JP2001101129A - Charge calculation system and method, and storage medium storing charge calculation program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide constitution for substituting the collection of an information providing charge applied to a user of providing information. SOLUTION: A monitoring information storage part 42 stores charge system definition of a charge to be applied to a user of providing information. A user certification server 33 connects a client terminal 12 to be used for a member of an ISP 13 to an Internet 14. A connection monitoring server 41 detects the transmission of providing information stored in a providing information storage part 22 to the terminal 12 by an internal transmission line 43 to be a transmission line between the terminal 12 and the Internet 14. The server 41 calculates a charge to be applied to the user on the basis of the detected result and the definition of the charge system.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a technology for managing a communication network, and more particularly, to a fee charged to a user of the provided information as a price for providing the provided information transmitted through the communication network. Related to technology.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The development of communication networks has spawned various new businesses. A paid information providing service in which various information is provided and an information providing fee is paid as a value for providing the information from a partner who provides the information is one of them.

[0003] In the paid information providing service, a person who provides information (this person is referred to as a "providing source" in the present application).
Between the user and the user who receives and uses the provided information (provided information) (this user is referred to as a "user" in the present application), such as a fee system (for example, information Standard amount of provision fee, provision of billing calculation such as fixed monthly billing or minute-based billing, etc.), payment method (for example, use of credit card, automatic debit from bank account etc.)
An agreement such as an agreement is made in advance.

[0004] In the Internet, which has exploded and expanded in recent years, among communication networks, the number of providers who provide such a paid information providing service is enormous, and each provider is mutually independent. In most cases, they are organizations and individuals who do not have a relationship. To use the information provided by multiple providers using the Internet, the user must sign a contract with multiple providers individually, and the user must pay a separate fee for each contract. With the hassle of paying. Also, depending on the payment method, there may be a case where a certain fee must be paid for each remittance. On the other hand, the provider also has to perform complicated operations such as payment management of the information provision fee remitted from many users.

[0005] A connection provider (service provider) that provides an Internet connection service provides a service for connecting an information terminal used by a user to the Internet, and receives a connection fee from the user. Paying attention to this point, the connection provider collects the information provision fee to be provided by the provider of the provision information, that is, the connection provider collects the information provision fee of the provision information from the user together with the connection fee described above. Then, if the collected information providing fee is paid from the connection provider to the provider, it is possible to reduce the trouble of both the user and the provider of the pay information as described above.

[0006] When the content of the information provided to the user is a product advertisement, the user is charged a connection fee for connecting to the Internet for browsing the advertisement. Alternatively, there may be a mechanism where the provider pays the provider. In this way, the user can carefully browse the advertisement without worrying about the connection fee, thereby increasing the effect of the advertisement. In addition, for the provider, the degree to which the user has contacted the advertisement can be improved. It is reasonable to pay the corresponding advertising fee.

[0007] In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a mechanism for collecting information provision fees imposed on users of provided information.

[0008]

The present invention presupposes a system or method for calculating a charge imposed on a user of the provided information as a consideration for providing the provided information transmitted through a communication network.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problem by providing the following configuration. First, the definition of the fee system of the fee charged to the user of the provided information is stored. Then, the communication line connected to the information terminal used by the user is connected to the communication network described above.

Here, the fact that the provided information has been transmitted to the information terminal used by the user is detected between the connection point connecting the communication line and the communication network to the information terminal. Then, based on the detection result and the definition of the fee system described above, the fee charged to the user is calculated.

The communication network is, for example, the Internet. In order to detect that the provided information has been transmitted, for example, storage location information indicating the storage location of the provided information on the communication network is stored, and stored in the storage location indicated by the storage location information. The detection that the provided information is transmitted to the information terminal may be used as the detection that the provided information is transmitted.

In the above-described configuration, the detection that the provided information has been transmitted to the information terminal used by the user is not performed at the storage location of the provided information that is geographically distant, which is troublesome for the connection company. Detects from the point of connection between the communication line and the communication network where the connection provider can easily monitor the transmission information to the information terminal, and calculates the fee charged to the user based on the detection result I do. As a result, the cost for collecting money for the connection company is reduced. Also, when a connection provider collects information provision fees for multiple information providers, it is convenient because the charges to the user for the information provided by the multiple providers can be collectively calculated at one place. is there.

[0013] In the above configuration, there is further provided a means for storing the history of the calculated fee and the history of the detection result indicating that the provided information has been transmitted to the information terminal used by the user in association with each other. This may be configured, and when the information provision fee is collected at regular intervals, the history can be presented to the information user to charge the information provision fee, which is useful.

[0014] In the above configuration, the definition of a plurality of fee systems corresponding to each piece of provided information is stored, and when it is detected that the provided information has been transmitted to the information terminal, the transmitted provided information is provided. If the information to be detected is any provided information, and the fee charged to the user of the provided information is calculated based on the definition of the fee system corresponding to the detected provided information, a different charge Even if the provided information having the system exists on the communication network, the information providing fee can be individually calculated.

Further, in the above configuration, it is possible to specify an operator who operates the information terminal, and to calculate an information provision fee for each user who is the specified operator. This is convenient because when the information provision fee is charged to a plurality of users, the information provision fee for each user has already been calculated.

[0016] Further, the above-described problem arises when calculating a charge imposed on a user of the provided information as a price for providing the provided information transmitted via the communication network, a plurality of charges corresponding to each provided information. Stores the definition of the fee system of the fee, detects which provided information is transmitted to the information terminal used by the user via the communication network, and responds to the detected provided information. This can be solved by another aspect of the present invention in which a fee charged to the user is calculated based on the definition of the fee system. According to this configuration, even if provided information having different fee systems exists on the communication network, the respective information providing fees can be individually calculated.

The present invention may be configured as a computer-readable storage medium that stores a program that causes a computer to execute the functions realized by the above-described configuration of the present invention when executed by the computer.

As described above, according to any aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a mechanism for collecting the information provision fee charged to the user of the provided information.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a communication network system for implementing the present invention. The configuration shown in FIG. 1 includes a plurality of websites 11 managed by a plurality of providers that provide information, a plurality of client terminals 12 used by a user who receives the information, and a client terminal 12 connected to the Internet 14. A device group 13 for providing an Internet connection service capable of data exchange by an ISP (Internet service provider)
(Hereinafter, simply referred to as “ISP 13”), the Internet 14 to which the Web site 11 and the ISP 13 are connected and data transmission is performed, the client terminal 12 and the IS
A public line 15 to which P13 is connected to perform data transmission.

FIG. 1 will be further described. The Web site 11 has a WWW (World Wide Web) server 21 and a provided information storage unit 22, and the Internet 14
The WWW server 21 reads the provided information stored in the provided information storage unit 22 as Web page data in response to the information provision request received via
To send to.

Here, some of the Web sites 11 are pay sites, and provide provided information only in response to an information providing request from a client terminal 12 operated by a specific person who has previously made an information providing contract. The user of the provided information who operates the client terminal 12 needs to pay the information providing fee to the provider, but the ISP 13 member collects the information providing fee when paying the Internet connection fee.
When the payment is made to the SP 13, the information providing fee is transferred to the provider of the provided information via the ISP 13.

Some of the Web sites 11 are designated sites, and are connected to the Internet 14 via the ISP 13.
When the connection is made from the client terminal 12 connected to the server, the provided information is transmitted. Here, the information provision fee for the provision information of the designated site and the Internet connection fee from the client terminal 12 for browsing the provision information are free to ISP members. It should be noted that a contract for paying the Internet connection fee to the ISP on behalf of the ISP member is provided in advance for the Internet connection fee during the browsing period.

Hereinafter, the Web site 11 that is neither a pay site nor a designated site will be referred to as a normal site. The client terminal 12 has a built-in modem, and can exchange data via the public line 15.
In addition, the client terminal 12 has a Web browser function, and can interpret Web page data and display information.

The ISP 13 is connected to each other via an internal transmission line 43 to form a LAN (local = area = network). A connection monitoring server 41, a member DB server 34 connected to the FW 36, a member information storage unit 35 connected to the member DB server 34, a mail storage unit 38 connected to the mail server 37, and a connection to the DNS server 39 And a monitoring information storage unit 42 connected to the connection monitoring server 41.

The router 31 connects the LAN constituted by the ISP 13 to the Internet 14. In this embodiment, the router 31 serves as a connection point between the Internet 14 and a communication line from the client terminal 12.

The router 32 exchanges data with the client terminal 12 via the public line 15. The user authentication server 33 is a server that authenticates a login name and a password included in a connection request made from the client terminal 12 via the public line 15, and the connection request is transmitted by the IS.
Determine whether it was issued by a member of P,
If the authentication is successful, a process for controlling the router 31 to connect the client terminal 12 to the Internet 14 is executed.

The member DB (database) server 34
In response to a request from another server constituting the ISP 13, the member information of the ISP stored in the member information storage unit 35 is provided, and billing information for the member such as an Internet connection fee and an information providing fee is stored in the member information. The server stored in the unit 35.

The FW (firewall) 36 is an ISP
13 is the only member DB server 34
Member DB server 34 so that access to
Is used to protect the member information from leaking due to unauthorized access via the Internet 14 or the public line 15 from outside.

The mail server 37 is a server for providing an e-mail service to the members of the ISP. The e-mail server 37 sends an e-mail sent from the client terminal 12 to the Internet 14, and sends the e-mail to the Internet 14 via the Internet 14. The sent e-mail addressed to the ISP member is temporarily stored in the mail storage unit 38, and the e-mail is received when a request to receive the e-mail from the destination member operating the client terminal 12 is received. Perform delivery processing.

A DNS (domain name system) server 39 specifies an access destination host which can be used by a URL (uniform resource locator) used to access a host on the Internet 14 from the client terminal 12. The process of replacing a domain name with an IP address (Internet address)
This is performed by referring to the relationship information between the domain name and the IP address stored in the P address information storage unit 40 in advance,
The designated site IP address table and the pay site I which are also stored in the IP address information
A process for providing the connection monitoring server 41 with the contents of the setting information of both tables related to the present invention, called a P address table, is also performed.

The connection monitoring server 41 detects that a session between the Web site 11 and the client terminal 12 has been established, and counts time until the session ends. Then, a connection fee corresponding to the set time is calculated by referring to a charging information table stored in the monitoring information storage unit 42, and further, these histories are stored in the member DB.
It is passed to the server 34 and stored in the member information storage unit 35.
The connection monitoring server 41 is particularly related to the present invention.

The client terminal 11 and the WWW server 21 shown in FIG. 1 and the servers constituting the ISP 13 are all semiconductor storage devices such as a CPU, ROM and RAM, magnetic storage devices such as a hard disk device, and external data. It is composed of standard computer components such as an input / output interface for sending and receiving, and further provided with input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse, and output devices such as a display device and a printer, as required.

Next, FIG. 2 will be described. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the connection monitoring server 41 in FIG. I
The P address recognition unit 51 monitors data exchanged between the client terminal 12 and the Internet 14 via the internal transmission path 43. And the client terminal 1
It recognizes the IP address indicating the Web site 11 on the Internet 14 with which the session with the Internet 2 has been established, and determines whether the IP address is a paid site, a designated site, or a normal site.

The charging collection and distribution unit 52 generates a charging record 53 to be described later, calculates a connection fee for each ISP member, and registers a connection history. The accounting record 53 is a record stored in the monitoring information storage unit 42 and is generated every time a session between the client terminal 12 and the Web site 11 is established. The charging record 53 records a user identifier indicating who is a member of the ISP operating the client terminal 12, the start time and end time of the session, and the IP address of the Web site 11 of the session destination. 11, normal site (RA), designated site (RB), paid site (R
C) and stored as a separate record.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the overall flow of processing executed in the communication network system shown in FIG. These processes are realized by the CPU of each server reading and executing the control program stored in the storage device of each server constituting the ISP 13. Hereinafter, the flow of processing in this system will be described with reference to FIG.

The processing from S101 to S107 is executed by the user authentication server 33. First, the user authentication server detects that the user operates the client terminal 12 to send out a user name and a password, and attempts a dial-up connection to the ISP 13 via the public line 15 (S101).

Here, the user authentication server 33 determines the user name and password and the member D included in the connection request from the user.
A user authentication process for collating with the member information obtained from the B server 34 is executed (S102), and it is determined whether or not the request is a connection request from a member of the ISP (S103).
If the result of this determination is that the authentication is OK, that is, a connection request from a member of this ISP, the flow proceeds to S106.

On the other hand, the authentication N
G, that is, if the connection request cannot be determined from the ISP member, the value of the variable n is increased by 1 (S10).
4). Thereafter, the user authentication server 33 determines whether or not the value of the variable n has reached the value of a preset constant m (S105). Here, the constant m is the number of retries of the user authentication permitted when the user authentication in the dial-up connection has failed, and usually several retries are allowed.

If the result of the determination processing in S105 is No, that is, if the value of the variable n has not yet reached the value of the constant m, the flow returns to S101 to repeat the user authentication processing again. On the other hand, if the result of the determination processing in S105 is Yes, that is, if the value of the variable n has reached the value of the constant m, the user operating the client terminal 12 is regarded as not a member of this ISP, and the user authentication server 33 Rejects the connection request and immediately ends the processing shown in FIG.

If it is determined that the connection request from the ISP member has been received by the determination processing of S103, the variable n
Is substituted for “0” to initialize the variable n (S10).
6). Thereafter, the user authentication server 33 connects the line from the client terminal 12 operated by the member to the Internet 14 via the internal transmission line 43 and the router 31 (S107).

Here, the DNS server 39 monitors access from the client terminal 12 to the Internet 14, and determines whether or not a URL is specified for the access (S108). If the URL has not been specified, the determination processing of S108 is repeated.

When a URL is designated for access to the Internet 14 from the client terminal 12,
The DNS server 39 searches the IP address information storage unit 40 and acquires an IP address corresponding to the domain name set in the URL (S109). And the URL
Is replaced with an IP address, and the W on the Internet 14 specified by the IP address is replaced.
The website 11 and the client terminal 12 are connected to establish a session (S110).

Here, the connection monitoring server 41 executes a process of acquiring billing information (S111). Details of this processing will be described later. Thereafter, the connection monitoring server 41 determines whether the connection between the client terminal 12 and the Internet 14 has been completed (S112). If the connection has been completed, the connection monitoring server 41 executes a process of calculating the amount charged to the member of the ISP and a process of registering the connection history (S113), and ends the process shown in FIG. If it is determined in step S112 that the connection has not been completed, the process returns to step S108 to repeat the above-described processing.

The details of the processing in S113 will be described later.
Next, a description will be given of the accounting information acquisition process executed in S111 of FIG. As described above, the Web site 11 in the communication network system shown in FIG. 1 includes a pay site, a designated site, and a normal site.
Information indicating which of the paid site and the designated site in the site 11 is stored in the IP address information storage unit 40 in advance. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the designated site IP address table. As shown in the figure, the designated site stores its domain name and IP address in association with each other. As for the pay site, a pay site IP address table similar to the designated site IP address table is stored in the IP address information storage unit 40 in advance.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the details of the accounting information acquisition process executed by the connection monitoring server 41.
FIG. 2 showing functional blocks of the connection monitoring server 41
The flow of the processing will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the IP address recognizing unit 51 monitors data transmitted and received between the client terminal 12 and the Internet 14 via the internal transmission line 43, and establishes a session with the client terminal 12 through the Internet 14. Recognize the IP address indicating the Web site 11 on the side. Whether the IP address is a paid site, a designated site, or a normal site is stored in the designated site IP address table or the paid site IP address table stored in the IP address information storage unit 40 in advance. It is determined whether an address is stored by making an inquiry to the DNS server 39 (S201).

If the IP address is determined to be that of a normal site by this determination processing, the charge collection and distribution unit 5
2 creates a billing record A (RA) (S202), and uses the billing record A to operate the client terminal 12.
A user identifier indicating who the SP member is, an IP address of the Web site 11 of the session destination that is a normal site, and a session start time of the session are set (S203).

Thereafter, the IP address recognition unit 51 continues monitoring the session and detects disconnection of the session (end of session) (S204). If the session disconnection is detected, the charging collection and distribution unit 52 sets the session end time of the session in the charging record A (S20).
5), the current accounting information acquisition process ends.

If it is determined in S201 that the IP address is that of the designated site, the charging collection and distribution unit 52 creates a charging record B (RB) (S201).
206), the user identifier, the IP address of the Web site 11 that is the session destination of the session, and the session start time are set in the accounting record B (S20).
7).

Thereafter, when the IP address recognition unit 51 detects the disconnection of the session (S208), the charging collection and distribution unit 52 sets the session end time of the session in the charging record B (S209), and acquires the current charging information. The process ends.

If it is determined in S201 that the IP address is for a pay site, the charging collection and distribution unit 52 creates a charging record C (RC) (S201).
210), the user identifier, the IP address of the Web site 11 that is the session destination of the session, and the browse flag are set in the accounting record C (S211). In this embodiment, it is assumed that the fee for providing the information provided by the pay site is based on a fixed monthly fee, and the user is charged one month a month regardless of the time and the number of sessions with the pay site. It is assumed that a fixed charge for one month is incurred by connecting more than once. The browsing flag is a flag for selecting a definition of a connection fee within a predetermined one-month period, and is set in advance in the above-described pay site IP address table for each pay site.

Thereafter, when the IP address recognizing unit 51 detects the disconnection of the session (S212), the current accounting information acquisition processing ends. The processing up to this point is performed in S11 of FIG.
This is the accounting information acquisition process executed in step S1.

Next, details of the calculation of the billing amount and the registration of the connection history performed in S113 of FIG. 3 will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of this processing. When the network connection is disconnected, first, the charging collection and distribution unit 52 acquires one accounting record 53 created in the accounting information acquisition process described above from the monitoring information storage unit 42 (S301), and acquires the acquired accounting record. It is determined whether 53 is a billing record A, B, or C (S3
02).

If the acquired accounting record 53 is an accounting record A (an accounting record created based on a session with a normal site) or an accounting record B (an accounting record created based on a session with a designated site), The connection time T with the Web site 11 is calculated from the difference between the start time and the end time of the session set in the record (S303).

Subsequently, the connection fee per unit time at the Web site 11 is obtained from the charging information table stored in the monitoring information storage unit 42, and the connection fee K is obtained by multiplying the connection fee by the connection time T. Calculate (S
304), the obtained connection time T and connection fee K are given to the member D
It is passed to the B server 34 and is set in the connection history table stored in the member information storage unit 35 so as to correspond to the user identifier set in the billing record 53 (S305). Thereafter, the process proceeds to S309.

FIG. 7 shows an example of the billing information table. In the table shown in the figure, the connection fee (connection service amount) charged to the ISP member depending on whether the session destination Web site is a normal site, a designated site, or a pay site.
Are different. To further explain each item specifically shown in the figure, in the session for the normal site, the ISP normally charges the member 10 minutes per minute.
A yen connection fee is set. Further, a connection fee of 0 yen (free) is set in order to avoid charging the member in a session for the designated site. In a session for a pay site, a pay site classified as pay A is paid 100% per month.
A fixed connection fee of 0 yen is set, and a fixed connection fee of 500 yen per month is set for a pay site classified as pay B. Whether the pay site adopts the connection fee of the fee A or B is indicated by the viewing flag of the billing record C created in the billing information acquisition process.

Returning to the description of FIG. As a result of the determination processing in S302, if the acquired accounting record 53 is the accounting record C (the accounting record created based on the session with the pay site), the browsing flag set in the record is acquired (S306). The browsing fee F per unit period in the Web site 11 is acquired from the charging information table stored in the monitoring information storage unit 42 in accordance with the set contents of the browsing flag (307).
Is set in the connection history table stored in the member information storage unit 35 of the member DB server 34 in association with the user identifier set in the billing record (S308).

After completing the setting in the connection history table, it is determined whether or not an unprocessed accounting record remains in the monitoring information storage unit 42 (S309). If the accounting record remains, the process returns to S301 to execute the above-described processing. If no unprocessed accounting records remain and the above-described processing has been completed for all accounting records, the current accounting amount calculation and connection history registration processing ends.

The above processing is executed in S113 of FIG. FIG. 8 shows an example of the connection history table for each member created by the processing of S305 or S308 in FIG. In the example shown in the drawing, in addition to the connection time T, the connection fee K, or the browsing fee F obtained in the above-described processing, the type of the Web site (normal site, designated site, pay site, etc.) Another "0""1"
, And the start time and end time of each session are also recorded as connection history.
Note that, in the example shown in the figure, the history of the start time and end time of the session is left even in the session with the pay site.

In the present embodiment, the charge at the time of connection to the designated site is free, but the charge can be changed to a discount charge or a surcharge by changing the setting contents of the charge information table. It is.

Further, a charge calculation program for causing a computer to execute the processes shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 3, 5, and 6 is created and stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and the program is transferred from the storage medium to the computer. By causing the computer to read and execute the information, it is also possible to cause the computer to calculate the charge imposed on the user of the provided information. FIG. 9 shows an example of a computer-readable storage medium for storing a charge calculation program. As shown in the figure, as the storage medium, for example, a storage device 62 such as a ROM or a hard disk device provided as an internal or external accessory device in the computer 61,
Floppy disk, MO (magneto-optical disk), CD-
A portable storage medium 63 such as a ROM or a DVD-ROM, or a computer 61 and a network 6
A storage device 66 attached to one or more program servers 65, which are computers connected via the server 4, can be used.

[0062]

As described in detail above, the present invention provides
When calculating the fee charged to the user of the provided information in consideration of the provision of the provided information transmitted via the communication network, first define the fee structure of the fee charged to the user of the provided information. It is stored, and the communication line connected to the information terminal used by the user is connected to the above-mentioned communication network. Then, at this time, the fact that the transmission of the provided information to the information terminal used by the user is detected from the connection point connecting the communication line and the communication network to the information terminal, and the detection result and the above described The system is configured to calculate the fee charged to the user based on the definition of the fee system.

According to this configuration, the detection that the provided information has been transmitted to the information terminal used by the user is not performed in a geographically distant storage location of the provided information which is troublesome for the connecting company. , From the point of connection between the communication line and the communication network where the connection provider can easily monitor the transmission information and the information terminal, and based on the detection result, the fee charged to the user is charged. Since the calculation is performed, the cost of collecting money for the connection provider is reduced for the connection provider, and further, when the connection provider collects the information provision fee for a plurality of information providers, the use for the information provided by the plurality of providers is also possible. Can be calculated at one place.

Alternatively, according to the present invention, when calculating a charge imposed on a user of the provided information as a consideration for providing the provided information transmitted via the communication network, a plurality of charges corresponding to each provided information are calculated. Stores the definition of the fee system of the fee, detects which provided information is transmitted to the information terminal used by the user via the communication network, and determines the fee corresponding to the detected provided information. The system is configured to calculate the fee charged to the user based on the definition of the system.

According to this configuration, even if provided information having different fee systems exists on the communication network, the respective information providing fees can be calculated individually.
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a mechanism for collecting the information provision fee charged to the user of the provided information.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a communication network system that embodies the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a connection monitoring server.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an overall flow of processing executed in the communication network system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a designated site IP address table.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating details of a billing information acquisition process.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the contents of a charge calculation / connection history registration process.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a billing information table.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a connection history table (for each member).

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a computer-readable storage medium that stores a charge calculation program.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Web site 12 Client terminal 13 ISP 14 Internet 15 Public line 21 WWW server 22 Provided information storage unit 31 Router 32 Router 33 User authentication server 34 Member DB server 35 Member information storage unit 36 FW 37 Mail server 38 Mail storage unit 39 DNS server 40 IP address information storage unit 41 connection monitoring server 42 monitoring information storage unit 43 internal transmission path

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A system for calculating a charge imposed on a user of provided information as a price for providing provided information transmitted via a communication network, wherein the charge stores a definition of a charge system of the charge. Definition storage means, connection means for connecting a communication line connected to the information terminal used by the user to the communication network, and connection means that the provided information has been transmitted to the information terminal. Provided information transmission detecting means for detecting from a connection point between the connected communication line and the communication network to the information terminal; a detection result by the provided information transmission detecting means and stored in the charging definition storage means Calculating means for calculating a charge imposed on the user based on the definition. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a billing history storage unit for storing the history of the fee calculated by said calculation unit and the history of the detection result by said provided information transmission detection unit in association with each other. The charge calculation system described. 3. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: provided information storage location information storage means for storing storage location information indicating a storage location of the provided information on the communication network, wherein the provided information transmission detecting means includes the provided information storage location information. Detecting that the transmission is performed by detecting that the provided information stored in the storage location indicated by the storage location information stored in the storage means has been transmitted to the information terminal. The charge calculation system according to claim 1, wherein: 4. The charging definition storage unit stores a plurality of charge system definitions corresponding to each of the provided information, and the provided information transmission detecting unit receives the provided information via the communication network. Detecting whether the information is provided information, and the calculating means calculates the fee based on the definition of the fee system corresponding to the provided information detected by the provided information transmission detecting means. The charge calculation system according to claim 1. 5. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an operator specifying unit that specifies an operator who operates the information terminal, wherein the calculating unit is the operator specified by the operator specifying unit. The fee calculation system according to claim 1, wherein the fee is calculated for each user. 6. The charge calculation system according to claim 1, wherein the communication network is the Internet. 7. A method for calculating a fee charged to a user of the provided information as a price for providing the provided information transmitted via a communication network, comprising: storing a definition of a fee system of the fee; A communication line connected to the information terminal used by the user is connected to the communication network, and a connection between the communication line and the communication network indicating that the provided information has been transmitted to the information terminal. A charge from the point to the information terminal, and calculate a charge charged to the user based on the detection result and the definition of the charge system. 8. A method of calculating a fee charged to a user of provided information as a price for providing provided information transmitted via a communication network, the method comprising calculating a plurality of charges corresponding to each provided information. Stores the definition of the fee system of the fee, detects which provided information is the provided information transmitted to the information terminal used by the user via the communication network, and detects the provided information corresponding to the detected provided information. A fee calculation method, wherein a fee charged to the user is calculated based on a definition of a fee system. 9. A program for causing a computer to calculate a charge imposed on a user of the provided information as a price for providing the provided information transmitted through a communication network by causing the computer to execute the program. A storage medium readable by the computer, a procedure for storing a definition of the fee structure of the fee, and a procedure for connecting a communication line connected to an information terminal used by the user to the communication network; A step of detecting that the transmission of the provided information to the information terminal is performed from a connection point connecting the communication line and the communication network to the information terminal, and a definition of the detection result and the fee system Calculating a charge imposed on the user based on the program, and storing a program for causing a computer to execute the program. Media.