JP2002033856A - Network connection system, connection charge calculation method in network connection service, and accounting system in the network connection service - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an Internet connection system that can conduct more flexible accounting. SOLUTION: The network connection management system has terminal servers 5a-5c and authentication server 7 that monitor network connection through an access point from a user and has an accounting server 9 that calculates a network connection charge as to the user on the basis of monitor, and the accounting server 9 has a channel utility charge calculation section 25 that calculates a channel utility charge up to the access point on the basis of the caller information of the user reported from a telephone company and a bill monetary amount calculation section 26 that calculates the billing monetary amount to the user on the basis of the channel utility charge calculated by the channel utility charge calculation section.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a network connection system which is operated by an Internet connection company different from a telephone company, provides a network connection service to a user, and performs a charging process.
In particular, the present invention relates to a network connection system using a payee line.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when an individual connects to the Internet, a dial-up connection for making a call to an access point of an Internet connection company is generally used.

In the case of a normal dial-up connection, payment of a telephone charge to a telephone company according to a line connection time,
Two payments of the connection fee to the Internet connection provider occur. If the owner of the Internet connection ID and the telephone line contractor are different, the Internet connection fee is charged to the owner of the Internet connection ID, and the telephone charge is charged to the telephone line contractor.

[0004] On the other hand, there is an Internet connection using a telephone line (toll free (registered trademark) or the like) for which the telephone charge is paid to the called party. In such a connection service, billing is divided into a line usage fee and an Internet connection fee.
There is an advantage that the claims can be combined into one without being divided into two.

[0005]

By the way, in the conventional Internet connection using a telephone line payable by a called party,
The Internet connection provider needs to pay the user for the Internet connection while paying the telephone company to the telephone company.

[0006] At present, Internet connection providers do not calculate the line usage fee, and apply a fixed rate including the line usage fee as the Internet connection fee. According to this billing method, the actual line usage fee does not link with the telephone fee charged by the telephone company to this carrier, so that the Internet connection carrier sets a considerably higher price as the Internet connection fee. Tend to

That is, when a dial-up connection is made from a place distant from the access point, compared with a dial-up connection from a nearby place, the Internet operator as the called party needs to pay a high line usage fee to the telephone company. There is. To cope with such a situation at a fixed rate, it is necessary to set an expensive Internet connection fee even for a dial-up connection from a nearby place.

An object of the present invention is, for example, to provide a network connection system for providing an Internet connection service for paying a caller, which solves the above-mentioned inconveniences and allows more flexible charging. And

[0009]

According to a first main aspect of the present invention, there is provided a monitoring means for monitoring a network connection from a user through an access point, and the monitoring means. Network connection charge calculation means for calculating a network connection charge for the user based on the monitoring of the network connection system, wherein the connection charge calculation means, based on the source information of the user notified from the telephone company Line charge calculating means for calculating a line charge to the access point based on the line charge, and charge calculating means for calculating a charge to the user based on the line charge calculated by the line charge calculating means And a network connection system having:

[0010] According to such a network connection system, the line usage fee is calculated based on the source information of the user, and the amount charged to the user is calculated based on this. All fees, including the line usage fee required for, are charged to Internet users.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the line usage fee calculating means includes a line network type determining means for determining a type of a used network of a transmission source of the user. Is calculated on the basis of the result of the determination according to the line network type. According to such a configuration, an appropriate line usage fee can be calculated according to the line network type.

[0012] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the charge of the line usage fee from the telephone company in this system is made to the called telephone number of the access point. In this case, the called telephone number of the access point has an identification number to be borne by the callee of the line usage fee, and a different called telephone number may be assigned to each access point. In this case, it is preferable that the line usage fee calculating means calculates the line usage fee according to the inter-station distance between the source of the user and an access point. According to such a configuration, the user does not need to pay the line usage fee to the telephone company.

[0013] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the contract telephone number of the access point in the system has an identification number borne by the receiver, and the access telephone number is shared by a plurality of access points. Is what you do. In this case, the line usage fee calculating means calculates the line usage fee according to the source of the user and the inter-station distance to a predetermined access point determined based on the source. Is desirable. According to such a configuration, for example, even for the same incoming telephone number, the line usage fee can be calculated based on the distance from the source to the nearest access point.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the system further includes an authentication unit for authenticating the user, and the billing amount calculation unit includes a user's account acquired by the authentication unit. A charge calculation pattern selection unit for selecting one of a plurality of charge calculation patterns based on the contract information; and connecting the connection charge calculated by the line connection charge calculation unit to the selected charge calculation pattern. By applying it, the billing amount is calculated. According to such a configuration, since all Internet connection fees including the line usage fee can be billed by the Internet connection company other than the telephone company, the Internet connection company can provide a flexible fee system by using a plurality of calculation patterns. Can be taken.

In this case, the charge amount calculation pattern is
For a predetermined user, it is preferable to include a pattern in which the sum of the network connection fee and the line connection fee according to the connection time is set as the billing amount.

Preferably, the charge calculation pattern includes a pattern in which only a line connection charge according to a connection time is charged for a predetermined user.

Further, it is preferable that the charge amount calculation pattern includes a pattern in which, for a predetermined user, a part of the charge amount is charged to the user and the remaining amount is charged to another person.

It is preferable that the charge amount calculation pattern includes a pattern for charging the entire charge amount of a predetermined user to another person.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the charge amount calculation pattern includes a pattern in which a network connection charge and a line connection charge for a predetermined connection time for a predetermined user are charged.

According to a second main aspect of the present invention, a monitoring means for monitoring a network connection from a user through an access point, and a network connection fee for the user based on the monitoring of the monitoring means In the network connection system having a network connection charge calculation means for calculating the connection charge, the charge of the line usage charge from the telephone company is made for the incoming telephone number of the access point, and the connection charge calculation means In the case where the line charge from the source of the user to the access point charged to the called telephone number from the telephone company is a fixed amount regardless of the distance therebetween, the Internet connection time is multiplied by a predetermined fixed rate. A network connection system is provided in which the amount is calculated as the amount charged to the user. .

According to such a configuration, when the telephone company calculates the line usage fee at a constant rate irrespective of the distance to the access point, the Internet connection provider includes all Internet connection fees including the fee. Can charge users.

According to a third main aspect of the present invention, there is provided an Internet connection program product for giving an instruction to a computer system to make a dial-up connection to a predetermined Internet connection access point, comprising: a storage medium; A network type discriminator that is stored in the medium and determines the type of line network to be used; There is provided an Internet connection program product having source information providing code adding means for adding an information providing code.

According to such a configuration, the first and the second
An Internet connection program product suitable for executing the system according to the above aspect can be obtained.

According to a fourth main aspect of the present invention, a line usage charge calculating step of calculating a line usage fee to the access point based on the transmission source information of the user notified from the telephone company, A charge calculating step for calculating a charge to the user based on the line charge calculated by the line charge calculating means. .

According to such a configuration, the line usage fee is calculated based on the transmission source information of the user, and the amount charged to the user is calculated based on the line usage fee. All fees, including line usage fees, are charged to Internet users.

Further, according to a fifth main aspect of the present invention, the charge of the line usage fee from the telephone company is made to the called telephone number of the access point,
If the line usage charge from the source of the user to the access point charged by the telephone company for the incoming telephone number is a fixed amount regardless of the distance between them, the amount obtained by multiplying the Internet connection time by a predetermined fixed rate Is calculated as the amount charged to the user.

According to such a configuration, when the telephone company calculates the line usage fee at a constant rate regardless of the distance to the access point, the Internet connection provider includes all Internet connection fees including the fee. Can charge users.

According to a sixth main aspect of the present invention, charging in a network connection service using a called party pay line including a terminal server, an authentication server, an authentication database, a user information database, and a charging server. In the system, the terminal server includes:
Multiple modems connected to the telephone line of the called party telephone,
A means for receiving a caller ID from a telephone line provider, a means for connecting a plurality of clients to the Internet, and a storage means for storing, in the authentication database, member information including login names and passwords of all members; Search means for searching for the member information in response to a search request from the authentication server and returning a search result to the authentication server, wherein the authentication server stores the member information in accordance with an instruction from the terminal server in the authentication database. Means for retrieving from the server, means for confirming whether or not the Internet connection is possible according to the search result, and means for responding to the terminal server; Communication recording means for calculating a line provision fee of a telephone line company in the user information database. A storage unit for storing a connection charge table; and a storage unit for storing telephone charge billing destination information, wherein the charging server accesses the communication recording unit and the user information database. Means, a means for calculating a charge for the telephone line required for Internet connection based on the communication record, and a means for billing the user or the payer. Obtainable.

With this configuration, no matter what telephone is used to connect to the Internet, a telephone charge can be charged to the Internet user.

The other features and remarkable effects of the present invention can be more clearly understood from the following description of the embodiments and the accompanying drawings.

[0031]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment) First, an outline of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG.

An embodiment of the present invention calculates a telephone charge based on a telephone number used by an Internet user,
This is a system that can charge all Internet connection charges including telephone charges to Internet users instead of telephone subscribers.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of the charging system according to the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a personal computer 1 is a connection terminal of an Internet user. The modem 2 is a modem or a terminal adapter for connecting the personal computer 1 to a telephone line. The telephone line 3 is a public telephone line. The modem 4 is a modem for connecting to a toll free dial receiving line at an access point of an Internet provider. The terminal server 5 is a server for connecting an access from an Internet user to the Internet. The terminal server 5 is connected to a router or the like for connection to the Internet, but is well known, and is not shown in order to avoid complication of the drawing.

The authentication database 6 is a member information storage unit that stores an ID for checking the use qualification of the Internet user. The authentication server 7 is a server that authenticates a member by a member ID. The log file 8 is a record related to authentication and communication (connection) time. Billing server 9
Is a processing device for performing a billing process. The customer information database 10 is a database that stores membership information of Internet users.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the charging system according to the embodiment of the present invention. The numbers in parentheses in the flowchart correspond to the numbers in parentheses in FIG.

The operation of the accounting system according to the embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will be described. The Internet connection provider provides the terminal server 5 at each of a plurality of access points in order to provide an Internet connection service via a telephone line. The terminal server 5 is provided with a plurality of ports. A modem 4 is connected to each port. Modem 4
Is connected to the receiving line of the payee telephone.

In order to receive the Internet connection service, the member first connects the modem 2 of the personal computer 1 to the modem terminal of the telephone. Of course, it may be directly connected to a telephone line, or may be connected to ISDN via a terminal adapter. This phone (line) may be your own phone, another person's phone, a public phone,
A mobile phone may be used.

The member dials the called party paying telephone number of the access point closest to the Internet connection company from the personal computer 1 and connects to the terminal server 5 (1).
At this time, a setting is made so as to notify the telephone number of the caller. As will be described later, dedicated connection software for automatically switching to the caller notification mode may be used. When the telephone line is connected, a member ID is input. Terminal server 5
Acquires the caller telephone number and the member ID. If the caller number is not notified from the telephone company (line provider), the terminal server 5 automatically determines whether to disconnect the line or disconnects the line. Alternatively, when the authentication server 7 determines that the connection request has no caller ID,
It is better to set so that authentication is not performed. The terminal server 5 gives the sender telephone number and the member ID to the authentication server 7, and instructs (2) the authentication of the member ID.

The authentication server 7 searches the authentication database 6 for authentication data corresponding to the member ID in order to check whether the member ID is acceptable (3). When the retrieval result (4) is obtained from the authentication database 6 and it is confirmed that the member ID is valid, the result is reported to the terminal server 5 (5).

The terminal server 5 receives the result of the successful authentication and starts a service for connecting to the Internet.
If the search result is negative, the service is rejected.

When the line with the client terminal (PC 1) is disconnected, the terminal server 5 reports the line disconnection time to the authentication server 7 (6). The authentication server 7
Upon receiving the notification of the line disconnection, the member ID, the caller ID, the telephone number of the access point, the connection start time,
The line disconnection time is written to the log file 8 (7).

The accounting server 9 reads the log file 8 of the authentication server 7 in order to perform the accounting process at a fixed accounting cycle (8). Information on the mutual distance between MAs (between stations) is read from the connection fee information storage unit 11 (9), and a telephone fee for each connection is calculated. In the case of access from a mobile phone, for example, the charge is uniformly determined to be 20 yen / minute regardless of the distance, so that access from a mobile phone does not require distance information. The same applies to a case where the number of access points is sufficiently large and the connection fee to the access point is a uniform rate without exception or a case where the rates are not much different.

Next, from the customer information database 10,
Read billing destination information and billing conditions corresponding to the member ID,
(10), billing the billing destination (11). The billing party is usually the member who used the service, but may be a company that pays the fee.

As described above, in the embodiment of the present invention,
The billing system calculates telephone charges based on the telephone number used by the Internet users and charges the Internet users instead of the telephone subscribers. Even so, it is possible to charge telephone charges to Internet users instead of telephone subscribers.

Further, it is possible to eliminate the trouble of paying a telephone charge when connecting to the Internet using another person's telephone, and to use another person's telephone anytime and anywhere without hesitation. Even if the same line (telephone number) is used in a communal office, etc., it is possible to charge according to each user's usage base, provide fine-grained services such as discounts and free services for each user, and use a billing account An effect is obtained in that provision of pay information and unified settlement of mail order can be performed.

Also, since the Internet connection company collects the telephone line usage fee, the charging costs charged by the Internet connection company and the telephone line company are unified, and the total charging cost can be reduced.
The effect is obtained that the costs incurred in connection with the Internet can be collectively charged.

Further, since the holder of the incoming line has the right to determine the charge price, a free discount rate can be presented in the total of the telephone charge and the Internet connection charge. The Internet connection fee is free, and only the telephone fee is charged. The free charge or discount for a certain period, the volume discount according to the usage fee, and the discount for only a specific user can be obtained.

Further, the company or the like bears only a certain amount of money,
If the amount exceeds the amount, the user can be charged, so that the company can issue an ID that promises a certain amount of burden in a campaign or present, and provide a free service with an upper limit. After the completion of the gift is notified, the service can be used continuously for a fee if the user desires. By referring to the communication log, it is possible to exempt the user from being charged only during the time when a certain site is used, and bear the burden on the company (sponsor). The effect that very flexible billing linked to such a service can be obtained is obtained.

(Detailed Configuration of System) Next, the configuration of the system will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS.

The same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and will not be described repeatedly.

First, as shown in FIG. 3, this system has terminal servers 5a to 5c installed at access points AP1 to AP3. As shown in the access point information of FIG. 7, the terminal servers 5a to 5c respectively have access points AP1 (Tokyo),
Access Point AP2 (Yokohama), Access Point A
It is located at P3 (Kobe). This access point information is stored in an access point information storage unit 29 connected to the charging server 9.

If the user attempts to make a dial-up connection to any of the access points, the terminal servers 5a to 5c determine whether or not any signal source information is included in the signal received from the telephone company. If it is not included, reject the line connection. This prevents the useless payment of the line usage fee from occurring.

On the other hand, if the transmission source information is included, after connecting the line, the transmission source information, the user ID (member ID) and the password required for user authentication are transmitted to the authentication server 7. Send to

The authentication server 7 is a terminal server 5
Based on the instructions from a to 5c, the sender information acquisition unit 20 acquires the sender information of the user and authenticates the user who requests the Internet connection. In other words, the source information obtaining unit 20 determines the source telephone number when the source telephone number can be obtained as the source information, and the type of network (public telephone, mobile phone, etc.) when the source telephone number cannot be obtained. If none of them can be obtained, a negative authentication is returned to the terminal servers 5a to 5c.

If the sender information acquisition unit 20 can acquire the sender information, the authentication server 7 performs the authentication based on the member authentication information stored in the member authentication information storage unit 6. FIG. 4 shows an example of the member authentication information. The authentication server 7 searches the member information for the ID and password input by the user, and returns a positive authentication result to the terminal servers 5a to 5c if the user can be specified. The terminal servers 5a to 5c assign a predetermined IP address to the user based on this, and connect to a desired website via the Internet network 21.

Based on this, the access monitoring unit 22 (FIG. 3) of the authentication server 7 shows the member ID, the access point incoming number, the transmission source information and the connection start time shown in FIG. User connection source-called number information storage 2
3 is recorded as an access log (corresponding to 8 shown in FIG. 1). Then, based on the fact that the user has disconnected from the terminal servers 5a to 5c, the access monitoring unit 22
Records the disconnection time in the access log in the user connection source-destination number information storage unit 23 (FIG. 5).

The billing server 9 accesses the user connection source / destination number information storage unit 23 at a predetermined billing cycle (for example, once a month) and calculates the billing amount for each member. For this calculation, as shown in FIG. 3, the charging server 9 uses a line usage charge calculating unit 25 for calculating a line usage fee, and uses the line usage fee based on the line usage fee calculated by the line usage fee calculation unit 25. Charge amount calculation unit 26 for calculating the final charge amount for the user.

The charging server 9 has a line usage fee information storage unit 28 and an access point information storage unit 29
, Billing pattern storage unit 30 and billing destination information storage unit 10
And the Internet connection fee information storage unit 31 are connected.

As shown in FIG. 6, the line usage charge information storage unit 28 stores a line network type and a charging rate when the line network is used in association with each other. For example, when the network type is a cellular phone, the line usage fee is calculated at 20 yen per minute as described above, regardless of the distance to the access point.
Also, in the case where the number of access points is sufficiently large and the connection fee to the access point is a uniform rate without exception or where the rates are not much different, the calculation is similarly performed at a uniform charging rate.

On the other hand, when the source telephone number is not known at present, such as a public telephone, the line usage fee is calculated at, for example, 30 yen per minute in consideration of the risk at the time of telephone billing. I have.

Then, in the case of a normal telephone, a charge table based on the distance between MAs is applied as described above. However, depending on the telephone company, there may be a case where the billing rate from a normal subscriber telephone is fixed irrespective of the distance to the access point. In this case, the fixed rate of this telephone company (rate independent of distance) To apply.

As shown in FIG. 7, the access point information storage section 29 stores an access point name, a contract telephone number of the access point, and a station number where the access point is located. In this example, the access point AP2
And the access point AP3 share the incoming telephone number, but the access point locations are actually different, and they are Yokohama and Kobe, respectively. That is, in the telephone company, the user receives the incoming telephone number 0012-2222-22.
When there is a connection request to the access point 2, an access point to be connected is selected and a line is connected according to predetermined conditions, for example, which access point is closer to the source.

Further, the billing pattern storage unit 30 stores FIG.
And a billing pattern content table shown in FIG. 9 are stored. The billing pattern identification table stores a user ID, a billing pattern, another billing destination, and other information in an associated state. For example, the pattern 1 shown in FIG. 9 is applied to the person with the user ID “11111”. Next, the function of the billing server 9 will be described using the pattern 1 as an example.

First, the line usage charge calculating unit 25 obtains the access log stored in the user connection source / destination number information storage unit 23 and extracts the access log record of the user who performs charging. Then, this line usage charge calculation unit 2
The line network type determining unit 35 provided in 5 determines the line network type to be used based on the access log record, and extracts the charge information to be applied from the line charge information storage unit 28. In the case of this user, as shown in FIG. 5, a public telephone, a general subscriber telephone, and a mobile telephone are used.

Next, the line usage charge calculation unit 25
The access point discriminating unit 36 provided in FIG.
The access point is identified by matching the incoming call number in the access log shown in FIG. 7 with the telephone number of the access point information shown in FIG. 7, and the station number is obtained. In the example of FIG. 5, it is determined that the access destination of the mobile phone and the public phone is the access point AP1 (station number 03) in Tokyo.

On the other hand, in FIG. 5, the incoming call number (0120-222-2222) from a general telephone is a number shared by the access points AP2 and AP3 as shown in FIG. In this case, the access point discriminating unit 36 uses the same standard as that of the above-mentioned telephone company.
It is determined which access point has been used from the transmission source information (045-1111-111) and the access point location station number (045 or 078). In this example, it is determined that the access point AP2 in Yokohama having the same station number is used.

Next, the line usage fee calculation unit 25
The line usage fee is calculated from the source information / access point location information specified above, the line usage fee information (FIG. 6), and the connection time from the start to the end of the connection (FIG. 5). That is, in the case of a normal telephone, the connection time is multiplied by a charging rate based on a mutual distance between MAs from a source to an access point. In the case of a mobile phone or a payphone, it is only necessary to multiply the connection time by a fixed rate.

Next, the billing amount calculation unit 26 calls up the billing pattern (FIGS. 8 and 9) of the user registered in advance from the billing pattern storage unit 30 and, based on this, calculates the line usage fee. The final charge is calculated by processing the line usage charge calculated by the unit 25 and the Internet connection charge calculated by the Internet connection charge calculation unit 38 provided in the charge calculation unit 26.

That is, as shown in FIG. 9, for example, in the pattern 1, the sum of the line usage fee and the Internet connection fee is set as the user's billing amount. For this reason, the Internet connection charge calculation unit 38 accesses the Internet connection charge information (FIG. 10) stored in the Internet connection charge information storage unit 31 and sets the charging course of the user A in the access log. Calculate the Internet connection fee by applying the total connection time.

FIG. 10 shows an example of the Internet connection fee stored in the Internet connection fee information storage unit 31. The Internet connection fee is composed of a fixed amount portion and a pay-as-you-go portion, and is defined according to a charging pattern selected by the user in advance. In this example, user A has a fixed amount (3
000 yen), and over 15 yen per minute. The billing amount calculation unit 26 derives a final billing amount by adding the Internet connection fee calculated based on this and the line usage fee.

The calculated billing amount is stored in the accounting server 9.
Is output to the billing destination-billing amount file 40 connected to the server, and is used later for billing processing. This billing file contains the user ID as shown in FIG.
Is associated with transmission source information, an access point, and a connection time. When the fee fluctuates depending on the mutual distance between MAs, such as a dial-up connection from a general subscriber telephone, a statement for each connection is output.

It should be noted that the bill sent to the user does not have to display such details. In this case, it is preferable that the user can browse the details of his / her bill on the Internet Web site.

On the other hand, in the example of FIG. 8, the user ID is “22”.
For the user of “2222”, the billing pattern 5 is applied.
Pattern 5, as shown in FIG. 9, is a pattern in which a fixed amount of the line usage fee + the Internet connection fee is charged to a person other than the user (other billing destination) and the rest is charged to the user. In this case, the final billing amount is determined with reference to "other billing destinations" and "other information" stored in the billing pattern identification table shown in FIG. When this example is applied to Pattern 5, the line usage fee calculated by the line usage fee calculation unit 25 and the Internet connection fee calculated by the Internet connection fee calculation unit 38 are added, and 1000 yen of the added amount is calculated. The charge is made to the user B (the charge amount of the user B), and the remainder is set to the charge amount of the user ID “22222”.

In the case of the user ID “33333”, since the pattern is pattern 4, in this example, the line usage fee calculated by the line usage fee calculation unit 25 and the Internet connection fee calculation unit 38 are calculated. The Internet connection fee is added, and 30% of the added amount is set as the billed amount of the user ID “33333”, and the remainder is set as the billed amount of the user B.

In the case of the user ID “44444”, since the pattern is pattern 3, in this example, the line usage fee calculated by the line usage fee calculation unit 25 and the Internet connection fee calculation unit 38 are calculated. The Internet connection fee is added to the sum, and all of the sum is used as the bill of the other user B.

According to these patterns 3 to 5, when a user has a sponsor, the user can bear the connection fee. Various examples are conceivable as such examples, such as an example in which a company in which a user works is paid, and an example in which a bank or a store providing a service to a user is paid as an advertisement fee. In particular, according to Pattern 3, an Internet connection business in which the line usage fee and the Internet connection fee are substantially free for the user is established.

On the other hand, the user ID “5555” shown in FIG.
In the case of "5", since it is the pattern 2, in this example,
Only the line usage fee calculated by the line usage fee calculation unit 25 is charged to the user ID “55555”, and no other fees are charged to anyone.

In the case of the user ID “66666”, since the pattern is pattern 6, in this example, the Internet connection charge calculation unit 38 is used irrespective of the line charge calculated by the line charge calculation unit 25. Only the Internet connection fee obtained in step (1) is charged to the user ID "66666", and no other fee is charged to anyone.

Further, the user IDs “77777”, “8”
8888 ”, the pattern 7 or the pattern 8
Therefore, a certain percentage of the line charge (8 in the example of FIG. 8)
0%) or a fixed amount is charged only to the user or a person other than the user (user B). For example, if a charging rate lower than a general line rate can be used due to the installation of special line facilities or the use of large discounts, etc., only a part of the line usage fee is charged to the user or another person. It becomes possible to do. In addition, the fixed ratio is 100%
(Full amount).

The various information (FIGS. 4 to 10) for obtaining the amount to be charged is not limited to the above example, but can be variously modified without changing the gist of the invention.

(Connection Software) In the above-described embodiment, the source information must be obtained when the user dials up. In the current system, in the case of a general subscriber telephone, it is necessary to add a predetermined code to a connection destination telephone number when making a dial-up connection.

For this reason, in this embodiment, it is preferable that the connecting software be distributed to the user and installed on the computer system.

FIG. 12 is a schematic configuration diagram of a computer system in which this program is installed.

In this system, the CPU 42 and the RAM 4
3, a program storage 46 and a data storage 47 are connected to a bus 48 to which a modem 44, an input / output device 45 such as a display and a keyboard are connected. The program storage unit 46 and the data storage unit 47 may be actually constituted by the same storage medium, or may be constituted by different storage media.

In the program storage unit 46, only those relating to this embodiment will be described. In addition to a main program (not shown), a network type discrimination unit 50 for determining the type of network to be used, If the communication network type is, the source information providing code adding section 51 for adding the source information providing code to the connection destination telephone number;
Connection command section 52 for connecting to the destination telephone number via
Has.

The data storage unit 47 includes a line network type information storage unit 53 for storing a line network type used for connection from a user terminal to an access point together with line additional number information, and a connection unit for each access point. The connection destination telephone number storage unit 54 for storing the destination telephone number is connected.

When this program is started, first, the main program is executed by the display (input / output device 45).
For example, a screen shown in FIG. 13 is displayed on the top. The screen includes a use network selection unit 56 and a connection destination telephone number selection unit 5.
7 After the user selects an appropriate parameter and presses the line connection button 58, the line connection command unit 52 is configured to perform connection in the source information notification mode.

(Other Embodiment) In the above-described embodiment, the line usage fee to be paid to the telephone company is calculated by the line usage fee calculation unit. If the line usage fee from the transmission source to the access point is a fixed rate regardless of the distance therebetween, the line usage fee calculation unit may not be necessary.

For example, in the above case, if the Internet connection fee does not have a fixed amount and is all pay-as-you-go, the Internet connection fee per unit time is calculated by adding the line usage fee to the pay-as-you-go Internet connection fee. It is possible to calculate the amount charged to the user simply by multiplying the fixed rate by the connection time.

In the above-described embodiment, the system of the present invention has a person (primary provider) who has a terminal server or the like and has a contract with a customer. It may be installed in an outsourcer that provides only a network connection without making a contract or an outsourcer that performs only billing processing.

Further, in the above embodiment, in order to prevent the useless line connection that cannot be charged to the customer, the line connection is rejected for the incoming call for which the caller number is not notified. The following may be used.

That is, even if there is an incoming call with an outgoing call number notification, if the user is not a registered user, the Internet connection must be refused at the authentication stage after the line connection, so that useless line connection Fees may be incurred. In order to prevent this, as shown in FIG. 14 (a), the calling number 60 of the user is registered in advance in the information stored in the Regarding the connection request from the number, the authentication server 7 may determine before the line connection so as not to connect the line and disconnect (busy out).

Further, even if access is made from a telephone number registered in the user authentication information storage section 6, the authentication failure (I
The risk in the event of a D or password entry error) remains as before. In order to cope with this, when the user registers the calling number, the payer 61 is also registered at the same time. In other words, for access from a specific calling number, if the authentication fails, an account is issued after agreeing to automatically add the incurred line fee to the billed amount of the payer, Is preferred. This eliminates the need for the Internet connection provider to bear useless line charges due to mischievous telephone calls or setting errors by the user. In this case, the line usage fee calculation unit 25 or the billing fee calculation unit 26 charges all the line usage fees generated for the transmission number to a predetermined paying person (usually the user) who has registered the transmission number. Be included in the amount.

Further, in this case, it is conceivable that a new user attempts to register with the same number as the calling number registered by the existing user. In this case, it is preferable to process as follows. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing this processing. The numbers in parentheses in the figure are numbers that refer to the steps.

For example, as shown in FIG. 14 (a), when user A tries to newly register with telephone number 03-1111-1111, this system uses the outgoing telephone number in the user authentication information. After scanning and confirming that this telephone number has not been registered yet (12), as shown in FIG. 6, this calling number is stored together with the user ID and the password as the person responsible for payment as the user A (FIG. 6). 13).

On the other hand, another user B has the same telephone number 03-
When attempting to register at 1111-1111, this system finds the registration number in the user authentication information (1
2). In this case, the system provides user B with
It is confirmed whether the user B bears the risk of an authentication error of the telephone number (14). At this time, the fact that there is already a registrant may or may not be reported.

If the user B answers that he / she bears, FIG.
As shown in (b), the payer responsible for the authentication error of the telephone number is all the user B (15). User B
If the answer is no, the user A is told that the new registrant is using the telephone number as an access line without telling the name of the user B. Based on the possibility that the charge for the connection error caused by the user (= user B) may occur in the user A, a request is made to confirm whether the registration of the new registrant (= user B) is permitted (16).

If user A accepts this,
Allow user B to register with the outgoing telephone number (1
7). On the other hand, if the user A refuses, check if the name and contact information of the user A are to be communicated to the new applicant (with the user B being down) (18). If so, the user B is notified that registration is not possible and the negotiating destination (user A's name and contact information) is notified (19). User A
Refuse to disclose the contact information and the name, inform the user B that the registration cannot be made with the calling number, and urge the user B to register with another telephone number (20).

As described above, the person responsible for payment is clarified, so that the risk borne by the connection carrier can be reduced.

As a method of reducing costs due to authentication errors and the like without using such a complicated mechanism, as shown in FIG.
Judge whether the call originated from the same toll area (MA)
1) The connection may be made within the same area (22) and not made outside the same area (23). In this way, it is possible to minimize the damage caused by mischief or the like that intends to bear a maliciously high cost on a company having an incoming payment line. Also, by adopting this method, complicated billing calculations (billing for outgoing calls from outside the MA) can be omitted,
It is also possible to calculate a billing amount by calculating a uniform rate of time × charge.

When the number of APs (access points) becomes sufficient, most MAs have APs or APs are located in adjacent areas. In this way, rather than assigning a number to each MA and notifying the user and managing each change or extension, a uniform representative number is set nationwide, and MA is the easiest to call from the place of origin by the service of the telephone company. It is also possible to charge for a single price after setting to automatically call the AP. In this case, since the connection time may be multiplied by the charge price (for example, a local telephone charge of 10 yen / 3 minutes), there is no need to confirm the caller number and the callee number, and the calculation is not complicated. Yes. In addition, considering the risk of incoming calls from other than the AP-installed MA from the population coverage rate, etc.,
The uniform price rate may be set slightly higher. Such a method is particularly effective when it is more cost-effective to calculate the connection fee at a uniform rate without a great difference (rather than to calculate it one by one from a huge number of logs).

When one or a plurality of risk avoidance means as described above are employed in accordance with a service policy, a combination of one or a plurality of risk avoidance means is provided for each number of incoming payment lines according to convenience and risk stance. It is even better to apply operation policies (application rules) separately.

[0104] In the future, in the world of networks, direct exchange of data (such as voice / moving images) will occur in a peer-to-peer manner. Since the provider side bears the data transfer costs (internet connection charges and telephone charges) required for the provision, the burden is large and, as a result, factors that hinder the development of data distribution by such a method It can be.

On the other hand, if the mechanism of the present invention is used, the cost required for the information provider to transfer the data to the destination can be calculated strictly, including the telephone charge, and this can be provided. It is possible to charge other parties including the receiving party without burdening the party. That is, the billing destination may be directly charged to the data receiving side, or a service entity such as an intermediary that collects data and promotes the exchange may bear the charge.

Further, billing can be made to the amount of money charged to the data receiving side or intermediary agent, including the margin of the transmitting side and the data fee, and the total amount is set to be the transfer amount to the provider. By doing so, it becomes possible to perform mediation and decision-making operations for content distribution in peer-to-peer, which has been difficult in the past.

Needless to say, the present invention can be variously modified without changing the gist of the present invention.

[0108]

According to the above-described configuration, in a network connection system for providing an Internet connection service for paying a line connection fee, a conventional system is provided which eliminates the inconvenience and allows more flexible billing. can do.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining the system in detail.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of member authentication information.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of user caller-receiver number information.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of line usage fee information.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of access point information.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a billing pattern identification table.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of a billing pattern.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of Internet connection fee information.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a user billing amount specification.

FIG. 12 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the configuration of a user terminal in which a line connection program is installed.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an interface of a line connection program.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing user authentication information according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an authentication process according to another embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an authentication process according to another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Personal computer 2 ... Modem 3 ... Telephone line 4 ... Modem 5 ... Terminal server 5a-5c ... Terminal server 6 ... Member authentication information storage part (authentication database) 7 ... Authentication server 8 ... Log file 9 ... Billing server 10 ... Billing address Information storage unit (customer information database) 11 Connection charge information storage unit 20 Source information acquisition unit 21 Internet network 22 Access monitoring unit 23 Called number information storage unit 25 Line usage charge calculation unit 26 Calculation of billing amount Unit 28: Line usage fee information storage unit 29: Access point information storage unit 30: Billing pattern storage unit 31: Internet connection fee information storage unit 35: Network type discrimination unit 36: Access point discrimination unit 38: Internet connection fee calculation unit 40: billing amount file 42: CPU 43: RAM 44: modem 4 ... I / O device 46 ... Program storage unit 47 ... Data storage unit 48 ... Bus 50 ... Network network type discriminating unit 51 ... Source information providing code adding unit 52 ... Connection command unit 53 ... Network network type information storage unit 54 ... Connection destination Telephone number storage unit 56 ... Used network selection unit 57 ... Destination telephone number selection unit 58 ... Line connection button

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Kusano ▲ Taka ▼ History 10-10 Shinsencho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Inside FreeBit.com (72) Inventor Takashi Shimizu 10-10 Shinsencho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Stock F-term in Freebit.com (reference) 5K025 BB10 CC02 CC07 CC09 CC09 EE12 EE18 EE19 GG10

Claims (21)

[Claims] 1. A monitoring means for monitoring a network connection from a user through an access point, and a network connection charge calculating means for calculating a network connection charge for the user based on the monitoring of the monitoring means. In the network connection system, the connection charge calculating unit calculates a line charge to the access point based on the source information of the user notified by a telephone company; A charge calculating means for calculating a charge to the user based on the line usage charge calculated by the calculation means. 2. The network connection system according to claim 1, wherein said line usage fee calculating means includes a line network type determining means for determining a type of a used network of a caller of said user. A network connection system for calculating a line usage fee according to a line network type based on a determination result by a determination unit. 3. The network connection system according to claim 1, wherein a charge for a line usage charge from said telephone company is made for a called telephone number of said access point. . 4. The network connection system according to claim 3, wherein the called telephone number of said access point has an identification number for paying a line charge receiver, and a different called telephone number is assigned to each access point. A network connection system, characterized in that it is connected. 5. The network connection system according to claim 4, wherein said line usage fee calculation means calculates a line usage fee according to an inter-office distance between a transmission source of said user and an access point. A network connection system. 6. The network connection system according to claim 3, wherein the contracted telephone number of the access point has an identification number borne by a receiver, and a plurality of access points share an incoming telephone number. A network connection system, comprising: 7. The network connection system according to claim 6, wherein the line usage fee calculating means calculates a transmission source of the user and an inter-station distance to a predetermined access point determined based on the transmission source. A network connection system for calculating a line usage fee in response to the request. 8. The network connection system according to claim 1, further comprising authentication means for authenticating the user, wherein the charge amount calculation means is based on the contract information of the user acquired by the authentication means. A charge amount calculation pattern selecting means for selecting one of a plurality of charge amount calculation patterns, and applying the connection charge calculated by the line connection charge calculation means to the selected charge amount calculation pattern. A network connection system for calculating an amount of money. 9. The network connection system according to claim 8, wherein the charge amount calculation pattern is set for a predetermined user.
A network connection system including a pattern in which a sum of a network connection fee and a line connection fee according to a connection time is set as a billing amount. 10. The network connection system according to claim 8, wherein the charge amount calculation pattern is set for a predetermined user.
A network connection system including a pattern in which only a line connection fee according to a connection time is charged. 11. The network connection system according to claim 8, wherein the charge amount calculation pattern is determined for a predetermined user.
A network connection system comprising a pattern in which a part of the charged amount is charged to the user and the remaining amount is charged to another person. 12. The network connection system according to claim 8, wherein the charge amount calculation pattern is set for a predetermined user.
A network connection system comprising a pattern for charging all of the bill to another person. 13. The network connection system according to claim 8, wherein the billing amount calculation pattern is determined for a predetermined user.
A network connection system including a pattern in which a network connection charge and a line connection charge for a predetermined connection time are charged. 14. Monitoring means for monitoring a network connection from a user through an access point, and network connection charge calculating means for calculating a network connection charge for the user based on the monitoring of the monitoring means. In the network connection system, the charge of the line usage fee from the telephone company is made for the incoming telephone number of the access point, and the connection charge calculation means charges the incoming telephone number from the telephone company. If the line usage fee from the source of the user to the access point is a fixed amount regardless of the distance therebetween, the amount calculated by multiplying the Internet connection time by a predetermined fixed rate is calculated as the amount charged to the user. A network connection system characterized in that: 15. An Internet connection program product for instructing a computer system to dial up a predetermined Internet connection access point, comprising: a storage medium; and a line network type stored and used in the storage medium. A line network type determining means for determining, and a source information providing code which is stored in the storage medium and adds a source information providing code to a connection destination telephone number when the line network type to be used is a predetermined line network type. An internet connection program product, characterized by having additional means. 16. A line charge calculating step of calculating a line charge to the access point based on the source information of the user notified by the telephone company, and a line calculated by the line charge calculating means. A charge calculating step of calculating a charge to the user based on the usage charge. 17. The charge of the line usage fee from the telephone company is made for the called telephone number of the access point, and the caller of the user who is billed for the called telephone number by the telephone company. A network connection service, wherein, when the line usage fee to the access point is a fixed amount regardless of the distance between the access points, an amount obtained by multiplying the Internet connection time by a predetermined fixed rate is calculated as a charge to the user. Connection charge calculation method in. 18. A billing system in a network connection service using a pay-per-call line, comprising a terminal server, an authentication server, an authentication database, a user information database, and a billing server. A plurality of modems connected to a telegraph line, means for receiving a caller ID from a telephone line company, and means for connecting a plurality of clients to the Internet are provided, and in the authentication database, login names and passwords of all members are provided. Storage means for storing member information including: and a search means for searching for the member information in response to a search request from the authentication server and returning a search result to the authentication server, wherein the authentication server includes: Means for searching member information from the authentication database in accordance with an instruction from a server; Means for confirming whether the Internet connection is possible or not according to the search result and replying to the terminal server, and communication recording means for recording member information, connection / disconnection time and caller number every time the client is connected / disconnected. Storage means for storing a connection charge table for calculating a line provision charge of a telephone line company in the user information database, and storage means for storing telephone line use charge billing information, A billing server, a means for accessing the communication recording means, a means for accessing the user information database, a means for calculating a telephone line usage fee required for Internet connection based on the communication record, A billing system comprising means for charging a fee to a duty person. 19. The user information database is provided with storage means for storing a distance between MAs (unit charge areas) and a connection charge table for calculating a line provision charge of a telephone line company, and the charging server comprises: 19. The charging system according to claim 18, further comprising means for calculating a distance from the access point to the caller number MA based on the communication record and calculating a telephone line usage fee required for Internet connection. . 20. A storage means for storing a connection charge table with a plurality of line providers in the user information database,
20. The accounting system according to claim 18, wherein said accounting server is provided with means for calculating a usage fee of a telephone line spanning a plurality of network operators based on a communication record. 21. A storage means for storing a connection charge table from a mobile phone in the user information database, wherein the charging server uses the telephone line required for Internet connection from the mobile phone based on the communication record. 21. The charging system according to claim 18, further comprising means for calculating a fee.