Patent ID: 7809351
Filing Date: 2010-10-05
Classification: H04L,H04M,H04W

Abstract:
1. A method for differential billing of services used during a mobile data service user session, comprising: identifying a user session; identifying a user profile that is associated with said user session; identifying a plurality of service parameters of said user session, wherein said plurality of service parameters correspond to one or more of Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) layers 4 through 7; identifying a plurality of different types of services associated with said plurality of service parameters, wherein each of said different types of services is identified by a different one of said plurality of service parameters, wherein said plurality of different types of services are provided during said user session, wherein said plurality of different types of services are provided on a General Packet Radio Service/Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (GPRS/UMTS) network, and wherein said plurality of different types of services utilize a same packet data protocol of said GPRS/UMTS network; accessing an online charging server to obtain triggers and thresholds for generating a plurality of service-level usage reports; generating a service usage report for each of said plurality of different types of services, wherein said service usage report is generated at a gateway support node located within said GPRS/UMTS network, wherein said service usage report comprises a billing rate that is based on both said user profile and at least one of said plurality of service parameters, and wherein said plurality of different types of services are associated with different billing rates; providing access to said service usage report for storage as a part of billing records, wherein said billing records comprise a plurality of service usage reports associated with said user profile; and compiling said plurality of service usage reports to determine a total charge associated with said user session.