US 9,179,283 B2 · Resource-based billing and monitoring for M2M

Abstract

A device may obtain resource utilization data associated with a machine-to-machine device. The resource utilization data may include information identifying a quantity of data transmitted by the machine-to-machine device during a particular period of time, and an amount of network resources utilized by the machine-to-machine device during the particular period of time. The device may determine a billing metric based on the quantity of data and the amount of network resources utilized by the machine-to-machine device. The device may determine, based on the billing metric, a cost associated with the amount of network resources utilized by the machine-to-machine device. The device may charge the fee associated with the utilization of the network resources by the machine-to-machine device to an account of a subscriber associated with the machine-to-machine device.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method comprising:

obtaining, by a device, resource utilization data associated with a machine-to-machine device,
the resource utilization data including information identifying:
a quantity of data transmitted by the machine-to-machine device during a particular period of time, and
an amount of network resources utilized by the machine-to-machine device during the particular period of time;
determining, by the device, a billing metric based on:
the quantity of data,
the amount of network resources utilized by the machine-to-machine device, and
an amount of time that a connection between the machine-to-machine device and a base station was maintained during the particular period of time;
determining, by the device and based on the billing metric, a cost associated with the amount of network resources utilized by the machine-to-machine device;
and
providing, by the device, information identifying the cost associated with the amount of network resources utilized by the machine-to-machine device to a subscriber associated with the machine-to-machine device.

8 more elements

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
obtain resource utilization data associated with a machine-to-machine device, the resource utilization data including information identifying:
a quantity of data transmitted by the machine-to-machine device during a particular period of time, and
network resources utilized by the machine-to-machine device during the particular period of time;
determine, based on applying an averaging function to the resource utilization data, a billing metric based on the quantity of data and the network resources utilized by the machine-to-machine device;
determine, based on the billing metric, a fee associated with a utilization of the network resources by the machine-to-machine device;
charge an account of a subscriber associated with the machine-to-machine device the fee associated with the utilization of the network resources;
and
provide information identifying the fee associated with the utilization of the network resources to the subscriber.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Resource-based billing and monitoring for M2M

Life of this patent

Resource-based billing and monitoring for M2M

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20