JP2002094702A - Charging method for call charge, call charge management unit and call device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a charging method for a call charge and a call charge charging device that can impose charging on a call, causing time difference such as an international phone call, by charging an imposed monetary amount on the call depending on a combination between a time zone, based on a speech caller and a time zone based on a speech called party, and to provide a call device by which a user can recognize the charging state. SOLUTION: In when a caller dials to a foreign phone call called party, there is a convenient/inconvenient call time, depending on the time difference between the caller and the called party. A charging reference table where ranks A, B, B', C, resulting from ranking the degree of the convenient/inconvenient call time with respect to a call destination on the basis of a call source are cross-referenced to discount rates is produced by each country. In the case of making dialing by the call source, the charging rank is extracted on the basis of the dial number of the call destination and the dialed time and multiplied with a standard call charge and the speech time of the call. Thus, the call charge depending on the ranked time zone can be imposed on the call.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for charging a call charge, and more particularly to a method for changing a charge for a call charge based on a time difference between a caller and a callee.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a call charge for a line connection is basically determined by a call time × a unit price per unit time.
From 19:00 to 19:00, a standard usage fee, from 19:00 to 23:00, a nightly discount fee, from 23:00 to the next morning at 8:00, a late-night discount fee is applied, and on weekends and holidays, a late-night discount fee is applied throughout the day. Charges had been made. Here, the billing time is usually in minutes, but may be in seconds depending on the telephone company.

[0003] In the case of Internet telephone by dial-up connection, the call charge is the Internet connection charge + the communication line usage fee up to the access point, similarly to the normal Internet use charge. Here, Internet connection fee = Internet connection time × unit price per unit time, communication line usage fee to access point = talk time × unit price per unit time. Here, the Internet connection fee is charged by the provider to the user (registered user to the provider), and the communication line connection fee is charged by the telephone company to the user (name holder of the dial number).

[0004] It is to be noted that providers provide billing methods in which the Internet usage fee is fixed if it is within a predetermined time, or the Internet connection fee is fixed regardless of the connection time.

[0005]

When a call is made only in an area where the time difference is small, there is no problem because the call times are almost the same, but there is no problem. When making a call between large countries or regions, the life time of the calling user and the called user differ, so that a time convenient for the calling source may be late at night, which is inconvenient for the called user. is there.

[0006] Conversely, a time convenient for the called user may be inconvenient at midnight for the calling user. In this case, since the calling user makes an international call during the late night time when the discount rate is the highest, it is convenient for the calling user in terms of the call charge, and it is convenient for the called user in terms of time. There are also problems such as being unable to get up late at night or having to pay attention to the surroundings.

[0007] Further, depending on the time zone, the time may be convenient for both the calling user and the called user, and conversely, the living time may be inconvenient for both the calling user and the called user. is there. For this reason, telephones that display the local time of a call destination have been considered (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 6-276262).

Here, if the billing of the call charge is changed according to the combination of the time zone based on the caller and the time zone based on the callee, the mutual convenience, that is, the user's satisfaction with the call service can be reduced. You can be charged accordingly,
A new billing method suitable for the degree of satisfaction can be realized.

[0009] Further, if the calling party's calling device can know the convenience of the called party, dial-up and talking can be performed in accordance with the life time of the called party. For example, the calling party can call while sleeping. Since this does not occur, it is convenient that the other party does not feel uncomfortable.
In addition, it is preferable to be able to make a call according to the urgency or necessity of the call if it is possible to know the degree of the discount by the calling device of the caller.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problem, and when a call having a time difference such as an international call is made, a billing amount is set according to a combination of a time zone based on a calling party and a time zone based on a called party. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for charging a call charge and a call charge management device capable of changing the charge, and to provide a call device that allows a user to know a charge state.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for charging a call charge, comprising the steps of: acquiring a caller's time during a call; measuring a call time; A comparison between the above-mentioned process and the process of comparing the time period of the caller's reference ranked in a plurality of charging ranks based on the time lag due to the time difference between the original and the callee with the caller's time acquired in the above process Obtaining a time period including the time of the caller based on the result; and performing a call based on a charging rank corresponding to the time period obtained in the above step and a call time measured in the step, of the charging ranks. Charging a call charge for the original.

[0012] In a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for billing a call fee, comprising: when a caller and a callee can talk, obtaining a subscriber number of the caller and a dial number of the callee;
Obtaining the time of the caller, measuring the call time, and setting a plurality of charging ranks based on the time difference due to the time difference between the caller and the callee based on the dial number of the callee obtained in the step. A step of obtaining a ranked caller reference time zone, a step of comparing the time zone obtained in the above step with the time of the caller obtained in the above step, and a step A step of acquiring a time zone including the time; and, of the charging ranks, a call charge to a caller based on the charging rank corresponding to the time zone acquired in the above step and the call time measured in the step. Charging).

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the method of charging a call charge according to the second aspect of the present invention, a caller and a callee can make a call by switching a line connection.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the method of charging a call charge according to the second aspect of the present invention, a caller and a callee can make a call through a dial-up IP connection.

[0015] Further, according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a call charge management device,
A number obtaining means for obtaining a caller's subscriber number and a callee's dial number when a caller and a callee can talk; a time obtaining means for obtaining a caller's time during a call;
Talk time measurement means to measure the call time, and caller-based time zones ranked in multiple charging ranks based on the time difference due to the time difference between the caller and the callee are registered for each region with different standard time The charging reference registration means and the caller reference time zone data corresponding to the standard time difference are taken out from the charging reference means based on the call destination dial number obtained by the number obtaining means, and the time obtaining means Comparing the acquired caller's time with the acquired caller's time, and acquiring a time slot including the caller's time based on the comparison result; and a billing rank corresponding to the time slot acquired by the billing reference acquirer. Charging means for charging a caller to a caller based on the call time measured by the call time measuring means.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the call charge management device according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the management device is provided in an international circuit exchange which performs circuit switching during an international call, and the number acquisition means is connected to the international network. It is characterized in that a caller's subscriber number and a callee's dial number are obtained from a callee's dial signal number from a signal transmitted from a caller's caller.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the call charge management device according to the fifth aspect, the management device is a telephone call server connected to the Internet, and the number acquiring means is connected to the telephone device at the time of dial-up IP connection. It is characterized in that the subscriber number of the caller and the dial number of the callee are obtained from the transmitted signal.

The communication device according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is a communication device connected to a line network, the display device comprising: a display unit; a receiving unit for receiving a charging reference signal transmitted from an exchange when a call is started; Display control means for displaying the charging status on the display unit based on the charging reference signal received by the control unit.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication device configured to be capable of making an Internet call, comprising a display unit, a dial-up IP connection unit, and a charging standard transmitted from a server at the time of dial-up IP connection. It is characterized by comprising a receiving means for receiving information, and a display control means for displaying a charging status on a display unit based on the charging reference information received by the receiving means.

[0020]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In an international call, there is a difference between the living time zone of the calling party and the living time zone of the called party due to the time difference. For example, there is a time difference of about 7 hours between Tokyo and San Francisco or Los Angeles, about 10 hours between Tokyo and New York or Washington DC, 16 hours between Tokyo and Berlin, and about 1 hour between Tokyo and Beijing or Taiwan.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a difference between a call time zone of a caller and a callee and a charge standard. In FIG. 1, the upper part shows the call time zone based on the standard time based on the calling party, and the lower part shows the time zone based on the standard time based on the called party. In FIG. 1, the calling party is Tokyo, and the calling party is San Francisco or Los Angeles (FIG. 1 (a)), New York or Washington DC (FIG. 1 (b)), Berlin (FIG. 1 (c)), Beijing or Taiwan ( FIG. 1D shows an example.

In FIG. 1, for the sake of explanation, each country (each region)
In both cases, 8:00 am to 11:00 pm (23:00) is set as a time zone where there is no inconvenience for the call, and from 11:00 pm to 8:00 am the next time is shown as an inconvenient time for the call.

In this way, when viewed on the basis of the caller, a call time zone A where there is no inconvenience for the caller and the callee, a call time zone B where there is no inconvenience for the caller but which is inconvenient for the callee, It becomes clear that there is a call time zone B 'which is inconvenient for the caller but not inconvenient for the callee, and a call time zone C which is inconvenient for the caller and callee.

For example, when dialing from Tokyo to Los Angeles in FIG. 1 (a), if dialing during a call time zone A from 8:00 to 16:00 Japan time, it is inconvenient to dial from 15:00 to 23:00 in Los Angeles. There is no. However, when dialing during the call time zone B from 16:00 to 23:00 Japan time, the user is sleeping at Los Angeles from 23:00 to 6:00 in the morning, and dialing is inconvenient for the called party. Also,
Dialing during the call time zone C from 23:00 to 1:00 Japan time is inconvenient because the calling party must dial at midnight, and in Los Angeles there is also the inconvenience of dialing early in the morning from 6:00 to 8:00. Also, it is inconvenient to dial the call time zone B 'from 1:00 to 8:00 Japan time, because the calling party must dial late at night or early in the morning.
It is convenient if it is time to dial.

Similarly, at the time of a call between Tokyo and New York or Washington DC in FIG. 1B, the time difference between the caller and the callee is different from that of Los Angeles (time zone A, time zone A).
B, B '), and a shift (time zone A, B, B', C) occurs between the caller and the callee in the time zone different from other countries even between Tokyo and Berlin in FIG. 1 (c). In addition, a shift (time zone A, B, B ', C) occurs between the calling party and the called party in a time zone different from that of other countries even between Tokyo and Beijing or Taiwan in FIG.

Here, the talk time of the caller and the degree to which the time is suitable for the call (A, B, B ', C in the example of FIG. 1)
A charging standard table in which charging ranks (charging standards) indicating the discount rates are associated with countries or regions having different standard times is created. The charging rank is taken out from the charging reference table based on the received time and multiplied by the standard call charge and the call time, and as shown in FIG. Can be charged for the changed call charges. Note that the charging standard may be a charging unit price.

The charging standard is, for example, charging standard = 1 for rank A (that is, standard fee), charging standard 0.8 for rank B, charging standard 0.6 for rank B ', and rank C Is set as the charging standard 0.4. By setting the charging standard in this way, it is possible to charge a call fee according to the living time zone of the caller and the callee. In the example of FIG. 1, the rank of the call time zone is A, B,
Although four divisions of B 'and C are used, B = B' and three divisions may be used.

Also, in the example of FIG. 1, for the sake of explanation, from 8:00 am to 11:00 pm (23:00) in each country (each region), it is assumed that there is no inconvenient time for communication, and from 11:00 pm to 8:00 am the following day. Is a time inconvenient for the call, but the time zone considered to be suitable for the call of the callee may be different from the time zone of the caller according to the latitude and lifestyle of the callee.

For example, in Alaska, the sunshine duration varies greatly depending on the season, so the time zone suitable for the call of the destination may be changed according to the season, and it is customary to wake up early in the morning and sleep early in the night. In a country, a time zone considered to be suitable for a call in that country may be from 5:00 to 19:00.

Further, in the example of FIG. 1, for the sake of explanation, in each country (each region), the call time zone between the caller and the call destination is divided into two types, a time zone in which the call is not inconvenient and a time period in which the call is inconvenient. Although ranked, it is not limited to two. For example, in each country (each region), 6:00 am to 5:00 pm (17:00) is the most suitable time for the call, 5:00 pm to 11:00 pm is the time when there is no inconvenience for the call, and 11:00 pm There may be three cases, such as from the time until the next day to 8:00 am, which is inconvenient for a call (in this case, the call time zone can be ranked up to six ranks).

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of a communication system to which the method for charging a call charge according to the present invention is applied. In FIG. 2, the communication system 100 comprises a circuit switching network.
In FIG. 1A, reference numerals 1 to 4 indicate a domestic communication system, reference numeral 5 indicates an international circuit network, and reference numerals 6 to 9 indicate a communication system of a partner country. Reference numerals 1 and 9 are telephones, reference numerals 2 and 8 are exchanges,
Reference numerals 3 and 7 denote line networks, reference numerals 4 and 6 denote international telephone offices for exchanging with an international telephone network during international calls, and reference numeral 5 denotes an international line network.

Further, the international telephone office 4 (6)
And a call charge management device 42 (FIG. 2 (b)) for charging the call charge and calculating the charge amount, a charge reference table 50 in which the rank of the time zone is registered for each country, a call charge data file 55, and a charge file 56. The database 43 is provided (FIG. 2C).

In FIG. 2, when the telephone 1 is a caller and the telephone 9 is a receiver, when the telephone 1 dials an international dial number, a country code, a (region code), and a subscriber number in this order, the exchange 2, exchange connection with the international telephone office 4 via the network 3, and further exchange connection with the international network 5 at the international telephone office 4 to connect with the international telephone office 6 of the partner country;
The international telephone office 6 calls the telephone 9 via the line network 7 and the exchange 8 based on the (area code), the area code, and the subscriber number, and when the user picks up the receiver, the telephone becomes available.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the call charge management device 42. The call charge management device 42 of the international telephone office 4 is constituted by a computer, and executes and controls each means shown in FIG. 3 by a CPU (not shown) based on a charge reference table 50 registered in the database 43. The charge is calculated and billed to the called party, the billing result is written into the call charge data file 55 of the database 43, and the billing amount is calculated every predetermined period.

In FIG. 3, the call charge management device 42 includes a number acquisition means 421 for acquiring and holding the subscriber number of the telephone of the caller and the dial number of the call destination, and a call time acquisition means for acquiring the call start time. 422 and number acquisition means 421
Charging standard acquisition means 4 for extracting the charging standard for the call time zone including the current time from the charging standard table 50 based on the country code (+ region code) extracted from the dial number obtained in step 4.
23 and a call time measuring means 424 for measuring the call time
A call charge calculating means 425 for calculating a call charge from the charge reference (rate), the standard call unit price, and the call time taken out from the charge reference table 50, and a call charge calculated by the call charge calculation means 425 for the caller telephone. A billing means 426 for charging, a billing amount calculating means 427 for calculating a total amount of call charges for a predetermined period on a predetermined day every month, and further, a consumption tax and the like are added to the total call charges calculated by the billing amount calculating means 427. And billing data creation means 428 for calculating billing amount and creating billing data. Note that the call charge calculation means 425 may be configured to calculate the call charge from the charge reference (amount) extracted from the charge reference table 50 and the call time.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the charging reference table 50. The charging reference table 50 includes a division column 501 for classifying whether or not the standard time includes a region including a different region, and a country storing a country code. It has a number column 502, a region number column 503 for storing region numbers of regions with different standard times, a time period charging standard column 504 for storing charging standards for each time period, and a standard unit price column 505 for storing standard unit prices. . FIG.
In the example, the value = 1 in the section column 501 means a country including an area where the standard time is different, and the value = 0 means a country where the standard time is the same in Japan.

Further, in FIG. 4, the charging criteria are shown by ranks A, B, B ', and C for easy comparison with FIG. 1, but actually the charging criteria are charging rates (for example, A = 1, B = 0.8,
B ′ = 0.6, C = 0.4) or a charging unit price. In the case where the charging standard is represented by the charging unit price, it is not necessary to provide the standard unit price column 505 in the charging standard table 50.

With the above configuration, the country code (and area code) is extracted from the dial number of the call destination, the country code field 502 (and area code field 503) of the charging reference table 50 is searched, and the time zone is determined based on the current time. The charging standard can be extracted by examining the separate charging standard column 504. Therefore, when the charging standard is a rate, it can be calculated as: call charge = contents of standard unit price column 505 × charging reference (rate) × talk time. If the charging standard is the charging unit price, the call charge = charging standard (unit price) x
It can be calculated as talk time.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of one embodiment of a call charge data file and a billing file. In FIG. 5A,
The call charge data file 55 includes a caller number (identification number such as a dial number of the caller of the caller) 551, a call start time (day / hour / minute / second) 552, a call end time 553,
It stores billing data 550 including a call charge 554 and a callee number (callee identification number such as a callee dial number) 555.

Also, in FIG.
Is the calling party number 561 and the billing period (year / month / day) 56
2, billing data 560 including a total billing amount 563, a total call charge amount 564, another billing amount 565, the number of detailed data 566, and n detailed data 567 is stored.

Here, the total charge amount 563 = the total call charge amount within the charge period + the other charge amount, and the other charge amount 565 is, for example, a consumption tax amount. Further, the detail data 567-1 to 567-n are the same as the call start time 552 to the callee number 555 of the charge data having the same caller number 551 in the charge data 550 shown in FIG. It is memorized.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the communication device. The communication device 60 includes a receiving section 62, a display control section 63, a time memory 64, and a display section 65 including a light emitting diode and a liquid crystal lamp. It comprises a time display system provided and a communication system comprising a communication unit 66, a speaker 67, and a microphone 68.

After the charging reference information (signal) from the international telephone office 4 (6) is received by the receiving unit 62, the display control unit 63
Is converted into a display color indicating a billing state, and is displayed on the display unit 65 via the display memory 64. The display unit 65 changes colors such as rank A → blue, rank B → yellow, rank B ′ → green, and rank C → red according to the charging rank, and combines the convenience of the communication destination and the charging status. A lamp can be displayed.

The display section 65 may include a liquid crystal display section so as to be able to display character strings. In the case where the display unit 65 is configured as described above, “call destination (daytime): discount rate 0%” for charging rank A, and “call destination (midnight): discount rate” for charging rank B, for example. 20% ", and in the case of charging rank B '," call destination (midnight): discount rate 40
%, And in the case of the charging rank C, a display such as "Call destination (midnight): discount rate 60%" can be made. At this time, the display character color may be changed according to the charging rank.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing one embodiment of the call charge accounting operation and the billing file creation operation.

(Example of Call Charge Accounting Operation) Step S1: (Acquisition of Dial Number) In FIG. 7 (a), it is possible to make a telephone call between the telephone 1 (the telephone device at the call source) and the telephone 9 (the telephone device at the call destination). Then, the number obtaining means 421 obtains the dial numbers of the telephone 1 (the telephone device of the calling party) and the telephone 9 (the telephone device of the called party) and stores them in the memory.

Step S2: (Holding of Call Start Time) The call time acquisition means 422 is a time (hour: minute) generated by a clock means (not shown) based on a signal from a timer built in the call charge management device 42. : Second) is stored in the memory as the call start time based on the caller.

Step S3: (Retrieval of Charging Reference Table by Country Code) The charging criterion obtaining means 423 uses the country code of the dial number of the telephone 9 obtained in step S1 as a key and stores the charging stored in the database 43. Reference table 5
A search is made in the 0 country code column 502 to extract the matching table data. Step S4: (Determination of Presence or Absence of Multiple Standard Times) The charging reference acquisition unit 423 examines the section column 501 of the table data extracted in step S3, and if the contents of the section column 501 are "1", the plurality of standard times are determined. It transits to S5 by judging that it has a country, and transits to S6 otherwise.

Step S5: (Retrieval of Charging Reference Table by Region Number) The charging criterion obtaining means 423 uses the local number such as the area code among the dial numbers of the telephone set 1 obtained in step S1 as a key. 50 area code column 50
3 and retrieves the matching table data.

Step S6: (Acquisition of charging standard) Next, the charging standard obtaining means 423 sets the charging standard table 50
The time-based charging reference column 504 is examined, and the charging reference of the call time period including the current time of the caller reference is extracted and set as a comparison value. Further, the control is transferred to the call time measuring means 424,
The call time measuring means 424 clears the time counter.

Step S7: (Measurement of Talk Time) Next, the talk time measuring means 424 measures the talk time by adding a unit time (1 second) to the time counter.

Step S8: (Retrieval of charging standard) Next, the charging standard obtaining means 423 sets the charging standard table 50
The time-based charging reference column 504 is checked to extract the charging reference of the call time period including the current time of the caller reference.

Step S9: (Comparison of charging standard and comparison value) Further, the charging standard obtaining means 423 compares the extracted charging standard with the comparison value, and if they match, the process proceeds to S10. Is determined to have changed, and the process proceeds to S11 in order to calculate a call fee at the time up to the present.

Step S10: (Call Termination Determination) The call charge calculation means 425 checks a signal from the line network, and if the call is terminated, turns on the call end flag and then transits to S11 to calculate the call charge. For example, the process returns to S7 to continue the time measurement.

Step S11: (Calculation of Call Charge) Next, the call charge calculation means 425 determines whether the call reference corresponding to the current time has changed in the above-mentioned step S9, or determines whether to end the call in the above-mentioned step S10. Is performed, the above-described step S3 (the value of the section column 501 = “1”) is performed.
In the case of, the standard unit price is extracted from the standard unit price column 505 of the table data acquired in step S5), and the call charge is calculated as: call charge = current charging reference (rate) × reference unit price × time counter value (call time). I do. When the charging standard of the charging standard table 50 is a charging unit price,
The call charge calculating means 425 calculates the call charge as the call charge = current charging reference × time counter value.

Step S12: (Charging) Next, the charging means 426 sets the caller's dial number acquired in step S1 as the caller's number 551, and uses the call start time stored in the memory in step S2 as the call start time 552. The call start time + the value of the time counter (the call time) is set to the call end time 553, and the above-described step S11 is performed.
The call charge calculated in step S1 is referred to as a call charge 554, and the dial number of the call destination obtained in step S1 is set to the call destination number 5.
The call charge data 550 set to 55 is generated and written in the call charge data file 55 of the database 43. As a result, the telephone charge 554 is charged to the telephone 1 (the telephone device) specified by the telephone number 551.

The charging means 426 checks the value of the call end flag, and ends the charging process for the telephone 1 if the value of the call end flag is ON. If the value of the call end flag is OFF, the control is shifted to S6 for the charging process based on the new charging standard (the calling standard in the time zone including the current time of the caller).

According to the above configuration, it is possible to charge the caller with the charge amount changed depending on the relationship between the reference time of the caller and the reference time of the callee. FIG.
In the flowchart of (a), the calculation of the discount on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays is not performed, but different charging reference tables are used for Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays in steps S6 and S8, and Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays are determined in step S11. , A call charge may be calculated, and charging may be performed in step S12.

(Example of Billing File Creation Operation) Step T1: (Detection of Billing File Creation Date) In FIG. 7B, the billing amount calculation means 427 determines whether or not a predetermined day (billing file creation date) has arrived every month. Is determined, and when the predetermined date has arrived, the process transits to T2. Otherwise, the process waits for arrival. Instead of this operation, the operator may start the billing file creation program on a predetermined day of each month.

Step T2: (Reading the call charge data file and excluding out-of-period billing data) The billing amount calculation means 427 uses the call charge data file 55 of the database 43 for a predetermined billing period for each caller number (usually from a predetermined date). The call charge data 550 (for the previous month) is read and taken into an internal memory such as a RAM. At this time, the call charge data 550 outside the predetermined period is skipped.

Step T3: (Sort of Call Charge Data by Caller Number) For all call charge data having the same caller number 551, when the call amount data within the billing period is taken into the internal memory, the billing amount is increased. The calculating unit 427 sorts (sorts) the received call charge data by date and by call start time.

Step T4: (Calculation of Total Calling Charge for Each Calling Party Number) Next, the billing amount calculating means 427 reads the calling charges 554 of all the calling charge data having the same calling party number 551 stored in the internal memory. To calculate the total call charge. In addition, the consumption tax is calculated and set as another billing amount.

Step T5: (Creation of Billing Data and Writing to Billing File) The billing data creation means 428 sets the calling party number 551 of the billing data taken into the internal memory to the calling party number 56.
1, the billing period is a billing period 562, the total amount of the call charges calculated in the above step T4 and other billing amounts are added to make a total charge amount 563, and the total amount of the call charges calculated in the above step T4 is the total amount of the call charges. 564, and the other billing amount calculated in step T4 is replaced with the other billing amount 5
65, the number n of the call charge data of the same caller number sorted in step T3 is set as the number of detailed data 566, and the call start time of the n call charge data of the same caller number sorted in step T3 The billing data 560 in which the 552-destination number 555 is sequentially set as the detail data 567-1 to 567-n is created and written into the billing file 56.

Step T6: (Caller Number End Judgment) The billing data creation means 428 determines whether or not reading of the call charge data within the billing period has been completed for all the caller numbers. The process transitions to T7, and if not, returns control to T2 to read the call data of the next caller number.

Step T7: (Deletion of Charged Call Charge Data) When the reading of the call charge data within the billing period has been completed for all caller numbers, that is, when the billing file has been created, the call charge data file 55 is deleted. Delete billing data within the middle billing period.

With the creation of the billing file, the bill issuing device (not shown) stores the calling party number, the name and address of the owner of the subscriber number of the telephone (calling machine) of the calling party, and the like. (Not shown) and a bill can be issued.

In the above description, the case where the communication system is a circuit switching network and the communication device is a telephone is taken as an example.
The communication system to which the call fee charging method of the present invention can be applied is not limited to the above example. For example, the present invention can be applied to an Internet call using the Internet or a mobile phone call using a mobile communication system.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an Internet communication system to which the method for charging a communication charge according to the present invention is applied. In FIG. 8, a call system 100 ′ includes a server computer (or router, gateway) 11 (hereinafter, a server 11) that connects to the Internet 10 and exchanges data with the Internet 10, a server 11 and an IP.
A network 20 operated by a provider A having a call server computer (hereinafter, a server 12) connected to a network 30, a domestic network 20 managed and operated by the Internet 10 and a domestic provider A, an IP network 30,
A communication device 5 connected to the ISDN exchange 40 and the ISDN exchange 40 via an adapter (not shown) such as a DSU.
1 and a server 11 "for exchanging data with the Internet 10 and a communication server 1 for connection to an IP network 30".
2 ", an international network 20" operated by a provider C of a communication partner country, an IP network 30 ", an ISDN exchange 40", and an ISDN exchange 40 "via an adapter (not shown) such as a DSU. The communication device 51 "is connected.

In FIG. 8, the exchanges 40 and 40 "are each one.
Although only one is shown, a plurality of them are actually connected. The same applies to the communication devices 51 and 51 ″. The communication devices 51 and 51 ″ are a fixed telephone, a personal computer with a communication function,
It is an information terminal such as a facsimile machine with a call function, a mobile phone, and a PHS.

In FIG. 8, when the communication device 51 is the communication device of the caller and the communication device 51 ″ is the communication device of the communication destination,
The caller 51 of the caller only performs the dial operation of the user,
If the call device of the call destination is connected by dial-up IP, a call is possible. That is, if the communication device 51 ″ is in a state of being dial-up IP connected, the communication device 5
Calls can be made via the Internet 10 by dialing from 1.

In this case, the call servers 12, 12 ″ are provided with a call charge management device 42 and a database 43 having the configuration shown in FIG. 2B, and the configuration of the database 43 is shown in FIG. 2C. As described above, the charge reference table 50, the call charge data file 55, and the billing file 56 are included. The charge reference table 50 is configured as shown in FIG. The configuration shown in FIG.
2, 12 "is configured to include the function shown in FIG. 6, so that even when making an Internet call through a dial-up IP connection, the same operation as in the flowchart shown in FIG. Charges can be made and a billing file can be created.

As an Internet communication system, the applicant of the present invention filed on March 8, 2000,
000-63032, that is, a telephone call system "when a dial-up connection is established, automatically switches between a telephone call by circuit switching and a VoIP telephone call according to the connection state of the telephone device of the other party". In the call system, the call server 12, the call server 12,
By adding the same configuration and function as adding 12 ″, billing can be performed and a billing file can be created during a call by the same operation as in the flowchart shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the configuration of another embodiment of a communication system to which the method for charging a call charge according to the present invention is applied.
Take a mobile phone system as an example. In FIG. 9, a mobile phone 91 is connected to a base station 92 via a wireless line, and the base station 92 is connected to an exchange 94 via a connection device 93. When the exchange 94 is connected to the circuit network 3 (or 7), the configuration after the exchange 94 may be the same as that of the communication system by circuit exchange of FIG.
When the exchange 94 is connected to the IP network 30 (or 30 ″), the configuration after the exchange 94 may be the same as that of the Internet communication system 100 ′ in FIG. A call is made to the called communication device, and when the communication protocol is established, the communication is enabled.

Accordingly, in the accounting method of the present invention, the international telephone office or the telephone server is provided with the telephone charge management device 42 and the database 43 having the configuration shown in FIG. 2B, and the configuration of the database 43 is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4C, the charge reference table 50, the call charge data file 55, and the billing file 56 are included. The charge reference table 50 is configured as shown in FIG. The configuration of the file 56 is as shown in FIG. 5, and the international telephone office or the call server is configured to include the functions as shown in FIG. 6, so that a mobile information terminal such as a mobile phone is used. When making a call,
By the same operation as the flowchart shown in FIG. 7, billing can be performed and a billing file can be created.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made.

[0076]

As described above, according to the first to fourth inventions of the method for charging a call charge and the fifth to seventh call charge management devices, the time difference between the caller and the callee is different. Can be charged according to the mutual convenience of the caller and the callee, that is, according to the user's satisfaction with the call service, and a new charging method adapted to the satisfaction can be realized. .

According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to apply the present invention to a communication method using circuit switching, that is, a method of charging international telephone calls using ordinary telephones.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to apply the present invention to dial-up IP connection, that is, the billing of international call charges through Internet calls.

Further, since the management apparatus according to the sixth invention is provided in the exchange, it becomes easy to charge a communication method by circuit switching, that is, a communication charge according to a time difference using a normal telephone.

Further, since the management device according to the seventh aspect of the present invention is integrated with the telephone call server, it is easy to charge the telephone charge according to the time difference during the Internet telephone call.

Further, since the calling apparatuses according to the eighth and ninth aspects can display the billing status, it is easy for the calling user to save the calling charge and to consider the destination.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a deviation between a call time zone of a caller and a callee and a charging standard.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a communication system (circuit-switched communication system) to which a method for charging a call charge according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a call charge management device.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a charging reference table.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of a call charge data file and a billing file.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an embodiment of a communication device.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing one embodiment of a call charge accounting operation and a billing file creation operation.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a communication system (internet communication system) to which a method for charging a call fee according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a communication system (mobile communication system) to which a method for charging a call charge according to the present invention is applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1,9 Telephone (communication device) 2,8,41 Switch 3,7 Line network 5 International line network (line network) 4,6 International telephone office 10 Internet 11,11 "Server computer (server) 12,12" For communication Server computer (server) 20, 20 "network 30, 30" IP network 40, 40 "ISDN exchange 42 telephone charge management device 43 database 50 charging reference table (charging reference registration means) 51, 51" telephone device 55 telephone charge data file 56 Request file 60 Communication device 62 Receiving unit (Reception unit) 63 Display control unit (Display control unit) 64 Time memory 65 Display unit (Display unit) 91 Cellular phone (Call device) 92 Base station 93 Connection device 94 Switch 100, 100 '' Call system 421 Number acquisition means 422 Call time acquisition means 23 Charge standard acquisition means 424 Talk time measurement means 425 Call charge calculation means 426 Billing means 427 Charge calculation means 428 Billing data creation means 501 Classification field 502 Country code field 503 Area code field 504 Time-based charging criteria field 505 Standard unit price field 550 Billing data 551, 561 Caller number 552 Call start time 553 Call end time 554 Call fee 555 Callee number 560 Billing data 562 Billing period 563 Total billing amount 564 Total billing amount 565 Other billing amount 566 Number of detailed data 567- 1-567-n Detail data

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A step of obtaining a time of a caller during a call, a step of measuring a call time, and a caller ranked in a plurality of charging ranks based on a time difference due to a time difference between a caller and a callee. A step of comparing a reference time zone and the time of the caller obtained in the above step, a step of obtaining a time zone including the time of the caller according to the comparison result of the above steps, Charging a call charge to a caller based on a charging rank corresponding to the time zone obtained in the above step and the call time measured in the step, . 2. A step of obtaining a subscriber number of a caller and a dial number of a callee, a step of obtaining a time of the caller, and measuring a call time when a caller and a callee can talk. And a step of acquiring a caller-based time zone ranked among a plurality of charging ranks based on a time difference due to a time difference between the caller and the callee based on the dial number of the callee obtained in the above step. And a step of comparing the time zone obtained in the above step and the time of the caller obtained in the step, and a step of obtaining a time zone including the time of the caller according to the comparison result of the above steps, Charging a call fee to the caller based on the charging rank corresponding to the time zone acquired in the above step and the call time measured in the step among the charging ranks. Call charges METHOD gold. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the calling party and the called party can communicate with each other by switching a line connection. 4. The call source and the call destination are dial-up I
3. A telephone call can be made by a P connection.
The billing method for the stated call charges. 5. A number acquiring means for acquiring a subscriber number of a caller and a dial number of a callee when a caller and a callee can communicate, and a time acquiring means for acquiring time of the caller during a call. And call time measuring means to measure the call time Retrieving the ranked caller reference time zone data corresponding to the standard time difference from the charging reference means based on the registered charging reference registration means and the call destination dial number acquired by the number acquisition means. A charging reference time obtaining means for comparing the time of the caller obtained by the time obtaining means with time, and obtaining a time zone including the time of the caller based on the comparison result; And a charging means for charging a caller to a caller based on a charging rank corresponding to the time zone obtained by the method and the call time measured by the call time measuring means. Management device. 6. The management apparatus is provided in an international circuit exchange that performs circuit switching during an international call, and the number acquiring means converts a signal transmitted from a communication apparatus of a caller connected to the international circuit network into a call destination dial signal. 6. The call charge management device according to claim 5, wherein a caller's subscriber number and a call destination's dial number are obtained from the number. 7. The management device is a call server connected to the Internet, and the number obtaining means obtains a caller's subscriber number and a callee's number from a signal sent from the caller's caller during dial-up IP connection. 6. The telephone charge management device according to claim 5, wherein a dial number is obtained. 8. A communication device connected to a line network, comprising: display means; receiving means for receiving a charging reference signal transmitted from an exchange at the start of a call; and a charging reference signal received by said receiving means. And a display control means for displaying a billing state on the display unit based on the received information. 9. A communication device configured to be capable of making an Internet call, comprising: display means, dial-up IP connection means, reception means for receiving charging reference information transmitted from a server at the time of dial-up IP connection, A display control unit for displaying a charging status on the display unit based on the charging reference information received by the receiving unit.