Prepaid short messaging

• US 7,853,511 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2008
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Inventors: Hronek, Daniel, Geil, Phillip, Wallace, Erik, Johnson, Jr., Carle S., Ung, Dara, Titus, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Dass, Harish T.
• Application Number:
  US12/222,861
• Publication Number:
  US 20080318604A1
• Time in Patent Office: 848 Days
• Field of Search: 455/406, 455/466, 235/492, 235/379, 370/428, 705/35, 705/36, 705/42, 379/145
• US Class Current: 705/36.00R
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1432 Metric aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/51 for resellers, retailers or service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8207 Time based data metric aspects, e.g. VoIP or circuit switched packet data
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/854 Available credit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/90 using Intelligent Networks [IN] or Advanced Intelligent Networks [AIN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/00 Prepayment of wireline communication systems, wireless communication systems or telephone systems using a coded card to authorise calls from a telephone set H04M1/675
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/10 Account details or usage
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/016 Billing using Intelligent Networks [IN] or Advanced Intelligent Networks [AIN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/28 SMS billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/54 Resellers-retail or service providers billing, e.g. agreements with telephone service operator, activation, charging/recharging of accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7813 : Time based data, e.g. VoIP or circuit switched packet data
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8166 : Available credit
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13093 : Personal computer, PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13098 : Mobile subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 : Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1313 : Metering, billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13134 : Coin boxes, payphone, prepaid
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13175 : Graphical user interface [GUI], WWW interface, visual indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13196 : Connection circuit/link/trunk/junction, bridge, router, gateway
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13336 : Store & forward, messaging systems email H04Q2213/13375
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13345 : Intelligent networks, SCP
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13375 : Electronic mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13377 : Recorded announcement
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 : LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 : Provisions for intelligent networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 : involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 : Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 : Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A prepaid messaging solution which uses open networking standards (e.g., TCP/IP) and which supports pre-payment of enhanced Internet messaging services. The disclosed prepaid architectures and methods accurately determine if a subscriber has sufficient account balance to deliver a complete short message, prior to delivery of the message. The short message may be prevented from being delivered (either at the source end or at the destination end) if insufficient funds are in the subscriber'"'"'s account. A prepaid tariff engine is preferably extensible over a TCP/IP network, and supports remote interaction with the SMSC and web chat servers for the purpose of applying a real-time billing charge for each message. A service provider may create subscriber classes of service that define and uniquely identify subscriber rate and/or tariffing plans used to apply real-time billing charges for sending or receiving of messages. The prepaid short message tariff engine determines the appropriate message billing based upon, e.g., flat rate per message, message count (e.g., 10 messages @ $5.00), character count (e.g., $0.01/char.), Time of Day, Day of Week (i.e., peak & non-peak hours), type of message, and/or mobile location (i.e., network point code). The prepaid short messaging service preferably supports Internet web page access to subscriber'"'"'s relating to their short messaging account balances and status maintained in the prepaid short messaging database of the prepaid messaging server.

Claims

1. A system for handling a prepaid short messaging service, comprising:

a buffer to buffer a short message for delivery;

a messaging sever that includes a prevention module to suspend delivery of said short message when a subscriber prepaid account balance value is insufficient and an allowance module to allow a subscriber to add balance value to said subscriber prepaid account value; and

a transmitter to transmit said short message when a subscriber prepaid account balance value is sufficient.

2. The system for handling a prepaid short messaging service according to claim 1, further comprising:

a debiting module to debit said subscriber prepaid account balance value prior to transmission of said short message.

3. The system for handling a prepaid short messaging service according to claim 1, wherein:

said prevention module causes an unsuccessful message to be sent to said subscriber, said unsuccessful message indicating non-transmission of said short message due to insufficient funds.

4. The system for handling a prepaid short messaging service according to claim 3, wherein:

said unsuccessful message is a short message.

5. The system for handling a prepaid short messaging service according to claim 1, wherein:

said subscriber is a sender of said short message.

6. The system for handling a prepaid short messaging service according to claim 1, wherein:

said subscriber prepaid account balance value utilizes different rates for different message types.

7. The system for handling a prepaid short messaging service according to claim 6, wherein said different message types include at least one of the following:

mobile terminated messages;

mobile originated messages; and

IRC messages.

8. A method of handling a prepaid short messaging service, comprising:

providing in a database memory an indicia of a subscriber prepaid account balance value;

buffering a short message in a buffer for delivery to a destination;

suspending delivery of said short message to said destination for a condition where said subscriber prepaid account balance value is insufficient;

enabling a subscriber to add balance value to said subscriber prepaid account value; and

transmitting said short message to said destination for a condition where a subscriber prepaid account balance value is sufficient.

9. The method of handling a prepaid short messaging service according to claim 8, further comprising:

debiting said subscriber prepaid account balance value prior to transmission of said short message.

10. The method of handling a prepaid short messaging service according to claim 8, further comprising:

sending an unsuccessful message to said subscriber, said unsuccessful message indicating non-transmission of said short message due to insufficient funds for said subscriber prepaid account value.

11. The method of handling a prepaid short messaging service according to claim 8, wherein:

said subscriber is a sender of said short message.

12. The method of handling a prepaid short messaging service according to claim 8, wherein:

said subscriber is a recipient of said short message.

13. The method of handling a prepaid short messaging service according to claim 8, further comprising:

receiving said short message.

14. The method of handling a prepaid short messaging service according to claim 8, further comprising:

receiving said short message from a mobile servicing center.

15. The method of handling a prepaid short messaging service according to claim 8, wherein:

said subscriber prepaid account balance value is based on a flat rate per short message.

16. The method of handling a prepaid short messaging service according to claim 8, wherein:

said subscriber prepaid account balance value is based on a rate per length of said short message.

17. The method of handling a prepaid short messaging service according to claim 8, wherein:

said subscriber prepaid account balance value is based on peak and non-peak times, and asserts higher fees for transmissions during peak times.

18. The method of handling a prepaid short messaging service according to claim 8, wherein:

said subscriber prepaid account balance value utilizes different rates for different message types.

19. The method of handling a prepaid short messaging service according to claim 18, wherein said different message types include at least one of the following:

mobile terminated messages;

mobile originated messages; and

IRC messages.

20. The method of handling a prepaid short messaging service according to claim 8, further comprising:

automatically delivering said short message if said subscriber prepaid account balance value is sufficient.

21. The method of handling a prepaid short messaging service according to claim 8, further comprising:

automatically transmitting a short message to a subscriber regarding an insufficient balance for said subscriber prepaid account balance value.

22. The method of handling a prepaid short messaging service according to claim 21, wherein:

said automatic short message transmission is performed periodically.

23. Apparatus for handling a prepaid short messaging service, comprising:

means for buffering of a short message for delivery;

means for preventing delivery of said short message for a condition where a subscriber prepaid account balance value is insufficient;

means for allowing a subscriber to add balance value to said subscriber prepaid account value; and

means for transmitting said short message for a condition where a subscriber prepaid account balance value is sufficient.

24. The apparatus for handling a prepaid short messaging service according to claim 23, further comprising:

means for debiting said subscriber prepaid account balance value prior to transmission of said short message.

25. The apparatus for handling a prepaid short messaging service according to claim 23, further comprising:

means for sending an unsuccessful message to said subscriber, said unsuccessful message indicating non-transmission of said short message due to insufficient funds for said subscriber prepaid account balance value.

26. The apparatus for handling a prepaid short messaging service according to claim 23, wherein:

said subscriber is a sender of said short message.

27. The apparatus for handling a prepaid short messaging service according to claim 23, wherein:

said subscriber is a recipient of said short message.

28. The apparatus for handling a prepaid short messaging service according to claim 23, further comprising:

means for receiving said short message.

29. The apparatus for handling a prepaid short messaging service according to claim 23, further comprising:

means for receiving said short message from a mobile servicing center.

30. The apparatus for handling a prepaid short messaging service according to claim 23, wherein:

said subscriber prepaid account balance value is based on a flat rate per short message.

31. The apparatus for handling a prepaid short messaging service according to claim 23, wherein:

said subscriber prepaid account balance value is based on a rate per length of said short message.

32. The apparatus for handling a prepaid short messaging service according to claim 23, wherein:

said subscriber prepaid account balance value is based on peak and non-peak times, and asserts higher fees for transmissions during peak times.

33. The apparatus for handling a prepaid short messaging service according to claim 23, wherein:

said subscriber prepaid account balance value utilizes different rates for different message types.

34. The apparatus for handling a prepaid short messaging service according to claim 23, wherein said different message types include at least one of the following:

mobile terminated messages;

mobile originated messages; and

IRC messages.

35. The apparatus for handling a prepaid short messaging service according to claim 23, further comprising:

means for automatically delivering said short message if said subscriber prepaid account balance value is sufficient.

36. The apparatus for handling a prepaid short messaging service according to claim 23, further comprising:

means for automatically transmitting a short message to a subscriber regarding an insufficient balance for said subscriber prepaid account balance value.