Content-based billing service for wireless prepaid subscribers
First Claim
1. A method of providing content-based billing to a prepaid wireless subscriber of transmitted data, said transmitted data including a first type having a first charge rate and a second type having a second charge rate, said method comprising the steps of:
- exchanging information, by a first Serving General Packet Radio Service Support Node (SGSN), with a Server Control Point (SCP), said information regarding said prepaid subscriber;
receiving from the SCP, by said first SGSN, a volume limit threshold of said second type of data, said volume limit threshold associated with said prepaid subscriber;
forwarding, by said first SGSN, said volume limit threshold for said second type of data to a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN);
accumulating a data count at said first SGSN comprising both said first type of data and said second type of data;
receiving from said GGSN, by said first SGSN, a billable data count comprising said second type of data, wherein said billable data count is one of two or more data counts accumulated by said GGSN according to a profile of a prepaid subscriber, said two or more billable data counts each having a different billable data rate, a data count comprising the first type of data not being accumulated at said GGSN, wherein said receiving said billable data count occurs when said billable data count reaches said volume limit threshold; and
providing said billable data count from said first SGSN to said SCP.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of allowing content-based billing to a prepaid subscriber or subscribers is disclosed. According to one embodiment of the invention, the content-based billing is achieved by forwarding volume limit threshold data normally used by the Serving GPRS support node to the Gateway GPRS support node, which according to the prior art, counted all data bits at the same rate. According to this embodiment, by forwarding the volume limit threshold data to the GGSN, a modified data count is accumulated since billable data is monitored and accumulates, whereas free data does not accumulate. This modified data count is then provided from the gateway GPRS support node to the Serving GPRS support node, which then transmits the accumulated data count to the SCP.
26 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A method of providing content-based billing to a prepaid wireless subscriber of transmitted data, said transmitted data including a first type having a first charge rate and a second type having a second charge rate, said method comprising the steps of:
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exchanging information, by a first Serving General Packet Radio Service Support Node (SGSN), with a Server Control Point (SCP), said information regarding said prepaid subscriber; receiving from the SCP, by said first SGSN, a volume limit threshold of said second type of data, said volume limit threshold associated with said prepaid subscriber; forwarding, by said first SGSN, said volume limit threshold for said second type of data to a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN); accumulating a data count at said first SGSN comprising both said first type of data and said second type of data; receiving from said GGSN, by said first SGSN, a billable data count comprising said second type of data, wherein said billable data count is one of two or more data counts accumulated by said GGSN according to a profile of a prepaid subscriber, said two or more billable data counts each having a different billable data rate, a data count comprising the first type of data not being accumulated at said GGSN, wherein said receiving said billable data count occurs when said billable data count reaches said volume limit threshold; and providing said billable data count from said first SGSN to said SCP. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification