Patent ID: 7620557

Claim:
A charging system comprising: a first client apparatus; a second client apparatus; a server apparatus which provides at least one service to said first client apparatus and said second client apparatus via a network; a charging apparatus connected to said network in order to a charge said first client apparatus and said second client apparatus with respect to the provision of said at least one service; a first processing apparatus which is connected to said network in order to control the provision of said at least one service from said server apparatus to said first client apparatus and accumulate information for charging by said charging apparatus with respect to said at least one service when said at least one service is provided to said first client apparatus via said first processing apparatuses; and a second processing apparatus which is connected to said network in order to control the provision of said at least one service from said server apparatus to said second client apparatus and accumulate information for charging by said charging apparatus with respect to said at least one service when said at least one service is provided to said second client apparatus via said second processing apparatuses; and a third processing apparatus which comprises a cyclic unit which includes a circulation list specifying a circulation order and which circulates from said third processing apparatus to said first processing apparatus, from said first processing apparatus to said second processing apparatus, and from said second processing apparatus to said third processing apparatus via said network in accordance with said circulation order in order to collect the information for charging accumulated in said first processing apparatus and said second processing apparatus; and further comprising a plurality of the at least one service, and wherein said cyclic unit is a first cyclic unit corresponding to a first one of the services, said third processing apparatus has at least one second cyclic unit corresponding to a second one of the services, and said first and at least one second cyclic units each collect said information for charging in said first processing apparatus for its corresponding service and said second processing apparatus for its corresponding service.