WO2000019702B1 - Prepaid services in a communications system - Google Patents

Prepaid services in a communications system

Info

Publication number
WO2000019702B1
WO2000019702B1 PCT/FI1999/000807 FI9900807W WO0019702B1 WO 2000019702 B1 WO2000019702 B1 WO 2000019702B1 FI 9900807 W FI9900807 W FI 9900807W WO 0019702 B1 WO0019702 B1 WO 0019702B1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
accordance
service
account
call
user
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/FI1999/000807
Other languages
French (fr)
Other versions
WO2000019702A2 (en
WO2000019702A3 (en
Inventor
Kalevi Ahola
Markku Tiuri
Pasi Keskitalo
Original Assignee
Ericsson Telefon Ab L M
Kalevi Ahola
Markku Tiuri
Pasi Keskitalo
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Ericsson Telefon Ab L M, Kalevi Ahola, Markku Tiuri, Pasi Keskitalo filed Critical Ericsson Telefon Ab L M
Priority to EP99969876A priority Critical patent/EP1131945A2/en
Priority to AU59872/99A priority patent/AU5987299A/en
Publication of WO2000019702A2 publication Critical patent/WO2000019702A2/en
Publication of WO2000019702A3 publication Critical patent/WO2000019702A3/en
Publication of WO2000019702B1 publication Critical patent/WO2000019702B1/en

Links

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M15/00—Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
    • H04M15/83—Notification aspects
    • H04M15/85—Notification aspects characterised by the type of condition triggering a notification
    • H04M15/854—Available credit
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M15/00—Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
    • H04M15/10—Metering calls from calling party, i.e. A-party charged for the communication
    • H04M15/12—Discriminative metering, charging or billing
    • H04M15/18—Discriminative metering, charging or billing according to duration of the call, or the communication
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M15/00—Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
    • H04M15/83—Notification aspects
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M15/00—Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
    • H04M15/90—Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP using Intelligent Networks [IN] or Advanced Intelligent Networks [AIN]
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M17/00—Prepayment of wireline communication systems, wireless communication systems or telephone systems
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M17/00—Prepayment of wireline communication systems, wireless communication systems or telephone systems
    • H04M17/10—Account details or usage
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W4/00—Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
    • H04W4/24—Accounting or billing
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M2215/00—Metering arrangements; Time controlling arrangements; Time indicating arrangements
    • H04M2215/01—Details of billing arrangements
    • H04M2215/016—Billing using Intelligent Networks [IN] or Advanced Intelligent Networks [AIN]
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M2215/00—Metering arrangements; Time controlling arrangements; Time indicating arrangements
    • H04M2215/01—Details of billing arrangements
    • H04M2215/018—On-line real-time billing, able to see billing information while in communication, e.g. via the internet
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M2215/00—Metering arrangements; Time controlling arrangements; Time indicating arrangements
    • H04M2215/20—Technology dependant metering
    • H04M2215/2026—Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M2215/00—Metering arrangements; Time controlling arrangements; Time indicating arrangements
    • H04M2215/32—Involving wireless systems
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M2215/00—Metering arrangements; Time controlling arrangements; Time indicating arrangements
    • H04M2215/81—Notifying aspects, e.g. notifications or displays to the user
    • H04M2215/815—Notification when a specific condition, service or event is met
    • H04M2215/8166—Available credit
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M2215/00—Metering arrangements; Time controlling arrangements; Time indicating arrangements
    • H04M2215/82—Advice-of-Charge [AOC], i.e. notify subscriber of charges/cumulative charge; meter at the substation
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M3/00—Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
    • H04M3/42—Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers
    • H04M3/487—Arrangements for providing information services, e.g. recorded voice services or time announcements
    • H04M3/4872—Non-interactive information services

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and an arrangement for providing prepaid calls or services for a user of a telephone. Th arrangement comprises a prepaid calling service and a telephone terminal enabling an access to the prepaid calling service. In addition, means for providing the user with an individual code and an account dedicated for the individual code are used. The communications network apparatus includes means for triggering the call to a desired destination, means for dynamically charging the costs for the call from the account, and means for informing during the call dynamically the user of the remaining calling time on the basis of the balance remaining in the account and the costs for the call and/or of the remaining balance in the account.

Claims

22AMENDED CLAIMS[received by the International Bureau on 31 July 2000 (31.07.00); original claims 1-16 replaced by new claims 1-22 (5 pages)]
1. A method of providing prepaid calls or services for a user of a telephone by means of the telephone terminal and a prepaid calling service, comprising: providing the user with an individual code included in a special service-related calling card; establishing a call between the telephone terminal and the prepaid service; giving said individual code to the prepaid service; triggering the call only to a predefined destination number or prepaid service according to said special calling card; dynamically charging the costs for the call from an account dedicated to said individual code and containing required pre- payment data; and informing accordingly the user dynamically of the remaining calling time during the call on basis of remaining balance in the account and the costs for the call and/or of the remaining balance in the account .
2. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the call time and/or balance information and possible other information relating to the call charging is displayed to the user by means of a display of the telephone terminal .
3. A method in accordance with claim 1 or 2 , wherein the user pays in advance for an access to a certain predefined service; and said individual code the user is provided with is a code dedicated solely for the certain predefined service.
4. A method in accordance with claim 3, wherein said individual code is provided no the user by means of a prepaid calling card providing the access to the certain predefined service only.
5. A method in accordance with any of the preceding claims, 23
wherein the calling terminal and the terminal at the desired destination are data processing devices connected to the communications system, and said individual code is provided to the user by means of a data transmission through the communications system.
6. A method in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein the telephone number of the prepaid service is a number for a free-phone telephone number, and said individual code routes the call to a predefined premium rate telephone number of a desired service provider.
7. A method in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein it further comprises retrieving data relating to said individual code from a database, the data relating to said individual code including restriction parameters or other parameters or information relating to the use of the prepaid service .
8. A method in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein the dynamic real-time information provided to the user during the call includes further the balance used during the call.
9. A method in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein the account is a pulse account, and comprising further steps of : dynamically deducting pulses from the account during the prepaid service; and determining the remaining prepaid service time and/or balance by means of calculations using at least parameters which dynamically indicate the price of the call and the amount of pulses left in the account .
10. A method in accordance with any of the preceding claims, comprising further a step of changing the balance in the account and/or modifying the parameters or restrictions of the 24
prepaid service during the call, wherein the network operator or service provider preferably accomplishes said changes and/or modifications .
11. A method in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein said prepaid service is established as a silent connection using modem connections.
12. A method in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein said individual code is transmitted as a crypted data packet which is then opened at the terminal.
13. A method in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein said code includes various parameters including balance and restrictions, which can be changed by operators and ISPs in real time; and said code handling is implemented in real time dynamically by means of data transmission through the communication system between user terminal and service.
14. An arrangement for providing prepaid calls or services for a user of a telephone comprising: a prepaid service; a telephone terminal enabling an access to the prepaid service ; means for providing the user with an individual code included in a special service-related calling card; an account dedicated for said individual code; means for triggering the call to a predefined service provider number; means for dynamically charging the costs for the call from said account ; and means for informing during the call dynamically the user of the remaining prepaid service time on the basis of the balance remaining in said account and the costs for the prepaid service and/or of the remaining balance in said account.
15. An arrangement in accordance with claim 14, comprising 25 further : a database accessible by the prepaid service; means for retrieving data relating to said individual code from the database in response to said individual code received, wherein the arrangement is such that the information and parameters included in said database can be changed or modified, preferably by an operator running the arrangement.
16. An arrangement in accordance with claim 14 or 15, wherein the account is a pulse account implemented either in a database of an Intelligent Network providing the prepaid service or in a prepaid service-related calling card of the user.
17. An arrangement in accordance with any of claims 14 to 16, wherein the telephone terminal comprises a display for displaying the remaining prepaid service time information and/or balance and possible other information relating to the prepaid service charging.
18. An arrangement in accordance with any of claims 14 to 17, wherein the account is a pulse account from which the pulses are dynamically deducted during the call, whereby the remaining prepaid service time is determined by means of calculations using at least parameters indicating the price of the prepaid service and pulses left in the account.
19. An arrangement in accordance with any of claims 14 to 18, wherein the calling terminal and a terminal providing the prepaid service at the destination number end are data processing devices.
20. An arrangement in accordance with any of claims 14 to 19, wherein said prepaid service is established as a silent connection using modem connections.
21. An arrangement in accordance with any of the claims 14 to 20, wherein said individual code is transmitted as a crypted 26 data packet which is then opened at the terminal.
22. An arrangement in accordance with any of the claims 14 to 21, wherein said code includes various parameters including balance and restrictions, which can be changed by operators and ISPs in real time; and said code handling is implemented in real time dynamically by means of data transmission through the communication system between user terminal and service.
PCT/FI1999/000807 1998-09-30 1999-09-30 Prepaid services in a communications system WO2000019702A2 (en)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP99969876A EP1131945A2 (en) 1998-09-30 1999-09-30 Prepaid services in a communications system
AU59872/99A AU5987299A (en) 1998-09-30 1999-09-30 Prepaid services in a communications system

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
FI982117 1998-09-30
FI982117A FI113928B (en) 1998-09-30 1998-09-30 Advance paid services in a communication system

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2000019702A2 WO2000019702A2 (en) 2000-04-06
WO2000019702A3 WO2000019702A3 (en) 2000-08-03
WO2000019702B1 true WO2000019702B1 (en) 2000-10-05

Family

ID=8552610

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/FI1999/000807 WO2000019702A2 (en) 1998-09-30 1999-09-30 Prepaid services in a communications system

Country Status (5)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1131945A2 (en)
CN (1) CN1376357A (en)
AU (1) AU5987299A (en)
FI (1) FI113928B (en)
WO (1) WO2000019702A2 (en)

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US8150396B2 (en) 2005-08-10 2012-04-03 At&T Mobility Ii Llc Intelligent customer care support

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ES2254431T3 (en) * 2000-06-19 2006-06-16 Emt As METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR THE ORGANIZATION OF PAYMENT OF PARKING SERVICES.
SE520570C2 (en) * 2000-12-15 2003-07-29 Telia Ab Method for transactions between users and service providers in a network
US6487401B2 (en) * 2000-12-18 2002-11-26 Sbc Technology Resources, Inc. Prepaid wireless telephone account regeneration in a wireless access protocol system
SE521661C2 (en) * 2000-12-18 2003-11-25 Ericsson Telefon Ab L M Method and system for real-time updating of available network service access in a communication network
KR100432901B1 (en) * 2000-12-28 2004-05-22 에스케이 텔레콤주식회사 Method and system for recharging prepaid mobile telecommunication terminal
US7373160B2 (en) 2001-01-19 2008-05-13 Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson (Publ) Method and device for indicating amounts of data in mobile networks
GB2371448B (en) * 2001-01-19 2004-08-04 Ericsson Telefon Ab L M Communications device
US7043229B2 (en) * 2002-05-31 2006-05-09 Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ) System and method for determining tariffs for real-time calls involving ported directory numbers
CN1327652C (en) * 2004-11-08 2007-07-18 华为技术有限公司 On-line charge processing method
CN100471208C (en) * 2005-01-02 2009-03-18 华为技术有限公司 Method for calling party restarting call in card number service
DE102005003640B4 (en) * 2005-01-26 2015-12-31 Vodafone Gmbh A method and system for electronically acquiring and managing at least one prepaid, limited communication credit balance
US8718599B2 (en) 2006-06-27 2014-05-06 Verizon Services Corp. Usage notification for a mobile device
US7991131B2 (en) * 2007-01-16 2011-08-02 Alcatel-Lucent Usa Inc. Control of prepaid balance status notification
US7983655B2 (en) 2007-06-20 2011-07-19 At&T Mobility Ii Llc Conditional call treatment for prepaid calls
CN101971653B (en) 2007-12-13 2014-12-24 泰克莱克股份有限公司 Methods, systems, and computer program products for providing variable rate prepaid telecommunication services utilizing a weighting function
US8989056B2 (en) 2012-01-05 2015-03-24 Tekelec, Inc. Methods, systems, and computer readable media for utilizing quota usage policy control in a diameter-based communication network
US9185237B2 (en) 2013-03-15 2015-11-10 Tekelec, Inc. Methods, systems, and computer readable media for adjusting a quota consumption rate
US11290390B2 (en) 2019-11-20 2022-03-29 Oracle International Corporation Methods, systems, and computer readable media for lockless communications network resource quota sharing
CN112995412B (en) * 2021-02-05 2022-09-27 中国联合网络通信集团有限公司 International call connection method and device, electronic equipment and storage medium

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Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP1131945A2 (en) 2001-09-12
WO2000019702A2 (en) 2000-04-06
AU5987299A (en) 2000-04-17
CN1376357A (en) 2002-10-23
FI982117A (en) 2000-03-31
FI113928B (en) 2004-06-30
FI982117A0 (en) 1998-09-30
WO2000019702A3 (en) 2000-08-03

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