NO319841B1 - Content billing event in a messaging system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an event in a messaging environment, in particular an MMS environment. where value-added content is charged to end users based on transactional events for content messages. It introduces two new main components to the MMS infrastructure; a content home locator (CHL). designed to determine the home environment of the service provider that originally delivered a data object in transmission by examining a home environment identity included in a policy reference of a rule associated with the data object, a content billing protocol (CBP) that has a billing interface capable of exchanging rules, and billing information regarding the data object with a counterparty (CBP) in the home environment of the data object determined by the CHL. Billing information provided by the CBT from the home environment of the data object is stored in an account module (AM) to charge the recipient in case of download or the sender in case of forwarding of the data object and to credit the service provider. By means of the present invention, service providers are able to charge for value-added data objects, for example MMSs, downloads or transfers in environments outside the home environment of the data objects.

Description

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to an arrangement in message environments where value-added content is to be debited to end users based on content message transaction events. More specifically, this invention relates to an arrangement for inter-operator debiting of value-added content messaging transactions, including, but not limited to, the messaging environment for mobile multimedia messaging services.

Background for the invention

The mobile multimedia messaging service (MMS, for multimedia messaging service) supports the transfer and delivery of value-added content (for example audio, video and images) to mobile terminals. For owners of such content, this represents a new channel through which their content can be sold.

The recent exponential growth of value-added short messaging services (SMS) was triggered by the introduction of distribution and billing capabilities provided by mobile operators to third-party value-added service (VAS) and content providers. . Some examples of VAS SMS are jokes (text format), share prices (text format), simple ringtones (binary format), black/white logos (binary format). The mobile operator prepares end-user billing for such services, which are value-added SMS transactions, on behalf of the service providers. The mobile operator debits value-added SMS transactions on the end-user's mobile phone bill (or by subtracting from a prepaid account) and typically shares the profit with the service provider. This is content billing for VAS SMS.

The future for VAS MMS services has even greater growth potential due to the advanced content capabilities of the MMS technology. Sophisticated multimedia content can be provided with VAS MMS services. Some examples of value-added MMS and content that can be anticipated are "mobile greeting card portal" (such as sending images/animations, with or without sound from a portal to a mobile terminal), "famous cartoon messages" (such as animations, with or without color/audio), "visual/audio quiz messages" (such as picture/audio message games), "talking head message (such as rendering of a personalized text with a predefined animation). VAS MMS will offer the end users of operators and by independent third-party service and content providers (for example media houses, portals, broadcasting companies) that utilize the wireless MMS infrastructure of the operators.

Multimedia content has an inherently greater value for content owners than pure text content (cf. SMS). It is important to secure all opportunities for distribution profits. With VAS MMS, it is important for the service provider not only to be paid for initial downloads of VAS MMS (which has been the only option for VAS SMS), but also to be paid for forwarding VAS MMS when it is sent to other users, after initial downloads. Billing for download and for forwarding are important chargeable transaction events for the service provider to secure their business opportunities. The operator must provide a solution for content billing for these requirements to the service providers, in order for VAS MMS to be an attractive distribution channel for the service provider.

It can be assumed that such a solution for content billing is present by various means and that the operator can handle, on behalf of the service providers, such chargeable transaction events (ie for VAS MMS download and forwarding) for its own mobile subscribers (postpaid or prepaid). The challenge is to find a solution that also works between different operators when the VAS MMS content roams and is outside their home surroundings.

Roaming is generally an essential service characteristic of mobile technology. Roaming means being able to use services {for example traditional voice or SMS) when the end user is travelling, outside the physical coverage of the home operator's surroundings (for example outside the land coverage area of the operator with whom the subscriber has a billing and subscription relationship).

MMS content or VAS MMS can be seen as roaming if

it is transferred to a different operator environment than the operator environment with which the service provider has an invoicing agreement. This can happen, for example, if an end user forwards VAS MMS to an end user with another operator or if an end user with another operator downloads VAS MMS from the surroundings of the operator with which the service provider has an agreement on content billing.

An operator who has an agreement on content billing with a service provider and handles debiting on behalf of the service provider cannot of course debit users with other operators. And an operator that does not have an agreement on content billing with a service provider will naturally not handle the billing of chargeable events from the service provider. If content is transferred to a user with an operator without an agreement, the content will effectively be free for the user. This is of course not in the interest of the service provider. Figures 1-4 represent four examples that will be discussed in what follows. Figure 1 illustrates content billing in a home environment. A service provider (SP, for service provider) has an agreement on content billing with an operator (x). If an end user A (x) at the operator downloads VAS MMS from the service provider, this forms a chargeable event. An organ (illustrated with a gray rectangle) within the surroundings of the operator (x) registers the chargeable event (illustrated with a point).

If the end user A(x) forwards VAS MMS to another user B(x) at the operator, this forms a chargeable event. The bodies within the surroundings of operator (x) register the chargeable event. The operator (x) debits the end user (for example A (x)) for the transactions on the end user's telephone bill. Figure 2 illustrates roaming content, outside its home environment, forwarded from its home environment. A service provider (SP) has an agreement on content billing with an operator (x). An end user A(x) at the operator (x) downloads VAS MMS from the service provider. The operator (x) registers this as a chargeable event, as in Figure 1. The end user A(x) forwards VAS MMS to another user B (y) at another operator (y). The operator (x) registers this as a billable event, as in figure 1. Operator (y) does not have an agreement on content billing with the service provider of this VAS MMS. The end user B(y) can choose to forward VAS MMS to another end user with operator (y), for example C(y), or forward VAS MMS to an end user with another operator again, for example A(x). The fact that B(y) forwards VAS MMS forms chargeable events for the service provider. But as operator (y) does not have an agreement on invoicing with the service provider, the debitable events will not be registered, and there can be no content billing for such roaming content. Figure 3 illustrates roaming content, outside its home environment, downloaded from the home environment. A service provider (SP) has a content billing agreement with an operator (x). An end user A(y) with another operator (y) downloads VAS MMS from the service provider. This forms a billable event for the service provider. But as operator (y) does not have an invoicing agreement with the service provider, the chargeable event will not be registered, and there can be no content billing for such roaming content.

Figure 4 illustrates roaming content, outside its home environment, downloaded by a user during network roaming. This corresponds to the case in Figure 3, but illustrates the case where an end user A(y) with operator (y) is traveling and roaming within the surroundings of another operator (x).

State of the art

The problem of invoicing for roaming content is also present for the MMS predecessor, SMS, but no known solution has been implemented. For SMS, solutions for content billing only apply to VAS SMS downloads, not content billing for forwarding VAS SMS or content billing for roaming content as described above. The problem is not essential for SMS as the content has limited value due to the content characteristics of

SMS.

The problem is much more important for MMS as the content is of greater value to its content owners due to the multimedia characteristics and sophistication of the content.

A simple method would be to refuse the forwarding of VAS MMS outside the mobile operator's surroundings with which the service provider has an agreement. With such a procedure, content will never be roaming and outside its home environment. The procedure assumes that the mobile operator has the means to refuse the forwarding of VAS MMS.

Figure 5 illustrates such a procedure, where a service provider (SP) has an agreement on content billing with an operator (x). VAS MMS can be downloaded to end users at operator (x) and forwarded by end-to-end users at operator (x). End users with other operators cannot download or receive VAS MMS from the service provider.

The procedure eliminates the problem but does not provide a solution. It fails when it comes to safeguarding the business opportunities for mass distribution of VAS MMS to all mobile users regardless of their operator affiliation.

A first thought solution for the service providers could be to enter into agreements on invoicing MMS content (for handling both downloads and forwarding) with all mobile operators. In this way, content will never be roaming, but in a global home environment and the various operators handle content billing on behalf of the service provider for their respective end users. It is assumed that bodies for invoicing MMS content are present for each operator and that the bodies can recognize VAS MMS from the service provider and handle end-user billing for both downloads and forwarding.

Figure 6 illustrates this solution, where a service provider (SP) has an agreement on content billing with several operators (x, y, z). VAS MMS can be downloaded to end users at these operators and forwarded by and to end users at these operators.

This solution is expensive and impractical for the service providers to set up and maintain as it requires the service provider to negotiate content billing agreements with all wireless operators, implement a number of proprietary technical interfaces to the wireless operators, and handle billing for all wireless operators - dries. It is not cost-effective for the service providers and it is not cost-effective for the wireless operators. With such a solution, a business network regime is created where all service providers must link up with all operators and all operators must handle all service providers. Small operators and small service providers will suffer commercially from such a solution.

Another proposed solution utilizes a billing agent/collector scheme, where an intermediate function acts on behalf of the service providers to handle content billing for several operators. As in the first solution, content will never be roaming, but in a global home environment. The various operators handle content billing on behalf of the billing aggregator who handles billing on behalf of the service providers. It is assumed that bodies for invoicing MMS content are present for each operator and that the bodies can recognize VAS MMS from the service provider and handle end-user billing for both download and forwarding.

Figure 7 illustrates this solution, where service providers (SP1, SP2, SP3) have agreements on content billing with a billing aggregator (BA, for billing aggregator) which has agreements on content billing with several operators (x,y,z). VAS MMS can be downloaded to end users by these operators and forwarded by end-to-end users at these operators.

This solution alleviates the problems of the first solution. Specifically, it becomes less expensive and more convenient for the service providers to set up and maintain, as the service providers only have to connect to one billing party, the billing aggregator, and correspondingly for the operators. With such a solution, a business environment "star regime" is created where all service providers can connect to one billing handler and the one billing handler can connect to all operators. The disadvantage is that large operators and large service providers will shy away from such a solution as the intermediate aggregator forms an additional player in the value chain, between the service providers and the operators, and will be considered to take an unacceptable share of their business to carry out aggregation ingstj the only one.

A third proposed solution uses a Clearinghouse model [2] for content invoicing. A housing model is a model where the contents are packed in a container. When the content is read with a terminal client that can interpret the specially packaged container, the container or client will authorize access to the content with a remote housing board. Bostyret handles content invoicing using an assumed direct invoicing relationship with the end user. This is similar to the second solution, but with a big difference: the mobile operator does not charge the end user for VAS MMS downloads and forwarding, but this is done by the housing board. The operator's role is only to transport the MMS over the wireless network.

Figure 8 illustrates this solution, where service providers (SP1, SP2, SP3) have agreements on content billing with a housing board (CH, for Clearing house). VAS MMS can be downloaded to the end users of any operator and forwarded by end-to-end users of any operator. It is assumed that a special client software is available on the terminals which allows access for downloads and allows the forwarding of MMS transactions based on authorizations from the remote housing board. The Housing Board registers debitable events and invoices the end user.

The solution is subject to the same disadvantages as the other solution, but also brings in new problems: it depends on a new paradigm in the mobile business world that requires a third party (the housing board) to bill the end users with the mobile operators for the use of VAS MMS . Furthermore, it is based on the fact that special and non-standard client software is present in the mobile terminals, which greatly reduces its business potential due to the lack of such software in the global terminal market.

A solution is required that allows service providers to bill end-users for roaming content according to the chargeable events set by the service providers, independently and transparently to which operator bills the end-users. Such a solution will allow content owners and service providers to securely make their content available to VAS MMS with a global perspective for profit potential.

Summary of the Invention

The main purpose of the present invention is to provide an arrangement which provides the above-mentioned solution. The features defined in the attached requirements characterize this arrangement.

The present invention provides a solution for content invoicing of VAS MMS that cooperates between operators. Mobile operators can cooperate to handle content billing of VAS MMS for end users, regardless of operator affiliation, and service providers only need to have content billing agreements with a single operator.

The solution provides an arrangement with four main components: - policy enforcement module (PEM, for Policy Enforcement Module) which is used to decide whether a message transaction is allowed or not and which coordinates the other components. - content home locator (CHL, for Content Home Locator) method used to find the home environment of VAS MMS. - content billing protocol (CBP, for Content Billing Protocol) which is used to exchange information between operator environments. - accounting module (AM, for Accounting Module) used for content billing accounting.

The present invention extends the standardized MMS architecture to handle interoperator content billing of VAS MMS.

Brief description of the drawings

Figure 1 illustrates content billing within home billing environments. Figure 2 illustrates content when roaming, outside the home billing environment, forwarded from the home environment. Figure 3 illustrates content when roaming, outside the home billing environment, downloaded from the home environment. Figure 4 illustrates content during roaming, outside the home billing environment, downloaded from the home environment by a user during traditional roaming. Figure 5 illustrates an operator who refuses access to VAS MMS for end users with other operators. Figure 6 illustrates a service provider with several agreements on MMS content billing to handle VAS MMS downloads and forwarding. Figure 7 illustrates that several service providers use a centralized billing agent for content billing against several operators. Figure 8 illustrates several service providers who use a housing management model for content invoicing against any operator. Figure 9 illustrates the purposes of the present invention to provide content billing for content when roaming among different operators. Figure 10 shows the components of the present invention and the arrangement of the components within the MMS architecture. Figure 11 shows the components of the present invention and their interactions.

Detailed description of preferred forms of breeding

The present invention provides a solution for a content interconnection scheme among operators. The scheme will now be explained with reference to figure 9.

A service provider (SPl) wants to make value-added content available for VAS MMS. The service provider reaches a content billing agreement with an operator (x), after which it implements the interfaces required by the operator (x) to deploy VAS MMS into the mobile infrastructure of the operator (x). The agreement between SPl and operator (x) defines operator (x) as the home environment of VAS MMS from SPl. An end user with operator (x), A(x), can then download VAS MMS from SPl and forward VAS MMS to other end users with operator (x). Operator (x) handles content billing for these message transactions according to the content billing rules of SPl, and debits the relevant end user.

Operator (x) has interconnection arrangements for content billing with other operators (y) and operator (z).

If VAS MMS from SPl is forwarded by A(x) to an end user B(y) with another operator (y), a copy of VAS MMS becomes available outside the home environment. If B(y) forwards this VAS MMS to another end user, then operator (y) will first detect the VAS MMS, then that the VAS MMS does not originate from operator (y)'s surroundings. Operator (y) then requests billing information (such as the price) from the home environment of the VAS MMS and then debits the relevant end user (for example B(y)) for the transaction. Operator (y) and operator (x) then exchange billing information and profits so that all actors (SPl, operator (x), operator (y)) get their agreed share of the profit generated from the end user (for example, B(y).

Similarly, if the VAS MMS from SPl is downloaded by B(y), then a copy of the VAS MMS becomes available outside the home environment. The operator (y) first detects the VAS MMS transaction, then that the VAS MMS does not originate from the operator (y)'s surroundings. Operator (y) then requests billing information (such as the price) from the VAS MMS's home environment and then debits the relevant end user (eg B(y)) for the transaction. Operator (y) and operator (x) then exchange billing information and profit so that all actors (SPl, operator (x), operator (y)) get their agreed share of the profit generated from the end user (for example B(y )).

The arrangement with the components is depicted in Figure 10. Two versions of the arrangement are shown, one for each mobile operator. It is assumed that each mobile operator has means to handle MMS traffic according to the MMS standard (ie has MMSC) and means to detect VAS MMS in transmission (illustrated with the message control machine).

A VAS MMS message that has an operator (x)'s home environment can be brought into the environment of operator (y). This can happen if

a) a user B(y) at operator (y) downloads VAS MMS from a service provider that has a billing agreement with operator (x). This download transaction

(ie user-terminated transaction) is considered a chargeable transaction by service providers. b) A user A(x) at operator (x) has downloaded VAS MMS from a service provider that has a billing agreement with operator (x) and forwards the VAS MMS to a user B(y) at operator (y). Then B(y) VAS forwards the MMS to another user. This forwarding transaction (ie user-generated transaction) is considered a chargeable transaction by the tj sole supplier.

When such a VAS MMS is brought into the environment of operator (y), the message control machine of operator (y) will detect the VAS MMS transaction and invoke PEM at operator (y) to handle content billing of the transaction.

With the arrangement, the PEM then uses the CHL to find the home surroundings of the VAS MMS. The CHL will respond that the VAS MMS is from another operator environment, after which the PEM uses the CBP to exchange information with the VAS MMS home environment. By doing this, the PEM will obtain information required for content billing of the VAS MMS transaction in its environment. The PEM then uses the AM to perform billing accounting for the transaction and effect end-user content billing for the transaction. The AM stores information about the handling of the VAS MMS so that the operators can terminate their linking accounts for content billing at a later time. Details are given in the next section.

With reference to figure 11, the components involved in the present invention and their interaction will be discussed in the following.

a. The PEM is invoked by the message control machine. By doing so, the message control machine will typically put the VAS MMS transaction on hold until the PEM has reported back

their results. The PEM must receive the following information from the message control machine:

- the rule reference of VAS MMS,

- the telephone number of the sender or the intended recipient or both, - information about the VAS MMS transaction event (for example "user-terminated message" for a downloaded transaction or "user-generated message" for a forwarding transaction).

b. The CHL is invoked by the PEM. By doing this, the PEM provides the rule reference to the VAS MMS. The CHL inspects the rule reference and determines whether the rule can be executed within this operator environment or if the rule must be executed in another operator environment. This can be done explicitly by the CHL by maintaining a database of rule references that apply to this operator and comparing the reference with the entries in the database. Or it can be implicit for the CHL if the rule reference itself contains explicit information about operator affiliation for this VAS

MMS.

c. The CHL informs the PEM of the result, for example by a yes/no flag. d. The CBP is invoked by the PEM. Doing this provides the PEM

- the rule reference,

- the telephone number of the sender or the intended recipient or both, - information about the VAS MMS transaction event (for example "user-terminated message" for a download transaction, or "user-generated message" for a forwarding transaction).

e. The CBP then initiates a dialogue with its CBP counterpart at the other operator (for example by calling a JAVA servlet that the rule reference can represent). In doing so, it provides information:

- the rule reference,

- the telephone number of the intended recipient

- information about the VAS MMS transaction event (for example, "user-terminated message" for a download transaction, or "user-generated message"), - information about the identity of the operator (for example, a unique number representing its operator). f. The CBP counterparty will then invoke its associated PEM to execute the billing rule on this message transaction request. The CBP will deliver the received information (as in e.) to the PEM as input to the rule execution. g. The PEM must then return the following information to the CBP: - the result of the rule execution (for example an ok/enough flag indicating that the message transaction is allowed or not), - an identity of the service provider that has provided the content for VAS MMS- one (for example a number), - the end-user price to be debited for the transaction (for example in Euro currency). h. The CBP delivers this information (from g.) back to the initiating CBP (for example as a Java servlet response). i. The CBP forwards the information back to the initiating PEM. j. If the result delivered back to the PEM is positive (for example ok flag), the PEM will then order its AM to carry out accounting for the transaction so that the end user is debited for the transaction. This can be done by subtracting the price amount from a prepaid account maintained in the operator's infrastructure or by storing usage data information for post-processed billing. k. The AM will return information to the PEM whether the bookkeeping is successful or not. 1. If the AM reports back that the posting was successful, the PEM will report back to the message control machine that the VAS MMS can be delivered to the end user. If the AM is unsuccessful, the PEM will report back to the message control machine that the VAS MMS must not be delivered to the end user.

After a successful content billing event, the two environments will store information about the transaction (for example, against an integrated database or against a billing gateway function of the respective operator). By doing this, the interconnection agreement can be implemented so that all parties receive their agreed share of the profit from the content billing event.

This data storage is handled by the AM in each edition of the arrangements. The AM will typically store information about:

- the time of the event,

- type of event (generating/terminating),

- the identity of the service provider,

- price,

- operators involved (home environment and content roaming environment),

- a unique registration identity.

When the present invention is implemented, mobile operators can assist VAS service providers to reach a global end user market for their content with billing for VAS MMS. It provides a solution that benefits both small and large service providers and mobile operators in a cost-effective manner.

The present invention does not require the mobile operators to change their technical interface towards the service providers and vice versa.

For the operators provides mechanisms to expand their business area for content billing of MMS. Furthermore, the operators of this solution will increase the barriers to entry for new competitive entrants in this core business area for invoicing for VAS MMS.

With the help of the present invention, MMS provides an attractive distribution channel for value-added content and service providers, as invoicing for VAS MMS can be easily handled regardless of the end user's operator affiliation. By attracting service providers with high-value content, MMS traffic will increase within their MMS network, resulting in increased traffic revenue.

Abbreviations and References

[1] MMS 3GPP TS 23.140 v4.2.0 (2001-03), 3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Terminals; Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS);

Functional description; Stage 2 (Release 4)

[2] Clearinghouse "Digital Rights for all media types", Internetcontent.net, 2/20/2001

Claims (4)

1. An arrangement to charge a recipient or a sender located in a first communication network for a multimedia messaging service (MMS) or an element thereof, originally made available in a second communication network and provided by a service provider with a billing interface to this network, in that the first communication network includes a message control engine (MCE), integrated in an MMS architecture associated with said communication network, arranged to detect MMSs in transmission and to impose rules on the MMSs bound to corresponding rule references, the second communication network being said to be the home environment to the service provider, characterized by a content home locator (CHL) adapted to determine the home environment of the service provider detected by the MCE by examining a home environment identity included in a rule reference for a rule associated with the MMS; a content billing protocol (CBP) with a billing interface capable of exchanging rule and billing information regarding the MMS with a counterparty CBP at the home environment of the service provider determined by the CHL, the CBP providing at least the rule reference and a identity of the recipient or an identity of the sender or both to the counterparty CBP, where the counterparty CBP responds by providing at least an identity of the service provider, an end user price for the MMS, and a result of an enforced rule that is information whether the receiver/sender is allowed to receive/send the MMS or not, an accounting module (AM) arranged to perform an accounting so that the receiver/sender is debited for the end-user price if the receivers/sender is allowed to receive/send the MMS by, for example, deducting the end-user price from a prepaid account belonging to the receiver. 2. Arrangement according to claim 1, characterized by a rule enforcement module (PEM) which is in communication with the MCE, the CHL, the CBP and the AM designed to coordinate interactions between these modules by: - querying the CHL for the home environment of the service provider which a response to a detection of the MMS in the MCE, - querying the CBP for invoicing and rule information regarding the MMS, - initiation of bookkeeping in the AM so that the recipient/sender is debited for the MMS , - reply to the MCE if the MMS is allowed to be forwarded based on the rule information and/or whether the posting was successful or not. 3. Arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the AM is designed to store the following transaction data during bookkeeping: detection time for the MMS, whether the MMS terminates or is generated in/from the first communication network, an identity for the service provider, the end-user price, an identity for the other communication network, a unique registration identity. 4. Arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first and the second communication network correspond respectively to the first and a second mobile operator.