Prepaid short messaging
US8738496B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 7, 2012 |
| Grant date | May 27, 2014 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 25, 2032 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04W8/18
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A prepaid messaging solution that uses open networking standards and supports pre-payment of enhanced Internet messaging services. The prepaid messaging solution accurately determines if a subscriber has sufficient account balance to deliver a complete short message, prior to message delivery. Message delivery is prevented if insufficient funds are in the subscriber's account. A prepaid tariff engine, preferably extensible over a TCP/IP network, supports remote interaction with the SMSC and web chat servers to apply a real-time billing charge for each message. A service provider may create subscriber classes of service that define subscriber rates and/or tariffing plans used to apply real-time billing charges for sending/receiving messages. The prepaid short message tariff engine determines the appropriate message billing based upon, e.g., flat rate per message, character count, Time of Day, etc. The prepaid short messaging service preferably supports Internet web page access to subscriber's short messaging account balances and account status.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.