Proxy for content service

• US 8,909,691 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2001
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Piponius, Toni Markus, Aarnio, Lauri Tapio, Kiravuo, Timo Petteri, Lehtovaara, Eija Riitta Helena, Silvennoinen, Tero Ilari, Kari, Hannu H.
• Primary Examiner(s): LAZARO, DAVID R
• Application Number:
  US09/956,989
• Publication Number:
  US 20020138601A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,827 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/219, 709/218, 709/223, 709/203, 709/225, 709/229, 705/32, 705/40, 725/1, 725/4, 725/5
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5084 Providing for device mobility network addressing or numbering for mobility support in wireless networks H04W8/26; mobile IP H04W80/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• 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 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/68 Payment of value-added services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0164 Billing record, e.g. Call Data Record [CDR], Toll Ticket[TT], Automatic Message Accounting [AMA], Call Line Identifier [CLI], details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0196 Payment of value-added services, mainly when their charges are added on the telephone bill, e.g. payment of non-telecom services, e-commerce, on-line banking
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A method for providing a content service to a subscriber terminal (MS) from a first server, i.e. content server (CS). The provision of the content service from the content server to the subscriber terminal is controlled by a second server, i.e. proxy (CBP). The control comprises the following steps: 1) determining (5-4 to 5-10, 706) a billing address for the content service by means of the proxy (CBP); 2) under the control of the content billing proxy, providing (5-48) a content service corresponding to a service request from the content server (CS) to the subscriber terminal (MS); and 3) generating (5-46) billing information (CDR) related to the content service.

Claims

1. A method for providing a piece of content to a subscriber terminal from a content server, wherein the provision of the content from the content server to the subscriber terminal is controlled by a proxy, and said control of the content provision comprises the following steps:

receiving, from the subscriber terminal, in the proxy a content request for providing the content,

determining that the content identified in the content request comprises content included in an agreement between an operator of the content server and an operator of the proxy,

determining, by the proxy, whether or not the content is chargeable content, wherein the determining step includes accessing a database that includes information that is indicative of which content is chargeable and which content is free to end users connected to a network,

determining by means of the proxy a billing address for the chargeable content,

forwarding, by the proxy, the content request from the subscriber terminal to the content server,

forwarding, by the proxy, the content corresponding to the content request from the content server to the subscriber terminal, and

generating billing information related to the chargeable content, wherein generating billing information includes accessing a subscriber terminal profile, and wherein the subscriber terminal profile includes a prepaid amount provided by an end user of the subscriber terminal.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the subscriber terminal is located in an access network in which the subscriber terminal is addressed by an access network subscriber identity, and the content server is located in a service network in which it is addressed by an IP address, and wherein the determination of the billing address comprises the following steps:

allocating an IP address to the subscriber identity in the access network or at its edge,

receiving in the proxy the IP address allocated to the subscriber identity,

determining in the proxy on the basis of the received IP address the subscriber identity of the subscriber terminal and using it to determine the billing address.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the determination of the subscriber identity on the basis of the received IP address comprises an inquiry to a database in the proxy.

4. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the determination of the subscriber identity on the basis of the received IP address comprises an inquiry to the access network.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the subscriber identity of the subscriber terminal is hidden from the content server.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the generation of the billing information related to the content comprises the step of maintaining billing criteria in a database functionally connected to the proxy.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the billing criteria comprise the payer of the content.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein if a content provider pays for the content, the content provider pays for telecommunications costs between the subscriber terminal and the proxy, in which case the use of the content is completely free of charge to the subscriber.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the billing criteria comprise information on whether the subscriber in question has already been billed for the same content, in which case the following uses of the same content will be billed according to a lower tariff or not at all.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the billing criteria comprise information on whether the content in question belongs to a group of content segments with a special price.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the billing address comprises:

allocating an IP address to the subscriber terminal in an access network;

receiving, in the proxy, the IP address allocated to the subscriber terminal; and

determining, in the proxy, a subscriber identity based on the IP address and correlating it to the billing address.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the billing information is generated based on billing criteria that includes whether or not the subscriber terminal has previously been billed for the same content.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the billing information is generated based on billing criteria that includes whether or not the content is part of a group of content segments that are offered at a special price.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein if the content is part of a group of content segments, then the subscriber terminal is entitled to use a portion of the group at a lower price or for free.

15. The method claim 1, further comprising:

performing, by the proxy, one or more currency conversions in cases where currencies used in an access network, to which the subscriber terminal is part of, and a service network, which can couple the proxy and the content server, are different.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing, by the proxy, one or more protocol conversions in cases where protocols used in an access network, to which the subscriber terminal is part of, and a service network, which can couple the proxy and the content server, are different.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein generating billing information further includes billing the subscriber terminal for content delivered by the content server to the subscriber terminal.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the proxy does not forward the content request to the content server until the proxy identifies that selected content is included in the agreement between the operator of the content server and an operator of the proxy.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the subscriber terminal profile includes a maximum amount for unbilled content that is reflected by an agreement between an end user of the subscriber terminal and an operator of the content server or an operator of the proxy.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the proxy does not fulfill the content request if the maximum amount for unbilled content has been reached.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the content is not billed at one time because it corresponds to streaming content.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein a price for the content is determined based on a time at which the content is requested.

23. A method for providing a piece of content to a subscriber terminal from a content server, wherein the provision of the content from the content server to the subscriber terminal is controlled by a proxy, and said control of the content provision comprises the following steps:

receiving, from the subscriber terminal, in the proxy a content request for providing the content,

determining, by the proxy, whether or not the content is chargeable content, wherein the determining step includes accessing a database that includes information that is indicative of which content is chargeable and which content is free to end users connected to a network,

determining by means of the proxy a billing address for the chargeable content,

forwarding, by the proxy, the content request from the subscriber terminal to the content server,

forwarding, by the proxy, the content corresponding to the content request from the content server to the subscriber terminal, and

generating billing information related to the chargeable content, wherein generating billing information includes accessing a subscriber terminal profile, and wherein the subscriber terminal profile includes a prepaid amount provided by an end user of the subscriber terminal,

wherein said billing information related to the content is sent to the access network to be combined with billing information of the access network.

24. A proxy system for providing content service, the apparatus comprising:

a router component in communication with a subscriber terminal through an access network, the router component operable to receive a request for content service from the subscriber terminal and to determine if the content service is chargeable, the content being provided by a content server;

a processor device further comprising control logic further operable to determine that the content identified in the content request comprises content included in an agreement between an operator of the content server and the operator of the proxy,

a web switch component operable to receive the request from the router component, and to forward the request to the content server and deliver the content service to the subscriber terminal if the content service is chargeable; and

the processor device further comprising control logic operable to determine a billing address for the subscriber terminal based on a subscriber identity that uniquely identifies the subscriber terminal to the access network, to monitor the delivery of the content service to the subscriber terminal, and to generate billing information based on the delivery of the content service.

25. The proxy system of claim 24, wherein the processor device further comprises control logic operable to transmit the billing information to a billing system associated with the access network for combination with billing information maintained by the access network.

26. The proxy system of claim 24, wherein the processor device determines the billing address by matching the subscriber identity to a network address received from the subscriber terminal.