KR101438431B1 - Charging System and Method for user service via communication network - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a way for reducing heavy costs consumed to process charging or heavy load generated in a service providing server when a charging process for using a service is executed by a server which provides a user service, and to a way for promoting security and for activating the user service. The way is realized as a charging processing system for the user service comprising: a value data storage unit embedded in a user terminal to store value data corresponding to the reference of charging for the usage of the user service provided to the terminal through a wired and wireless communications network; a charging execution unit embedded in the terminal to execute the charging by reducing or increasing the value of the value data; and a user service providing server to assign the value according to the contract to the value data when the usage contract of the user service is executed with the user terminal and to manage the status of the value data according to the execution of the charging when the charging is executed.

Description

Technical Field [0001] The present invention relates to a charging system for a user service provided through a communication network,

The present invention relates to a billing system and method for a user service provided through a wired / wireless communication network, and more particularly, to a billing system for billing a user service The present invention relates to a method for reducing heavy load or excessive cost required for billing, and also a method for enabling activation of user service and security.

With the rapid development of wired / wireless communication, especially wireless communication, and generalization of ubiquitous computing environment, a user can receive his / her desired user service anytime and anywhere using his / her UE (User Equipment: UE). When a user accesses a communication network through his / her UE and receives / transmits data in order to receive a desired user service through voice communication and data communication using his / her UE, the communication company (user service providing server) (Charges) on the basis of the charge. The user service providing server confirms whether the user has paid a reasonable fee to use the data communication service (user service) after receiving the communication product and the policy of the user, and connects the communication. At this time, various tasks such as recording the amount of communication data of the sender and inquiring the amount of remaining traffic are performed in the service providing server.

On the other hand, in the user service providing server, in addition to the data traffic related to the content of the most important user service, data processing cost related to charging processing and additional traffic occur. Such processing cost and traffic increase as the number of users increases, The load of the service providing server is greatly increased, which obstructs the stable provision of the user service. Therefore, the operator of the service providing server (communication network operator) is paying a great deal of money for the stable provision (operation) of the user service.

In addition, most prepaid services in Korea are mostly provided to the subscribers of telecommunication companies. On the other hand, in the case of overseas, there are pre-paid services that can be used without a separate service use contract by service providers and users, but there are various limitations such as limitation of period after payment, necessity of purchasing expensive equipment, do. In other words, the reality is that there are many restrictions on the activation (facilitation) of prepaid services both at home and abroad. In addition, there are cases where the billing process by the service providing server can be maliciously performed (often, leakage of personal information occurs through this), which may result in undermining the security of the user service.

Accordingly, it is possible to increase the load of the service providing server which can be accompanied by the charging process and to reduce the cost, and to activate the user service (prepaid service) without any special restriction and to secure the safety of the user service Is desired.

US registered patent US 8,275,353 B2, 2012.09.25 Registered.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to meet the above-mentioned demand, and a problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a method for enabling the slimming of the billing process, the activation of the user service and the safety.

To solve the above-described problems, a billing system disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 10-213024 is built in a user equipment (UE) and is provided with a charging reference for use of a user service provided to the UE through a wired / wireless communication network A value data storage unit for storing valued data corresponding to the value data; A charging unit built in the UE and performing the charging by increasing or decreasing a value of the value data; And assigning a value according to the contract to the value data when a contract of use of the user terminal and the user service is made, and managing only the state of the value data according to the charging when the charging is performed And a user service providing server.

The charging method disclosed in order to solve the above problem is a charging method for charging a user equipment (UE) with a charging method for charging a user service provided to the UE through a wired / wireless communication network, (B) the UE performs the accounting by increasing or decreasing the value of the value data; (c) the server providing the user service further comprises: A value according to the usage contract is given to the value data when the user service use contract is made, and when the charging is performed, only the state of the value data according to the charging is managed, .

According to the present invention, the user terminal (UE) performs charging for the use of the user service, and the service providing server does not directly participate in the charging operation when the charging is performed, It is possible to reduce the billing process by making the billing for the use of the user service possible by merely increasing or decreasing the value data of the UE by implementing the value data corresponding to the criteria of the user service Thereby enabling stable operation of the system.

In addition, the UE is allowed to charge the user service by merely increasing or decreasing the value data. This is because a troublesome procedure between the service providing server and the user for using (providing) the user service, that is, It is possible to activate (smooth) the user service because it is unnecessary to perform various procedures such as user authentication operation procedure.

And since the unidirectional property is given to the value data, it is possible to prevent the unauthorized change of the value data, so that the safety of the user service can be secured, so that the user also has an advantage that the user can trust the user service.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig.
Fig. 2 is a view showing the flow of the present invention.

Prior to the description of the concrete contents for carrying out the present invention, for the sake of understanding, an overview of the solution of the present invention will be given first.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An outline of a solution of the present invention to solve the above problem (a starting point of technical idea) is to make charging for use of a user service in a user terminal (UE), and in a billing operation, So that it is not necessary to participate (participate) directly. That is, the present invention stores valued data corresponding to a criterion of charging for use of a user service in a UE, and can be used only to increase or decrease the value data by the UE It is possible to charge for. In addition, the user service providing server manages only the state of the value data only when the billing is performed, thereby making the billing process slimmer, which ultimately enables stable operation of the user service.

In addition, the charging of the user service by merely increasing or decreasing the value data only makes it possible to activate the user service because it does not require troublesome procedures between the service providing server and the user for using the user service.

Meanwhile, the value data is implemented as one-way data. In the present invention, unidirectional data refers to data that is changed only in one direction because the data value can be increased or decreased only. This unidirectional property of the value data prevents unauthorized modification of the value data, so that the user can securely use the user service because the safety of the user service can be secured.

The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. In the following description, It is to be noted that the same reference numerals are given to the drawings and that elements of other drawings can be cited when necessary in the description of the drawings. In the following description, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear.

Fig. 1 shows the structure of the present invention, and Fig. 2 shows the flow of the present invention.

The value data storage unit 11 is built in the user terminal UE and stores valued data corresponding to a criterion of charging for use of the user service provided to the UE through the wired / wireless communication network (S21 ). The value data storage unit 11 may be embodied (embodied) in the form of a card in a wireless terminal when the UE terminal is a wireless terminal, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The key is embedded in the UE whether it is implemented in any format or not, and the same applies to the case of the billing performing unit 12 to be described later.

On the other hand, the value data is data corresponding to a criterion of charging for the use of the user service, and for the sake of easy understanding of the concept of the value data, the following description will be given. On the other hand, a predetermined value is assigned to the value data. The value is assigned according to the usage contract when a usage contract of a user service is made between the user and the user service provider, which is performed by the user service providing server 13 to be described later.

Let us suppose that a user service is a service for downloading a movie for a fee, and the value data is represented by 16 bytes (= 128 bits). If the criterion of charging is set as a download per movie and the value of downloading one movie of the value data is given, it is possible to provide a movie download service capable of downloading 128 times. Another example is that if a user service is an overseas telephone call service and the billing criterion is determined by the telephone call and the value of one call of the overseas telephone is given to 1 bit of the value data, It will be possible to do.

In these two examples, one bit of the value data is the basis for the billing for the use of the user service, so the value data is the data corresponding to the criterion of the billing. It is obvious that the billing standard can be implemented only by 1 bit as in the above two examples, and it can be implemented differently according to various circumstances such as the contents of the service of the user service provider (service provision server) and the billing policy.

Meanwhile, the value data is preferably stored in an OTPROM (One Time Programmable ROM) in order to solve the problem of the present invention. This is to implement value data as one-way data (OWD). OWD in the present invention means data in which the change of the value of the data is made either in an increasing or decreasing direction. When data is stored in the OTPROM, each bit of the data is changed (restored) to '1' ('0') when the bit is changed from '1' ('0' That is, unidirectional data.

The reason why the value data has such unidirectional characteristics is that it prevents unauthorized modification (manipulation) of the value data from the outside, so as to secure the security of the user service and make the user trust the user service And also has a side effect that may prevent the unauthorized use of the value data by the user himself / herself. This is because, as mentioned above, if the value of the value data is changed, it can not be restored to the value before the change.

The billing execution unit 12, like the storage unit 11, is built in the UE and performs billing by increasing or decreasing the value of the value data (S22). As in the case of the storage unit 11, the billing execution unit 12 can be embodied (embodied) in the form of a card in a wireless terminal when the UE terminal is a wireless terminal. However, It is not. In the case of implementing in the form of a card, charging can be directly connected to personal information of a user, so that a USIM (Universal Subscriber Identity Module) card that enables user identification is assumed to perform the role of the execution unit 12. [

The execution of the billing can be concretely accomplished as follows.

The value presence / absence checking unit 121 confirms whether there is available (available) value (value of the value data is chargeable) to the value data at the time of occurrence of the event when the user service use event occurs (S221) .

If it is determined that there is a value available by the confirmation unit 121 (Y1), the updating unit 122 updates the value data of the event at the time of occurrence of the event by a value corresponding to the amount of the generated event The value of the value data at the time of occurrence of the event is updated to a new value at step S222 and the new value is transmitted to the storage unit 11 to store the value of the value data previously stored in the storage unit 11, To a new value. On the other hand, if it is determined by the confirmation unit 121 that there is no available value (N1), the disappearance notification unit 123 notifies the user service providing server 13 that the value of the value data has been revoked. If the new value is not available (S223), the update unit 122 notifies the service providing server 13 that the value of the value data has disappeared through the extinction notification unit 123, If so, the update to the new value is confirmed.

Since the billing is performed only by increasing or decreasing the value of the value data by the updating unit 122, the amount of calculation required for billing can be drastically reduced as compared with the conventional method. Therefore, according to the present invention, have.

The user service providing server 13 provides a user service. The user service providing server 13 performs the function of managing only the status of the value data according to the billing with respect to the billing performed in the present invention. Therefore, the user service providing server 13 of the present invention can more faithfully perform the function of providing the user service (more stable provision of the user service).

That is, the user service providing server 13 of the present invention notifies the state of the value data according to charging and manages the state, and does not directly participate (participate) in the charging. Therefore, the billing process can be made more slimmer than the conventional billing method (a series of operations related to billing are all performed in the server). The state management of the value data can be specifically concluded as follows.

The status management of the value data by the user service providing server 13 is performed with respect to the storage unit 11. That is, a state of whether or not the storage unit 11 is registered to itself, a state of whether or not the storage unit 11 is initialized, a state of activation (activation (availability)) of the storage unit 11, (Revocation (Unavailability)) state of the storage unit 11. [0050] If the storage unit 11 is implemented as a card in the wireless UE, a unique ID is assigned to the card and the state or phase of the card is as follows. This can be seen in the state that value data can have.

Hereinafter, it will be assumed that the storage unit 11 is implemented in the form of a card, and the state that the card can have. In this case, the name of the card is referred to as an " OWD card ". This is a name that focuses on the fact that the value data stored in the storage unit 11 is OWD as mentioned above. The state of the OWD card is stored in the value data state DB.

- Registration phase

Means that the OWD card is registered in the service providing server 13 before the following activation. In this state, the user service providing server 13 registers the unique ID of the OWD card in the value data state DB and sets the state values of Initialization, Activation (Availability) and Revocation (Unavailability) to false (Uninitialized, , 'Unrevoked').

- Initialization phase

It means the OWD card is in the initialized state, and it is the waiting state before the below activation state. This state should be maintained as small as possible. This may be accomplished by the UE transmitting an Activation Request message of the OWD card within a certain time after the UE sends an initialization request message to the server 13. In this state, the server 13 updates the initialization value to true (Initialized).

- Activation (Availability) phase

The OWD card is activated and the value data is available, and the user can use the user service by using the value data only when the OWD card is in this state. When the UE requests the service providing server 13 for the user service for the first time, the service providing server 13 gives the value data to the UE and transmits the value data corresponding to the OWD card And updates the state value of the activation to true (Active).

- Revocation (Unavailability) phase

Means that the value of the value data is revoked, the value data needs to be newly assigned, or the OWD card should be discarded. When the value data value disappears, the service providing server 13 updates the state value of Revocation (Unavailability) to true (Revoked). When the OWD card is in this state, since the value state of the value data is in the disappearing state, The service is unavailable.

The present invention can also be embodied as computer-readable code on a computer readable recording medium. A computer-readable recording medium includes all kinds of recording apparatuses in which data that can be read by a computer system is stored. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include a ROM, a RAM, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, an optical data storage device, and the like, and also implemented in the form of a carrier wave (for example, transmission over a wired or wireless network) . The computer-readable recording medium may also be distributed over a networked computer system so that computer readable code can be stored and executed in a distributed manner.

The present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments thereof. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. The disclosed embodiments should, therefore, be considered in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all differences within the scope of equivalents thereof should be construed as being included in the present invention.

Claims (13)

A value stored in a user equipment (UE) and storing valued data corresponding to a charging reference for use of a user service provided to the UE through a wire / wireless communication network, A data storage unit;
A charging unit built in the UE and performing the charging by increasing or decreasing a value of the value data; And
A value of the contract is assigned to the value data when the user and the user service are contracted, and when the charging is performed, only the state of the value data according to the charging is managed Providing server,
Wherein the performing unit comprises:
A value presence / absence checking unit for checking whether there is a value available for use in the value data at the time of occurrence of the event when the use event of the user service occurs; And
If it is determined that there is a value available as a result of the check, the value data at the time of occurrence is incremented or decremented by a value corresponding to the charged amount of the generated event to update the value data at the time of occurrence to a new value And an update unit configured to update the user's service based on the received information. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the storage unit comprises an OTPROM (One Time Programmable ROM), and stores the value data in the OTPROM. delete The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the performing unit
Further comprising a disappearance notification unit for notifying the service providing server that the value of the value data has been revoked, if it is determined that there is no available value as a result of the checking. Processing system. 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the updating unit
And notifies the service providing server that the value of the value data has disappeared through the extinction notification unit if the new value is not available. The method according to any one of claims 1, 2, 4, and 5,
Wherein the user service providing server manages the state of the value data by notifying the UE of the state of the value data,
Wherein the state of the value data is a state of registration of the storage unit, a state of whether or not the storage unit is initialized, an activation state of the storage unit, and a state of availability of the storage unit,
Whether or not the value of the value data has been expired is managed by the availability status of the storage unit. (a) storing a value data corresponding to a criterion for charging a user equipment (UE) using a user service provided to the UE through a wired / wireless communication network,
(b) the UE performs the accounting by increasing or decreasing the value of the value data,
(c) a server providing the user service assigns a value according to the contract to the value data when a contract for use of the UE and the user service is made, and when the charging is performed, Only the state of the data is managed,
(B)
(b1) confirming whether the UE has a value available for use in the value data at the time of occurrence of the event when the use event of the user service occurs; And
(b2) if it is determined that there is a value available as a result of the check, the UE increases or decreases the value data of the occurrence time by a value corresponding to the charged amount of the generated event, And updating the value to a new value. ≪ Desc / Clms Page number 19 > 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the UE comprises an OTPROM (One Time Programmable ROM), and stores the value data in the OTPROM. delete 8. The method of claim 7, wherein (b)
(b3) if it is determined that there is no available value as a result of the check, the UE is notified that the value of the value data has been revoked to the server. How to bill for user services. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein step (b2)
And if the new value does not have an available value, the UE notifies the server that the value of the value data has disappeared. The method according to any one of claims 7, 8, 10, and 11,
Wherein the server manages the state of the value data by notifying the state of the value data from the UE,
Wherein the state of the value data is a state of registration of the storage unit for storing the value data, a state of whether or not the storage unit is initialized, a state of activation of the storage unit, and a state of availability of the storage unit,
Wherein whether the value of the value data is lost or not is managed in a state of availability of the storage unit. A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the method of any one of claims 7, 8, 10, and 11.

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