Method and system for location-dependent billing for services

• US 9,544,443 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2015
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Swisscom AG (Government of Switzerland)
• Inventors: Aebi, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, MONG-THUY THI
• Application Number:
  US14/612,938
• Publication Number:
  US 20150181048A1
• Time in Patent Office: 707 Days
• Field of Search: 455/406
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0054 of actual mobile position, i.e. position calculation on base station
• 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 15/48 Secure or trusted billing, e.g. trusted elements or encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/73 Validating charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8033 location-dependent, e.g. business or home
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0156 Secure and trusted billing, e.g. trusted elements, encryption, digital signature, codes or double check mechanisms to secure billing calculation and information
• 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 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7072 Validate charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7435 Location dependent, e.g. Bussiness or home
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A method for location-dependent billing for a services that are available to a mobile terminal, a local communication connection is set up to a fixably installed external location tag with a corresponding wireless interface between the fixably installed tag and the mobile terminal, the method including the steps of accessing the external location tag and transmitting a billing rate code from the external location tag to the mobile terminal, forwarding the billing rate code from the mobile terminal to a central unit of a mobile communication network, in which the mobile terminal is logged, determining a geographic location identification of the external location tag by evaluation of the billing rate code at the central unit, and selecting a billing rate for billing for the service available to the user based on the billing rate code at the central unit.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

in one or more control units of a mobile communication network;

receiving service-related information associated with a mobile terminal, wherein at least part of the service-related information is obtained by the mobile terminal from an external location tag accessed by the mobile terminal via a local communication connection, and wherein the at least part of the service-related information is received from the external location tag via the local communication connection;

determining based on the service-related information, location information relating to one or both of the mobile terminal and the external location tag; and

determining based on the service-related information, billing information associated with a service available to a user of the mobile terminal, wherein the service comprises mobile wireless access to the mobile communication network.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising determining, by the one or more control units of the mobile communication network, the billing information based on evaluation of the service-related information.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising determining, by the one or more control units of the mobile communication network, the billing information based on an evaluation of the mobile communication network.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising decrypting, by the one or more control units of the mobile communication network, the service-related information when the service-related information is encrypted or comprises an encrypted portion.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising:

obtaining, by the one or more control units of the mobile communication network, network access-related information relating to the mobile terminal, the access-related information comprising data relating to at least one component in the mobile communication network to which the mobile terminal is or was connected; and

comparing, by the one or more control units of the mobile communication network, the access-related information with the service-related information during said determining of the billing information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the external location tag is connected to a communication channel.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising setting up the local communication connection between the mobile terminal and the external location tag as a secured connection.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising setting up the local communication connection between the mobile terminal and the external location tag via a wireless interface.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the wireless interface is based on the ZigBee standard, the Bluetooth standard or a Near Field Communication (NFC) standard.

10. A system, comprising:

a mobile terminal that is operable to;

establish a local communication connection to an external location tag;

transmit, to a control unit of a mobile communication network, service-related information, wherein at least part of the service-related information is obtained by the mobile terminal from the external location tag via the local communication connection; and

receive from the control unit billing information for a service available to a user of the mobile terminal, wherein;

location information, relating to one or both of the mobile terminal and the external location tag, is determined by the control unit based on the service-related information,

the billing information is determined by the control unit based on the service-related information, and

the service comprises mobile wireless access to the mobile communication network.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the mobile terminal is operable to setup the local communication connection via a wireless interface.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the wireless interface is implemented according to the ZigBee standard, the Bluetooth standard or a Near Field Communication (NFC) standard.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the local communication connection between the mobile terminal and the external location tag is secured.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the external location tag comprises security component for securing the external location tag.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the external location tag is configured to be connected to a communication channel.

16. A system, comprising:

one or more control units of a mobile communication network, the one or more control units being operable to;

receive service-related information associated with a mobile terminal, wherein at least part of the service-related information is obtained by the mobile terminal from an external location tag accessed by the mobile terminal via a local communication connection, and wherein the at least part of the service-related information is received from the external location tag via the local communication connection;

determine based on the service-related information, location information relating to one or both of the mobile terminal and the external location tag; and

determine based on the service-related information, billing information associated with a service available to a user of the mobile terminal, wherein the service comprises mobile wireless access to the mobile communication network.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more control units are operable to determine the billing information based on evaluation of the service-related information.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more control units are operable to determine the billing information based on evaluation of the mobile communication network.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more control units are operable to decrypt the service-related information when the service-related information is encrypted or comprises an encrypted portion.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more control units are operable to:

obtain network access-related information relating to the mobile terminal, the access-related information comprising data relating to at least one component in the mobile communication network to which the mobile terminal is or was connected, and

compare the access-related information with the service-related information during said determining of the billing information.