Paid instant message system and method for authenticating identities using a mobile telephone network

• US 9,402,178 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2013
• Issued: 07/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kamfu Wong
• Original Assignee: Kamfu Wong
• Inventors: Wong, Kamfu
• Primary Examiner(s): Agosta, Steve D
• Application Number:
  US13/773,258
• Publication Number:
  US 20140235199A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,251 Days
• Field of Search: 455/406, 455/414.1, 455/418, 455/466
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/39 Arrangements for preventing metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/75 Account location specifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/751 Card based account, e.g. smart card, SIM card or USIM
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/755 Account identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/7553 via service number, e.g. calling card
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/103 using SIMs (USIMs) or calling cards
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication

Abstract

A paid instant message system and method that authenticate identities using a mobile telephone network, which comprise: a message server, user cell phone, and mobile telephone networks. The user cell phone has an instant messaging application installed therein. Each user account includes a specified charge for sending and receiving messages. By means of a paying and charging mechanism, the present invention makes the cost for sending junk messages increase and make the people oversending messages to pay the corresponding price, thus preventing appearance of junk messages. As for the normal instant messaging among people, messages are sent and received by each other, so they pay each other, and in this case, the fees paid and charged by one person or by one company will almost be equal, hence this will not cause any burden and influence to anyone who normally uses the instant messaging.

Claims

1. A paid instant message system that authenticates identities using a mobile telephone network, said system comprising:

a message server, cell phones of different users, mobile telephone networks of cell phones of different users, wherein, said message server is communicatively connected to each mobile telephone network and comprises a server end software for instant messaging, so that the cell phone of each user accesses the message server through a mobile telephone network to perform instant messaging;

the message server comprises a user account of each user, each user account is associated with an identity by which the cell phone of said user accesses the mobile telephone network; and

an instant messaging application is installed in the cell phone of a user, and the cell phone accesses the message server through said instant messaging application via the mobile telephone network to perform instant messaging with cell phones of other users, and each user account includes a specified charge, when a user uses the instant messaging application of the cell phone to transmit a message to other cell phones through the message server, the user of a cell phone sending the message pays the user of the cell phone receiving the message a fee specified by the charge in the user account of a receiver, so as to prevent junk messages from being transmitted to users through instant messaging by means of a paying and charging mechanism via instant messages;

wherein said fee is charged by the message server to a bank account of the user of the cell phone sending the messages and is paid into the bank account of the user of the cell phone receiving the messages after a commission charge having been deducted therefrom,

wherein the user sets a charge to the message server through the instant messaging application in the cell phone before a user'"'"'s cell phone receives instant messages from other cell phones based on a specific group of steps A as follows;

A1;

the user of the cell phone sending the message, using the instant messaging application of the cell phone to transmit a request for message transmission to the message server via the mobile telephone network, said request for message transmission including such content as relevant information of the user of the cell phone receiving the message;

A2;

the message server transmitting identity information of a sender to the cell phone of the receiver via a mobile telephone network according to the content of the request for message transmission to request the receiver to prepare to receive the message;

A3;

the receiver learning an identity of the sender by checking the received message using the instant messaging application in the cell phone, and using the instant messaging application in the cell phone to transmit the charge to the message server via the mobile telephone network if the receiver agrees to receive the message;

A4;

the message server receiving the charge transmitted from the receiver and transmitting said charge to the cell phone of the sender via the mobile telephone network;

A5;

the sender transmitting the instant message that needs to be transmitted to the receiver to the message server via the mobile telephone network using the instant messaging application in the cell phone if a payment is agreed;

A6;

the message server transmitting said instant message to the cell phone of the receiver via the mobile telephone network;

A7;

when the receiver opens said instant message using the instant messaging application of the receiver'"'"'s cell phone, the instant messaging application of said cell phone marking said instant message as being read already, which means that said instant message has been read in the cell phone of the receiver, and reporting a latest status of said instant message to the message server; and

A8;

the message server storing the latest status of said instant message in a message transmission state records of the user accounts of the sender and the receiver, respectively, and performing charging and paying operations according to the message transmission status record of the user'"'"'s account when settling the accounts.

2. The paid instant message system that authenticates identities using a mobile telephone network according to claim 1, wherein said message server confirms a user'"'"'s identity by using the instant messaging application in the cell phone of the user to verify a SIM card information of said cell phone.

3. The paid instant message system that authenticates identities using a mobile telephone network according to claim 1, wherein:

said system comprises a bank provided with a user'"'"'s bank account; and

the fee is charged by the message server to the user'"'"'s bank account of the cell phone (2) sending the message when settling the account, and is paid into a user'"'"'s bank account of the cell phone receiving the message after a commission charge having been deducted.

4. A paid instant message method that authenticates identities using a mobile telephone network, wherein said method comprises:

providing a message server, said message server being communicatively connected to each mobile telephone network and being provided with a server end software for instant messaging, so that a cell phone of each user accesses the message server through the mobile telephone network to perform instant messaging;

the message server includes a user account of each user, each user account is associated with an identity by which the cell phone of said user accesses the mobile telephone network; and

an instant messaging application is installed in the cell phone of the user, and the cell phone accesses the message server through said instant messaging application via the mobile telephone network to perform instant messaging with cell phones of other users, and each user account includes a specified charge, when a user uses the instant messaging application of the cell phone to transmit message to other cell phones through the message server, the user of a cell phone sending the message pays the user of the cell phone receiving the message a fee specified by charge in the user account of a receiver, so as to prevent junk messages from being transmitted to users through instant messaging by means of a paying and charging mechanism via instant messages;

wherein said fee is charged by the message server to a bank account of the user of the cell phone sending the messages and is paid into the bank account of the user of the cell phone receiving the messages after a commission charge having been deducted therefrom,

wherein said method comprises a group of steps A of setting the charges by a user, said group of steps A is that the user sets a charge to the message server through the instant messaging application in the cell phone before a user'"'"'s cell phone receives instant messages from other cell phones, a specific group of steps A is as follows;

A1;

the user of the cell phone sending the message, using the instant messaging application of the cell phone to transmit a request for message transmission to the message server via the mobile telephone network, said request for message transmission including such content as relevant information of the user of the cell phone receiving the message;

A2;

the message server transmitting identity information of a sender to the cell phone of the receiver via a mobile telephone network according to the content of the request for message transmission to request the receiver to prepare to receive the message;

A3;

the receiver learning an identity of the sender by checking the received message using the instant messaging application in the cell phone, and using the instant messaging application in the cell phone to transmit the charge to the message server via the mobile telephone network if the receiver agrees to receive the message;

A4;

the message server receiving the charge transmitted from the receiver and transmitting said charge to the cell phone of the sender via the mobile telephone network;

A5;

the sender transmitting the instant message that needs to be transmitted to the receiver to the message server via the mobile telephone network using the instant messaging application in the cell phone if a payment is agreed;

A6;

the message server transmitting said instant message to the cell phone of the receiver via the mobile telephone network;

A7;

when the receiver opens said instant message using the instant messaging application of the receiver'"'"'s cell phone, the instant messaging application of said cell phone marking said instant message as being read already, which means that said instant message has been read in the cell phone of the receiver, and reporting a latest status of said instant message to the message server; and

A8;

the message server storing the latest status of said instant message in a message transmission state records of the user accounts of the sender and the receiver, respectively, and performing charging and paying operations according to the message transmission status record of the user'"'"'s account when settling the accounts.

5. The paid instant message method that authenticates identities using a mobile telephone network according to claim 4, wherein a list of charges is provided in the user account, which contains one or more records, each record including a specified charge as well as identity information of a message sender.

6. The paid instant message method that authenticates identities using a mobile telephone network according to claim 4, wherein said fee is charged by the message server to a mobile phone account of the mobile telephone network to which a message sending cell phone belongs when settling the accounts, and is paid into the mobile telephone account of the mobile telephone network to which the message receiving cell phone belongs after a commission charge having been deducted therefrom.

7. The paid instant message method that authenticates identities using a mobile telephone network according to claim 4, wherein said user account also includes a message transmission status record, which records a status of a cell phone receiving messages via the message server, including:

whether a messages has been successfully transmitted to a receiver cell phone, whether a message has been read in the cell phone receiving messages, and the message server performs operations of paying and charging according to the message transmission status record in the user'"'"'s account when settling the accounts.