Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
21~7317
CELLULAR TELEPHONE SYSTEM HAVING
MOBILE CHARGING REGION AND AREA BASED
PRICING METHOD AND APPARATUS
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Technical Fiel~ of the Inv~ntion
The present invention relates to cellular
telephone systems and, in particular, to a method and
apparatus for pricing cellular telephone calls based on
subscriber location.
DescriDt;on of Rel~ted Art
Conventional wire-line telephone service providers
price telephone calls by taking into account a number
of pricing structure parameters including call
duration, call distance, time of day and day of the
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week. The generally fixed nature of the physical plant
used to provide telephone service, coupled with the
fact that calls are made from one known fixed
geographic location to another, allows for the charges
associated with providing the telephone service to be
easily calculated and published.
The nature of the cellular telephone network,
however, wherein system users have little or no
geographical restrictions on the locations from which
they may place or receive calls, makes the calculation
of call charges more difficult. Rates vary based not
only on some or all of the wire-line parameters
mentioned above, but also on factors such as: which of
several available cellular service providers carry the
call; and whether the subscriber is roaming outside its
own service area. Because the subscriber is generally
unaware of how the foregoing factors affect the
instantaneous rate calculation for each call, it is
unlikely that the subscriber c~n make anything more
than a best guess as to the charge incurred for the
call.
There is a need for a method and system for
providing cellular telephone subscribers with a
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cellular service wherein reduced rates are offered for
calls originated from or terminated in certain
predefined regions or areas of the cellular service
area. Such a service should further provide cellular
telephone subscribers with information prior to
completion of a call connection concerning the charges
to be incurred for placing or receiving a cellular
telephone call.
SU~ARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with one embodiment of the
invention, certain cellular cells are grouped together
to form a charging region within which special calling
rates are available to participating subscribers for
cellular calls. The cellular coverage area may contain
plural adjacent, overlapping or contiguous charging
regions. Preferably, the charging regions and the
special calling rates applicable thereto are defined by
the cellular provider.
The cellular com~11n-cations system processes
subscriber calls to determine whether the subscriber is
located within one of the defined charging regions. If
the subscriber participates in the benefits of this
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calling service but is not located within one of the
defined charging regions, the system notifies the
subscriber and gives the subscriber the option to
choose to terminate and/or reject the call without
incurring any fee or charge for the call. Calls made
from or received in a defined charging region by the
participating subscriber, on the other hand, are
charged at the special cellular charging rate for that
charglng reglon.
In a second embodiment of the present invention,
the cells are again grouped together as in the first
embodiment to form a plurality of charging regions
within which special calling rates are available for
cellular calls. In addition, certain ones of the
charging regions are then grouped together to form one
or more charging areas. Preferably, the charging
regions and the special calling rates applicable
thereto are defined by the cellular provider, while the
grouping of the regions into ch~rging areas is made by
individual participating cellular subscribers in
accordance with their common locations and calling
habits.
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The cellular communications system processes
subscriber calls to determine wnether the participating
subscriber is located within its defined charging area.
Calls made from or received in the defined charging
area by the participating subscriber are then charged
at the special rate assigned to the charging region (of
that subscriber's charging area~ within which the
subscriber is currently located. If, on the other
hand, the participating subscriber is not located
within its defined charging area, or is otherwise not
receiving the lowest charging rate available, the
system notifies the subscriber and gives the subscriber
the option to choose to terminate and/or reject the
call without incurring any fee or charge for the call.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A more complete understanding of the method and
apparatus of the present invention may be obtained by
reference to the following Detailed Description when
taken in conjunction with the accompanying Drawings
wherein:
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FIGURE lA illustrates the subdivision of a portion
of a cellular coverage area to include a plurality of
charging regions;
FIGURE lB illustrates the subdivision of a portion
of a cellular coverage area to include a plurality of
charging areas, wherein each charging area includes at
least one charging region;
FIGURE 2 illustrates the relationship between
cells, charging regions and charging areas;
FIGURE 3 is a block diagram illustrating the
cellular co~m-lnications system of the present
invention;
FIGURES 4A-4B are flow diagrams illustrating the
system operating method of the present invention; and
IS FIGURE 5 is a simplified block diagram of a mobile
station operable in the system of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to FIGURE lA, there is shown an
arbitrary geographic area 10 wherein cellular telephone
service is provided to a plurality of subscribers by at
least one, and perhaps many sellular service providers.
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The cellular service area 10 is subdivided to include a
plurality of charging regions 18, wherein one charging
region may, but need not necessarily, be adjacent to,
overlapping or contiguous with another charging region.
Furthermore, some portions of the area 10, although
included for purposes of providing cellular
communications coverage, may not be included within any
of the charging regions 18. The cell and/or coverage
area of each charging region 18 with the area 10 is
preferably selected by the cellular service provider.
The charging regions 18 facilitate the provision
of a special pricing service in accordance with the
present invention that entitles subscribers who
participate in the service to make and receive cellular
telephone calls at a special (i.e., non-standard and
perhaps reduced) cellular charging rate provided the
calls occur when the subscriber is located within an
authorized one of the predefined charging regions 18.
In this connection it should be recognized that each
charging region 18 has its own special charging rate,
and that the subscriber may be authorized to receive
the special rate of one of the charging regions 18
while simultaneously not be so authorized within
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another one of the charging regions within the area 10.
Calls occurring when the subscriber is located outside
an authorized one of its charging regions 18 are, on
the other hand, charged at the conventional (i.e.,
standard and perhaps higher than the special) cellular
charging rates.
Reference is now made to FIGURE lB wherein the
cellular service area 10 is shown subdivided to include
a plurality of predefined charging areas 16, wherein
one charging area may be adjacent to, overlapping or
contiguous with another charging area. The use of such
charging areas 16 provides one method for making the
authorization determination referred to with respect to
FIGURE lA. To accomplish this goal, each charging area
IS 16 includes at least one of the provider defined
charging regions 18. The cell and/or coverage area of,
and charging regions 18 within, each charging area 18
within the area 10 is preferably selected by the
subscriber to accommodate and complement the
subscriber's calling habits.
In accordance with the special pricing service of
the present invention, each participating subscriber
selects for himself or herself a unique charging area
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16 comprised of one or more of the provider defined
charging
regions 18. It will be understood that the charging
regions 18 selected for any given charging area 16 need
S not necessarily be contiguous, adjacent or overlapping
as generally indicated at 12. Furthermore, more than
one subscriber may share the same charging area 16.
The pricing service entitles participating subscribers
to make and receive cellular telephone calls at the
special cellular charging rate provided the calls occur
when the subscriber is located within one of the
charging regions 18 selected by the subscriber for
inclusion within its associated predefined charging
area 16. The special charging rate in effect for the
call is the charging rate for the charging region 18
within which the subscriber is located. Calls
occurring when the subscriber is located outside its
charging area 16 are, on the other hand, charged at the
conventional cellular charging rate.
Reference is now made to FIGURE 2 wherein a small
portion of the cellular coverage area 10 is shown to be
comprised of a plurality of cells 20 (represented by
hexagrams). An exemplary plurality of charging regions
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18 (outlined in bold to ease recognition) are shown in
the area 10, and are defined by the service provider to
each have a special cellular charging rate. Each
charging region 18 includes one or more of the cells
20, and a cell in the area 10 may reside in one, more
than one, or none of the charging regions 18. A single
charging area 16 (outlined in broken lines to ease
recognition) is shown in the area 10 assembled from two
of the charging regions 18. Although shown composed of
adjacent charging regions 18, the charging regions for
any given charging area 16 need not necessarily be
adjacent to each other (see, FIGURE .lB). It will
further be understood that a charging region 18 may
belong to more than one charging area 16 with each
charging area 16 being defined by and associated with a
participating subscriber. It should further be
understood that more than one participating subscriber
may be assigned or select the same charging area 16.
The cells 20 spread throughout the cellular
service area 10 may be serviced by different cellular
service providers. However, the charging regions 18
and charging areas 16 may include cells 20 serviced by
both service providers. Furthermore, for the portions
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of the area 10 assigned to a single provider, the
charging regions 18 and charging areas 16 may include
cells 20 serviced by different mobile switching
centers. Thus, in general, it should be recognized
S that the special pricing services provided in
_ accordance with the present invention is flexible in
its implementation, and not restricted to provision by
one service provider or by multiple uncooperative
providers or within the coverage responsibility of a
single mobile switching center. Agreements between
providers concerning the extent of charging regions 18
and charging areas 16, and the special rates available
to participating subscribers, will facilitate the
efficient offering of the service.
15Referring now to FIGURE 3, cellular telephone
service is provided within the cellular service area 10
by means of a cellular telephone system 28 comprising
mobile stations (MS) 30, base stations (BS) 32, and at
least one mobile switching center (MSC) 34. The mobile
stations 30 are carried by each subscriber, and
commtln;cate with the base stations 32 in a manner well
known to those skilled in the art by means of radio
frequency commllnlcations links. Each base station 32
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is located within a cell 20 (FIGURE 2), and is
connected to its associated mobile switching center 34
preferably through wire-lines or radio frequency links.
The mobile switching centers 34 are connected to the
public switched telephone network (PSTN) or other known
communications network, and function to process and
switch through the base stations 32 the cellular calls
originated or received by the subscribers using the
mobile stations 30. It will, of course, be understood
that multiple mobile switching centers 34 may be needed
to connect with the base stations 32 covering the area
10, and that the cells 20 in a charging region 18 for
one charging area 16 may be served by different mobile
switching centers 34. Furthermore, as discussed above,
multiple service providers may be involved in offering
the service to subscribers. To facilitate
implementation of the pricing system of the present
invention, however, it is preferred that the cells 20
in any given charging region 1~ be served by a single
mobile switching center 34 and controlled by a single
service provider.
Each of the cells 20 includes at least one base
station 32 configured to facilitate commlln;cations with
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proximately located mobile stations 30. Although not
shown in the drawings, the base stations 32 are
typically positioned at or near the center of each of
the cells. However, depending on geography and other
known factors, the base stations 32 may instead be
located at or near the periphery of, or otherwise away
from the centers of, each of the cells. In such
instances, the base stations 32 may broadcast and
csmm1lnicate with mobile stations 30 carried by
subscribers who are located within the cells using
directional rather than omni-directional antennas.
Each one of the base stations 32 includes a
transmitter, a receiver, and a base station controller
connected to the antenna in a manner and with a
configuration well known in the art.
The special pricing service implemented by the
cellular system 28 in accordance with the present
invention advantageously provides participating
subscribers with charging rates based on subscriber
location. Cellular calls originating from or received
by the participating subscriber while located in its
defined charging area l6 are charged at a special rate.
Calls made by or directed to the subscriber when at
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other locations (i.e., outside the subscriber's
charging area 16) are billed at conventional rates
which may be more expensive than the special rates.
Subscriber location with respect to the charging area
16 is determined by which base station 32 (i.e., cell
20) is handling subscriber mobile station 30
co~l~n;cations at the time the call is either
originated, received or handed-off. The special rate
to be charged to the subscriber when located within its
predefined charging area 16 is the special rate
assigned to the particular charging region 18 (within
that charging area) wherein the subscriber is located.
Thus, the special rate charged to the participating
subscriber may change, even though the subscriber never
leaves its charging area 16 if the subscriber moves
amongst the included charging regions 18.
Reference is now made to FIGURES 4A-4B wherein
there are shown flow diagrams illustrating the
operation of the method of the.present invention for
providing flexible charging service based on charging
areas. As discussed above, to implement the method of
the present invention, a plurality of charging regions
18 are defined (preferably by the cellular service
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provider) to have their own special cellular charging
rates. Each charging region 18 includes at least one
of the plurality of cells 20 in the cellular service
area 10. Next, each participating subscriber selects
at least one of the plurality of charging regions 18 to
define a charging area 16 for that subscriber. The
subscriber defined charging area 16 is stored in the
home location register (HLR) 74 of the cellular
telephone system 28 (see, FIGURE 3) as an associated
IO data to the subscriber.
Referring now in particular to FIGURE 4A, there
are illustrated the steps performed by the system in
processing incoming as well as outgoing calls. At call
set-up (i.e., when a call is either first instigated by
IS a subscriber mobile station 30 or first received in the
mobile switching center 34 destined for delivery to a
subscriber), a determination is made at step 36 as to
whether the subscriber is participating in the charging
service provided by the system of the present
invention. If not, set-up of the call continues in
step 38 in normal fashion known to those skilled in the
art and the conventional cellular charging rate will
apply to the call. If the subscriber is participating,
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however, the current location of the subscriber is next
identified in step 40 (perhaps by identifying which
cell base station 32 is being used to communicate with
the mobile station 30 of the subscriber). The
identified location is then compared with the stored
subscriber charging areas in step 42 to determine
whether the subscriber is located in that subscriber's
predefined charging area 16, and to identify from the
charging region 18 the cellular charging rate to be
IO applied to the call. This determination involves first
determining which charging regions 18 are associated
with the cell 20 then handling the call, followed by a
determination of whether any of the determined charging
regions 18 belong to the participating subscriber's
charging area 16.
If only one charging region is associated with the
cell, the special rate corresponding to that charging
region is applied to the call (provided that charging
region is located within the subscriber's charging area
16). However, for cells belonging to more than one
charging region, it is possible that different special
cellular charging rates will be implicated. In this
case, the lowest (i.e., most reduced) of the special
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cellular charging rates is preferably applied to the
call (again provided that charging region 18 is located
within the subscriber's charging area 16). If the
subscriber is not located within its predefined
charging area, the conventional cellular charging rate
is applied to the call.
A verification is then made at step 44 to confirm
that the participating subscriber is being charged at
the lowest cellular charging rate available to the
subscriber. If this test is satisfied, then the
participating subscriber is charged at the rate
determined in step 42 and the call continues in step 48
in normal fashion known to those skilled in the art,
with the subscriber being charged at that determined
rate.
If, however, the subscriber is not being charged
at the lowest available cellular charging rate (perhaps
because the subscriber is located outside its charging
area), the subscriber, if it desires, receives an alert
notification as to the rate. Thus, a determination is
made in step 46 as to whether the subscriber desires to
be notified when it fails to receive the lowest
available rate. If no notification is desired, the
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call continues in step 48 in normal fashion known to
those skilled in the art, and the subscriber is charged
for the call at the determined rate (see, step 42). If
notification is desired, however, an alert is given to
S the subscriber in step 50. In one embodiment, this
alert is made by sending a tone or voice message over
the voice channel from the mobile switching center to
the subscriber's mobile station 30. In an alternative
embodiment, a data message is sent to the mobile
station 30 for viewing by the participating subscriber
using the mobile station display panel.
In instances like the message display where the
mobile station 30 generates the alert for subscriber
perception, confirmation of the delivery of such
notification is returned to the system. In the event
more than one charging region per participating
subscriber is supported, different notifications in
step 50 are provided (i.e., different tones or
messages) to alert the subscriber as to the effective
charging rate for the call. Of course, other types of
notification or alert, known to those skilled in the
art, could be used as well.
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With the alert notification in step 50, a grace
time period (a delay or pause) is started to give the
subscriber an opportunity to choose whether to
participate in the call. If the subscriber chooses not
to participate by entering an appropriate command in
step 51, the call is terminated in step 53 with no
calling charges being incurred. The command entered by
the subscriber may alternatively effectuate a
transferring of the call in step 54, or an acceptance
of the call in step 55 (with the call charged in step
48 at the determined rate of step 42). If the grace
period expires (step 52) without entry of a command,
the default position is acceptance of the call, and the
call continues in step 48 in normal fashion known to
IS those skilled in the art with the subscriber being
charged at the rate determined in step 42.
Whenever call set-up and connection is completed
(see, steps 38 and 48), a record of the completion of
the call is made in step 56 for billing purposes. The
record comprises a traffic ticket and includes an
indication of whether the participating subscriber was
located inside or outside one of the charging regions
included in its defined charging area, as well as an
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indication of whether notification was given to the
subscriber of the rate. Storage of this information in
the traffic ticket allows the service provider to prove
to participating subscribers that all completed calls
were processed and billed correctly.
There may exist instances where the participating
subscriber is physically located in a cell within its
charging area, but the call is handled (perhaps due to
congestion, overuse, or overcrowding) through an
adjacent cell not within the charging area. The
participating subscriber will, accordingly, be
incorrectly charged at a higher rate for the call. To
correct this problem, in instances where the mobile
station is ordered to perform a directed retry in an
adjacent cell, the call will be charged at the lower
rate applicable to the participating subscriber's
charging area. This is effectuated by including within
the subscriber's charging area the adjacent cells
surrounding the charging area, or by testing for
instances of directed retry when making the location
determination. Participating subscribers should not,
however, be informed that their charging area includes
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adjacent cells as this will likely result in subscriber
misuse and a loss in revenue.
Reference is now made to FIGURE 4B for a
description of an enhancement to the charging service
of the present invention used when a subscriber moves
from one charging region to another charging region
while a call is in progress (i.e., changes the location
as determined in step 40). The charging rates (as
determined in step 42~ in such a situation might be
IO different, and a comparison is made in step 61 of the
old charging rate and new charging rate. If the new
charging rate is less than the old charging rate
(branch 63 from step 62), then call handling continues
and the call is thereafter automatically charged in
lS step 65 at the new charging rate. Processing of the
call continues as described in FIGURE 4A with the
generation of a traffic ticket reflecting the change in
step 56. If the old charging rate is less than the new
charging rate (branch 67 from step 62), processing of
the call continues as described in FIGURE 4A with the
subscriber being given notification if desired (steps
46 and 50), and the grace period for event selection
being given (steps 51, 52, 53, 54 and 55) to determine
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how the call is to be handled. If the call is accepted
during the notification, or if the subscriber does not
desire notification, then the call is charged at the
new charging rate in step 48. In instances where the
participating subscriber is the calling party, it
should be noted that only the options of transfer,
termination or forwarding to voice mail as discussed
above would be available to insure that significant
additional costs would not be incurred.
Reference is now again made to FIGURE 3.
Information concerning subscriber charging areas 16,
charging regions 18 and cells 20 is stored by the
system 28 in the form of four different tables in the
visitor location register maintained in each mobile
switching center 34. A cell table 78 stores an
identification of all cells that are included within at
least one of the charging areas 16. A charging region
table 80 stores an identification of all charging
regions 18 that are included within at least one of the
charging areas 16. A cell-to-charging region table 82
stores an identification of which cells 20 belong to
which charging regions 18. Finally, a charging area-
to-charging region table 84 stores an identification of
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which charging regions 18 belong to which charging
areas 16.
With additional reference again to FIGURES 4A and
4B, the cell table 78, charging region table 80, cell-
to-charging region table 82 and charging area-to-
charging region table 84 are used in making the step 40
determination as to whether the subscriber is located
in the subscriber's predefined charging area. In
particular, the cell table 78, charging region table 80
and cell-to-charging region table 82 are used to
determine which charging regions 18 are associated with
the cell 20 handling the call. The charging area-to-
charging region table 84 is then used to determine
whether any of the identified charging regions 18
belong to the participating subscriber's charging area
16.
In the event the participating subscriber roams to
a foreign cellular area 10, the mobile switching center
34 will request delivery of the subscriber's charging
area information from the home location register 74.
This information is then stored in the visitor location
register 76 of the currently serving mobile switching
center 34, and will be used by the mobile switching
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center to determine and notify the subscriber of
applicable calling rates. Provision is also made for
the mobile switching center 34 to convert received
participating subscriber charging area information from
the home area 10 of the subscriber to determine a
comparable charging area 16 to be implemented for the
participating subscriber in the current-area 10. Thus,
the charging areas feature is supported as the
subscriber roams from area to area.
Referring now to FIGURE 5, there is shown a
simplified block diagram of the mobile station 30
including a processor 86 connected to a transceiver 88.
An antenna 90 is connected to the transceiver 88 for
transmitting and receiving commllnications over a
IS cellular telephone network. The mobile station 30
further includes a microphone 92 and a speaker 94
connected to the processor 86 for facilitating
telephonic voice comml~nications. A display panel 96
and a keypad 98 are also included in the mobile station
and connected to the processor 86.
With additional reference again to FIGURES 4A and
4B, the alert notification given in step 50 to the
subscriber of the rate applied to the call comprises
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the transmission from the mobile switching center 34
over the voice channel to the mobile station 30 of an
audio tone broadcast to the participating subscriber
via the speaker 94. Alternatively, the notification of
step 50 comprises the transmission from the mobile
switching center of a data message with the mobile
station displaying the message for participating
subscriber viewing on the display panel 96. In the
event wherein there is more than one charging region
per charging area is supported, different audio tones
or messages are broadcast from the speaker 94, or
different messages displayed on display panel 96, to
alert the subscriber as to the effective charging rate
for the call.
Although a preferred embodiment of the method and
apparatus of the present invention has been illustrated
in the accompanying Drawings and described in the
foregoing Detailed Description, it will be understood
that the invention is not limited to the embodiment
disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements,
modifications and substitutions without departing from
the spirit of the invention as set forth and defined by
the following claims.
