Cost accounting during data transmission in a mobile radiotelephone network

A method is provided for accounting of data transmission costs in a mobile radio network with respect to text and/or image data with and without sound, wherein data is assigned an identification signal for the transmission costs, and the identification signal is transmitted to a recipient of the data.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Existing mobile radio networks, such as the network which operates in accordance with the GSM standard, offer only limited possibilities for transmitting text data. For example, short messages having a maximum of 160 characters can be transmitted. This arrangement is designated SMS (Short Message Service). The data sender has to pay for the cost of sending such text messages.

A transmission of multimedia data, particularly still or moving images with or without sound, also will be possible in the future. A considerable increase in the data transmission volumes within such transmissions is expected, resulting in an increase in costs.

The present invention addresses the problem of simplifying the control of costs for subscribers to a mobile radio network.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Using the method in accordance with the present invention, it is possible to provide cost information to the data recipient or, alternatively, or additionally to the data sender, thereby facilitating cost control for the latter.

If the identification signal used therefor contains information on the person owing the costs, the recipient can then determine who is responsible for the costs of this data transmission.

If the identification signal contains information about the level of transmission costs, the transparency of the costs incurred is further improved.

It is particularly advantageous that the data sender can select whether the costs of a data transmission should be charged to him/her or to the recipient in whole or in part. The aforementioned information signal then allows the recipient to ascertain whether he/she has to bear the costs and what the costs are.

One embodiment of the present invention provides the possibility for the recipient of refusing the assumption of costs at least at the present moment and not to proceed with a transmission until a cheaper transmission time, or not to proceed with it at all.

All in all, therefore, a cost split can be undertaken by the sender depending on the type of data to be transmitted, wherein the recipient is informed of the type and level and, for his/her part, is able to decide whether he/she is in agreement with this.

Cost control and transparency are thereby significantly improved.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the exemplary embodiment, the application of the present invention is described in relation to a data transmission model1for the WAP standard, as it will be used in the transmission of, in particular, image data and formatted text data in the UMTS standard (Universal Mobile Telecommunication Standard). It is understood that the present invention also can be transferred to other standards.

In particular, in the UMTS standard, in addition to the existing SMS, provision is made to include a so-called MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) for the transmission of messages. It is therefore possible also to transmit formatted texts and images. The restriction which exists in SMS to a message length of 160 characters does not apply. A transmission of audio and video messages is possible.

MMS can be implemented using WAP. In this case, for the radio transmission of data such as multimedia messages (MMs), the protocol model (WAP WSP: Wireless Session Protocol) is applied as shown inFIG. 1. This includes a level2of a data sender, a level3of a provider and a level4of a recipient. The level2of the data sender includes at least one telecommunication device5, and the level4of the recipient likewise includes a telecommunication device6. These telecommunication devices5,6can be designed as normal mobile phones, for example, or as devices with additional input or display functions, such as laptops.

A data record7which is written in the sender's telecommunication device5, or which is to be relayed by the device, is initially sent as a message9(this message has the name M-Send.req in the WAP protocol) to the provider (level3).

From there, the received message is acknowledged with the return message10(M-send.conf) to the sender (level2).

Subsequently, the provider3sends the information11(M-Notification.ind) to the recipient (level4), who is thus notified that a message for the recipient is available at the provider3for downloading.

In response to this, the provider3receives, perhaps automatically, the acknowledgment message12(M-NotifyResp.req) from the telecommunication device6of the recipient (level4).

Only at the request of the recipient using the message13(WSP GET.req) does the provider forward the data record7with the message14(M-retrieve.com) to the recipient.

The so-called header fields are used for managing the messages9,10,11,12,14, and precede the actual data record7, and contain information about the origin, send time, file size and other details.

In accordance with the present invention, the number of header fields is increased in order that at least one further field can be used as a cost information field and can contain an identification signal to indicate to the recipient and/or the sender the costs of the transmission.

In the exemplary embodiment, the field addressed with 0x19 in the hexadecimal system (equivalent to 25 in the decimal system) (FIG. 10) is provided for this in order to record the information about the selection of the recipient as the person owning the costs; the field 0x1A (26 in the decimal system) contains information about the level of costs.

The sender (level2) can activate a switch17on the sender's telecommunication devices, the switch being hardware-based or, in particular, software-based and operated via the keyboard which is present in any case, in order to store the information “Reverse charging on” (i.e., assumption of costs by the recipient), or “Reverse charging off” (i.e., assumption of costs by the sender in the conventional manner), in field 0x19. For example, in the case of “Reverse charging on” the field 0x19 is assigned the value 128 and in the case of “Reverse charging off” the value 129. This field is set by the sender activating the switch and is sent with the message9(FIG. 3) to the provider (level3). In place of a simple Yes/No selection a gradation also can be provided for in the “Reverse charging on/off” field, in order, for example, to split the cost half-and-half or in another proportion between sender and recipient.

In his/her acknowledgment message10(FIG. 5), the provider confirms his/her readiness to accept the assumption of costs by the recipient and then sets the field 0x19 in the message10(M-send.conf) to the sender to “Reverse charging on”, or in the event of rejection to “Reverse charging off”. The sender receives the corresponding message to the effect that his/her wish to transfer costs has been accepted or rejected. Moreover the message10contains in field 0x1A, for example as a string file, information on the level of costs, prepared by the service provider (level3). This information can be communicated to the sender regardless of whether the latter wishes to accept the costs himself/herself or to charge them to the recipient, which improves cost transparency. It is also possible to send this information back to the sender only if the latter has selected the “reverse charging off” mode.

If agreeable to the desired assumption of costs by the recipient, the provider in his/her message11M-notification.ind (FIG. 7) to the recipient leaves the field 0x19 at “Reverse charging on”. The recipient then receives the message that a chargeable data record7is ready for him/her to download. Moreover the message11contains in field 0x1A, for example as a string file, information on the level of costs, prepared by the provider (level3). This information can be communicated to the recipient visually (via the indicator15, for example, the display) or acoustically, regardless of whether the latter at the wish of the sender should or should not assume the costs, which improves cost transparency. It is also possible to forward this information to the recipient only if the “reverse charging on” mode was selected.

The recipient can now decide whether he/she wishes to download the chargeable data record7from the provider's level3to his/her reception level4, in other words to the memory of his telecommunication device6. To this end, he/she has available, in a similar manner as described above for the sender, a hardware-based or software-based switch16, which the recipient can activate to decide whether or not he/she wishes to receive the data record7, if appropriate assuming the costs himself/herself. If the sender decides to do this, he/she will send the message13(WSP GET.req) back to the provider. At the provider's end, the data transmission14(M-Retrieve.conf) to the recipient is thereby initiated. Otherwise, downloading of the data record7(transmission of the message14to the recipient) is not released. It is also possible that the recipient does not wish to have the message transmitted until a later, cheaper time. The message14also contains the two fields 0x19 and 0x1A for acceptance of the identification signal (FIG. 9). The cost information is, thus, not only supplied in the event of notification about a message which is ready, but also when the data record7is “delivered”. Thus, it also can be stored or, for instance, printed out.

In accordance with the present invention, for example, a child can send messages to his/her parents, without the child having to pay for them. This is of particular importance if the communication must be paid for directly, via cards for example, the value of which is decreased. Thus, it is still possible to transmit data7using the reversed-charge method when cards have too little remaining value.

Thanks to the information on costs, cost transparency is improved regardless of the person selected who owes the costs. The recipient also can notify the sender of costs afterwards which would have been avoidable, such as roaming costs in the case of messages from abroad, or the provider's charges for storage, perhaps because the recipient has not switched his/her telecommunication device6on for a long time. Both can then look for opportunities for savings.

The proposed method can be integrated in software for operating the communication standard in each case; for example, UMTS. The telecommunication devices5,6are then provided with corresponding software.

An MMS relay is also part of the present invention, and generates a cost identification signal as an element of a telecommunication system to enable data transmission via a mobile radio network. Advantageously, it forwards this signal to the recipient. Moreover, the MMS relay advantageously checks the admissibility of a wish by the sender for the costs to be assumed by the recipient and can reject or accept this wish. It can send the recipient a message about this. Advantageously, the MMS relay can determine the level of costs for sending the data record and send it to the sender.

In addition, the costs for receiving the data record are preferably determined by the MMS relay and the level of costs incurred is forwarded to the recipient, the forwarding taking place in the notification to the recipient (MMS user agent, level4) by the MMS relay of the service provider (level3) about the presence of a new data record (multimedia message) and/or in the event of a data record (multimedia message) being transmitted by the MMS relay of the service provider (level3) to the recipient (MMS user agent, level4).

Although the present invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, those of skill in the art will recognize that changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the hereafter appended claims.