Connection management apparatus, connection management system, and connection management method

A connection management system comprising a mobile communication network to which a mobile communication terminal can be connected, and a connection management apparatus which can be connected to the mobile communication network,

• wherein the mobile communication network comprises:
• connection request receiving means for receiving a connection request message sent from the mobile communication terminal;
• usage information acquiring means for acquiring usage information about communication usage of the mobile communication terminal having sent the connection request message;
• arrival information setting means for, when the usage information acquired by the usage information acquiring means indicates that a communication usage fee of the mobile communication terminal has arrived at a predetermined maximum charge, setting maximum arrival information indicating that the communication usage fee has arrived at the maximum charge, in the connection request message;
• and
• connection request transmitting means for transmitting the connection request message with the maximum arrival information set by the arrival information setting means or the connection request message received by the connection request receiving means, to the connection management apparatus, and
• wherein the connection management apparatus comprises:
• maximum arrival determining means for determining whether the maximum arrival information is set in the connection request message received from the mobile communication network;
• and
• connection destination restricting means for restricting a connection destination of the mobile communication terminal corresponding to the connection request message, to a predetermined connection destination when the maximum arrival determining means determines that the maximum arrival information is set in the connection request message.

A connection management method comprising the following steps carried out by a connection management apparatus capable of communicating with a mobile communication terminal through a mobile communication network:

• a connection request receiving step of receiving a connection request message sent from the mobile communication terminal, from the mobile communication network;
• a maximum arrival determining step of determining whether maximum arrival information indicating that a communication usage fee of the mobile communication terminal has arrived at a predetermined maximum charge is set in the connection request message received in the connection request receiving step;
• and
• a connection destination restricting step of restricting a connection destination of the mobile communication terminal corresponding to the connection request message, to a predetermined connection destination when it is determined in the maximum arrival determining step that the maximum arrival information is set in the connection request message.