# US 12,192,069 B1 · Multi-layered charging system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,192,069 B1 - Document ID: US12192069B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 18/348,234 - Filed: 2023-07-06 - Published: 2025-01-09 - Granted: 2025-01-07 - Earliest claimed: 2023-07-06 - Assignees: DISH Wireless L.L.C. - Applicants: DISH Wireless L.L.C. - Inventors: Michael Cummings; Alejandro Torres - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12192069B1 ## CPC - H04L 41/5006: Creating or negotiating SLA contracts, guarantees or penalties - H04L 41/5012: {determining service availability, e.g. which services are available at a certain point in time} - H04L 41/5029: {Service quality level-based billing, e.g. dependent on measured service level customer is charged more or less} - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A method may include receiving, by a computing system of a front-end service provider, a communications request including user data. The method may include determining, by the computing system of the front-end service provider, that one or more back-end service providers can fulfil the communications request. The method may include transmitting, by the computing system of the front-end service provider, data associated with the communications request and/or the one or more back-end service providers to a proxy service. The method may include receiving, by the computing system of the front-end service provider and from the proxy service, information associated with a back-end service provider of the one or more back-end service providers. The method may also include establishing, by the computing system of the front-end service provider, a communications connection with the back-end service provider and transmitting the user data such that the communications request is fulfilled. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method, comprising: receiving, by a computing system of a front-end service provider, a communications request including user data; determining, by the computing system of the front-end service provider, that one or more back-end service providers can fulfil the communications request, wherein the one or more back-end service providers are different from the front-end service provider; transmitting, by the computing system of the front-end service provider, data associated with the communications request and/or the one or more back-end service providers to a charging function (CHF) proxy service, the data indicating requirements of the communications request comprising at least one of a bandwidth requirement, a cost requirement, or a charging function (CHF) registration requirement; receiving, by the computing system of the front-end service provider and from the CHF proxy service, information associated with a back-end service provider of the one or more back-end service providers, the information comprising at least one of a first CHF associated with the back-end service provider or a second CHF associated with the CHF proxy service; establishing, by the computing system of the front-end service provider, a communications connection with the back-end service provider; and transmitting, by the front-end service provider and to the back-end service provider, the user data such that the communications request is fulfilled. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein determining, by the computing system of the front-end service provider, that one or more back-end service providers can fulfil the communications request further comprises: accessing, by the computing system of the front-end service provider, one or more policies associated with at least one of the communications request, a sender of the communications request, and policies associated with the front-end service provider; and accessing, by the computing system of the front-end service provider, one or more provider attributes associated with the back-end service providers. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more provider attributes associated with the one or more back-end service providers comprise at least one of a CHF, a service level, and a service capacity. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the computing system of the front-end service provider determines the charging function associated with the back-end service provider based at least in part on a charging function registry. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the computing system of the front-end service provider provides authentication information associated with a user equipment (UE) of the communications request to the back-end service provider after the communications connection is established. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with a back-end service provider of the one or more back-end service providers comprises information associated with an online marketplace. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein a charging function associated with the back-end service provider is also associated with a charging-as-a-service entity. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein communications request is fulfilled by a plurality of back-end service providers. ### Claim 9 A computing system of a front-end service provider, comprising: one or more processors; non-transitory computer-readable memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing system to perform operations to: receive, by the computing system of the front-end service provider, a communications request including user data; determine, by the computing system of the front-end service provider, that one or more back-end service providers can fulfil the communications request, wherein the one or more back-end service providers are different from the front-end service provider; transmit, by the computing system of the front-end service provider, data associated with the communications request and/or the one or more back-end service providers to a charging function (CHF) proxy service, the data indicating requirements of the communications request comprising at least one of a bandwidth requirement, a cost requirement, or a charging function (CHF) registration requirement; receive, by the computing system of the front-end service provider and from the CHF proxy service, information associated with a back-end service provider of the one or more back-end service providers, the information comprising at least one of a first CHF associated with the back-end service provider or a second CHF associated with the CHF proxy service; establish, by the computing system of the front-end service provider, a communications connection with the back-end service provider; and transmit, by the front-end service provider and to the back-end service provider, the user data such that the communications request is fulfilled. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The computing system of claim 9, wherein the computing system further comprises a stand-alone 5G network. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The computing system of claim 9, further comprising a session management function, a user plane function, a policy control function and a network repository function. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The computing system of claim 11, wherein the policy control function includes one or more policies associated with at least one of the communications request, a sender of the communications request, and policies associated with a front-end service provider. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The computing system of claim 11, wherein the network repository function includes one or more charging functions, associated with the one or more back-end service providers. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The computing system of claim 11, wherein the network repository function includes a charging function associated with an online marketplace for back-end service providers. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The computing system of claim 11, wherein the session management function comprises one or more provider attributes, the one or more provider attributes comprising a service level and a service capacity. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The computing system of claim 11, wherein the communications request is received from a user equipment. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The computing system of claim 11, wherein the computing system of the front-end service provider provides authentication information associated with a user equipment (UE) to the back-end service provider after the communications connection is established. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The computing system of claim 11, wherein the information associated with the back-end service provider comprises a charging function. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein determining, by the computing system of the front-end service provider, that one or more back-end service providers can fulfil the communications request further comprises determining one or more back-end service providers associated with geographic locations corresponding to respective endpoints of the one or more endpoints.