KR20120137525A - Charging method and apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A charging method and an apparatus thereof are provided to perform integrated charge about a communication service resource in a specific group. CONSTITUTION: A grouping unit(210) groups a plurality of subscribers into one group. A service resource allocating unit(220) allocates the service resources to the group. A service resource use calculating unit(230) calculates the usage amount of the allocated service resource. A charging unit(240) adds up the calculated used amount of the service resource of each subscriber. The charging unit compares the added usage amount with the predetermined amount of the service resource allocated to the group. [Reference numerals] (210) Grouping unit; (220) Service resource allocating unit; (230) Service resource use calculating unit; (240) Charging unit; (250) Supplementary service information providing unit

Description

Charging method and apparatus {CHARGING METHOD AND APPARATUS}

The present invention relates to a charging method and apparatus, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for sharing service resources among members, and performing charging for the shared service resources.

Recently, with the development of mobile communication technology, high-tech communication devices such as smart phones and tablet computers have been released, and the types of communication services provided by mobile communication companies and their corresponding fee plans are gradually increasing.

Among them, a certain price plan (fare product), which may be partially supported by the price of a mobile communication device and which is provided with a predetermined number of communication service resources such as voice call, text transmission, and wireless data, is very popular.

Of course, there is a flat rate plan that charges as much as the use of communication service resources, but the above-mentioned specific plan is preferred to the flat rate plan because the amount applied to communication service resources is higher than the above-mentioned specific plan. .

On the other hand, as mobile communication devices such as mobile phones have become indispensable for modern people, owning at least one mobile communication device for each individual is no longer an unusual phenomenon but a general thing.

In this situation, there has recently been a question about how to use and charge for communication service resources among members of a particular group, such as a family or a company.

First, since each member has a different style of using communication service resources, if a user is subscribed to a specific plan as described above, the communication service resources that are mainly used are `` always lacking '', and the communication service resources that are not used mainly are used. In this regard, they are aware that 'they only lose money for what they do not use.'

For example, parents who are older members of their family do not use wireless data communications but often use only voice calls, while younger children use Internet searches and content rather than voice calls. The amount of wireless data communication, such as downloading, is relatively high, and the additional fee is exceeded for the amount of wireless data provided by default.

In this case, parents may think that they are 'paid regardless of usage' for wireless data communication that is never used, and younger children may be burdened with relatively high usage of communication service resources. There is nothing else.

There is also a need to integrate and spend communication charges (including wired and wireless) for each member in a particular group.

For example, at home, each member's communication fee can be automatically withdrawn from a specific person's account, which is integrated into each member's account to be withdrawn from a particular person's account at once.

Accordingly, in Korean Patent Registration No. 1000161 (Family ID Management Method), a subscriber who has been given a main ID to manage a service fee of a family group by assigning a main ID having a family group master authority to a specific subscriber among a plurality of subscribers is managed. Although a technique is disclosed, the above-described problems caused by different styles of using communication service resources for each member still have limitations that cannot be solved.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, the present invention provides a method and apparatus for allowing each member to share communication service resources in a specific population.

The present invention also provides a method and apparatus for performing integrated charging for communication service resources shared by each member in a specific group.

The objects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned objects, and other objects not mentioned can be clearly understood from the following description.

In order to achieve the above object, the billing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is a grouping unit for grouping a plurality of subscribers into one group, a service resource allocation unit for allocating a predetermined amount of service resources to the group, the group For each subscriber belonging to the service resource usage calculation unit calculating a usage amount of the allocated service resource and a predetermined time arrive, the calculated usage amount of the service resource of each subscriber is added, and the service allocated to the group. A billing portion for charging an amount corresponding to the excess amount, compared to a predetermined amount of resources.

In one aspect of the present invention, the grouping unit assigns a representative ID of the group to one of the subscribers belonging to the group.

In addition, in one aspect of the present invention, the grouping unit groups subscribers that satisfy a predetermined subscription condition into the group using a specific service use plan.

Further, in one aspect of the present invention, the service resource allocating unit allocates the predetermined amount of service resources to the group based on the specific service usage plan.

In addition, in one aspect of the present invention, the service resource includes at least one of a voice call time, a short message count, a multimedia message count, and a data packet amount.

In addition, according to an aspect of the present invention, when a predetermined time arrives, further includes an additional service information providing unit for providing information on the additional service to be provided to each subscriber in the group.

In order to achieve the above object, the billing method according to an aspect of the present invention comprises the steps of (a) grouping a plurality of subscribers satisfying a predetermined subscription condition into a group using a specific service usage plan, (b) the Allocating a predetermined amount of service resources to the group based on a specific service usage plan, (c) calculating, for each subscriber belonging to the group, usage of the allocated service resources; and (d) Calculating a service usage fee of the group based on the calculated usage of service resources for each subscriber and a predetermined amount of service resources allocated to the group.

In one aspect of the invention, (e) further comprising the step of billing the calculated service usage fee of the group to one of the subscribers belonging to the group.

In addition, in one aspect of the present invention, step (d), when a predetermined time arrives, adds up the calculated usage of service resources for each subscriber, and compares with a predetermined amount of service resources allocated to the group. In addition, the amount exceeded shall be charged.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG.

The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. It is provided to fully inform the owner of the scope of the invention.

According to one of the above-described problem solving means of the billing method and apparatus of the present invention, even though the style of using the communication service resource is different for each member of a specific group, the communication service resource basically provided to the group is shared. It can contribute to reducing bill spending.

In addition, since each member shares unnecessary communication service resources, unnecessary expense spending is reduced, so that the subscribers can eliminate the negative perception that they are paying the fee at a loss, and the positive corporate image for the service provider. Can contribute to securing

In addition, since charges for the use of the communication service resources for each member of a specific group are charged, the fee can be efficiently managed from the viewpoint of the group.

1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a charging system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a view showing a charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a diagram illustrating a charging method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the present invention.

The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

In the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted in order to clearly describe the present invention, and like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the specification.

For reference, in the entire specification, when a part is "connected" to another part, it is not only "directly connected" but also "electrically connected" with another element in between. Also includes.

Also, when an element is referred to as "comprising ", it means that it can include other elements as well, without departing from the other elements unless specifically stated otherwise.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

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

The billing system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a service using subscriber terminal 100 and a service providing server 200.

For reference, 'service' of the present invention is a service provider provides a predetermined service resource to a subscriber, and a subscriber pays a predetermined fee in exchange for using the service resource. It will be described as an example of the 'service' of the invention.

In describing each component, the service using subscriber terminal (hereinafter referred to as subscriber terminal) 100 accesses the service providing server 200 and requests a plurality of subscribers to subscribe to a specific service usage plan.

In this case, the subscriber station 100 may request the subscription to the service providing server 200 including information for proving a predetermined condition for subscribing to the specific service usage plan.

For example, when subscribing to the newlyweds rate plan for the newlyweds, the subscriber terminal 100 provides the service providing server 200 with information that can prove marriage, such as date information such as a wedding date, a wedding hall name, or a wedding invitation image file. Can transmit

For reference, a subscription request for a specific service use plan may be requested by the subscriber station 100 as described above, or may be requested to join the service providing server 200 from another terminal other than the subscriber station 100. It may be.

The subscriber terminal 100 may include a communication terminal having mobility, such as a mobile phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA) phone, a tablet PC, and a laptop PC. The subscriber terminal 100 may include voice calls, text messages, and multimedia messages with other subscriber terminals. And all types of handheld based wireless communication devices capable of transmitting and receiving data packets.

In addition, the subscriber terminal 100 may also include a communication device capable of transmitting and receiving voice calls, text messages, multimedia messages, and data packets with other subscriber terminals through a network, such as a desktop PC set-top box.

On the other hand, the service providing server 200 receives a subscription request for a specific service usage plan for a plurality of subscribers from the subscriber terminal 100, and based on the subscription request, the subscribers are predetermined subscription of the specific service usage plan Check that the conditions are met.

If the check result is satisfied, the service providing server 200 groups the corresponding subscribers into one group through a specific service use plan.

In this case, the service providing server 200 may set any one of the subscribers (hereinafter referred to as a member) belonging to the group as the representative of the group, and may assign the representative ID of the group to the member set as the representative. .

Thereafter, the service providing server 200 allocates a predetermined amount of service resources to the group based on the specific service usage plan.

Here, the 'service resource' may include one or more of voice call time, short message count, multimedia message count, and data packet volume, and the 'predetermined amount of service resource' means that each member of the group frees each service resource. It means the amount that can be used as.

Of course, there may be a basic fee for this.

For example, a group subscribed to the A plan with a basic fee of 50,000 won can receive 1000 minutes of voice calls, 300 short messages, 500 multimedia messages, and 1G data packet usage. You can share a service resource.

Thereafter, the service providing server 200 calculates, for each member of the group, the amount of service resources used by each member among a predetermined amount of service resources assigned to the group.

After that, when a predetermined time (for example, monthly billing date, etc.) arrives, the service providing server 200 adds up the calculated service resource usage of each subscriber and compares it with a predetermined amount of service resources allocated to the corresponding group. Then, the amount corresponding to the excess amount is calculated and charged.

In this case, the service providing server 200 may charge a fee charged to the member set as the representative of the corresponding group, that is, the member to whom the representative ID of the corresponding group is assigned.

In addition, the service providing server 200 provides information on additional services provided to each member of the group when a predetermined time (for example, a contract period for using a specific service plan) arrives. can do.

In this case, the information on the additional service may include information on the subscriber terminal that can be provided free of charge to each member or information on the type and amount of service resources that can be provided free of charge.

2 is a view showing a charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The billing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention may be included in the service providing server 200 among the components of the system shown in FIG. 1, and the billing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below. ) To explain.

The service providing server 200 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a grouping unit 210, a service resource allocating unit 220, a service resource usage calculating unit 230, a charging unit 240, and an additional service information providing unit ( 250).

For reference, the operation of each component described below, the service providing server 200 receives a subscription request for a specific service use plan for a plurality of subscribers from the subscriber terminal 100, based on the subscription request, The subscriber may be performed after confirming whether the subscribers satisfy the predetermined subscription condition of the specific service use plan.

In describing each component, the grouping unit 210 groups a plurality of subscribers into one group through a specific service usage plan, and sets one of the members of the group as the representative of the group to grant the representative ID. Can be.

Meanwhile, the service resource allocator 220 allocates a predetermined amount of service resources to the group based on the specific service usage plan subscribed to the group.

Here, the 'service resource' may include one or more of voice call time, short message count, multimedia message count, and data packet amount.

On the other hand, the service resource usage calculation unit 230 calculates the amount of service resources used by each member of the predetermined amount of service resources allocated by the service resource allocator 220 for each member of the corresponding group.

On the other hand, if a predetermined time such as a billing day of each month arrives, the billing unit 240 sums the calculated service resource usage of each subscriber, and compares with the predetermined amount of the service resources allocated to the corresponding group, Calculate and charge the amount.

In this case, the charging unit 240 may charge the billed fee to the member set as the representative of the group, that is, the member to which the representative ID of the group is assigned.

On the other hand, the supplementary service information providing unit 250 when the period of the contract, such as to use a specific service usage plan arrives, information about the additional service provided to each member of the group, for example, to each member Information on subscriber terminals that can be provided free of charge or information on the type and amount of service resources that can be provided free of charge can be provided to the subscriber terminal of each subscriber.

2 refers to a hardware component such as software or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), and performs predetermined roles .

However, 'components' are not meant to be limited to software or hardware, and each component may be configured to be in an addressable storage medium or may be configured to reproduce one or more processors.

Thus, by way of example, an element may comprise components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components and task components, processes, functions, attributes, procedures, Routines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables.

Components and the functionality provided within those components may be combined into a smaller number of components or further separated into additional components.

3 is a diagram illustrating a charging method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the flowchart of FIG. 3 will be described with reference to the components of the system shown in FIG. 1.

The service providing server 200 receives a subscription request for a specific service usage plan from the subscriber terminal 100 for a plurality of subscribers, and based on the subscription request, the subscribers receive a predetermined subscription condition of the specific service usage plan. Check whether it is satisfied (S301).

For example, in the case of a newly married couple plan for a newlywed couple, information for proving marriage such as date information such as a wedding date, a wedding hall name, or a wedding invitation image file may be included in the subscription request received in step S301.

In addition, in the case of a fare plan for workers of a specific company, information such as employee number, date of joining, working department and position may be included in the subscription request received in step S301.

After step S301, the service providing server 200 groups a plurality of subscribers into one group through a specific service usage plan, and sets one of the members of the group as a representative of the corresponding group to give a representative ID (S302). .

For example, in the case of a newly married couple plan, the service providing server 200 may group the groom and the bride into one group, and may set one of the groom and the bride as the representative of the group to give the representative ID.

After step S302, the service providing server 200 allocates a predetermined amount of service resources to the group based on the specific service usage plan subscribed to the group (S303).

For example, a group subscribed to the newlyweds plan may receive 600 minutes of voice calls, 200 short messages, 300 multimedia messages, and 1G data packet usage each month. Can be used while sharing.

In addition, a voice call or a message transmission with a predetermined phone number such as a parent's phone number may further include an option that is not charged or charged at a discounted rate.

After step S303, the service providing server 200 calculates the amount of service resources used by each member among the predetermined amount of service resources allocated by the service resource allocator 220, for each member belonging to the group (S304). ).

After step S304, when a predetermined time such as a billing date and the like arrives each month, the service providing server 200 adds up the service resource usage of each subscriber calculated in step S304 and compares it with a predetermined amount of service resources allocated to the corresponding group. In operation S305, the amount of money corresponding to the exceeded amount of usage is calculated.

For example, a group of newly married couples were provided free of charge for 600 minutes of voice calls, 200 short messages, 300 multimedia messages, and 1G data packet usage each month.

The bridegroom was then used for 300 minutes of voice calls, 100 short messages, 150 multimedia messages and 600 MB of data packets, and the bride used 400 minutes of voice calls, 150 short messages, 200 multimedia messages and data packets. It was calculated that 700MB was used.

The service providing server 200 aggregates the service resource usage of the bride and groom, that is, 700 minutes (300 minutes + 400 minutes) of voice calls, 250 short messages (100 + 150), 350 multimedia messages. (150 + 200) and 1.3G (600 MB + 700 MB) of data packets, and a predetermined amount of service resources free to the group: 600 minutes of voice calls, 200 short messages, 300 multimedia messages, and The data packet 1G is compared to calculate the difference (excess usage).

Thereafter, the service providing server 200 charges the calculated excess usage, that is, 100 minutes of voice calls, 50 short messages, 50 multimedia messages, and 300 MB of data packets.

After step S305, the service providing server 200 bills a member for the excess usage amount calculated in step S305 to a member of the group, that is, a member to whom the representative ID is assigned (S306).

The foregoing description of the present invention is intended for illustration, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be easily modified in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. will be.

It is therefore to be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects and not restrictive.

For example, each component described as a single entity may be distributed and implemented, and components described as being distributed may also be implemented in a combined form.

The scope of the present invention is shown by the following claims rather than the above description, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention. do.

100: subscriber terminal
200: service providing server
210: grouping part
220: service resource allocation unit
230: service resource usage calculation unit
240: billing
250: additional service information provider

Claims (9)

In the charging device,
A grouping unit for grouping a plurality of subscribers into one group;
A service resource allocating unit for allocating a predetermined amount of service resources to the group;
A service resource usage calculation unit calculating a usage amount of the allocated service resource for each subscriber belonging to the group;
When a predetermined time arrives, the billing unit that charges the amount corresponding to the exceeded amount, summing the calculated usage of the service resources of each subscriber, and compared with the predetermined amount of the service resources allocated to the group
Including, the charging device.
The method of claim 1,
And the grouping unit grants a representative ID of the group to one of the subscribers belonging to the group.
The method of claim 1,
And the grouping unit groups a plurality of subscribers that satisfy a predetermined subscription condition into the group using a specific service usage plan.
The method of claim 3, wherein
And the service resource allocation unit allocates the predetermined amount of service resources to the group based on the specific service usage plan.
The method of claim 4, wherein
And the service resource includes one or more of voice call time, short message count, multimedia message count, and data packet amount.
The method of claim 1,
When a predetermined time arrives, the additional service information providing unit that provides information on additional services to be provided to each subscriber in the group.
It further comprises a charging device.
In the charging method,
(a) grouping a plurality of subscribers that satisfy predetermined subscription conditions into a group using a specific service usage plan;
(b) allocating a predetermined amount of service resources to the group based on the specific service usage plan,
(c) calculating a usage amount of the allocated service resource for each subscriber belonging to the group;
(d) calculating a service usage fee of the group based on the calculated usage of service resources for each subscriber and a predetermined amount of service resources allocated to the group;
Including, charging method.
The method of claim 7, wherein
(e) billing the calculated service usage fee of the group to one of the subscribers belonging to the group
Including more, billing method.
The method of claim 7, wherein
In the step (d), when the predetermined time arrives, the calculated amount of the service resource for each subscriber is added, and the amount corresponding to the exceeded amount is compared with the predetermined amount of the service resource allocated to the group. Charging method.

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