US 6,496,690 B1 · Prepaid subscriber service for packet-switched and circuit-switched radio telecommunications networks

Abstract

A system and method of providing a prepaid subscriber service to a mobile subscriber in an integrated wireless telecommunications network having a circuit-switched portion and a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) packet-switched portion. A prepaid subscriber class (PPSC) is stored in a home location register (HLR), and the PPSC is sent from the HLR to a serving mobile switching center (MSC) when the subscriber registers in the circuit-switched portion of the network. The PPSC is sent from the HLR to a serving GPRS support node (SGSN) when the subscriber registers in the packet-switched portion of the network. Also, the PPSC may be sent from the SGSN to a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) in order to indicate that the subscriber is a prepaid subscriber. When the mobile subscriber begins a packet-switched data session, the SGSN, GGSN, or both periodically send partial call data records (CDRs) to a prepaid center (PPC). When the mobile subscriber begins a circuit-switched call, the MSC periodically sends partial CDRs to the PPC. The PPC calculates in near real time, a new account balance for the prepaid subscriber. The current call is disconnected, and prepaid services are stopped when the account balance is reduced to zero.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A method of providing a prepaid subscriber service to a mobile subscriber in a wireless packet-switched telecommunications network, said method comprising the steps of:

storing a prepaid subscriber class (PPSC) in a home location register (HLR) in the network;
sending the PPSC from the HLR to a service node serving the mobile subscriber when the subscriber registers with the service node;
sending a Packet Data Protocol (PDP) activation request from the mobile subscriber to the service node;
sending the PPSC from the service node to a gateway service node when the PDP activation request is received in the service node;
beginning a data session by the subscriber;
in response to the PPSC, periodically sending partial call data records (CDRs) during the data session from at least one of the service node and the gateway service node to a prepaid center (PPC);
calculating in the PPC in near real time, a new account balance for the subscriber;
and
ending the data session when the account balance is reduced to zero.

6 more elements

A method of providing a prepaid subscriber service to a mobile subscriber in an integrated wireless telecommunications network having a circuit-switched portion and a packet-switched portion, said method comprising the steps of:

storing a prepaid subscriber class (PPSC) in a home location register (HLR) in the network;
sending the PPSC from the HLR to a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) serving the prepaid subscriber when the subscriber registers in the circuit-switched portion of the network;
sending the PPSC from the HLR to a packet-switched service node serving the prepaid subscriber when the subscriber registers in the packet-switched portion of the network;
upon beginning a circuit-switched call by the mobile subscriber, periodically sending partial call data records (CDRs) from the MSC to a prepaid center (PPC);
upon beginning a packet-switched data session by the mobile subscriber, periodically sending partial CDRs from the packet-switched service node to the PPC;
calculating in the PPC in near real time, a new account balance for the prepaid subscriber;
and
stopping the prepaid subscriber service when the account balance is reduced to zero.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Prepaid subscriber service for packet-switched and circuit-switched radio telecommunications networks

Life of this patent

Prepaid subscriber service for packet-switched and circuit-switched radio telecommunications networks

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims11