Patent ID: 8027334

Claim:
A method for real-time multimedia messaging service (MMS) rating and billing comprising: receiving a request from a multimedia messaging service center (MMSC) in a multimedia messaging service rating and billing device via a Real Time Payment Protocol (RTPP) interface to rate an MMS message associated with a user account in a service control point; determining a rate for the MMS message in dependence on pre-determined rating rules at said multimedia messaging service rating and billing device; communicating the determined rate from said multimedia messaging service rating and billing device to an open charging middleware platform which mediates with said user account of said service control point in order to perform a balance deduct function; receiving a communication from the open charging middleware platform in said multimedia messaging service rating and billing device indicating a success or failure in charging the determined rate to the user account; and communicating a response from said multimedia messaging service rating and billing device to the multimedia messaging service center (MMSC) via said Real Time Payment Protocol (RTPP) indicating, in dependence on the communication received from the open charging middleware platform, the success or failure in charging the user account.