Charging for vas resource usage in a communications infrastructure

• US 20030079013A1
• Filed: 11/07/2002
• Published: 04/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: IʼAnson, Colin
• Application Number:
  US10/275,872
• Publication Number:
  US 20030079013A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1464 using a card, such as credit card, prepay card or SIM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1471 splitting of costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1496 involving discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• 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 15/68 Payment of value-added services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/7655 shared by technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/772 per service, e.g. prepay or post-pay
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/773 per technology, e.g. PSTN or wireless
• 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 2215/0196 Payment of value-added services, mainly when their charges are added on the telephone bill, e.g. payment of non-telecom services, e-commerce, on-line banking
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/204 UMTS; GPRS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/725 Shared by technologies, e.g. one account for different access technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7263 per service, e.g. prepay and post-pay
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7268 per technology, e.g. PSTN or wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/00 : Communication routing or communication path finding
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 : Local resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/04 : Large scale networks; Deep hierarchical networks

Abstract

A method is provided for charging for resource usage in a communications infrastructure. User packet-data traffic is divided into a first traffic flow (53) associated with value-added service, VAS, resources (54, 55) provided by the communications infrastructure, and a second traffic flow (51) for other traffic. The first traffic flow (53) is routed through a VAS marshalling system (60) where the respective traffic components for the individual VAS resources (54, 55) are identified and metered.

Claims

1. A method of charging for resource usage in a communications infrastructure, wherein user packet-data traffic is divided into a first traffic flow associated with value-added service, VAS, resources provided by, or accessible to, the communications structure, and a second traffic flow for other traffic;

the first traffic flow being routed through a VAS marshalling system where the respective traffic components for the individual VAS resources are identified and metered.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein all the user traffic is metered and billed at a prevailing charge rate, additional billing being effected in respect of use of the VAS resources by the first traffic flow as metered by the VAS marshaling system.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the VAS marshalling system separates/combines the component traffic flows associated with the various VAS resources.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the marshalling system is distributed across metering units associated with respective ones of said VAS resources, the first data flow being formed from/divided into component traffic flows associated with respective ones of said VAS resources, externally of the distributed VAS marshalling system.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the billing in respect of a traffic component associated with a given VAS resource is divided between the user and the party responsible for the traffic.

6. A packet-data communications infrastructure including:

a switch for dividing user packet-data traffic into a first traffic flow associated with value-added service, VAS, resources provided or accessible by the communications infrastructure, and a second traffic flow for other traffic; and

a VAS marshaling system through which the first traffic flow is routed by the switch, the marshalling system being operative to identify and meter the respective traffic components for the individual VAS resources.

7. An infrastructure according to claim 6, further including a standard-billing system for metering and billing all the user traffic at a prevailing charge rate, additional billing being effected in respect of use of the VAS resources by the first traffic flow as metered by the VAS marshalling system.

8. An infrastructure according to claim 6, wherein the VAS marshaling system is operative to separate/combine the component traffic flows associated with the various VAS resources.

9. An infrastucture according to claim 6, wherein the marshalling system is distributed across metering units associated with respective ones of said VAS resources, the infrastructure including a switch arrangement for forming/dividing the fist data flow in from/into component traffic flows associated with respective ones of said VAS resources, externally of the distributed VAS marshalling system.

10. An infrastructure according to claim 6, wherein the marshalling system includes a sub-system for dividing the billing in respect of a traffic component associated with a given VAS resource, between the user and the party responsible for the traffic.