Telecommunications – Radiotelephone system – Usage measurement
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-04
2004-01-06
Tran, Sinh (Department: 2681)
Telecommunications
Radiotelephone system
Usage measurement
C455S405000, C455S432100, C455S011100, C455S013100, C455S407000, C455S408000, C455S435100, C379S144010, C379S144050, C379S144060
Reexamination Certificate
active
06675007
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a repeater system which transfers data for user traffic with a repeater function in an information and communication system and a charging method therefor.
2. Description of Related Art
It is well known that a conventional information and communication system uses a charging system which charges according to the communication time and the distance between user terminals (end user terminals), as typically seen in telephone traffic.
FIG. 1
shows the configuration of a mobile communication system model. When an end user terminal
111
calls an end user terminal
113
, the end user terminals are connected by a wireless network
105
through base stations
108
and
109
in the area to which the end users belong. In this case, charge calculation equipment
103
performs charging according to the communication time, distance, etc.
The end user terminal
111
can also communicate with an end user terminal
114
through a gateway machine
106
, which interconnects the wireless network
105
and a public telephony network
107
, by way of a telephone switchboard
110
of the telephony network
107
.
The end user terminal
111
can access a server machine
101
of an information service provider through a gateway machine
104
interconnecting the wireless network
105
and the Internet (IP network)
102
in order to receive information service. The charging method for this type of information and communications service is disclosed in European Patent Application Publication EP 1 026 853 A1.
FIG. 2
is an explanatory drawing for a charging method used in an information and communication network. First, an information service provider takes the server registration procedure with a communications service provider to enter information about the server machine
101
in the gateway machine
104
of the communications service provider. When the end user terminal
111
accesses the registered server machine
101
, the gateway machine
104
makes a judgment and the charge calculation equipment
103
creates a database of charge. This process establishes a charging system in which the communications service provider charges the utilization fee for information service provider and the utilization fee for communications service provider to the end user, collects the fees and pays the collected utilization fee for information service provider to the information service provider, as shown in FIG.
2
.
On the other hand, some network systems, typically private LAN (Local Area Network) and wireless LAN, use their own local networks to provide information and communications service only within the local networks and do not have such a charging system as mentioned above.
Further, another known approach is an ad hoc network in which a group of terminals updates routing information autonomously in a decentralized way; however, there is not any known charging system for such a spontaneous network.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
As stated above, the conventional charging system by which a communications service provider installs charge calculation equipment to charge utilization fees in a predetermined manner does not cover dynamically installed repeater machines as seen in an ad hoc network.
In recent years, as short distance wireless communication systems such as wireless LAN and Bluetooth have been introduced, an end user terminal has become able to have a repeater function for an ad hoc network. With this background, there is demand for a new charging system by which an end user can receive cash back in exchange for the offered repeater function resources including terminal batteries.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the charging method for an information and communication network comprises: user terminals which are owned by users receiving information and communications service; base stations which provide access to the network owned by a communications service provider; repeater machines as terminals with repeater function owned by persons other than the communications service provider, which transfer data between the user terminals and the base stations or between the user terminals; and a charging system to be connected to the network of the communications service provider. As each of the repeater machines receives a communication session start request from a user terminal, it searches for a destination user terminal; when it finds the destination terminal, it transfers the signal sent from the requesting user terminal to the destination user terminal without the mediation of the base stations and sends information about the amount of communication data (data thus transferred) or the communication time for the data transfer to the charging system.
Other aspects of the present invention will be clarified later in the paragraphs which give a detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5862471 (1999-01-01), Tiedemann et al.
patent: 5903833 (1999-05-01), Jonsson et al.
patent: 5999813 (1999-12-01), Lu et al.
patent: 6058300 (2000-05-01), Hanson
patent: 6141531 (2000-10-01), Williams et al.
patent: 6169895 (2001-01-01), Buhrmann et al.
patent: 6347224 (2002-02-01), Smyth et al.
patent: 6353730 (2002-03-01), Buettner et al.
patent: 6466779 (2002-10-01), Moles et al.
patent: 1 026 853 (1999-08-01), None
Doi Nobukazu
Hamaguchi Kazuko
Ishifuji Tomoaki
Shida Masaaki
Tamaki Tsuyoshi
A. Marquez, Esq. Juan Carlos
Fisher Esq. Stanley P.
Hitachi , Ltd.
Nguyen David Q.
Reed Smith LLP
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