System and method for peer-to-peer transfer of multimedia content and reconciliation thereof

• US 8,548,427 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2012
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Chow, Paulo S. T., Joul, Christopher Harvey
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tu X
• Application Number:
  US13/396,505
• Publication Number:
  US 20120320802A1
• Time in Patent Office: 595 Days
• Field of Search: 455/506, 455/405, 455/41.02, 455/3.06, 455/13.1, 455/11.1
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/57 for mobile receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/22 per use
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/80 characterised by transmission among terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/92 for local area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• 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 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/57 for integrated multimedia messaging subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8228 Session based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/93 using near field or similar technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0164 Billing record, e.g. Call Data Record [CDR], Toll Ticket[TT], Automatic Message Accounting [AMA], Call Line Identifier [CLI], details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/208 IMS, i.e. Integrated Multimedia messaging Subsystem
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7833 Session based
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A system and method to enable a transfer of multimedia content between mobile telecommunication devices while maintaining the multimedia traffic within a wireless local network. Multimedia content may be sent from one of the mobile telecommunication devices and delivered to another one or more of the mobile telecommunication devices. The multimedia transfer is facilitated and monitored by a secure agent located within the local network. The secure agent maintains a record of the multimedia content sessions and transmits such information to a billing component. The billing component utilizes the record of content transfer to assess a fee or other charge on the sending device, the receiving device(s), or both sending and receiving devices. In some embodiments, such a charge may include a credit or other reward that is provided to sending devices or receiving devices for implementing a local transfer of multimedia content.

Claims

1. A method for generating a session record associated with multimedia content that is transferred between two mobile devices across a wireless local network, the session record used by a telecommunications network operator for charging purposes, the method comprising:

detecting the establishment of a multimedia communication session between a first mobile device and a second mobile device that is coupled to a wireless access point operating on an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the multimedia communication session involving the transmission of multimedia content between the first and second mobile devices substantially via the wireless local network generated by the wireless access point;

monitoring characteristics of the multimedia communication session via the wireless local network;

detecting the termination of the multimedia communication session between the first mobile device and the second mobile device;

generating a session record characterizing the multimedia communication session, the session record comprising;

an identifier associated with the first mobile device;

an identifier associated with the second mobile device;

a temporal characterization of the multimedia communication session; and

a characterization of the multimedia content that is transmitted between the first mobile device and the second mobile device during the multimedia communication session; and

transmitting the session record to a telecommunications network operator, the session record used by the telecommunications network operator for charging purposes of at least one of the first mobile device and second mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the session record to the telecommunications network operator is performed on a continuous, scheduled, or unscheduled basis.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the characterization of the multimedia content comprises the creator of the content.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitted multimedia content is copy-restricted content.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the session record further comprises information from the first or second mobile device that indicates an agreement to compensate for the multimedia content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the temporal characterization of the multimedia communication session is a start time of the communication session and an end time of the communication session.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the temporal characterization of the multimedia communication session comprises the length of the communication session.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the session record further comprises an amount of data transferred during the multimedia communication session.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier of the first mobile device and the second mobile device is selected from the group consisting of an IMPU, IMPI, IMSI, TMSI, IMEI, or MSISDN of the corresponding mobile device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising encrypting the session record before transmission to the telecommunications network operator.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the telecommunications network operator combines the session record reflecting the multimedia communication session via the wireless local network with other session records reflecting multimedia communication sessions over a wide-area network for charging purposes of at least one of the first mobile device and second mobile device.

12. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions that, when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to implement a method for generating a session record associated with multimedia content that is transferred between two mobile devices across a wireless local network, the session record used by a telecommunications network operator for charging purposes, the method comprising:

detecting the termination of a multimedia communication session between a first mobile device and a second mobile device that is coupled to a wireless access point operating on an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the multimedia communication session involving the transmission of multimedia content between the first and second mobile devices substantially via the wireless local network generated by the wireless access point;

generating a session record characterizing the multimedia communication session, the session record comprising;

an identifier associated with the first mobile device and the second mobile device;

a temporal characterization of the multimedia communication session; and

a characterization of the multimedia content that is transmitted between the first mobile device and the second mobile device during the multimedia communication session; and

transmitting the session record to a telecommunications network operator, the session record used by the telecommunications network operator for charging purposes of at least one of the first mobile device and second mobile device.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein transmitting the session record to the telecommunications network operator is performed on a continuous, scheduled, or unscheduled basis.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the characterization of the multimedia content comprises the creator of the content.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the transmitted multimedia content is copy-restricted content.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the session record further comprises information from the first or second mobile device that indicates an agreement to compensate for the multimedia content.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the temporal characterization of the multimedia communication session is a start time of the communication session and an end time of the communication session.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the temporal characterization of the multimedia communication session comprises the length of the communication session.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the session record further comprises an amount of data transferred during the multimedia communication session.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, further comprising encrypting the session record before transmission to the telecommunications network operator.