Network billing of text messages sent/received by fixed user devices

• US 9,167,405 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Sanjeev, Kumar, Lin, Zhijian, Tan, Wei Guang, Liew, Seng Kin
• Primary Examiner(s): ZEWDU, MELESS NMN
• Application Number:
  US14/041,216
• Publication Number:
  US 20150094018A1
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• Field of Search: 455405-411, 455465-466, 455/517, 455/550.1, 4555561-5562, 455/557, 455560-561, 379/126, 379/127.01
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1482 involving use of telephony infrastructure for billing for the transport of data, e.g. call detail record [CDR] or intelligent network infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/06 Recording class or number of calling , i.e. A-party or called party , i.e. B-party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/09 Third party charged communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/43 Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8221 Message based
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A device receives a message from a fixed user device associated with a first user. The first user is associated with a first mobile user device, and the message is destined for a second mobile user device associated with a second user. The device generates a first charge record for the first user based on the message and on a telephone number associated with the first mobile user device, and provides the first charge record to a billing system. The device generates a copy of the message, provides the copy of the message to the first mobile user device, and forwards the message toward the second mobile user device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a device of a messaging system, a text message,

the text message being received from a fixed user device associated with a first user,

the first user being associated with a first mobile user device, and

the text message being destined for a second mobile user device associated with a second user;

generating, by the device, a first charge record for the first user based on the text message and based on a telephone number associated with the first mobile user device,

the first charge record enabling the first user to be charged for the text message received from the fixed user device;

providing, by the device, the first charge record to a billing system;

generating, by the device, a copy of the text message;

providing, by the device, the copy of the text message to the first mobile user device; and

forwarding, by the device, the text message toward the second mobile user device.

2. The method of claim 1, where the first charge record includes a mobile originated (MO) call data record (CDR) based on the telephone number associated with the first mobile user device.

3. The method of claim 1, where the second user utilizes the second mobile user device to generate a reply text message to the text message, and the method further comprises:

receiving a copy of the reply text message;

determining that the first mobile user device is nonoperational;

generating a second charge record for the first user based on the reply text message and based on the telephone number associated with the first mobile user device;

providing the second charge record to the billing system; and

providing the copy of the reply text message to the fixed user device.

4. The method of claim 3, where the second charge record includes a mobile terminated (MT) call data record (CDR) based on the telephone number associated with the first mobile user device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request for a messaging application from the fixed user device or the first mobile user device,

the request for the messaging application being received before the text message is received from the fixed user device;

providing the messaging application to the fixed user device and the first mobile user device based on the request;

receiving, from the fixed user device, the telephone number associated with the first mobile user device;

providing an authentication mechanism to the first mobile user device via the telephone number associated with the first mobile user device;

providing, to the fixed user device, a user interface that requests the authentication mechanism; and

synchronizing the fixed user device and the first mobile user device for the messaging application, and based on the telephone number associated with the first mobile user device, when the authentication mechanism is received from the fixed user device via the user interface.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

not synchronizing the fixed user device and the first mobile user device for the messaging application when the authentication mechanism is not received from the fixed user device via the user interface.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the copy of the text message;

receiving a request to access the copy of the text message from the first mobile user device; and

providing the stored copy of the text message to the first mobile user device based on the request.

8. A device, comprising:

one or more processors configured to;

receive a text message from a fixed user device associated with a first user,

the first user being associated with a first mobile user device, and

the text message being destined for a second mobile user device associated with a second user;

generate a first charge record for the first user based on the text message and based on a telephone number associated with the first mobile user device,

the first charge record enabling the first user to be charged for the text message received from the fixed user device;

provide the first charge record to a billing system;

generate a copy of the text message;

provide the copy of the text message to the first mobile user device; and

forward the text message toward the second mobile user device.

9. The device of claim 8, where the first charge record includes a mobile originated (MO) call data record (CDR) based on the telephone number associated with the first mobile user device.

10. The device of claim 8, where the second user utilizes the second mobile user device to generate a reply text message to the text message, and the one or more processors are configured to:

receive a copy of the reply text message;

determine that the first mobile user device is nonoperational;

generate a second charge record for the first user based on the reply text message and based on the telephone number associated with the first mobile user device;

provide the second charge record to the billing system; and

provide the copy of the reply text message to the fixed user device.

11. The device of claim 10, where the second charge record includes a mobile terminated (MT) call data record (CDR) based on the telephone number associated with the first mobile user device.

12. The device of claim 8, where the one or more processors are further configured to:

receive a request for a messaging application from the fixed user device or the first mobile user device,

the request for the messaging application being received before the text message is received from the fixed user device;

provide the messaging application to the fixed user device and the first mobile user device based on the request;

receive, from the fixed user device, the telephone number associated with the first mobile user device;

provide an authentication mechanism to the first mobile user device via the telephone number associated with the first mobile user device;

provide, to the fixed user device, a user interface that requests the authentication mechanism; and

associate the fixed user device with the first mobile user device for the messaging application, and based on the telephone number associated with the first mobile user device, when the authentication mechanism is received from the fixed user device via the user interface.

13. The device of claim 12, where the one or more processors are further configured to:

not associate the fixed user device with the first mobile user device for the messaging application when the authentication mechanism is not received from the fixed user device via the user interface.

14. The device of claim 8, where the one or more processors are further configured to:

store the copy of the text message;

receive a request to access the copy of the text message from the first mobile user device; and

provide the stored copy of the text message to the first mobile user device based on the request.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the one or more processors to;

receive a text message from a fixed user device associated with a first user,

the first user being associated with a first mobile user device, and

the text message being destined for a second mobile user device associated with a second user;

generate a first charge record for the first user based on the text message and based on a telephone number associated with the first mobile user device,

the first charge record enabling the first user to be charged for the text message received from the fixed user device;

provide the first charge record to a billing system;

generate a copy of the text message;

provide the copy of the text message to the first mobile user device; and

forward the text message toward the second mobile user device.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the first charge record includes a mobile originated (MO) call data record (CDR) based on the telephone number associated with the first mobile user device.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the second user utilizes the second mobile user device to generate a reply text message to the text message, and the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive a copy of the reply text message;

determine that the first mobile user device is nonoperational;

generate a second charge record for the first user based on the reply text message and based on the telephone number associated with the first mobile user device;

provide the second charge record to the billing system; and

provide the copy of the reply text message to the fixed user device.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, where the second charge record includes a mobile terminated (MT) call data record (CDR) based on the telephone number associated with the first mobile user device.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive a request for a messaging application from the fixed user device or the first mobile user device,

the request for the messaging application being received before the text message is received from the fixed user device;

provide the messaging application to the fixed user device and the first mobile user device based on the request;

receive, from the fixed user device, the telephone number associated with the first mobile user device;

provide an authentication mechanism to the first mobile user device via the telephone number associated with the first mobile user device;

provide, to the fixed user device, a user interface that requests the authentication mechanism;

associate the fixed user device with the first mobile user device for the messaging application, and based on the telephone number associated with the first mobile user device, when the authentication mechanism is received from the fixed user device via the user interface; and

not associate the fixed user device with the first mobile user device for the messaging application when the authentication mechanism is not received from the fixed user device via the user interface.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

store the copy of the text message;

receive a request to access the copy of the text message from the first mobile user device; and

provide the stored copy of the text message to the first mobile user device based on the request.