mobile phone as the prepaid or real-time subscriber by the prefix placed on the number for the real-time exchange, and responds by placing the prefix on numbers for the terminating mobile phones.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the mobile switching center identifies the originating mobile phone as the prepaid or real-time subscriber from the prefix placed on the numbers for the terminating mobile phones.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the billing mechanism uses a charging number based billing solution for the advanced group services used by the prepaid or real-time subscriber.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the mobile switching center identifies the originating mobile phone as the prepaid or real-time subscriber by a number for the originating mobile phone placed in a charging number field for the real-time exchange.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the real-time exchange identifies the originating mobile phone as the prepaid or real-time subscriber by the number placed in the charging field for the real-time exchange, and responds by placing the number for the originating mobile phone in a charging number field for the terminating mobile phones.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the mobile switching center identifies the originating mobile phone as the prepaid or real-time subscriber from the number for the originating mobile phone placed in the charging number field for the terminating mobile phones.

10. A method for providing billing solutions for advanced group services in a mobile phone network, comprising:

making calls between mobile phones in a mobile phone network, wherein the calls are initiated by call setup and in-band signaling within the mobile phone network and voice frames for the calls are switched between the mobile phones by at least one mobile switching center across bearer paths in the mobile phone network; and

interfacing a real-time exchange to at least one mobile switching center in the mobile phone network to provide the advanced group services therein;

wherein both the real-time exchange and the mobile phones that use the advanced group services communicate with each other using the call setup and in-band signaling within the mobile phone network, such that at least one mobile switching center routes an originating leg of the advanced voice services from an originating mobile phone to the real-time exchange, the real-time exchange initiates one or more terminating legs of the advanced voice services to one or more terminating mobile phones through at least one mobile switching center, and the real-time exchange switches the voice frames for the advanced group services between the originating and terminating mobile phones across the bearer paths and through at least one mobile switching center in the mobile phone network; and

wherein a billing mechanism is provided for a prepaid or real-time billing subscriber of the advanced group services, in that;

the mobile switching center identifies the originating mobile phone as the prepaid or real-time subscriber to the real-time exchange when routing the originating leg of the advanced voice services to the real-time exchange,

the real-time exchange identifies the originating mobile phone as the prepaid or real-time subscriber to the mobile switching center when routing the terminating legs of the advanced voice services to the mobile switching center, and

the mobile switching center communicates with a billing server to bill the originating mobile phone for the originating leg and all of the terminating legs, when the originating mobile phone is identified as the prepaid or real-time subscriber.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the billing mechanism uses a prefix-based billing solution for the advanced group services used by the prepaid or real-time subscriber.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the mobile switching center identifies the originating mobile phone as the prepaid or real-time subscriber by placing a prefix on a number for the real-time exchange.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the real-time exchange identifies the originating mobile phone as the prepaid or real-time subscriber by the prefix placed on the number for the real-time exchange, and responds by placing the prefix on numbers for the terminating mobile phones.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the mobile switching center identifies the originating mobile phone as the prepaid or real-time subscriber from the prefix placed on the numbers for the terminating mobile phones.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the real-time exchange identifies the originating mobile phone as the prepaid or real-time subscriber by a number for the originating mobile placed in a charging number field for the real-time exchange, and responds by placing the number for the originating mobile phone in a charging number field for the terminating mobile phones.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the mobile switching center identifies the originating mobile phone as the prepaid or real-time subscriber from the number for the originating mobile placed in the charging number field for the terminating mobile phones.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the billing mechanism uses a charging number based billing solution for the advanced group services used by the prepaid or real-time subscriber.