Message broadcasting network usage billing system and method

• US 8,583,519 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2011
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Envisionit LLC A Delaware Limited Liability Company
• Original Assignee: envisionIT
• Inventors: Wood, Mark Andrew, Preston, Kevin Russell, Weiser, Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender, Ryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROJAS, HAJIME S
• Application Number:
  US13/073,682
• Publication Number:
  US 20110191224A1
• Time in Patent Office: 960 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1432 Metric aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services

Abstract

A system and method for determining billable transmission network usage for transmitting a broadcast message to a plurality of broadcast message receiving devices located within a broadcast target area by a broadcast transmission network serving a network serving area with a plurality of network transmission elements each serving a network element portion of the network serving area including determining the network transmission elements having network element serving area portions that serve at least a portion of the received broadcast target area, determining network element serving areas, determining a density of broadcast receiving devices, and generating over an output data interface an incurred network usage record for the broadcast message record as a function of the determined density and the network element broadcast area served.

Claims

1. A system determining billable transmission network usage for transmitting a broadcast message to a plurality of broadcast message receiving devices located within a broadcast target area by a broadcast transmission network serving a network serving area with a plurality of network transmission elements each serving a network element portion of the network serving area, the system comprising:

a broadcast transmission network usage module having a computer with a processor, a memory having a broadcast message billing rate parameter stored therein, an input data interface and an output data interface and communicatively coupled via the input data interface to a broadcast message origination system and via the output data interface to the broadcast transmission network, and with computer executable instructions performing the steps of

receiving a broadcast message record that includes the broadcast message, a broadcast message originator identifier, and the geographically defined broadcast target area over the input data interface from the broadcast message origination system;

determining a set of one or more network transmission elements from among the plurality of network transmission elements within the broadcast transmission network having network element serving area portions that serve at least a portion of the received broadcast target area;

calculating a broadcast message area served from the determined set of network transmission elements and the associated network element serving area portions;

determining a density of broadcast message receiving devices associated with the calculated broadcast message area served;

determining a length of the received broadcast message;

generating over the output data interface an incurred network usage record for the broadcast message record as a function of

the determined broadcast message length,

the determined density, and

the calculated broadcast message area served by the determined set of network transmission elements and their associated network element serving area portions; and

generating over the output data interface a broadcast message billing amount associated with the received broadcast message record as a function of the broadcast message originator identifier, the broadcast message billing rate parameter and the generated incurred network usage record.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the broadcast message billing module includes computer executable instructions storing in the memory the generated incurred network usage record in a broadcast message originator file and in a broadcast transmission network file.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the received broadcast message record includes a requested repetition rate for the broadcast message, further comprising in computer executable instructions determining a number of transmissions of the broadcast message by the broadcast transmitting network as a function of the requested repetition rate, wherein generating includes generating the incurred network usage record as a function of the determined number of transmissions.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the computer executable instructions include a broadcast message network transmission rate parameter associated with the broadcast transmission network, the broadcast message network transmission rate parameter including a broadcast message shot that includes a base density and a base message length for the broadcast message transmission network, wherein the generating the incurred network usage record for the broadcast message record is further a function of the broadcast message shot.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising in computer executable instructions defining the broadcast message shot utilizing a base density for the broadcast target area and a base length for the broadcast message.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising computer executable instructions determining a base number of message transmissions by the broadcast transmission network, wherein defining the broadcast message shot includes defining the broadcast message shot as a function of the base number of transmissions.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein the computer executable instructions include determining the base density including determining a base subscriber count for the broadcast transmission network including the plurality of network transmission elements therewith and the calculated broadcast message area served by the determined set of network transmission elements and their associated network element serving area portions.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the output data interface includes a billing data module for communicating a billable network usage amount to a remote computer system, further comprising in computer executable instructions generating a billing invoice over the output data interface as a function of the generated incurred network usage record and in response to transmitting the broadcast message to broadcast message receiving devices located within the broadcast target area served by the broadcast transmission network.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the received broadcast message record includes a broadcast message channel identification number, and wherein generating the incurred network usage record is a function of the received broadcast message channel identification number.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the network transmission elements are wireless mobile network transmission sites within a cellular mobile telephone network equipped for transmitting broadcast messages or point to multipoint cell broadcast channels.

11. A method of determining billable transmission network usage for transmitting a broadcast message to a plurality of broadcast message receiving devices located within a broadcast target area by a broadcast transmission network serving a network serving area with a plurality of network transmission elements each serving a network element portion of the network serving area, the method comprising:

in computer executable instructions of a broadcast network usage module in a computer having a processor, a memory having a broadcast message billing rate parameter stored therein, an input data interface and an output data interface and communicatively coupled via the input data interface to a broadcast message origination system and via the output data interface to the broadcast transmission network;

receiving a broadcast message record that includes the broadcast message, a broadcast message originator identifier, and the geographically defined broadcast target area over the input data interface from the broadcast message origination system provided broadcast channel identifier;

determining a set of one or more network transmission elements having network element serving area portions that serve at least a portion of the received broadcast target area;

calculating a broadcast message area served from the determined set of network transmission elements and the associated network element serving area portions;

determining a density of broadcast message receiving devices associated with the calculated area served;

determining a length of the received broadcast message;

generating over the output data interface an incurred network usage record for the broadcast message record as a function of

the determined broadcast message length,

the determined density, and

the calculated broadcast message area served; and

generating over the output data interface a broadcast message billing amount associated with the received broadcast message record as a function of the broadcast message originator identifier, the broadcast message billing rate parameter and the generated incurred network usage record.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the received broadcast message record includes a request repetition rate for the broadcast message, further comprising in computer executable instructions determining a number of transmissions of the broadcast message by the broadcast transmitting network as a function of the requested repetition rate, wherein generating includes generating the incurred network usage record as a function of the determined number of transmissions.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising a broadcast message network transmission rate parameter associated with the broadcast transmission network, the broadcast message network transmission rate parameter including a broadcast message shot that includes a base density and a base message length for the broadcast message transmission network, wherein the generating the incurred network usage record for the broadcast message record is further a function of the broadcast message shot.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising in computer executable instructions defining the broadcast message shot by determining a base density for the broadcast target area and a base length for the broadcast message.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising in computer executable instructions determining a base number of message transmissions by the broadcast transmission network, wherein defining the broadcast message shot includes defining the broadcast message shot as a function of the base number of transmissions.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein determining the base density includes determining a base subscriber count for at least one of the broadcast transmission network including the plurality of network transmission elements therewith and the calculated broadcast message area served by the determined set of network transmission elements and their associated network element serving area portions.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein generating the incurred broadcast message network usage record is further a function of a broadcast transmission network parameter associated with the broadcast transmission network.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein the output data interface includes a billing data module for communicating a billable network usage amount to a remote computer system, further comprising in computer executable instructions generating a billing invoice over the output data interface as a function of the generated incurred network usage record and in response to transmitting the broadcast message to broadcast message receiving devices located within the broadcast target area served by the broadcast transmission network.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein the received broadcast message record includes a broadcast message channel identification number, and wherein generating the incurred network usage record is a function of the received broadcast message channel identification number.

20. The method of claim 11 wherein the network transmission elements are wireless mobile network transmission sites within a cellular mobile telephone network equipped for transmitting broadcast messages or point to multipoint cell broadcast channels.