Prepaid short message services revenue capture

• US 8,818,330 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2013
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Inventors: Gao, Donghong, Tuttle, Lewis
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KHAI MINH
• Application Number:
  US14/018,795
• Publication Number:
  US 20140006269A1
• Time in Patent Office: 355 Days
• Field of Search: 455/406, 455/408, 455/466, 455/433, 455/414.1, 455/424, 455/560, 379/114.2, 379/114.03, 379/114.28
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/223 based on the use of peer-to-peer networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/24 Credit schemes, i.e. "pay after"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/26 Debit schemes, e.g. "pay now"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/31 Distributed metering or calculation of charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/10 Account details or usage
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/28 SMS billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/96 Distributed calculation of charges, e.g. in different nodes like for mobiles between HLR and VLR, or between the terminal and the billing function
• 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 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

A prepaid messaging solution that utilizes a pre-delivery debit query to tariff a short message, coupled with an additional debit query performed once necessary billing information has been acquired. A short message is tariffed prior to message delivery via a pre-delivery debit query to a prepaid server. During message delivery, the prepaid server is queried a second time, following the HLR query performed by the Short Message Service Center (SMSC). This subsequent debit query bills a subscriber for any additional service fees discovered throughout message delivery, e.g., international/roaming fees, etc. If either the pre-delivery debit query or the subsequent debit query indicates that a subscriber has insufficient account balance to deliver a short message, the message is prevented from being delivered. If a message is dropped due to lack of account balance, any funds debited throughout the attempted message delivery may be credited back to the subscriber'"'"'s prepaid account.

Claims

1. A method of prepaid messaging, comprising:

initiating, to a prepaid server, a pre-delivery debit query of a first fee associated with a delivery of a text message;

receiving a home location register (HLR) query response identifying a second fee associated with said delivery of said text message;

dropping said text message if a prepaid account associated with a wireless device has inadequate account funds to cover said first fee and said second fee, and delivering said text message if said prepaid account has adequate account funds to cover said first fee and said second fee; and

tariffing said prepaid account both said first fee and said second fee for said delivery of said text message.

2. The method of prepaid messaging according to claim 1, wherein:

said prepaid account is tariffed prior to completion of said delivery of said text message.

3. The method of prepaid messaging according to claim 1, wherein:

said home location register query response is received via a text message service center (SMSC).

4. The method of prepaid messaging according to claim 1, wherein:

said tariff is initiated before completion of said delivery of said text message.

5. Apparatus to provide a prepaid messaging service, comprising:

an initiator to initiate, to a prepaid server, a pre-delivery debit query of a first fee associated with a delivery of a text message;

a receiver to receive a home location register (HLR) query response identifying a second fee associated with said delivery of said text message;

a message disposition module to drop said text message if a prepaid account associated with a wireless device has inadequate account funds to cover said first fee and said second fee, and to deliver said text message if said prepaid account has adequate account funds to cover said first fee and said second fee; and

a billing system to tariff said prepaid account both said first fee and said second fee for said delivery of said text message.

6. The apparatus to provide a prepaid messaging service according to claim 5, further comprising:

a short message service center (SMSC) in communication with said home location register.

7. The apparatus to provide a prepaid messaging service according to claim 5, wherein:

said billing system tariffs before completion of said delivery of said text message.

8. The apparatus to provide a prepaid messaging service according to claim 5, wherein:

said pre-delivery debit query debits a standard message delivery fee.

9. The apparatus to provide a prepaid messaging service according to claim 5, wherein:

said second fee is an international delivery fee.

10. The apparatus to provide a prepaid messaging service according to claim 5, wherein:

said second fee is a roaming fee.