Method and System for Location-Dependent Billing for Services

Abstract

A method for location-dependent billing for a services that are available to a mobile terminal, a local communication connection is set up to a fixably installed external location tag with a corresponding wireless interface between the fixably installed tag and the mobile terminal, the method including the steps of accessing the external location tag and transmitting a billing rate code from the external location tag to the mobile terminal, forwarding the billing rate code from the mobile terminal to a central unit of a mobile communication network, in which the mobile terminal is logged, determining a geographic location identification of the external location tag by evaluation of the billing rate code at the central unit, and selecting a billing rate for billing for the service available to the user based on the billing rate code at the central unit.

Claims

1-20. (canceled)

21. A tag, comprising: a storage operable to maintain data related to a network; and a transmitter operable to wirelessly provide the network-related data to a mobile terminal via a local communication connection, wherein the mobile terminal is operable to gain access to the network by transmitting the wirelessly-provided, network-related data to a control unit of the network and by causing payment of an access fee based on the wirelessly-provided, network-related data.

22. The tag of claim 21, wherein the network is a mobile communication network.

23. The tag of claim 21, wherein the mobile terminal is operable to setup the local communication connection via a wireless interface.

24. The tag of claim 21, wherein the transmitter is operable according to the ZigBee standard, the Bluetooth standard or a Near Field Communication (NFC) standard.

25. The tag of claim 21, wherein the local communication connection between the mobile terminal and the tag is secured.

26. The tag of claim 21, wherein the tag comprises a security component operable to secure the tag.

27. The tag of claim 21, wherein the tag is operably connected to a communication channel.

28. The tag of claim 21, wherein the wirelessly-provided, network-related data is associated with a location.

29. The tag of claim 21, wherein the wirelessly-provided, network-related data comprises an encrypted portion.

30. The tag of claim 29, wherein the control unit of the network is operable to decrypt the encrypted portion.

31. A method, comprising: maintaining, in a tag, data related to a network; wirelessly providing the network-related data from the tag to a mobile terminal via a local communication connection; transmitting the wirelessly-provided, network-related data from the mobile terminal to a control unit of the network; causing payment of an access fee based on the wirelessly-provided, network-related data; and gaining access to the network from the mobile terminal.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the network is a mobile communication network.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the method comprises initializing the local communication connection via a wireless interface of the mobile terminal.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein wirelessly providing is according to the ZigBee standard, the Bluetooth standard or a Near Field Communication (NFC) standard.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein the local communication connection between the mobile terminal and the tag is secured.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein the tag comprises a security component operable to secure the tag.

37. The method of claim 31, wherein the tag is operably connected to a communication channel.

38. The method of claim 31, wherein the wirelessly-provided, network-related data is associated with a location.

39. The method of claim 31, wherein the wirelessly-provided, network-related data comprises an encrypted portion.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the method comprises decrypting the encrypted portion in the control unit of the network.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Embodiment variants of the present invention will be described in the following with reference to examples. The examples of the embodiments are illustrated by the following attached figure:

[0020] FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a method and system according to the invention for location-dependent billing of services availed of by a user having a mobile terminal with an identification module.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] in FIG. 1, the reference numeral 1 refers to a mobile terminal and the reference numeral 50 to a base station of a mobile communication network. The mobile terminal can be a mobile telephone, a PDA (PDA: Personal Digital Assistant), a portable computer such as a laptop, a play station or any other mobile terminal. The mobile communication network can be configured according to any standard. Thus, for example, the mobile communication network can relate, for instance, to a GSM (GSM: Global System for Mobile Communications) network, a UMTS (UMTS: Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) network, or a WLAN (WLAN: Wireless Local Area Network) network. The mobile terminal I refers to a device corresponding to the mobile communication network, i.e. to a mobile terminal, for instance, which is connectible to the mobile communication network according to the GSM standard, according to the UMTS standard or according to the WLAN standard, via an air interface, for example. The mobile terminal I comprises an identification module 2. The identification module 2 can be designed as an identification card, known to one skilled in the art, such as an SIM card (SIM: Subscriber Identity Module) or according to any other standard. The identification module 2 can be separated and removed from the mobile terminal 1. The identification module 2 can also be integrated in the mobile terminal 1, however, so that the identification module is connected in a fixed way to the mobile terminal fest, and cannot be removed. By means of data stored on the identification module 2, the mobile terminal is logged into the communication network via the base station 50, telecommunication connections being able to be set up to or from the mobile terminal, for example. Besides the base station 50, an MSC (MSC: Mobile Switching Center) of the mobile communication network has been drawn in FIG. 1. It is clear to one skilled in the art, however, that a mobile communication network comprises many additional devices, such as, for example, an HLR (HLR: Home Location Register), a VLR (VLR: Visiting Location Register) or an AUC (AUC: Authentication Center), or any registers or devices. In FIG. 1, the reference numeral 52 refers to a telecommunication network of a first provider. The telecommunication network 52 can comprise networks of different technologies. Thus the telecommunication network 52 can comprise in particular a mobile communication network and a fixed network. Of course the mobile communication network also comprises a billing unit 53 for billing telecommunication connections of the mobile terminal 1. In FIG. 1, the billing unit 53 is connected to the MSC. It plays no role, how the billing unit 53 is connected to the network devices of the communication network. Thus the billing unit is also connected to a HLR or an AUC of the mobile communication network, or the billing unit 53 can also be disposed outside the mobile communication network. By means of the billing unit 53, telecommunication connections can be billed according to various parameters, such as, for instance, the duration of the telecommunication connection or the origin or respectively destination of the telecommunication connection. For this purpose, the billing unit 53 comprises, for example, means of assigning to a captured parameter of a telecommunication connection a monetary amount based on a billing rate, and of debiting this monetary amount against an account of the subscriber. Parameters of telecommunication connections can be captured by any device, such as, for instance, an MSC (MSC: Mobile Switching Center), and transmitted to the billing unit 53. The billing rate can be stored in tables of the billing unit 53, a monetary amount being assigned to a duration of a telecommunication connection by means of such tables.

[0022] Besides telecommunication connections of the mobile terminal 1, further services can be availed of by the user. Thus a user can avail of a SMS service (SMS: Short Message Service), with which SMS service the latest weather reports or stock market reports can be transmitted on the mobile terminal I to the user. Or the user can avail of a television service, the television news being transmitted to the user on the mobile terminal 1, for example. Or, using the mobile terminal 1, the user can make purchases via a web portal, such as orders for books or orders for food. Or the user can pay for use of a service using the credit card in a shop. Such services are debited to the user via corresponding billing devices. Thus a billing device can refer to a device for billing SMS messages, for transmitting MMS messages (MMS: Multimedia Message Service), for transmitting television clips or television news, for delivery of books or foods, for billing of an amount on a credit card account or to the billing of any other services.

[0023] In FIG. 1, the reference numerals 30, 31 refer to location tags. As shown schematically in FIG. 1, the location tag 30 can be put on the wall, for example, next to the entrance door of an office used for business. The location tag 31 can be put next to the fireplace of a privately used apartment. The location tags 30, 31 can be put anywhere, however. Data can be stored on the location tags 30, 31, which data are transmittable via wireless interfaces of the identification modules 2 as well as wireless interfaces of the location tags 30, 31. The transmission of the data can take place, for instance, based on the ZigBee standard or based on the Bluetooth standard. The data stored on the location tags can comprise a rate code, for example, an encrypted rate code or the geographic coordinates of a location.

[0024] In FIG. 1, the reference numerals 40, 41 refer to terminals of a telecommunication network 42 of a second provider. The telecommunication network 42 can be configured according to any technology, thus e.g. based on a standard for mobile telecommunication networks or based on a standard for fixed networks. In FIG. 1, the telecommunication network 42 refers to a fixed network with terminals 40, 41 installed in a fixed way. The terminal 40 can be installed, for example, in the mentioned office used for business purposes. The terminal 41 can be installed in the mentioned privately used apartment, for example. Of course the terminal 40 and the terminal 41 can be connected via separate telecommunication networks of different operators. Connections that are set up using the terminal 40 or the terminal 41, are billed by a billing unit of the telecommunication network according to a billing rate. Thus for a terminal 40, which is installed in an office used for business, a different rate can be applied, for example a more expensive rate, than for a terminal 41, which is installed in a privately used apartment. Of course such different billing rates vis--vis the customer can be justified by corresponding differences in the service quality.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 1, the telecommunication network 52 and the telecommunication network 42 are connected together, so that telecommunication connections may be established between the mobile terminal 1 and the terminal 60 as well as between the terminals 40, 41 and the terminal 60. Corresponding gateway devices are used for connecting the telecommunication networks 52, 42.

[0026] The identification module 2 can now be set up such that it is possible at definable points in time to check whether a local connection to a location tag can be set up via the wireless interface of the identification module 2. Thus, through the identification module 2, a request for transmission of data of a location tag may be transmitted at definable points in time, for example. Such a request can be based, for example, on a ZigBee standard or a Bluetooth standard, and can comprise, for instance, an identification or an encrypted identification. Such an identification or encrypted identification can be evaluated by correspondingly configured location tags. However, such an identification or encrypted identification cannot be sensibly evaluated by other devices despite a corresponding wireless interface. After the identification is evaluated by the location tag, data from the location tag are transmitted to the identification module 2, for instance. Such a transmission can be triggered by the location tag or by the transmission of a further request from the identification module 2 to the location tag. The data transmitted from the location tag to the identification module 2 may comprise a rate code, an encrypted rate code or geographic coordinates, for example.

[0027] The mobile terminal 1 is logged into the mobile communication network via the base station 50. Various generally known methods are used for logging in the mobile terminal 1. Following such methods, an authentication is thus carried out. The operator of the mobile communication network can thus in particular assign the mobile terminal to an authorized subscriber. In addition, a secured communication connection can be set up between the identification module 2 and any device of the mobile communication network.

[0028] Thus the data of the location tag can be transmitted via a secure connection of the identification module 2 to any device of the mobile telecommunication network, thus to the billing unit 53, for example. As mentioned, the data of the location tag 30 can comprise an encrypted rate code, for example. Stored on the billing unit 53 can be the corresponding electronic key for decryption of the encrypted rate code. After decryption of the encrypted rate code, a billing rate, assigned to the rate code, can be determined on the billing unit, or be selected from a definable number, for example from a table. Of course the billing rate can be selected such that a telephone apparatus of a second operator of a telecommunication network installed in the vicinity of the location tag can be competed with. The billing rate can also be determined according to any algorithm. Thus the data of the location tag can relate to geographic coordinates, a probability according to which a competitor is offering telecommunication services at this location being determined by means of an algorithm, the billing rate being determined according to this probability or being selected for the billing.

[0029] According to the invention, services availed of by a user are billed according to a billing rate that is selected based on the current location of the user. Thus a location tag can be installed on an advertising poster, an access address being printed on the advertising poster for the ordering of the product or service being advertised on the advertising poster. Upon ordering the product using the access address, a monetary amount can be debited to the user by means of a billing device, the user profiting from an especially inexpensive billing rate, for instance, because he is situated at the location of the advertising poster. A location tag can also be installed at a bus stop. To make use of the waiting time at the bus stop, the user can request the transmission from a service provider of the latest television news, for instance. Depending upon price policy of the service provider, such a transmission can now take place according to a selectable billing rate, the data stored on the location tag being taken into consideration in selecting the billing rate.

[0030] The location tags 30,31 can be secured using security means. Such security means can relate to mechanical means such as a lockable lock. These security means can also relate to electronic means. Thus a location tag can also be configured as USB (USB: Universal Serial Bus) stick, an identification of the computer being checked upon installation of the USB stick, and the described functions of the location tag being enabled only with a successful checking of this identification.

[0031] The wireless interface of the identification module 2 can be configured based on different embodiment variants. Thus the identification module 2 can be designed as common SIM card, for instance, all components of the wireless interface being installed on the SIM card, such as encoder, modulator, decoder, antenna, driver, etc., i.e. all components that are necessary in order to operate the wireless interface according to a ZigBee standard, for instance. Depending upon the application, the SIM card and the wireless interface can also be designed such that components of the wireless interface, such as the antenna, for instance, are installed on the housing of the mobile terminal. Of course further embodiment variants are known to one skilled in the art for installing an identification module 2 according to the invention on a mobile terminal, and for installing a wireless interface on the identification module 2.