Devices, systems and methods for location based billing

• US 8,634,804 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2009
• Issued: 01/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: McNamara, Justin Michael Anthony, Davis, John Potts III, Rector, Jay Daryl
• Primary Examiner(s): MATHARU, MANPREET S
• Application Number:
  US12/632,165
• Publication Number:
  US 20110136468A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,506 Days
• Field of Search: 455/406, 455/407, 455/408, 455/409, 455/456, 455/457, 455/517, 455/414, 705/13, 705/10
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/16 Payments settled via telecommunication systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1471 splitting of costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport

Abstract

Devices, systems and methods are disclosed which relate to billing users of a telecommunication network. A billing server is in communication with a geo-fence database. The geo-fence database contains a plurality of geo-fences. Some geo-fences are associated with a single mobile communication devices, such as a home geo-fence, work geo-fence, etc., while other geo-fences are global, such as a stadium geo-fence, toll geo-fence, etc. When a mobile communication device enters the perimeter of a geo-fence, a billing server changes the billing rate at which connections are billed to the user account or bills another user account. The mobile communication device may send a ticket code to the billing server for a reduced billing rate while within a geo-fence. If a mobile communication device enters a toll geo-fence, then the billing server charges the user account for the toll.

Claims

1. A system for billing a user of a telecommunication network based on location, the system comprising:

a processor, a user account database storing a plurality of user accounts including a first user account and a second user account, a geo-fence database storing a plurality of geo-fences including a first geo-fence associated with a first billing rate and a second geo-fence associated with a second billing rate; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising

receiving a first location of a mobile communication device during a first connection,

determining the first location to be within the first geo-fence,

charging the first user account the first billing rate associated with the first geo-fence for the first connection, wherein the first billing rate is applied to utilization of telecommunications services by the mobile communication device during the first connection,

receiving a ticket code from the mobile communication device while the mobile communication device is within the first geo-fence, the ticket code associated with a discounted billing rate, and

after receiving the ticket code, charging the first user account the discounted billing rate associated with the ticket code, in place of the first billing rate, for the first connection while the mobile communication device is within the first geo-fence, wherein the first geo-fence remains associated with the first billing rate.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a second location of the mobile communication device during a second connection;

determining the second location to be within the second geo-fence; and

charging the second user account a second billing rate associated with the second geo-fence for the second connection, wherein the second billing rate is applied to utilization of telecommunications services by the mobile communication device during the second connection.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein a user account different from the first user account is charged for connections made by the mobile communication device while the mobile communication device is outside the first geo-fence.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a toll database in communication with the billing server, the toll database having a toll geo-fence and a toll amount.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a notification from a smart vehicle when the smart vehicle enters the toll geo-fence, the notification including an identification of the mobile communication device; and

charging the first user account the toll amount.

6. A method for billing a user of a telecommunication network based on location, the method comprising:

receiving, at a billing server comprising a processor, a first location of a mobile communication device during a first connection;

determining, by the billing server the first location to be within a first geo-fence, the first geo-fence associated with a first billing rate;

charging, by the billing server, a first user account the first billing rate associated with the first geo-fence for the first connection, wherein the first billing rate is applied to utilization of telecommunications services by the mobile communication device during the first connection;

receiving, by the billing server, a ticket code from the mobile communication device while the mobile communication device is within the first geo-fence, the ticket code associated with a discounted billing rate; and

after receiving the ticket code, charging, by the billing server, the first user account the discounted billing rate associated with the ticket code, in place of the first billing rate, for the first connection while the mobile communication device is within the first geo-fence, wherein the first geo-fence remains associated with the first billing rate.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving a second location of the mobile communication device during a second connection;

determining the second location to be within a second geo-fence; and

charging a second user account a second billing rate associated with the second geo-fence for the second connection, wherein the second billing rate is applied to utilization of telecommunications services by the mobile communication device during the second connection.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein a user account different from the first user account is charged for connections made by the mobile communication device while the mobile communication device is outside the first geo-fence.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving a notification from a smart vehicle when the smart vehicle enters a toll geo-fence, the notification including an identification of the mobile communication device; and

charging the first user account a toll amount.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving a notification from a smart vehicle when the smart vehicle enters a toll geo-fence, the notification including an identification of a passenger mobile communication device associated with a passenger user account; and

charging the passenger user account a toll amount.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising defining a geo-fence for one of a home location of the user or a work location of the user.

12. A computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a first location of a mobile communication device during a first connection;

determining the first location to be within a first geo-fence, the geo-fence associated with a first billing rate;

charging a first user account the first billing rate associated with the first geo-fence for the first connection, wherein the first billing rate is applied to utilization of telecommunications services by the mobile communication device during the first connection;

receiving a ticket code from the mobile communication device while the mobile communication device is within the first geo-fence, the ticket code associated with a discounted billing rate; and

after receiving the ticket code, charging the first user account the discounted billing rate associated with the ticket code, in place of the first billing rate, for the first connection while the mobile communication device is within the first geo-fence, wherein the first geo-fence remains associated with the first billing rate.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a second location of the mobile communication device during a second connection;

determining the second location to be within a second geo-fence; and

charging a second user account a second billing rate associated with the second geo-fence for the second connection, wherein the second billing rate is applied to utilization of telecommunications services by the mobile communication device during the second connection.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein a user account different from the first user account is charged for connections made by the mobile communication device while the mobile communication device is outside the first geo-fence.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a notification from a smart vehicle when the smart vehicle enters a toll geo-fence, the notification including an identification of the mobile communication device; and

charging the first user account a toll amount.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a notification from a smart vehicle when the smart vehicle enters a toll geo-fence, the notification including an identification of a passenger mobile communication device associated with a passenger user account; and

charging the passenger user account a toll amount.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, further comprising defining a geo-fence for one of a user'"'"'s home location and a work location.