Application-based value billing in a wireless subscriber network

• US 20050192878A1
• Filed: 01/20/2005
• Published: 09/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Horel, Gerald C., Minear, Brian, Lundblade, Laurence, Oliver, Mitchell B., Yu, Julie
• Granted Patent: US 10,043,170 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3223 Realising banking transactions through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing

Abstract

Systems and methods for application-based billing in a wireless subscriber billing system are disclosed. A wireless client device can generate and transmit a billing request to the billing system. The billing system generates a validation response to the billing request and transmits the validation response to the client device. The validation response can be processed by the client device to enable a service linked to the billing request.

Claims

1. A method for application-based billing in a wireless subscriber billing system, the method comprising:

generating a billing request within a client device;

transmitting the billing request including a subscriber identification (SID) to the billing system;

generating a validation response to the billing request at the billing system; and

transmitting the validation response to the client device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device is at least one of a wireless computing device, a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a paging device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the validation response is at least one of an approval of the billing request and a denial of the billing request.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the validation response at the client device; and

processing the validation response.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein processing the validation response further comprises:

enabling a service linked to the billing request, if the validation response is an approval.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein processing the validation response further comprises:

connecting to a remote content server; and

retrieving content linked to the billing request, if the validation response is an approval.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein processing the validation response further comprises:

indicating a denial of the billing request, if the validation response is a denial.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting an option to purchase a service including a list price on the client device; and

receiving an acceptance of the purchase option, prior to generating the billing request.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating vendor data with the billing request.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

propagating the vendor data through the billing system; and

generating a report including the vendor data.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the billing request includes additional billing information and wherein the additional billing information is at least one of a list price, application ID, transaction ID, submit time, create time, currency, short description, long description, payee ID, vendor data, and SID hash.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a validation response comprises:

determining if the SID is associated with a prepay account;

verifying sufficient funds are available in the prepay account; and

denying the billing request, if insufficient funds are available.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a validation response comprises:

determining the roaming status of the client device; and

denying the billing request, if the client device is roaming.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a validation response comprises:

determining if the SID is authorized for value billing services; and

denying the billing request, if the SID is not authorized for value billing services.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a validation response comprises:

determining if the billing request contains valid billing information; and

denying the billing request, if the billing information is not valid.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling a service related to the billing request prior to receipt of the validation response; and

disabling the service, if the validation response is a denial.

17. An apparatus comprising:

a wireless client device, including an application configured to generate and transmit a billing request and configured to receive a validation response;

a billing server configured to receive the billing request and transmit the validation response; and

validation logic configured to generate the validation response in response to the billing request.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the client device is at least one of a wireless computing device, a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a paging device.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising:

a transaction manager configured to receive transaction data related to the billing request and to generate a billing event;

a client billing module configured to receive the billing event from the transaction manager and generate a bill; and

a settlement module configured to at least one of receive the billing event from the transaction manager, invoice a carrier, and pay a service provider.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the billing server is configured to associate additional billing information with the billing request.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the validation response is at least one of an approval of the billing request and a denial of the billing request.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the application is further configured to enable a service linked to the billing request, if the validation response is an approval.

23. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the application is further configured to connect to a remote content server;

and to retrieve content linked to the billing request, if the validation response is an approval.

24. A client device comprising:

a transceiver capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data;

a user interface; and

an application configured to generate a billing request, to transmit the billing request to a billing system using the transceiver, and to receive a validation response associated with the billing request from the billing system.

25. The client device of claim 24, wherein the application is further configured to retransmit the billing request, if the validation response is not received.

26. The client device of claim 24, wherein the application is further configured to present a denial of request indication on the user interface, if the validation response indicates a denial and to process the validation response, if the validation response indicates an approval.

27. The client device of claim 24, wherein the application is further configured to activate a service linked to the billing request, if the validation response indicates an approval.

28. The client device of claim 24, wherein the application is further configured to connect to a remote content server;

and to retrieve content linked to the billing request if the validation response indicates an approval.

29. The client device of claim 24, wherein the application is further configured to present an option to purchase a service including a list price on the user interface, and to receive an acceptance of the purchase option from the user interface, prior to generating the billing request.

30. The client device of claim 24, wherein the client device is at least one of a wireless computing device, a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a paging device.

31. A billing system comprising:

a transceiver capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data;

a billing server operably coupled to the transceiver, wherein the billing server is configured to receive a billing request including a subscriber ID (SID) from a client device and to transmit a validation response to the client device; and

validation logic configured to generate the validation response in response to the billing request.

32. The billing system of claim 31, further comprising:

a transaction manager configured to receive transaction data related to the billing request and to generate a billing event;

a billing module configured to receive the billing event from the transaction manager and to generate a subscriber bill; and

a settlement module configured to at least one of receive the billing event from the transaction manager, invoice an operator, and pay a service provider.

33. The billing system of claim 31, wherein the billing server is configured to associate additional billing information with the billing request.

34. The billing system of claim 31, wherein the validation logic comprises:

logic configured to determine if the SID is associated with a prepay account;

logic configured to verify sufficient funds are available in the prepay account; and

logic configured to deny the billing request, if insufficient funds are available.

35. The billing system of claim 31, wherein the validation logic comprises:

logic configured to determine the roaming status of the client device; and

logic configured to deny the billing request, if the client device is roaming.

36. The billing system of claim 31, wherein the validation logic comprises:

logic configured to determine if the SID is authorized for value billing services; and

logic configured to deny the billing request, if the SID is not authorized for value billing services.

37. The billing system of claim 31, wherein the validation logic comprises:

logic configured to determine if billing information in the billing request is valid; and

logic configured to deny the billing request, if the billing information is valid.

38. A computer-readable medium on which is stored a computer program for wirelessly communicating application-based billing requests, the computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by at least one computing device on a wireless client device, causes the computing device to perform the process of:

generating a billing request at the wireless client device;

transmitting the billing request to a billing system; and

receiving a validation response associated with the billing request from the billing system.

39. The computer-readable medium of claim 38, wherein the computer program instructions, when executed by at least one computing device, further causes the computing device to perform the process of:

retransmitting the billing request, if the validation response is not received.

40. The computer-readable medium of claim 38, wherein the computer program instructions, when executed by at least one computing device, further causes the computing device to perform the process of:

activating a service linked to the billing request, if the validation response indicates an approval.

41. The computer-readable medium of claim 38, wherein the computer program instructions, when executed by at least one computing device, further causes the computing device to perform the process of:

connecting to a remote content server; and

retrieving content linked to the billing request, if the validation response indicates an approval.

42. A billing system, comprising:

means for generating a billing request within a client device;

means for transmitting the billing request including a subscriber identification (SID) to a billing server;

means for generating a validation response to the billing request at the billing server; and

means for transmitting the validation response to the client device.

43. The billing system of claim 42, wherein the client device is at least one of a wireless computing device, a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a paging device.

44. The billing system of claim 42, further comprising:

means for receiving the validation response at the client device; and

means for processing the validation response.

45. The billing system of claim 44, wherein the means for processing the validation response comprises:

means for enabling a service linked to the billing request, if the validation response is an approval.

46. The billing system of claim 44, wherein the means for processing the validation response comprises:

means for connecting to a remote content server; and

means for retrieving content linked to the billing request, if the validation response is an approval.

47. The billing system of claim 44, wherein the means for processing the validation response comprises:

means for indicating a denial of the billing request, if the validation response is a denial.

48. The billing system of claim 42, further comprising:

means for presenting an option to purchase a service including a list price on the client device; and

means for receiving an acceptance of the purchase option, prior to generating the billing request.

49. The billing system of claim 42, further comprising:

means for determining if the billing request contains valid billing information; and

means for denying the billing request, if the billing information is not valid.

50. The billing system of claim 42, further comprising:

means for generating a subscriber bill based on the billing request.

51. The billing system of claim 42, further comprising:

means for generating a report based on the billing request; and

means for communicating the report to at least one of an operator and a developer.