Aggregated billing for application-based network access and content consumption

• US 10,037,554 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2013
• Issued: 07/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Vigo Software Ltd (GO2 Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Vigo Software Ltd (GO2 Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Prokopenko, Anton, Malets, Konstantin, Kulikov, Denis
• Primary Examiner(s): Chein, Allen C
• Application Number:
  US14/067,458
• Publication Number:
  US 20150120520A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,735 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing

Abstract

Providing for aggregate billing related to provisioning network access and network content to an application or device is described herein. By way of example, the application or device (e.g., a client, . . . ) can be provided network access at a discounted rate to access content of content provider. The network access can be general access, or can be limited access to one or more web-pages, domains, hosts, etc. in various embodiments. Charges for content consumed by the client can be an aggregated charge that includes charges for the content and charges for the network access. In various embodiments, network access can facilitate a relatively persistent connection to a network, with network access charges aggregated into charges for consumption of online content or utilization of online services, or vice versa.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

allocating, by a system comprising a processor, network access resources of a communication network to a device;

facilitating establishment of a private communication channel between an application operating on the device and a communication server that controls access to a content server of a network content provider, wherein the private communication channel is restricted from a second application operating on the device;

facilitating consumption of media content by the device, the media content delivered over the private communication channel from the content server at least in part by way of the network access resources;

receiving, by the system, a consumption report pertaining to the network access resources and the media content;

retrieving, from the consumption report, first data representing a content report indicating the media content consumed at the device or the application operating on the device;

retrieving, from the consumption report, second data representing a network report of the network access resources provided for the application and restricted from the second application operating on the device in conjunction with consumption of the media content at the application or the device;

retrieving agreement data representing existence of a stored combined billing agreement between a network operator associated with the communication network and providing the network access resources to the application and restricted from the second application and a content provider facilitating transmission of the media content to the application or device;

compiling network access billing data from the first data incorporating charges for consumption of the network access resources and content billing data from the second data incorporating charges for consumption of the media content per the combined billing agreement represented by the agreement data; and

at least one of;

issuing a combined billing statement comprising the network access billing data and the content billing data in response to the agreement data indicating combined billing, or

issuing separate billing statements respectively comprising the network access billing data and the content billing data in response to the agreement data indicating separate billing.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving the agreement data comprises retrieving rule data representing combined billing rules for the network operator and the content provider in conjunction with issuing the combined billing statement.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising referencing a client data file comprising billing information pertaining to the application or device, in response to receiving the network report or the content report.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising identifying modification data within the client data file indicative of a subscriber account modification to a default billing arrangement under the combined billing agreement.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the modification data includes a client device preference for the combined billing statement or for the separate billing statements, and further comprising incorporating the subscriber account modification to the charges for consumption of the network access resources or the charges for consumption of the media content in conjunction with compiling the network access billing data and the content billing data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein issuing the separate billing statements further comprises generating a media content billing statement comprising charges for the consumed media content and an access network billing statement comprising charges for the network access resources, wherein the network access resources are provisioned to the application and restricted from the second application only for consumption of the media content.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting one or more of the separate billing statements directly to the application or device to facilitate issuing the separate billing statements.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting one or more of the separate billing statements to the content provider to facilitate issuing the separate billing statements to the application or device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the issuing the combined billing statement further comprises aggregating charges for consumed media content and charges for consumed access network resources provisioned to the application only for the consumed media content and restricted from the second application.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the combined billing statement to the content provider in accordance with the combined billing agreement.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the combined billing statement to the network operator in accordance with the combined billing agreement.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the combined billing statement according to client contact information associated with the application or device.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising referencing stored supplemental payment rules associated with the network operator in response to receiving the network report, or associated with the content provider in response to receiving the content report.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising identifying an instant offer associated with charges for consumption of the network access resources or with charges for consumption of the media content, and transmitting the instant offer to the application or device in response to receiving the network report or the content report, and in response to identifying the instant offer.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising facilitating provisioning of advertisement content, promotional content, marketing content or limited-use purchase agreement content to the application or device in conjunction with the instant offer.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining whether the instant offer is accepted or rejected at the application or device, and determining compliance with terms of the instant offer in response to acceptance of the instant offer at the application or device.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising modifying the compiled billing data in accordance with terms of the instant offer in response to the acceptance of the instant offer and in response to determining compliance with the terms of the instant offer.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising issuing the separate billing statements or the combined billing statement unmodified in response to rejection of the instant offer or in response to determining non-compliance with the terms of the instant offer.