METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR BILLING IN A NETWORK

Abstract: The present invention is a method for a network billing, especially on the Internet, and a billing system that uses this method. The present billing system can bill for services and communication activity done within the premises among local devices and application without going through any exchange or outside switching devices. The main object of the present invention is that the billing is based on "reverse report", which means that the billing information is reported by the subscriber (1, 2) itself. The reporting can be done immediately or in any time predetermined by the user or system operator. The billing method, according to the present invention, is dedicated to bill subscribers (1, 2) wherein each subscriber has a connection device (3) or unit including a monitoring device (5, 6) that can report the needed information to a server, which collects the information for billing use.

Description: Method and System for Billing in a Network FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the field of billing customers, according to collected information. More specifically, the present invention relates to a billing method and system for collecting information about the use of communication or services in a network and enables use of the said information to bill the customer. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The known billing systems and methods are based on the fact that a communication exchanger, e.g. telephone exchange computer, makes the connection. Since the connection must be done by the exchanger, the exchanger has the connection information, namely, length of connection, type, time and destination of connection - from which the distance of connection is learned - and this information can be used for billing the subscriber or service provider. When using the public telephone system, the known methods fulfill the need, but when the communication system is a network there are some disadvantages in the known methods. Thus, in the Internet, for example, a connection can be established directly end-to-end, without any exchanger that might collect the information for billing the users. The disadvantages of using the known methods, in network communication systems, are: • To enable billing, the information stored by the exchanger must pass through it while in a separate network so that a direct connection can be established without any exchanger mediation directly end-to-end. • The known methods fail to collect information about quality of connection, e.g. delay, bad quality and lost packages. • The known methods fail to collect the information about the kind of transferred data and therefore do not enable different costing for different services. • The billing information, in the known methods, is collected and stored in a single location, which is not automatically comparable. The present invention is a billing method and billing system, which overcome those disadvantages. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a method for a network billing, especially on the Internet, and a billing system that uses this method. The present billing system can bill for services and communication activity done within the premises among local devices and application without going through any exchange or outside switching devices. The main object of the present invention is that the billing is based on "reverse report", which means that the billing information is reported by the subscriber itself. The reporting can be done immediately or in any time predetermined by the user or system operator. The billing method, according to the present invention, is dedicated to bill subscribers wherein each subscriber has a connection device or unit including a monitoring device that can report the needed information to a server, which collects the information for billing use. An example of a system that can use the said method is described in Israeli patent application number IL135554. According to the method of the present invention, the subscriber's monitoring device reports to a billing-server, at least the following information: • Reporting address; • Date of connection; • Time of connection start; • Duration of connection; • Type of data transferred (e.g. phone call, E-mail, video); • Quality of connection; • Destination of connection; • Connection or connection failure status; • Services events, if any (e.g. metering, alert, monitoring); • Any other needed information. The present invention is a network-billing method, comprising the following steps: (a) installing a monitoring device in the connection device of each network subscriber for monitoring and reporting information; (b) locating and connecting a "billing-server" in the network; (c) predetermining the information that the monitoring device should monitor and report on, wherein the said information can include connection duration, connection quality, type of connection, service provider's events and so on; (d)the monitoring device will monitor connections either originated by the subscriber or incoming connections and data concerning the subscriber; (e) at the end of each connection the monitoring devices, of each connection party, connect and report - the monitored information - to the billing-server; (f) the billing-server collects the information wherein each connection reported from two sources - one from the originator and the second from the receiver - and the billing-server compares the information from both sources; (g)the collected and checked information can be used for billing or for supplying to an authorized third party for its own use; (h)each monitoring device stores the billing information and enables each subscriber to obtain its own billing information; (i) the billing server acts as a master server for data-mining and outer business and organizational needs. The present invention contains also a billing system that uses the said method that is comprised of: • A monitoring device - installed in each connection device of each subscriber - that monitors each connection and, when the connection is ended, the monitoring device connects to a billing-server and reports predetermined details; • Billing-server, which collects and compares the reported information that comes from the monitoring device; • Billing software that bill the subscriber according to the reported information and/or supplies the information to an authorized third party. The advantages of the method and system of the present invention are: • It enables billing, inter alia, in the case of direct - without switching - end-to-end connection. • It enables billing according to the type and quality of the connection, in addition to the duration and distance. • It enables billing of local communication and events — on the premises. • It enables comparison of the billing information, which comes from both the parties to the connection. • Enable billing of events initiated by service providers according to subscribers demand, e.g. metering, alerts and appliances monitoring. • It enables consolidated billing for services provided through different providers and/or different infrastructures. • The invention is useful for Internet billing. DRAWING DESCRIPTION The present invention is described in detail in figure 1. This figure serves a descriptive purpose only and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any manner. Figure 1 shows the present invention. A subscriber "A" (1) establishes a connection with other subscriber "B" (2). The originator subscriber uses a connection device (3) that includes a monitoring device (5), the connection device establishes a connection to the connection device of the receiver (4) and the receiver's connection device has also a monitoring device (6). After the connection between A and B is ended, the monitoring devices (5 and 6) report the connection details to the billing-server (7), which collects and compares the information. The information can be used to bill the subscribers and/or supplied to an authorized third party, "C" (8) for its own use.

Claims: CLAIMS A network-billing method, comprising the following steps: (a) installing a monitoring device in the connection device of each network subscriber for monitoring and reporting information; (b) locating and connecting a "billing-server" in the network; (c) predetermining the information that the monitoring device should monitor and report on, wherein the said information can include connection duration, connection quality, type of connection, service provider's events and so on; (d)the monitoring device will monitor connections either originated by the subscriber or incoming connections and data concerning the subscriber; (e) at the end of each connection the monitoring devices, of each connection party, connect and report - the monitored information - to the billing-server; (f) the billing-server collects the information wherein each connection reported from two sources - one from the originator and the second from the receiver - and the billing-server compares the information from both sources; (g)the collected and checked information can be used for billing or for supplying to an authorized third party for its own use. A network-billing method as claimed in claim number 1 wherein each monitoring device stores the billing information and enables the subscriber to obtain its own billing information. A network-billing method as claimed in claim number 1 wherein the billing server acts as a master server for data-mining and outer business and organizational needs. A network-billing method as claimed in claims numbers 1 to 3 wherein the information that can be predetermined in step (c) contains at least the following details: • reporting address; • date of connection; • time of connection start; • duration of connection; • type of data transferred; • quality of connection; • destination of connection; • connection or connection failure status; • services events, if any; • any other needed information. A network-billing method as claimed in claim number 1 to 4 wherein the method is used in the Internet. A billing system that uses the method as claimed in claims 1 to 5 and comprised of: • a monitoring device - installed in each connection device of each subscriber - that monitors each connection and, when the connection ends, the monitoring device connects to a billing-server and reports predetermined details; • a billing-server, which collects and compares the reported information that comes from the monitoring devices; • Billing software that bill the subscriber according to the reported information and/or supplies the information to a third party. A billing system as claimed in claim number 6 wherein the system is able to collect information about type and quality of connection and can use this information for billing. A billing system as claimed in claims numbers 6 or 7 wherein the system is able to compare the information reported from the parties to the connection and can use this comparison for billing. A billing system as claimed in claims numbers 6 to 8 wherein the system is able to report and collect information about events initiated by service providers and can use this information for billing. A billing system as claimed in claims numbers 6 to 9 wherein the system is located and operates in the Internet. A billing system, substantially as shown and described herein above. A network-billing method, substantially as shown and described herein above.

Inventors: INBAR SHLOMO, ORON AVI, INBAR, SHLOMO, ORON, AVI
Applicants: INBAR SHLOMO, LEA D CORP LTD, ORON AVI, INBAR, SHLOMO, LEA-D CORPORATION LTD., ORON, AVI
Application year: 2001
Main classification: G06F17
IPC codes: G06Q30, H04M15