Proximity-based mobile telephone billing intervention

• US 20030045269A1
• Filed: 08/30/2001
• Published: 03/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Spinac, Clifford Jay, Rodriguez, Herman, Smith, Newton James Jr., Himmel, Maria Azua
• Granted Patent: US 6,993,319 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/408
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1471 splitting of costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/09 Third party charged communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8033 location-dependent, e.g. business or home
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8038 Roaming or handoff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2033 WLAN
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/34 Roaming
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/66 Third party billing, i.e. third party can also be the predetermined telephone line of the caller if he is calling from another telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7435 Location dependent, e.g. Bussiness or home
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7442 Roaming
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A method, computer program product, and data processing system for allowing a third party to assume a mobile telephone user'"'"'s airtime and other charges when the mobile telephone user enters a particular geographic area, such as the third party'"'"'s property is disclosed.

Claims

1. A method operative with respect to a telephone conversation having at least one party operating a mobile telephone, the method comprising:

detecting whether the mobile telephone is present within a pre-defined area; and

responsive to detecting that the mobile telephone is present within the pre-defined area, writing data to a billing record to indicate that a second party has been billed for mobile telephone airtime charges of the at least one party operating a mobile telephone, wherein the second party is a party other than the at least one party operating a mobile telephone.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

writing data to the billing record to indicate that the second party has been billed for additional charges of the at least one party operating a mobile telephone that are other than mobile telephone airtime charges.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the other charges include at least one of long distance charges, local toll charges, and local telephone call charges.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting an indication to the at least one party operating a mobile telephone that the at least one party operating a mobile telephone will not be billed for the mobile telephone airtime charges.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one party initiates a call within the pre-defined area, and the mobile telephone airtime charges are associated with the call.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one party answers a call within the pre-defined area, and the mobile telephone airtime charges are associated with the call.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one party enters the pre-defined area while a call is in progress, and the mobile telephone airtime charges are associated with the call.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to detecting that the mobile telephone has left the pre-defined area, writing additional data to the billing record to indicate that the at least one party has been billed for mobile telephone airtime charges accrued after leaving the pre-defined area.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting step includes triangulating the position of the mobile telephone from signal transmission times.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the signal transmission times include at least one of mobile telephone signal transmission times and Global Positioning System (GPS) signal transmission times.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting step includes using at least one sensor located in the pre-determined area to detect the presence of the mobile telephone.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one sensor includes a radio-frequency identification tag reader.

13. A computer program product in a computer readable medium, operative with respect to a telephone conversation having at least one party operating a mobile telephone, comprising instructions for:

detecting whether the mobile telephone is present within a pre-defined area; and

responsive to detecting that the mobile telephone is present within the pre-defined area, writing data to a billing record to indicate that a second party has been billed for mobile telephone airtime charges of the at least one party operating a mobile telephone, wherein the second party is a party other than the at least one party operating a mobile telephone.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, comprising additional instructions for:

writing data to the billing record to indicate that the second party has been billed for additional charges of the at least one party operating a mobile telephone that are other than mobile telephone airtime charges.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the additional charges include at least one of long distance charges, local toll charges, and local telephone call charges.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, comprising additional instructions for:

presenting an indication to the at least one party operating a mobile telephone that the at least one party operating a mobile telephone will not be billed for the mobile telephone airtime charges.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the at least one party initiates a call within the pre-defined area, and the mobile telephone airtime charges are associated with the call.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the at least one party answers a call within the pre-defined area, and the mobile telephone airtime charges are associated with the call.

19. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the at least one party enters the pre-defined area while a call is in progress, and the mobile telephone airtime charges are associated with the call.

20. The computer program product of claim 13, comprising additional instructions for:

responsive to detecting that the mobile telephone has left the pre-defined area, writing additional data to the billing record to indicate that the at least one party has been billed for mobile telephone airtime charges accrued after leaving the pre-defined area.

21. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the detecting step includes triangulating the position of the mobile telephone from signal transmission times.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the signal transmission times include at least one of mobile telephone signal transmission times and Global Positioning System (GPS) signal transmission times.

23. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the instructions for detecting include instructions for using at least one sensor located in the pre-determined area to detect the presence of the mobile telephone.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the at least one sensor includes a radio-frequency identification tag reader.

25. A data processing system operative with respect to a telephone conversation having at least one party operating a mobile telephone, comprising:

a bus system;

a processing unit including at least one processor; and

a memory containing a set of instructions, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to perform the acts of;

detecting whether the mobile telephone is present within a pre-defined area; and

responsive to detecting that the mobile telephone is present within the pre-defined area, writing data to a billing record to indicate that a second party has been billed for mobile telephone airtime charges of the at least one party operating a mobile telephone, wherein the second party is a party other than the at least one party operating a mobile telephone.

26. The data processing system of claim 25, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to perform the additional acts of:

writing data to the billing record to indicate that the second party has been billed for additional charges of the at least one party operating a mobile telephone that are other than mobile telephone airtime charges.

27. The data processing system of claim 26, wherein the additional charges include at least one of long distance charges, local toll charges, and local telephone call charges.

28. The data processing system of claim 25, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to perform the additional acts of:

presenting an indication to the at least one party operating a mobile telephone that the at least one party operating a mobile telephone will not be billed for the mobile telephone airtime charges.

29. The data processing system of claim 25, wherein the at least one party initiates a call within the pre-defined area, and the mobile telephone airtime charges are associated with the call.

30. The data processing system of claim 25, wherein the at least one party answers a call within the pre-defined area, and the mobile telephone airtime charges are associated with the call.

31. The data processing system of claim 25, wherein the at least one party enters the pre-defined area while a call is in progress, and the mobile telephone airtime charges are associated with the call.

32. The data processing system of claim 25, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to perform the additional acts of:

responsive to detecting that the mobile telephone has left the pre-defined area, writing additional data to the billing record to indicate that the at least one party has been billed for mobile telephone airtime charges accrued after leaving the pre-defined area.

33. The data processing system of claim 25, wherein the detecting step includes triangulating the position of the mobile telephone from signal transmission times.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the signal transmission times include at least one of mobile telephone signal transmission times and Global Positioning System (GPS) signal transmission times.

35. The data processing system of claim 25, wherein the detecting act includes using at least one sensor located in the pre-determined area to detect the presence of the mobile telephone.

36. The data processing system of claim 35, wherein the at least one sensor includes a radio-frequency identification tag reader.