TW550927B - Billing system with multiple service types - Google Patents

Abstract

A billing system with multiple service types is disclosed, in which an account segment table is stored. The account segment table records the corresponding relationship among the account segment and plural types of services. When the consumer wants to use a general service, the billing system can determine whether the consumer account can use the requested service or not. By this way, the billing system can provide account segment with plural combinations of service types.

Description

550927

[Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a billing system, and more particularly to a billing system that performs billing for multiple service types. , Can be aimed at [knowledge technology]

With the development of technology, its use has become quite common. For example, consumers can play online games, and use wireless communication networks to send short messages. S For service providers, how to charge has always been to set up a billing system, and in this situation, for example, before using rights or remaining, the consumer must first use some method to make δ ten fees. Enabling activities performed by the account holder to use the service as an accountant, accounting (authentication), transaction (transaction) two tasks c Take the online game as an example, the server set up by the user , And a private account here. When establishing account payment, for example, you first pay to purchase various services to perform various online activities. You can use the Internet to connect to the server. Use the Internet to make Internet calls, short messages, or data. Road provides services to important topics of consumption. A billing method The user's usage hours are recorded in the billing system. When using the service, an account is set up in the billing system, and the corresponding basic data records the basis of the consumption fee. Generally speaking, when the consumer system may perform authorization and the transaction consumer can first connect to the service provider server to register its basic information to establish the number, the consumer can then sell the services provided by various service providers. Game stored value

550927

V. Description of the invention (2) Cards and registering stored-value cards in the temple server to pay 'to obtain the authority to continue to access game services. The remaining points of this consumption are recorded in the consumer's billing system. When the consumer is connected to the billing system, the basis for the consumer's use of the points will be calculated. Card number, or online renewal points, after the online provider provided by this service provider establishes an account, the basic information of the service provider, and the time of the game server when this consumer game server is playing an online game As a deduction, however, the current method of setting up an account for billing cannot distinguish the service. In other words, if multiple service providers provide multiple services at the same time, the account cannot be shared, that is, consumers must create different accounts for different services, or they must all be shared, that is, consumers can use all of the accounts after creating an account. service. For example, if a smart card issuer intends to issue a smart card that can be used to make Internet calls, online games, and fortune tellers, it will not be able to differentiate the service of the issued smart card. After purchasing a smart card, consumers will be able to use all services. The disadvantage of not being able to do service segmentation is not being able to segment the market. In other words, the industry cannot target consumers with different consumption tendencies to open various accounts with different service types. In this way, operators will not be able to flexibly adjust their marketing strategies. In addition, when the operator wants to add a new service type to the billing system or change the service type that can be used by some accounts, the program of the billing system must be rewritten, which is very labor and time costly. [Summary of the Invention] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a charging system

Page 5 550927, description of the invention It can distinguish multiple types of services. It can reduce the cost required by another object of the present invention to provide a charging system. In order to achieve the above purpose, the service type according to the present invention stores _ 峤 秘 π π master r 丨 κ 尔, account segment table, which records: 2 account segments and multiple types of services Correspondence between. [When a consumer wants to use a service, the billing system can determine whether the consumer's account can use the service requested by him according to the account section table. By this way, the 'accounting system' can provide a number of account sections of different service type combinations. In an embodiment of the present invention, the account section table may be related to account data. Ten fee processing module and confirmation processing module integration. When the consumer wants to use the service, the confirmation processing module will judge the consumer's use right according to the account database and account section ^. Only after confirming the consumer's use right ^ Juice fee processing module starts to calculate the consumer's usage status # + According to this issue, the multi-service type billing system can be used for different accounts. Segmentation. Based on business considerations, operators can market segment the services they provide. In addition, when adding or deleting a service for the 2 account section, the operator only needs to modify the settings of the account interval table. Significantly reduces the cost of modification. [Detailed description of the Chevrolet embodiment] The following will describe the preferred embodiment according to the present invention with reference to related drawings.

550927 V. Description of the invention (4) The charging system, in which the same components will be explained with the same reference symbols. Please refer to FIG. 1. The charging system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is via a communication network 9 and a client computer 5, a first Internet telephone system 61, and a second network. The telephone system 62 and an online game system 63 are connected to each other. In this embodiment, the communication network 9 may include a packet switch network (telecommunication network) or any network capable of transmitting messages between two computer systems or electronic devices. Or two or more networks, the first Internet telephone system 61, the second Internet telephone system 62, and the online game system 63 and the client computer 5 may generally include central processing: u Any combination of software and hardware constructed by computer feeders including memory and data storage devices such as hard drives. This game system 63 can be a service system set up by the same chapter, the two electric activity systems 62, and the network operator I: a service system set up by the operator, or to obtain signals for different consumers who need to think about it. connection. For example, it can be connected to the first Internet telephone system 61 or a telephone using a general telephone. In addition, the types of services that operators can provide. Operators can still use client computers to communicate with each 'if consumers want to use Internet telephony services' via various live networks or cable television networks, etc. by dialing a specific phone number 2 Internet telephony system 6 2 The types of services to obtain the signal link are not limited to the above-mentioned different networks, such as data networks, 'provide media requirements including 55,0927, V. Media-on-demand services, consumer services, or Various services such as unified message service. Please refer to FIG. 2. In this embodiment, the charging system 1 includes a validation processing module 11, a billing processing module 12, and an account segment table 13 And an account database 14. Because the billing system is a computer server, in this embodiment, the confirmation processing module 11 and the billing processing module 12 are both software modules stored in a storage device; the account section table 13 and the account database 14 is also digital data that can be read by a computer server stored in a storage device. Account section table 13 records the correspondence between each account section and service type. Referring to FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the account section table 13 records the relationship between two types of network services and four section accounts. Among the three types of Internet services, the first telephone network service refers to the Internet telephone service provided by the first Internet telephone system 6 and the second telephone network service refers to the second Internet telephone system 62. The online phone service provided. The online game service refers to the online game service provided by the online game system 63. In the four account sections, the online service items that can be used for the account number 1 to 1,000,000 are the first Internet telephone service, the second Internet telephone service, and the online game service; numbers The online service items that can be used in sections 10,000, 0001 to 2,000, 0000 are the first Internet telephone service and online game service; the number section 2,000. The number of Internet service items that can be used from 0.001 to 3,000, 〇〇〇 is the first Internet phone service and the second Internet phone service; number section 3, 00 0, 0 0 丨 to

550927 V. Description of Invention (6) —---- 4, 0 0, 0 0 〇 The only online service items that can be used are online game services. The account blame database 14 records the account information of the account created by the consumer, which mainly includes an identification code (iden t i f i c a t i 〇 η), a password, a usage record =, and an account number corresponding to the account section table 丨 3. As shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the account number set by each consumer will correspond to an account number in the account section table 13 and the consumer's usage record is represented by the remaining points. Through the above-mentioned structure ', when the consumer wants to use the service, the confirmation processing module 11 can first determine whether the consumer's account has the right to use a certain service according to the contents of the account section table 13. If so, the billing processing module 12 starts to record the status of the consumer's use of the service and stores the usage record in the account database 14. The invention can also be implemented in other software and hardware architectures. Fig. 5 shows another embodiment of the present invention, which records the consumer's use of the service, that is, the remaining points, in the account section table 13. In this way, the account section table 3 records the use record of each account. According to this design, billing-related data can be stored and processed separately from consumer basic data. Referring to FIG. 6, in this embodiment, when a consumer uses a certain service, the billing system 1 first confirms the identity of the consumer (step 60 1). The method of confirmation varies depending on the actual situation. For example, if consumers want to play online games, consumers can log in to the online game system server set up by the industry. After the consumer has successfully logged in, the online game system server and the billing system 1 perform authentication procedures, and the consumer no longer needs to perform

550927 V. Description of the invention (7) Log in to the billing system. In addition, if you want to use the Internet phone service with a telephone device, consumers can first dial a specific phone number to connect to the billing system 1 first, and then rotate their account and password to log in to the billing system of the internet phone operator directly. If this is the case, the confirmation processing module in the billing system will directly confirm the identity according to the account and password entered by the consumer. If the identity verification is passed (step 602), in this embodiment, the billing system 1 will query the account section corresponding to the consumer's code to determine whether the consumer can use the service requested by them (step ㈣3 ). If the account segment table is consulted, the account segment corresponding to the consumer's account can use the service requested by the consumer (step 604), then the billing system will start billing (step 605). Conversely, the billing system will deny consumers to use this service (step 606). Through the above-mentioned system architecture and system, different types of services can be provided to different account types. The billing statement can be used to differentiate the market based on business considerations. Process, the distinction between the charging type disclosed in this embodiment. For those who provide multi-system operators or prepaid card issuers, they are more flexible about what they offer. J. The industry players only need to comment on how the ten fee system has not deviated or changed, all of which are disclosed in this embodiment Billing | Want to add or delete account segment table settings for a certain account section. The operator does not need to modify the program or modify the algorithm 2 of the confirmation processing module. The above description is only exemplary, and not for the spirit and scope of the present invention, and is included in the scope of patent application attached. 4 effect

Page 10 550927 Brief description of the drawings [Simplified description of the drawings] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the charging system according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the cooperation with other systems first. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a system architecture of a charging system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the contents of the account section table of the charging system according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the corresponding relationship between the account database and the account section table according to the charging system according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention ′ another account database and account section table. 4 FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a preferred relationship according to the present invention. System. A & billing system [Illustration of symbolic symbols] 11 12 13 14 5 601 ～ 606 61 62 Billing system confirmation processing module Billing processing module account section table account database client computer multiple service types Steps of the billing method of the first Internet phone system Second Internet phone system 550927 Simple illustration of the diagram 63 Online game system 9 Communication network 11 ·· Page 12

Claims (1)

550927 6. Application details 1 · A multi-service type billing system is characterized by storing an account segment table, which records a plurality of account segments and a plurality of types Correspondence between services / enables the system to provide multiple account segments for different service-type evil combinations. 2. The multi-service type billing system as described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein these account sections correspond to the account data of a plurality of consumers, respectively. Cube 3. The multi-service type billing system described in item 2 of the scope of patent application, wherein the account section table further records the service usage records of the account data corresponding to the account sections. 4. The multi-service type charging system as described in item 3 of the scope of patent application, wherein the usage record is the remaining points of the account. 5 · The multi-service type billing system as described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, further comprising: an account database that records the account information of multiple consumers, each of which includes an account number, which Corresponds to 6 of these account sections. · The billing system of multiple service types as described in item 1 of the scope of patent application Page 13 550927 _____ 6. The scope of patent application system, including: a billing processing module, which performs billing when a consumer uses one of these services. 7 · The multi-service-type billing system described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, further comprising: a confirmation processing module that confirms the use rights of a consumer who wants to use one of these services. 8 · A multi-service type billing system as described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, where these services include electronic services. 9 · The multi-service type billing system as described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein these services include media demand (11 ^ (113-011- (16111311 (1) services. I 0 · as of the scope of patent application The multi-service type billing system described in item 1, wherein these services include consumer services. II. The multi-service type billing system described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein these services include Game services. 1 2 · The multi-service type billing system as described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, where the 5H special service includes the unified messaging service (un 丨 f 丨 edmessage Page 550927 6. Scope of patent application service) 〇1 3-A multi-service type charging method, including: confirming a consumer's use rights; querying an account section table to confirm the type of services that the consumer can use And charging the service that can be used by the consumer, wherein the account section table records the correspondence between a plurality of account sections and a plurality of types of services. 14. The multi-service type charging method as described in item 13 of the scope of patent application, wherein the step of confirming the consumer's use right includes receiving the consumer inputting an account number and a password. 15 · As for the multiple service type billing party, i *, as described in item 13 of the scope of patent application, · When the consumer does not have the right to use, the consumer is refused to use the service. 16 · The multi-service-type charging method described in item 13 of the scope of patent application, including: · When the consumer is unable to use the congratulatory service, the consumer is refused to use the service. Page 15