Granted Patent B2

US 7,962,120 · App. 11/438,175 · Granted Jun 14, 2011

Abstract

Claims (33)

1. A method of charging for a telecommunications session on an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network from a calling customer to a called customer comprising the steps of:

storing charge allocation data for allocating telecommunications charges to ones of a plurality of different accounts of said calling customer in a home subscriber server (HSS);

transmitting from said IMS for serving said telecommunications session to said HSS information regarding said telecommunications session in said IMS network;

accessing said HSS to obtain the calling customer charge allocation data;

transmitting from said HSS to a charging data function unit, for allocating charges for said telecommunications session to specified ones of a plurality of different accounts of said calling customer, said information regarding said telecommunications session and said charge allocation data;

in said charging data function unit, allocating charges for said telecommunications session to ones of said plurality of accounts in accordance with said charge allocation data;

transmitting the allocated charging data from said charging data function unit to a charging gateway function;

said charging gateway function for routing said allocated charging data to a telecommunications billing system for accumulating billing charges for ones of said plurality of accounts for said calling customer or to a financial network for routing said charging data to ones of a plurality of financial institutions.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said financial network accesses ones of a bank account, a credit card account, a postpaid account, or a prepaid account.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said calling customer charge allocation data comprise rules for ones of voice sessions, data sessions, video sessions, instant message sessions, locations, time periods, calling customers, and called customers.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said calling customer and called customer are identified by public user identifications.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said calling customer charge allocation data are a function of the geographic location of the calling customer.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said calling customer charge allocation data are a function of whether said calling customer is calling from a cellular station.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said calling customer charge allocation data are a function of whether said calling customer is calling over a WiFi connection.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said calling customer charge allocation data are a function of time of day or day of week.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said calling customer charge allocation data include multiple rules and a priority for each rule.

10. Apparatus for charging for a telecommunications session on an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network from a calling customer to a called customer comprising:

a home subscriber server (HSS) for storing charge allocation data for allocating telecommunications charges to ones of a plurality of different accounts of said calling customer;

means for transmitting from said IMS for serving said telecommunications session to said HSS information regarding said telecommunications session in said IMS network;

means for accessing said HSS to obtain the calling customer telecommunications charge allocation data;

a charging data function unit for allocating charges for said telecommunications session to specified ones of a plurality of different accounts in accordance with said charge allocation data;

means for transmitting from said HSS to said charging data function unit said information regarding said telecommunications session and said calling customer charge allocation data;

in said charging data function unit, means for allocating charging data for said telecommunications session to ones of a plurality of accounts in accordance with said charge allocation data;

a charging gateway function for receiving the allocated charging data from said charging data function unit;

said charging gateway function for routing said allocated charging data to a telecommunications billing system for accumulating billing charges for ones of said plurality of accounts for said calling customer or to a financial network for routing said charging data to ones of a plurality of financial institutions.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said financial network accesses ones of means for allocating charges to a bank account, a credit card account, a postpaid account, or a prepaid account.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said calling customer charge allocation data comprise rules for ones of voice sessions, data sessions, video sessions, instant message sessions, locations, time periods, calling customers, and called customers.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said calling customer and called customer are identified by public user identifications.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said calling customer charge allocation data are a function of the geographic location of the calling customer.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said calling customer charge allocation data are a function of whether said calling customer is calling from a cellular station.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said calling customer charge allocation data are a function of whether said calling customer is calling over a WiFi connection.

17. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said calling customer charge allocation data are a function of time of day or day of week.

18. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said calling customer charge allocation data include multiple rules and a priority for each rule.

Assignments (11)