US 2003/0120595 A1 · Operating a communications infrastructure on a pre-payment basis

Abstract

Subscribers to a communications infrastructure, such as a GPRS network (17), can pre-pay for use of metered resources (18, 19, 37, 50, 54) of the infrastructure. When a pre-payment subscriber joins the network, the current credit amount for the subscriber is distributed as credit values between user-specific virtual purses (55-59) each associated with a respective metered resource. Upon use of a metered resource by the subscriber, the credit value held in the associated purse is correspondingly reduced, with use of the resource being dependent on the purse being in credit. The virtual purses are preferably electronically distributed to be close by the metered resources to which they relate whereby to reduce network billing traffic. When the subscriber leaves the network, the remaining credit values are consolidated from the purses.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A method of operating a communications infrastructure having a plurality of metered resources, the method involving:

recording pre-payment of an amount by a user for use of the metered resources;
distributing at least a portion of said amount as credit values held in user-specific virtual purses each associated with a respective said metered resource;
and
upon use of a metered resource by the user, correspondingly reducing the credit value held in the associated purse, with use of the resource being dependent on the credit value in the purse being above a predetermined threshold.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Operating a communications infrastructure on a pre-payment basis

Life of this patent

Operating a communications infrastructure on a pre-payment basis

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims22