Transfer device

• US 8,949,319 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2012
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Masaaki, Sekiguchi, Katsumi, Nakatsuchi, Masaharu, Sekizaki, Norihito
• Primary Examiner(s): ZHANG, SHIRLEY X
• Application Number:
  US13/554,645
• Publication Number:
  US 20120284179A1
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: 709201-207, 709/218, 709/232, 709/238, 709/244, 455/415, 455/417, 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/426.1, 455/435.1
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1836 with heterogeneous network architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/06 Message adaptation to terminal or network requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The user of a mobile station which is prepared to receive information providing services from unspecified IP (Information Providers) accesses a gateway server and performs a pre-registration procedure (S71). When an IP server has information to provide to users, it constructs the information in the form of electronic mail, appends user attribute data, and sends this to the gateway server (S72). Upon receiving electronic mail with attribute data, the gateway server stores the electronic mail in a third mailbox, makes a comparison of the user attributes, and calls the mobile stations of relevant users (S73). A user who has received a call requests a download of the electronic mail from the gateway server (S74). The gateway server sends electronic mail to the mobile station which made the request (S75, S76).

Claims

1. A transfer device for routing information in a communication network between at least one information provider server and a plurality of user terminals which receive information from the information provider server, the transfer device comprising at least one computer and at least one memory which stores programs executable by the at least one computer to:

record information provider server identification information for billing procedure in the at least one memory;

after recording the information provider server identification information, receive push-type information from the information provider server and route at least a part of the received push-type information to a user terminal;

determine, based on the recorded information provider server identification information, which party to bill for receiving the push-type information by the user terminal, either an information provider of the information provider server or a user of the user terminal; and

at least partly bill the party determined to be billed.

2. The transfer device of claim 1, wherein the information provider server identification information comprises a network address of the information provider server.

3. The transfer device of claim 1, wherein the at least one computer bills the information provider server.

4. The transfer device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of user terminals is in a first communication network following a first communication protocol, and the information provider server is in a second communication network following a second communication protocol, and

wherein the transfer device is a gateway server converting between the first and second communication protocols.

5. The transfer device of claim 4, wherein the first communication network comprises a mobile communication network, and the second communication network comprises an Internet, and

wherein the plurality of user terminals comprise mobile terminals.

6. An information routing method performed by a transfer device, the transfer device comprising at least one computer and at least one memory for routing information in a communication network between at least one information provider server and a plurality of user terminals which receive information from the information provider server, the method comprising computer-executable steps executable by the at least one computer to implement:

recording information provider server identification information for billing procedure in the at least one memory;

after recoding the information provider server identification information, receiving push-type information from the information provider server and routing at least a part of the received push-type information to a user terminal;

determining which party to bill for receiving the push-type information by the user terminal, either an information provider of the information provider server or a user of the user terminal, based on the recorded information provider server identification information; and

at least partly billing the party determined to be billed.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the information provider server identification information comprises a network address of the information provider server.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one computer bills the information provider server.

9. The billing method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of user terminals is in a first communication network following a first communication protocol, and the information provider server is in a second communication network following a second communication protocol,

wherein the transfer device is a gateway server converting between the first and second communication protocols.

10. The billing method of claim 9, wherein the first communication network comprises a mobile communication network, and the second communication network comprises an Internet, and wherein the plurality of user terminals comprise mobile terminals.

11. A transfer device for routing pull-type information in a communication network between at least one information provider and a plurality of user terminals which receive information from the information provider server, the transfer device comprising at least one computer and at least one memory which stores programs executable by the at least one computer to:

receive a request for pull-type information from a user terminal;

send the request to an information provider server;

receive, from the information provider server in response to the request to the information provider server, the pull-type information and billing information other than a network address, the billing information being associated with the pull-type information;

route at least a part of the received pull-type information to the user terminal;

determine, based on the billing information received from the information provider server, which party to bill for receiving the pull-type information by the user terminal, either an information provider of the information provider server or a user of the user terminal; and

at least partly bill the party determined to be billed, wherein the communication comprises HTML data, and the billing information comprises a tag associated with the HTML data.

12. A transfer device for routing pull-type information in a communication network between at least one information provider and a plurality of user terminals which receive information from the information provider server, the transfer device comprising at least one computer and at least one memory which stores programs executable by the at least one computer to:

record information provider server identification information for billing procedure in the at least one memory;

after recoding the information provider server identification information, receive a request for pull-type information from a user terminal;

send the request to an information provider server;

receive the pull-type information from the information provider server in response to the request to the information provider server;

route at least a part of the received pull-type information to the user terminal;

determine, based on the recorded information provider server identification information, which party to bill for receiving the pull-type information by the user terminal, either an information provider of the information provider server or a user of the user terminal; and

at least partly bill the party determined to be billed.

13. The transfer device of claim 12, wherein the information provider server identification information comprises a network address of the information provider server.

14. An information routing method performed by a transfer device, the transfer device comprising at least one computer and at least one memory for routing pull-type information in a communication network between at least one information provider server and a plurality of user terminals which receive information from the information provider server, the method comprising computer-executable steps executable by the at least one computer to implement:

receiving a request for pull-type information from a user terminal;

sending the request to an information provider server;

receiving, from the information provider server in response to the request to the information provider server, the pull-type information and billing information other than a network address, the billing information being associated with the pull-type information;

routing at least a part of the pull-type information to the user terminal;

determining which party to bill for receiving the information by the user terminal, based on the billing information received from the information provider server, either an information provider of the information provider server or a user of the user terminal; and

at least partly billing the party determined to be billed, wherein the communication comprises HTML data, and the billing information comprises a tag associated with the HTML data.

15. An information routing method performed by a transfer device, the transfer device comprising at least one computer and at least one memory for routing pull-type information in a communication network between at least one information provider server and a plurality of user terminals which receive information from the information provider server, the method comprising computer-executable steps executable by the at least one computer to implement:

recording information provider server identification information for billing procedure in the at least one memory;

after recording the information provider server identification information, receiving a request for pull-type information from a user terminal;

sending the request to an information provider server;

receiving the pull-type information from the information provider server in response to the request to the information provider server;

routing at least a part of the pull-type information to the user terminal;

determining which party to bill for receiving the information by the user terminal, based on the recorded information provider server identification information, either an information provider of the information provider server or a user of the user terminal; and

at least partly billing the party determined to be billed.

16. The billing method of claim 15, wherein the information provider server identification information comprises a network address of the information provider server.

17. An information transmission management method in a communication network comprising at least one information provider server, a plurality of user terminals for receiving information provided by the information provider server, and an information transmission management system, the information transmission management system comprising at least one computer and at least one memory for managing transmission of information between the information provider server and the user terminals, the method comprising computer-executable steps performed by the at least one computer of the information transmission management to implement:

registering, in the at least one memory, the information provider server with the information transmission management system, along with billing information regarding an information transmission service rendered by the information provider server;

registering, in the at least one memory, at least one user terminal with the information transmission management system, along with user information regarding a user of the at least one user terminal who receives the information transmission service from the information provider server;

after registering the information provider server and the at least one user terminal with the information transmission management system, receiving from the information provider server information provided for the user under the information transmission service;

determining which party to bill a fee related to the user receiving the information transmission service from the information provider server, either the user or an information provider of the information provider server, based on at least one of the registered billing information and the registered user information; and

billing the party determined to be billed.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein billing the party determined to be billed comprises billing the party, based on a fixed rate.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein billing the party based on the fixed rate comprises billing the party regardless of whether information is routed to the user terminal.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the information transmission management system periodically bills the party, independent of whether information is transmitted to the user terminal.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the information transmission management system communicates with the plurality of user terminals via a first network and with the information provider server via a second network.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the second network comprises an Internet;

wherein the first network comprises a mobile communication network with the information transmission management system communicating with the plurality of user terminals via at least the mobile communication network; and

wherein the plurality of user terminals comprise mobile terminals.

23. An information transmission management system, the information transmission management system managing transmission of information between a plurality of user terminals in a first network and an information provider server in a second network, the information transmission management system comprising:

at least one database comprising registration of billing information regarding an information transmission service rendered by the information provider server and user information regarding a user of at least one user terminal who receives the information transmission service from the information provider server;

a gateway server configured to, after the billing information and the user information are registered in the at least one database, receive from the information provider server information provided for the user under the information transmission service, wherein the gateway server determines which party to bill a fee related to the user receiving the information transmission service from the information provider server, either the user or an information provider of the information provider server, based on at least one of the registered billing information and the registered user information; and

billing system in communication with the at least one database to calculate and bill the fee to a party determined to be billed.

24. The information transmission management system of claim 23, wherein the billing system bills the party determined to be billed, based on a fixed rate.

25. The information transmission management system of claim 24, wherein the billing system bills the user regardless of whether information is routed to the user terminal.

26. The information transmission management system of claim 25, wherein the billing system periodically bills the user independent of whether information is routed to the user terminal.

27. The information transmission management system of claim 23, wherein the second network comprises an Internet;

wherein the first network comprises a mobile communication network with the information transmission management system communicating with the plurality of user terminals via at least the mobile communication network; and

wherein the plurality of user terminals comprise mobile terminals.