Apparatus and method for real-time rate changes for telecommunication services
US6574464B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 3, 2000 |
| Grant date | Jun 3, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 8, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04M2215/0184
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A network system capable of changing the billing rate for a telecommunication service includes Service Switching Point (SSP) (7) and a Service Control Point (SCP) (9). The SSP (7) implements call management by performing switching functions for placing a call, and implements service selection functions by detecting service indicators associated with the call. The SSP (7) also activates interactions with the SCP (9), which contains logic programs used for providing the indicated service. Signaling System 7 (SS7) of the Common-Channel Interoffice Signaling (CCIS) system is used for digital signaling between the SCP (9) and the SSP (7). When a user initiates a call, the SSP (7) acquires user data and trigger information from a Service Data Base (SDB) (11) associated with the SCP (9). During the call, when the SSP (7) detects that a trigger corresponding to the trigger information has been activated, the SSP (7) subsequently activates a SCP whose address the activated trigger gives. The SCP, in turn, activates a logic program to switch the billing rate for the remainder of the call to a new billing rate, and provides the new billing information to the SSP (7), which stores the new bill…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.