Identification card billing method using an identification card

• US 6,332,579 B1
• Filed: 06/13/2000
• Issued: 12/25/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Swisscom AG (Government of Switzerland)
• Original Assignee: Swisscom AG (Government of Switzerland)
• Inventors: Ritter, Rudolf
• Primary Examiner(s): Pitts, Harold I.
• Application Number:
  US09/581,396
• Time in Patent Office: 560 Days
• Field of Search: 379/144, 235/492, 235/382
• US Class Current: 235/492
• 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 15/28 with meter at substation or with calculation of charges at terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/30 the meter or calculation of charges not being controlled from an exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0152 General billing plans, rate plans, e.g. charge rates, numbering plans, rate centers, customer accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/92 Autonomous calculations of charges in terminal, i.e. meter not controlled from exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

Billing method for billing a call by a subscriber identified with a SIM card (10) in a telecommunications system (2) to said subscriber, comprising:

Determination of the duration of the call by means of a time-measuring device (100) integrated into the SIM card (10);

Evaluation of the amount to be billed based upon the determined call duration and at least one tariff table stored in the SIM card (10).

The tariff tables are stored in a tariff server (6), and can be remotely loaded into the SIM card (10) through said telecommunications network (2).

Advantages: since all data for determining the invoiced amount are available on the SIM card, the billing takes place at the user directly at the source. No other billing system is required in the infrastructure.

Claims

1. Billing method for billing a call by a subscriber identified with an identification card (10) in a telecommunications network (2) to this subscriber, comprising:

determination of the duration of the call, the duration of the call being measured by a time-measuring device (100) integrated into the identification card (10),

determination of the amount to be billed based upon the determined call duration and at least one tariff table stored in the identification card (10),

wherein

a time controller (5) checks the time set in the identification card (10), and, if the time is not set correctly, transmits a time record to this identification card, and

the amounts to be billed depend upon the time of day determined by said time-measuring device (100).

2. Billing method according to claim 1, wherein the tariff tables are stored in a tariff server (6), and can be remotely loaded into the identification card (10) and/or changed through said telecommunications network (2).

3. Billing method according to claim 2, wherein the tariff tables can be communicated from said tariff server (6) by means of special SMS short messages.

4. Billing method according to claim 3, wherein the tariff tables can be communicated from said tariff server (6) by means of USSD data.

5. Billing method according to claim 2, wherein after an identification card (10) has been logged into a telecommunications network (2) the tariff server (6) checks the version of the tariff table stored in this identification card (10), and, if necessary, loads the most recent version onto this identification card.

6. Billing method according to claim 1, wherein, after each logging in of an identification card (10), the time controller (5) checks the time set, and, if the time is not set correctly, transmits a time record to this identification card.

7. Billing method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitted time records are electronically signed.

8. Billing method according to claim 1, wherein stored in the identification card (10) of the subscriber are only the tariffs for areas of the telecommunications network in which he has already called and optionally tariffs for some pre-defined areas of the telecommunications network.

9. Billing method according to claim 2, wherein the transmission of tariff tables (10) between said tariff server (6) and the identification card (10) is encrypted.

10. Billing method according to claim 2, wherein the transmission of tariff tables (10) between said tariff server (6) and the identification card (10) is signed.

11. Billing method according to claim 1, wherein the amounts to be billed depend upon the location of the calling subscriber.

12. Billing method according to claim 1, wherein the amounts to be billed depend upon the location of the subscriber being called.

13. Billing method according to claim 1, wherein the amounts to be billed depend upon possible discounts.

14. Billing method according to claim 1, wherein said time-measuring device (100) comprises an oscillator integrated into the identification card (10).

15. Billing method according to claim 14, wherein said oscillator is a quartz oscillator.

16. Billing method according to claim 1, wherein the determined amounts are debited directly against a prepaid account in the identification card (10).

17. Billing method according to claim 1, wherein parameters upon which the billed amounts depend, are packed in billing records and are delivered to a billing server in said telecommunications network (2).

18. Billing method according to claim 17, wherein the billing records are electronically signed.

19. Billing method according to claim 18, wherein the billing records transmitted to the billing server are sorted and are transmitted to a corresponding financial services provider.

20. Billing method according to claims 17, wherein call detail records (CDRs) are generated in the telecommunications network (2), parallel to the billing records, as a check.

21. Billing method according to claims 1, wherein the use of resources not responsible for the traffic/communication processing are also billed in the identification card (10) on the basis of the stored tariff tables and said time-measuring device.

22. Identification card (10) for subscribers in a telecommunications network, which can be inserted in a terminal (1) in a removable way, containing:

data processing means, which make possible the storage of data containing at least identification data of the subscriber in the telecommunications network (2),

at least one tariff table, the amounts to be billed being determined on the basis of the determined call duration and this tariff table,

an integrated time measuring device (100), with which the duration of the calls is determined, wherein

the identification card (10) comprises means to receive time records, comprising time indications, transmitted to the identification card (10) by a time controller (5), and to set the time measuring device (100) with the transmitted time, and

registers and programs for control of the time-measuring device (100) are stored in an area (12) of the identification card (10) not accessible to the subscriber.

23. Identification card (10) according to claim 22, wherein at least one tariff table is stored in the EEPROM of the identification card (10), and can be remotely loaded from a tariff server (6) in the telecommunications network (2) and/or changed.

24. Identification card (10) according to claim 23, wherein it can recognize and load tariff tables in special SMS short messages.

25. Identification card (10) according to claim 23, wherein it can recognize and load tariff tables in USSD data.

26. Identification card according to claim 22, wherein stored are only the tariffs for areas of the telecommunications network in which the subscriber has already called and optionally tariffs for some predefined areas of the telecommunications network.

27. Identification card according to claim 22, wherein it further contains TTP-decryption means in order to decrypt received tariff tables.

28. Identification card according to claim 22, wherein said time-measuring device (100) comprises an oscillator integrated into the identification card (10).

29. Identification card (10) according to claim 28, wherein said oscillator is a quartz oscillator.

30. Identification card according to claim 22, wherein it contains a prepaid account, against which the billed amounts are debited directly.

31. Identification card according to claim 22, wherein it contains means to pack the amounts to be billed in billing records and to send them to a billing collector (4) in said telecommunications network (2).

32. Identification card according to claim 22, wherein call detail records (CDRs) are generated as a check, parallel to the billing records, in the telecommunications network (2), capable of roaming.

33. Identification card according to claim 22, wherein it contains means to bill in the identification card, on the basis of said tariff tables and said time-measuring device (100), also the use of resources not responsible for traffic/communication processing.

34. Identification card according to claim 22, wherein it further comprises an energy store (11) which supplies the time-measuring device (100).

35. Telecommunications system in which the subscribers are identified with an identification card (10), with a multiplicity of terminal devices (1) in which identification cards (10) can be removably inserted, at least certain identification cards (10) having at least one tariff table, whereby at least certain identification cards (10) further contain an integrated time-measuring device (100), with which the duration of calls is determined, and whereby the billed amounts are determined for at least certain calls of these subscribers on the basis of said determined duration and said tariff tables, wherein

it further contains a time controller (5) with which the time can be set in the time-measuring devices (100) integrated into the identification cards (10), the time determined in the time controller (5) being communicated to the identification cards (10) with time records.

36. Telecommunications system according to claim 35, wherein it further comprises a tariff server (6) in which the tariff tables are stored, as well as an SIM server (3), with which the tariff tables can be remotely loaded into the identification cards (10) through said telecommunications network (2).

37. Telecommunications system according to claims 35, wherein it further contains a TTP server (7) with which data transfers with the identification cards (10) can be signed and encrypted.

38. Telecommunications system according to claim 35, wherein it further contains a billing collector (4) which collects the billing records generated by the various identification cards (10).

39. Telecommunications system according to claim 38, wherein the said billing collector (4) sorts the received billing records according to financial services provider and transmits them to the corresponding financial services provider.