Cost negotiation for communication sessions
First Claim
1. A method of negotiating a cost sharing formula associated with a communication service between a plurality of participants, the service being facilitated using the Session Initiation Protocol, the method comprising the steps of:
- sending a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message from a terminal used by a first of the participants to terminals used by each other participant, the message containing a cost sharing request;
at each terminal, receiving said cost sharing request, processing the request using predefined cost sharing rules or by receiving a user input relating to the request, and sending a SIP response message to the first participants terminal containing a result; and
,configuring one or more SIP servers to intercept SIP messages for the purpose of determining the negotiated cost sharing formula, whereby the participants are charged in accordance with the formula.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method of negotiating the sharing of a cost associated with a communication service between a plurality of participants. The method comprises sending a cost sharing request from a terminal 1 used by a first of the participants to the terminal 12,13 used by the or each other participant At the or each terminal 12,13 receiving said request, the request is processed using predefined cost sharing rules and/or user input relating to the request received. The initiating terminal 1 is notified of the result. Messages exchanged between the participating terminals are intercepted within the network(s) 2,14 supporting the service, and the participants charged in accordance with the negotiated cost sharing formula.
22 Citations
10 Claims
-
1. A method of negotiating a cost sharing formula associated with a communication service between a plurality of participants, the service being facilitated using the Session Initiation Protocol, the method comprising the steps of:
-
sending a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message from a terminal used by a first of the participants to terminals used by each other participant, the message containing a cost sharing request; at each terminal, receiving said cost sharing request, processing the request using predefined cost sharing rules or by receiving a user input relating to the request, and sending a SIP response message to the first participants terminal containing a result; and
,configuring one or more SIP servers to intercept SIP messages for the purpose of determining the negotiated cost sharing formula, whereby the participants are charged in accordance with the formula. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
-
-
8. A Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) enabled communication terminal comprising:
-
transmission means for exchanging user and SIP signaling data with one or more peer SIP terminals via a communications network; means coupled to said transmission means for receiving and sending cost sharing requests to and from peer terminals, the cost sharing requests relating to a communication service involving the terminals and being carried in SIP messages; means for implementing a set of cost sharing rules following the sending or receipt of a cost sharing proposal in order to agree upon a cost sharing formula, - View Dependent Claims (9)
-
-
10. A Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) server for use in an IP Multimedia Core Network Subsystem of a communications system, the server comprising:
-
means for causing SIP signaling, associated with a cost sharing negotiation between two or more user terminals coupled to the system, to be diverted through the server; and
,means for extracting agreed cost sharing data from the diverted signaling; and means for either allocating costs to one or more of the terminal users in accordance with this data or for providing information to another system node to allow that node to allocate costs.
-
Specification