JP2002320050A - Exchange system for communication service - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an exchange system for communication service that enables bullet payment of communication charge for each carrier. SOLUTION: The exchange system 2 is provided with a user payment amount charging means (communication server 3) that charges a payment amount with respect to all communication enterprises used by a user on the user on the basis of communication connection data with respect to each user acquired from each communication enterprise and with a user payment amount charging demanding means (communication server 3 and printer 4) that informs each user about the user payment amount.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a communication service switching system that mediates between a carrier and a user, and can provide the benefits of the mediation to both.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Users who use communication services are roughly classified into individuals and corporations (including corporations and foundations). The telecommunications carrier (hereinafter referred to as a carrier) that provides each communication service allocates at least part of the profits obtained from the user to the content and quality of the service in consideration of the communication service, thereby providing the current or future Secure profits and thereby encourage new users to join. On the other hand, the user considers the content and quality of the communication service of each carrier, and intends to subscribe to the communication service of a plurality of carriers when the user is profitable. However, it is troublesome to pay a communication fee for each carrier, and in a situation where profits are low, it is necessary to forego them.

[0003] However, there is a service that can sufficiently exert customer attraction even in such a situation. That is the service that allows discounts on communication charges. The service is attractive to foreigners residing in the country, whether large, small or individual.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to make it possible to collectively pay a communication fee for each carrier, and to apply to small users and individual users to large users. It is a second object of the present invention to be able to receive a discount service close to a communication fee.

[0005]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
A user payment amount charging means for charging, as a user payment amount, a payment amount for all the communication carriers used by the user based on the communication connection data for each user obtained from the database of each communication carrier, and The present invention provides a communication service switching system including a user payment amount billing means for notifying a user.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the communication service switching system according to the first aspect, the user payment amount charging means discounts a predetermined amount from the user payment amount of each user, and Payment amount billing means provides a communication service switching system configured to charge each user with the discounted user payment amount.

[0007]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 shows a system configuration diagram of a communication service. Carriers A, B, C, operating a telecommunications business ...
Electronic exchanges A ₁ , B ₁ , C ₁ ,.
1, Y2, Y3,... Are connected via a telephone network (not shown). Circuit switching systems A ₂ , B ₂ , C ₂ ,... Having subscriber line information are connected to the electronic exchanges A ₁ , B ₁ , C ₁ ,... Of the carriers A, B, C,. The switching system 2 is connected to the circuit switching systems A ₂ , B ₂ , C ₂ ,.

The switching system 2 mainly includes a communication server 3 and peripheral devices such as a modem (not shown) and a printer 4 connected thereto, and the line switching systems A ₂ , B ₂ , C ₂ ,... Are composed of a subscriber line switch, a transmission device, and a trunk line switch. In the communication server 3 of the switching system 2, a charging / collecting program for the users Y1, Y2, Y3,. Further, the circuit switching systems A ₂ , B ₂ ,
In C ₂ ,..., The exchange system 2 and the user Y
, And a communication connection data of users Y1, Y2, Y3,... Subscribed to a communication service operated by carriers A, B, C,. (Not shown) is always running.

Carriers A, B, C,... Are transmitted from the operator of the switching system 2 to user telephone numbers (users Y1, Y
When the data of the telephone numbers 2, Y3,... (Existing telephone numbers registered in advance) or the telephone numbers including the user codes assigned to the users Y1, Y2, Y3,. Circuit switching system A of carriers A, B, C, ... as users who use their own communication services
₂ , B ₂ , C ₂ ,... Note that carrier A,
The transfer of the user's telephone number between B, C,... And the operator of the switching system 2 and the data such as the line connection data of the users Y1, Y2, Y3,. In this case, the recording is performed by using a recording medium (FD, MO, etc.).

The charging / collecting program of the switching system 2 uses the communication server 3 as a database to connect the carriers A, B, C,.
_2, B _2, C _2, each user Y1 obtained from ..., Y2,
, That is, the frequency of each user Y1, Y2, Y3,..., The communication start date and time, the communication end date and time, the user (communication source), the communication destination, the operator of the switching system 2 and each user Y1, Data required for charging communication charges such as the charging rate concluded with Y2, Y3, ...
User payment amount charging means for collectively charging the payment amounts for all carriers A, B, C,... Used by the user as the user payment amount based on (see FIG. 2);
The user payment amount is sent to the printer 4 connected to the communication server 3, and is programmed to function as a user payment amount billing means for printing the user name and the user payment amount on the bill.

In this case, the charging rate concluded between carriers A, B, C,... And the operator of switching system 2 is as follows:
As will be described later, the rate is set to the group discount rate, and the billing rate concluded between the user and the operator of the exchange system 2 is determined by the user as described later by carriers A, B, C,
... is set directly to a rate close to the group discount rate lower than the billing rate concluded. Therefore, when each user Y1, Y2, Y3,... Uses the communication service of the operator of the switching system 2 using the user code provided by the operator of the switching system 2, each user uses the communication service of each carrier. While using the service, the communication fee for all carriers is paid collectively at a communication fee close to the group discount.

Next, the operation of the communication service system will be described. The operator (including employees) of the switching system 2 operates as a person who provides communication services to the users Y1, Y2, Y3,.

At least the following items are concluded between the operators of the carriers A, B, C,... And the operators of the switching system 2. Each user Y1, introduced by the operator of the exchange system 2
The rates for the communication services of Y2, Y3, ... are determined in advance between the operators of the carriers A, B, C, ... and the operators of the switching system 2, and the operators of the switching system 2 , B, C,..., A predetermined amount is discounted from the basic charging rate per user. The basic billing rate is determined for each carrier A, B, C,
… Close to the rate of the group discount billing concluded between the operator and the group subscriber, and
It shall be lower than the billing rate to be concluded. Users Y1 and Y introduced by the operator of the exchange system 2
, Y3,... Are regarded as authorized subscribers to the communication services of the carriers A, B, C,. When the user code confirmed and registered by the operator of the switching system 2 is transmitted, the communication connection data necessary for calculating the communication fee of the user is classified for each user and the circuit switching system A ₂ , B ₂ , C ₂ ,... The operator of each carrier A, B, C,...
Is assigned a user code to authenticate the user, and when the user code is received, the communication connection data of the user is classified for each user and the switching system 2
, And the operator of the switching system 2 calculates the sum of the amount charged based on the communication connection data of each user Y1, Y2, Y3. , Y2, Y3,..., And the amount charged based on the communication connection data of each user Y1, Y2, Y3,.

Further, at least the following items are concluded between the operator of the switching system 2 and the users Y1, Y2, Y3,... Who intend to subscribe to the communication service run by the operator of the switching system 2. A user who subscribes to the communication service of the operator of the switching system 2 is given a user code for enabling the use of the carrier's communication service. The communication fee for each of the users Y1, Y2, Y3,... Shall be paid at one time without delay by a designated organization by the designated date by the amount specified in the bill sent by the operator of the switching system 2.

When the contract is concluded and the communication system is operated, the communication fee of each user Y1, Y2, Y3,... For the communication service of each carrier A, B, C,.
The operator of the exchange system 2 is paid in a lump and the user Y
, Y2, Y3,... And the communication fee cost to be paid to each carrier A, B, C, (the operators of each carrier A, B, C,. The difference between the exchange rate and the basic rate is the profit of the operator of the switching system 2.

That is, for the users Y1, Y2, Y3,..., Normally, a plurality of carriers A, B, C,.
The operator of the switching system 2 unifies the requests individually sent from the users, thereby reducing the administrative work of the users Y1, Y2, Y3,. For C,..., The burden of acquiring small users, billing communication charges, and collecting paperwork is reduced by the exchange system 2 operator acting on behalf of C. Then, the amount of the discount service is reduced from the communication fee of each user Y1, Y2, Y3,.

In the present embodiment, the transfer of communication connection data between the carriers A, B, C,... And the operator of the switching system 2 is performed, as described above, on the recording medium (FD, MO, etc.). ), But may be transferred by communication (such as the Internet) using a telephone line network. In this case, the data processing program of the circuit switching system A ₂ , B ₂ , C ₂ ,... Of the carriers A, B, C,.
When a user code previously assigned to the operator of the switching system 2 is received, the transmission source of the user code is regarded as the communication server 3 of the switching system 2 and the carriers A, B, C, It is assumed that the communication connection data for each user recorded in the circuit switching system is transmitted to the communication servers 3 of the switching system 2.
As described above, the present invention can be variously modified without departing from the technical idea thereof, and it goes without saying that the present invention extends to the modified invention.

[0018]

As is apparent from the above description, when the switching system according to the present invention is used, each user pays the communication fee for all carriers collectively while using the communication service of each carrier. So
The inconvenience related to payment is eliminated (claim 1). Further, since the communication service is provided to the user at a discounted price, it is possible to easily secure the user (claim 2).

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a communication system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of user communication connection data used in the communication system according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Y1, Y2, Y3, ... User A, B, C, ... Carrier (communications carrier) 2 Switching system 3 Communication server 4 Printer

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A user payment amount charging means for charging, as a user payment amount, a payment amount for all communication carriers used by a user based on communication connection data for each user obtained from each communication carrier; A communication service exchange system, comprising: a user payment amount billing means for notifying each user of the amount. 2. The user payment amount billing means discounts a predetermined amount from the user payment amount of each user, and the user payment amount billing means gives the discounted user payment amount to each user. The communication service switching system according to claim 1, wherein the system is configured to charge.