METHOD FOR IMPLEMENTING UNSTRUCTURED SUPPLEMENTARY SERVICE DATA SERVICE

• US 20110310985A1
• Filed: 09/08/2009
• Published: 12/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Original Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Inventors: Zhu, Zhongliang, Zhou, Zhijun
• Granted Patent: US 9,532,196 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/259
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for implementing an Unstructured Supplementary Service Data service, defining an access code and its corresponding menu or function, and menu or function corresponding to each response under each level of menu, the menu including menu content for prompting users, the method comprising: a user inputs a Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) character string to the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data Center (USSDC) at the system side; the USSDC processes the USSD character string and obtains an access code, if the access code corresponds to a menu, the USSDC returns menu content of the menu to the user, the user receives the menu content, or receives the menu content and interacts, according to the menu content, with the USSDC. By applying the method for implementing the USSD service of the present invention, a user can enter corresponding function flow by inputting information step by step according to menu prompts, which enables convenient use of the user.

Claims

1. A method for implementing an Unstructured Supplementary Service Data service, comprising:

defining an access code, menu or function corresponding to the access code, and menu or function corresponding to a response to the menu corresponding to the access code;

a user inputting an Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) character string to an Unstructured Supplementary Service Data Center (USSDC) at a system side; and

the USSDC processing the USSD character string, obtaining an access code of a service corresponding to the USSD character string, and performing, according to a first service type corresponding to the access code, an operation corresponding to the first service type.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein,

the first service type is function;

the step of performing an operation corresponding to the first service type is;

performing a function corresponding to the access code.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein,

the USSD character string comprises parameters required for performing the function;

the step of performing a function corresponding to the access code comprises;

the USSDC checking whether the parameters are complete, if yes, performing the function;

otherwise, sending a prompting message to the user to prompt the user to input complete parameters required for the function, and performing the function after the user has input the complete parameters.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, the step of the USSDC performing the function after the user has input the complete parameters comprises:

the USSDC sending a man-machine language command to an online charging system according to the function, upon receiving the man-machine language command, the online charging system processing the man-machine language command, and returning a processing result to the USSDC, and the USSDC converting the processing result into a USSD character string and sending the converted USSD character string to the user.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein,

the first service type is menu;

the step of performing an operation corresponding to the first service type is;

returning menu content of the menu to the user.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein,

the menu is a notification type menu or a request type menu;

if the menu is the request type menu, the method further comprises, after the step of returning menu content of the menu to the user, a step of;

the user receiving the menu content, and interacting with the USSDC according to the menu content.

if the menu is a notification type menu, the method further comprises, after the step of returning menu content of the menu to the user, a step of;

the user receiving the menu content.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, the step of the user interacting with the USSDC according to the menu content comprises:

the user inputting response information according to the menu content, and upon receiving the response information, the USSDC performing, according to a second service type corresponding to the response information, an operation corresponding to the second service type.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein,

the second service type is menu;

the step of performing an operation corresponding to the second service type is;

the USSDC returning menu content of the menu corresponding to the response information to the user.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein,

the menu of the second service type is a notification type menu or a request type menu;

if the menu of the second service type is the request type menu, the method further comprises, after the step of the USSDC returning menu content of the menu corresponding to the response information to the user, a step of;

the user receiving the menu content of the menu corresponding to the response information, and interacting with the USSDC according to the menu content of the menu corresponding to the response information.

if the menu of the second service type is the notification type menu, the method further comprises, after the step of the USSDC returning menu content of the menu corresponding to the response information to the user, the step of;

the user receiving the menu content of the menu corresponding to the response information.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein,

the second service type is function;

the step of performing an operation corresponding to the second service type is;

performing a function corresponding to the response information.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein,

the response information comprises parameters required for performing the function;

the step of performing a function corresponding to the response information comprises;

the USSDC checking whether the parameters are complete, if yes, performing the function;

otherwise, sending a prompting message to the user to prompt the user to input complete parameters required for the function, and performing the function after the user has input the complete parameters.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein, the step of the USSDC performing the function after the user has input the complete parameters comprises:

the USSDC sending a man-machine language command to an online charging system according to the function, upon receiving the man-machine language command, the online charging system processing the man-machine language command, and returning a processing result to the USSDC, and the USSDC converting the processing result into a USSD character string and sending the converted USSD character string to the user.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein, the step of defining an access code, menu or function corresponding to the access code, and menu or function corresponding to a response to the menu corresponding to the access code is achieved by defining a USSD service code table, a menu information table, and a menu response table, wherein,

each table entry of the USSD service code table comprises an access code, a first service type, a first service index, a first menu index and a first function index, wherein the first service type specifies whether the service type corresponding to the access code is menu or function, the first service index specifies the first menu index or the first function index corresponding to the access code;

each table entry of the menu information table comprises a first menu index, a menu type, and menu content, wherein the first menu index identifies the table entry, the menu type specifies whether the menu is a request type menu or a notification type menu, the menu content comprises information for prompting the user to input response information or for notifying the user of relevant information;

each table entry of the menu response table comprises a second menu index, a second function index, a menu response, a second service type and a second service index, wherein the second menu index specifies to which menu the response is, the menu response specifies of which kind the response to the menu corresponding to the second menu index is, the second service type specifies whether the response corresponds to a menu or a function, the second service index specifies the second menu index or the second function index corresponding to the response.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein, the menu content comprises versions in different languages, when the menu content is sent to the user, according to a preferable language of the user, the menu content of the version in the corresponding language is sent to the user.

15. A method for implementing an Unstructured Supplementary Service Data service, comprising:

a user inputting an Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) character string to an Unstructured Supplementary Service Data Center (USSDC) at a system side; and

the USSDC processing the USSD character string, obtaining an access code, and performing, according to a service type corresponding to the access code, an operation corresponding to the service type.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein, the method further comprises:

defining an access code, menu or function corresponding to the access code, and menu or function corresponding to a response to the menu corresponding to the access code;

the menu comprising menu content for prompting users;

if the service type is function, the USSD character string comprising parameters required for performing the function;

the step of performing an operation corresponding to the service type comprising;

judging whether the parameters are complete, if yes, performing the function;

if not, sending a prompting information to the user to prompt the user to input complete parameters required for the function corresponding to the access code, and performing the function after the user has input the complete parameters;

if the service type is menu, the step of performing an operation corresponding to the service type comprising;

returning the menu content of the menu to the user, the user receiving the menu content, or receiving the menu content and interacting with the USSDC according to the menu content.