System and method operable to enable shortest connection route

• US 8,942,700 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2010
• Issued: 01/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synapse International SA
• Original Assignee: Synapse International SA
• Inventors: Bergqvist, Per, Willehadson, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hanh N
• Application Number:
  US13/256,334
• Publication Number:
  US 20120008564A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,769 Days
• Field of Search: 370/400, 370/401, 370/338, 370/352, 370/389, 370/329, 370/468, 370/351, 370/341, 370/360, 370/395.4, 379/93.22, 379/114.01, 379/114.02, 379/114.07, 379/114.08, 455/432.1, 455/433, 455/435.1, 455/436, 455/445, 455/452.2
• US Class Current: 455/436
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/146 using digital cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/50 Address allocation
• 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 15/705 Account settings, e.g. limits or numbers or payment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8038 Roaming or handoff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8055 Selecting cheaper transport technology for a given service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8061 Selecting least cost route depending on origin or type of service
• 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 2215/7009 Account settings, e.g. users, terminals, limits, numbers or payment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/74 Rating aspects, e.g. rating parameters or tariff determination apects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7442 Roaming
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/745 Least cost routing, e.g. Automatic or manual, call by call or by preselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7464 Select transport technology for a given service, e.g. use for data connection WLAN rather than GSM/UMTS/GPRS or use company's communication network rather than a public network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7471 Select route depending on origin or type of service, e.g. route TDMA voice calls differently than VoIP calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/082 for traffic bypassing of mobility servers, e.g. location registers, home PLMNs or home agents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system operable to enable shortest connection route for a mobile means of a subscriber, when the mobile means has roamed between a home network comprised in the system, and a foreign network comprised in the system. When the mobile means requests connection to Internet I, a serving means comprised in the foreign network is operable to communicate with, and to receive information regarding a voucher, representing an amount of money, regarding the foreign network, from a voucher registry means comprised in the system. If a voucher, representing enough amount of money, is registered in the voucher registry means, the serving means is operable to route a packet to a gateway means comprised in the foreign network. The gateway means is operable to allocate an IP address for the mobile means and to function as an access point to Internet I.

Claims

1. A system configured to provide for a shortest connection route for a mobile device of a subscriber, the system comprising:

a home network;

a foreign network, the mobile device roaming between the home network and the foreign network, the foreign network associated with a voucher registry device, wherein

the foreign network includes a serving device configured to communicate with the voucher registry device, and a gateway device configured to connect to the Internet,

the serving device configured to receive information regarding a voucher, representing an amount of money, regarding the foreign network, from the voucher registry device, and if the received voucher, representing a sufficient amount of money, is registered in the voucher registry device, the serving device is configured to route a packet from the serving device to the gateway device,

the gateway device is configured to allocate an IP address for the mobile device and is configured to operate as an access point to the Internet for the mobile device, and

the home network is not associated with the voucher registry device.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the gateway device is further configured to count every byte transferred to and from the mobile device, and is configured to communicate the count of bytes to the serving device, and

the serving device is configured to deduct an amount of money corresponding to the count of bytes from the amount of money represented by the voucher, and to register a new amount of money for the voucher in the voucher registry device.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the gateway device is configured to communicate the count of bytes to the serving device at an end of a session.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the serving device is further configured to stop a connection to Internet via the gateway device, when the amount of money represented by the voucher decreases to zero.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the serving device includes a Serving GPRS Support Node.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile device includes at least one of a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a mobile computer.

7. A method for providing a shortest connection route for a mobile device of a subscriber on a system, the system having a home network, a foreign network, the mobile device roaming between the home network and the foreign network, the foreign network associated with a voucher registry device, the foreign network having a serving device configured to communicate with the voucher registry device and a gateway device configured to connect to the Internet, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving information regarding a voucher at the serving device from the voucher registry device, the voucher representing an amount of money regarding the foreign network;

routing a packet from the serving device to the gateway device by the serving device, when the received voucher represents a sufficient amount of money is registered at the voucher registry device;

allocating an IP address for the mobile device at the gateway device; and

operating the gateway device as an access point at the foreign network to the Internet for the mobile device,

wherein the home network is not associated with the voucher registry device.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

counting every byte transferred to and from the mobile device at the gateway device;

communicating the count of bytes from the gateway device to the serving device; and

deducting an amount of money corresponding to the count of bytes from the amount of money represented by the voucher and registering a new amount of money for the voucher in the voucher registry device by the serving device.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of:

communicating the count of bytes from the gateway device to the serving device at an end of a session.

10. The method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of:

stopping a connection to the Internet via the gateway device by the serving device, when the amount of money represented by the voucher decreases to zero.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein the serving device includes a Serving GPRS Support Node.

12. The method according to claim 7, wherein the mobile device includes at least one of a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a mobile computer.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium having computer code recorded thereon, the computer code configured to perform a method when executed on a system, the system having a home network, a foreign network, the mobile device roaming between the home network and the foreign network, the foreign network associated with a voucher registry device, the foreign network having a serving device configured to communicate with the voucher registry device and a gateway device configured to connect to the Internet, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving information regarding a voucher at the serving device from the voucher registry device, the voucher representing an amount of money regarding the foreign network;

routing a packet from the serving device to the gateway device by the servicing device, when the received voucher represents a sufficient amount of money is registered in the voucher registry device;

allocating an IP address for the mobile device at the gateway device; and

operating the gateway device as an access point to the Internet at the foreign network for the mobile device,

wherein the home network is not associated with the voucher registry device.