US 2014/0227994 A1 · CHARGING SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Abstract

Methods in a charging system (20), in a charging node or charging server comprise associating plural telecommunications services (S) with a product (P) and creating a product instance, the product instance being available to a subscriber entity and having a product instance lifecycle. The methods further comprise, upon receiving a service reservation, checking whether the service reservation is for a first reserved service of the plural telecommunication services associated with the product instance and, if so, reserving a fee for the product instance against a payor account. The methods further comprise, upon receiving a first notification of use by the subscriber entity of any of the plural services associated with the product instance, posting the fee to the payor account. The methods further comprise thereafter permitting use of all of the plural telecommunication services associated with the product instance to the subscribing entity during the product instance lifecycle without deducting a further fee for use of the plural telecommunication services associated with the product instance.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A method in a node of a telecommunications charging system comprising:

associating plural telecommunications services with a product and creating a product instance, the product instance being available to a subscriber entity and having a product instance lifecycle;
reserving a product fee for the product instance against a payor account upon receipt of a first service reservation of a first reserved service of the plural telecommunication services associated with the product instance;
posting the product fee against the payor account in conjunction with use of one of the plural telecommunication services associated with the product instance;
and thereafter
permitting use of all of the plural telecommunication services associated with the product instance to the subscribing entity during the product instance lifecycle without posting a further fee for use of the plural telecommunication services associated with the product instance.

2 more elements

A charging node for telecommunications system wherein plural telecommunications services are associated with a product for which a product instance is allocated to a subscriber entity, the charging node comprising a charging controller configured:

to reserve a product fee for the product instance against a payor account upon receipt of a first service reservation of a first reserved service of the plural telecommunication services associated with the product instance;
to post the product fee against the payor account in conjunction with use of one of the plural telecommunication services associated with the product instance;
and thereafter
to permit use of all of the plural telecommunication services associated with the product instance to the subscribing entity during a product instance lifecycle without posting a further product fee for use of the plural telecommunication services associated with the product instance.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Charging systems and methods for telecommunications

Life of this patent

Charging systems and methods for telecommunications

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims15