Prepaid short messaging

• US 8,738,496 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2012
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• 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: Ung, Dara, Hronek, Daniel, Johnson, Jr., Carle S., Wallace, Erik, Geil, Phillip, Titus, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Dass, Harish T
• Application Number:
  US13/465,802
• Publication Number:
  US 20120230481A1
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• Field of Search: 705/36.R, 705/42, 705/44, 705/35, 235/380
• US Class Current: 705/36.R
• 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 that uses open networking standards and supports pre-payment of enhanced Internet messaging services. The prepaid messaging solution accurately determines if a subscriber has sufficient account balance to deliver a complete short message, prior to message delivery. Message delivery is prevented if insufficient funds are in the subscriber'"'"'s account. A prepaid tariff engine, preferably extensible over a TCP/IP network, supports remote interaction with the SMSC and web chat servers to apply a real-time billing charge for each message. A service provider may create subscriber classes of service that define subscriber rates and/or tariffing plans used to apply real-time billing charges for sending/receiving messages. The prepaid short message tariff engine determines the appropriate message billing based upon, e.g., flat rate per message, character count, Time of Day, etc. The prepaid short messaging service preferably supports Internet web page access to subscriber'"'"'s short messaging account balances and account status.

Claims

1. A method of tariffing a text message, comprising:

providing a text message for tariff after transmission completion from a sending mobile device and before receipt by a recipient mobile device associated with said text message;

querying a physical account database to determine that a prepaid account corresponding to said recipient mobile device has prepaid for delivery of said text message;

permitting reduction of a prepaid parameter of said prepaid account prior to delivery of said text message;

if said prepaid account is determined to be sufficiently prepaid, routing said text message to said recipient mobile device; and

if said prepaid account is determined to be insufficiently prepaid, preventing delivery of said text message to said recipient mobile device, and once said prepaid account is sufficient permitting delivery of subsequent text messages associated with said prepaid account.

2. The method of tariffing a text message according to claim 1, wherein:

said prepaid parameter is a number of prepaid messages.

3. The method of tariffing a text message according to claim 1, wherein:

said prepaid parameter is a prepaid monetary value.

4. The method of tariffing a text message according to claim 1, further comprising:

sending an unsuccessful message to said recipient mobile device when said delivery of said text message is prevented.

5. The method of tariffing a text message according to claim 1, wherein:

said prepaid account is tariffed on a tariff platform external to a routing platform for routing said text message to said recipient mobile device.

6. The method of tariffing a text message according to claim 1, wherein:

said prepaid account corresponds to said sending mobile device.

7. The method of tariffing a text message according to claim 1, wherein:

said prepaid account corresponds to said recipient mobile device.

8. The method of tariffing a text message according to claim 1, further comprising:

routing said text message from a physical mobile servicing center (MSC).

9. The method of tariffing a text message according to claim 1, wherein:

said tariffing is different for peak and non-peak times.

10. The method of tariffing a text message according to claim 1, wherein:

said tariffing is different for different types of text messages.

11. The method of tariffing a text message according to claim 10, wherein said different types of text messages include at least one of:

a mobile terminated message;

a mobile originated message; and

an Internet Relay Chat (IRC) message.

12. The method of tariffing a text message according to claim 1, wherein:

said tariffing is different based on a location of said sending mobile device.

13. The method of tariffing a text message according to claim 12, wherein:

said location is determined based on a network point code.

14. The method of tariffing a text message according to claim 1, wherein:

said tariffing is different based on a location of said recipient mobile device.

15. The method of tariffing a text message according to claim 14, wherein:

said location is determined based on a network point code.

16. The method of tariffing a text message according to claim 1, further comprising:

automatically transmitting said text message.