JP4485764B2 - Billing method for communication service using IP network - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the present invention, instead of dialing a telephone number in an Internet telephone, the receiving side identification information expressed in alphabets such as a company name and a product name is input, and the caller side user terminal and the receiving side contract subscriber terminal The present invention relates to a billing method for a communication service that establishes communication.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In the telephone network, it is a mechanism for knowing what type of billing call is made for each of the first 1 to 4 digits of the telephone number. For example, 0120 or 0800 is used as the first four digits in the case of a freephone that is charged for incoming calls, and 0990 is used in the case of a service that charges information. In the case of an Internet telephone using SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), it is possible to make a connection request using a URI (Uniform Resource Indicator) corresponding to a dialed number in addition to numerals and alphabets or partial symbols. In that case, kigyoumei @ kigyou. An internet telephone using identification information that is not a telephone number that identifies a called party, such as com, is possible. Therefore, in a communication system using an IP network, identification information such as a product name, a company name, a brand name, and a keyword can be included in the connection number as receiver identification information. The definition of URI is introduced in RFC2396, IETF.
[0003]
Internet telephone services using SIP are already being started by communication carriers. In Japan, services are provided using a tel URI that uses an 11-digit telephone number starting with 050. Since the Internet telephone routing method using SIP has already been established, it is an existing technology. As for the billing mode, a flat-rate service free of call charges is being provided for Internet calls between the same ISP (Internet Service Provider) users.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
If you want to flexibly use various forms of billing methods in communication services that use information such as company names, brand names, and product names as Internet phone connection numbers as recipient identification information, numbers dialed like a public telephone network Then, there is a problem that the billing form is unknown. For example, as an example of a billing method, a form of content billing that charges an arbitrary cost for one call can be considered. In addition, when a prominent product name related to the manufacture and sale of a specific company is used, it is possible that the telecommunications carrier charges the callee as a commercial fee because the product can be advertised and introduced. In the case of the telephone service up to now, the metered charge proportional to the communication time is generally used, but it is not necessary to be limited to the charge form.
[0005]
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a billing method for a communication service system in which an alphabetical name of a company name or a product name is input as callee information instead of dialing a telephone number via an Internet telephone, and communication is established between user terminals. It is an object of the present invention to provide a flexible billing form that can respect a user's will over a wide range regarding the communication cost.
Furthermore, the present invention provides a communication service charging method capable of clearly displaying a charging method between a general user and a contract subscriber in a communication service system using an IP telephone.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A method for charging a communication service using an IP network according to the present invention includes a subscriber terminal of a communication service system and a plurality of user terminals connected via the IP network, and a connection request from the user terminal to the IP network. A DNS server for processing the communication, a communication control server for controlling communication between the terminals, and a billing server, and the contract subscriber terminal has registered identification information, and the user terminal to the contract subscriber terminal When the connection request is received, the communication control server converts the identification information of the called terminal into a physical address, connects the corresponding called terminal and the calling user terminal, and connects the user via the IP network. In the charging method of the communication service system in which communication is established between the terminal and the contract subscriber terminal,
Each contract subscriber, when subscribing to the communication service system, defines for each identification information a method for paying communication costs according to the amount of information provided to the user or the content of the information. Pre-register billing conditions for
The communication control server collects billing information based on the registered billing condition and transmits it to the billing server when communication is completed.
[0007]
In the present invention, since the billing method for the communication service is left to the free will of each contract subscriber, it is possible to take a flexible billing form that fully corresponds to the demands of individual subscribers who subscribe to the communication service. As a form of billing, for example, in the case of a company in which the contract subscriber mainly provides information, all incoming calls can be set as the burden of the callee, and for users who mainly use general calls, the caller should bear the communication cost Can be determined. Alternatively, it is possible to determine the burden on the receiving side for a specific caller and the burden on the caller for other callers. Alternatively, it is possible to adopt a billing method in which the cost is divided between the contract subscriber and the general user. Furthermore, the contract subscriber can also define the cost burden and amount according to the amount and content of information provided to the user who is the caller. As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to utilize a flexible billing method according to each subscriber's request in a communication service using an IP phone.
[0008]
A charging method for a communication service using another IP network according to the present invention includes a subscriber terminal of a communication service system and a plurality of user terminals connected via the IP network. A DNS server that processes a connection request, a communication control server that controls communication between terminals, and a billing server are connected, and the contract subscriber terminal has registered identification information, and the user terminal transmits the contract subscriber's When there is a connection request to the terminal, the communication control server converts the identification information of the receiving terminal into a physical address, connects the corresponding receiving terminal and the user terminal of the calling party, and passes through the IP network. In a charging method for a communication service system using an IP network in which communication is established between a user terminal and a contract subscriber terminal,
When a connection request is notified from the communication control server to the contract subscriber terminal, the contract subscriber bears the communication cost according to the amount of information provided to the user or the content of the information. Specify the method, notify the billing conditions for the communication service ,
The communication control server collects charging information based on the notified charging condition and transmits it to the charging server when communication is completed. In this way, the charging condition is not only registered when the contract subscriber contracts with the communication carrier, but also uses a method of notifying from the contract subscriber when establishing communication with the user terminal. You can also.
[0009]
A preferred embodiment of a method for charging a communication service using an IP network according to the present invention is a product related to a contract subscriber's name, name, trade name, common name, abbreviation, manufacture or sale as registered identification information of the contract subscriber. It is characterized by using identification information in which a combination of a name, a brand name, or a contract subscriber's name, trade name, common name or abbreviation and a product name related to manufacture and sale of the contract subscriber is expressed in alphabet. Unlike the general telephone network, in the IP network, alphabetic notation can be used as the identification information of the called party, so that the contracting subscriber can use his / her name, name, etc. or his / her name and product name combined. Can be used as identification information. Note that the alphabet notation includes the combination of numbers and alphabets.
[0010]
According to a preferred embodiment of the method for charging a communication service using an IP network according to the present invention, prior to establishing communication between a user terminal and a contract subscriber terminal, the communication control server sets a charging condition for the communication service as a caller. When the user accepts the charging conditions, communication is established between the caller-side user terminal and the callee-side contract subscriber terminal. Thus, if the calling method is notified to the caller for each call, the caller can achieve the advantage that the call charge for the communication service can be grasped in advance.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
The Internet telephone communication method will be described using a method using SIP.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a system configuration diagram in the first to fourth embodiments of the invention. A plurality of user terminals 2a to 2n and a plurality of contract subscriber terminals 3a to 3m of the communication service system are connected to the IP network 1, and communication is established between these user terminals and the contract subscriber terminals. As a user terminal, all terminals attached to an IP network such as an IP phone, a personal computer having a communication function, or a mobile phone can be used. When a subscriber subscribes to a telecommunications service system, he / she signs a contract with a telecommunications carrier and self-describes his / her name, name, common name, abbreviation, product name, brand name, etc. related to manufacturing or sales. It can be registered as identification information. At the same time, a billing form for the communication service with the user is registered in advance. As a charging form, various forms can be freely defined for each contracted subscriber based on the free will of the contracted subscriber. For example, it can be paid by the contracted subscriber on the receiving side or can be borne by the user. Furthermore, a cost burden can be defined according to the amount and content of information to be provided. For example, in the case of video distribution or music distribution, a user who is a caller can be burdened with a cost. Furthermore, it can also be set as the division | segmentation burden between a user and a contract subscriber.
[0012]
When making a connection request, a user inputs identification information, which is an alphabetical representation of a contracting subscriber who is a communication partner, to the user terminal. A connection request from the caller terminal 2 is transmitted to a DNS (Domain Name System) server 4 and is transmitted to a communication control server (SIP proxy server) 5 that accommodates the callee terminal based on identification information on the callee side. The communication control server 5 has a function of controlling communication between terminals, and communication between the caller terminal and the callee terminal is controlled by the communication control server. In this example, the communication control server 5 includes a communication control processing unit 5a that performs communication control between terminals, and executes communication control processing in this communication control processing unit. This communication control processing unit has a table that defines the relationship between user identification information in alphabetical notation such as company names and brand names and physical addresses, converts the identification information into physical addresses, and connects to the corresponding recipient Forward the request. The communication control server includes a charging processing unit 5b that performs charging control when communication is completed, and performs charging control as well as communication control between terminals. Then, the accounting server 6 is connected to the communication control server 5 and the accounting information is transmitted to the accounting server 6. In this example, the DNS server 5 and the communication control server 5 are separate, but it is also possible to use a server in which the DNS server and the communication control server are integrated. Furthermore, although only a single communication control server 5 is shown in the drawing, it goes without saying that a plurality of communication control servers can be connected to the IP network.
[0013]
FIG. 2 is a sequence example in the first embodiment. Each user registers the billing conditions for the call in the communication control server 5 in advance (step 100). The registration method at this time may be registered as contract information at the time of service contract, or may be registered using Internet customer control. The charging condition may be a pay-per-use charge proportional to the call time or an information charge per information item. The billing rate can be arbitrarily set for each company and each product. Further, the communication cost can be defined based on the free will of the contract subscriber, and can be borne by the callee, the caller, or divided. Further, when the user terminal functions as an information providing server, it can be registered that all charges are paid when it functions as a receiving side terminal, or it can be defined that the call is borne by the recipient according to the information provided. Accordingly, it is possible to flexibly respond to billing according to the user's request.
[0014]
The user 2 inputs the company name and the recipient identification information included as part or all of the product name connection number as the recipient identification information, and connects the Internet telephone according to a connection procedure using a general SIP protocol. Depending on the ISP NW mode, the DNS server 4 may serve as the proxy server on the originating side, or an ENUM (E.164 number) server or a location server may be required, but this is omitted in this sequence.
[0015]
The Request-URI that is a connection request input by the caller 2 is, for example, SIP: aaa @ bbb. com (aaa: product name, bbb: domain name of the communication control server), it is possible to use the identification information of the callee and the product name related to the manufacture and sale of the callee. This connection request is connected to the DNS server, bbb. com to a proxy server (communication control server) 5 that accommodates the called party. The communication control processing unit 5a of the communication control server 5 converts the received Request-URI into a physical address (such as an IP address), connects to the called party 3, and shifts to communication. At this time, the communication (RTP) packet between the caller 2 and the callee 3 may be directly connected between the caller 2 and the callee 3 or any media server of the ISP that provides the Internet telephone. You may go through. In this sequence, the media server is omitted.
[0016]
After the call disconnection, the billing processing unit 5b of the communication control server 5 collects billing information according to the billing conditions registered in advance in step 100 (step 200), transmits the billing information to the billing server 6, and the billing server 6 For example, the data is tabulated at the end of the month, and the caller 2 is charged. The transmission method of the billing information between the communication control server 5 and the billing server 6 may be a transmission method determined by each ISP (for example, transmission by FTP (File Transfer Protocol) for each call). In this example, the communication control server notifies the caller's user terminal of the charging conditions registered before establishing the connection between the user terminal and the contract subscriber terminal. Communication can also be established only when conditions are accepted.
[0017]
As described above, the process 100 for registering the charging conditions desired by the user who is a subscriber of the communication service in advance in the communication control server 5, and the caller 1 inputs the company name and product name to the contract subscriber terminal 3 It is possible to provide a flexible billing method for each company name and product name by connecting, establishing a call, and performing the process 200 of collecting necessary billing information in the communication control server 5 after disconnection of communication. .
[0018]
(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 3 is a sequence example in the second embodiment. As in the first embodiment, the caller 2 inputs the company name and product name as identification information of the callee, and connects the Internet telephone according to a connection procedure using a general SIP protocol. In this sequence, at the time of a response (200 OK) from the contract subscriber terminal 3 which is the called party to the communication control server 5, the charging condition is notified from the user on the called party side (step 101). The accounting conditions are the same as in the first embodiment. The signal for notifying the charging condition may be 180 Ringing or a different message such as NOTIFY, as long as the callee 3 notifies the communication control server 5 during communication control.
[0019]
After the call disconnection, the billing processing unit 5b of the communication control server 4 collects billing information according to the billing conditions notified in step 101 (step 201). The method for transmitting billing information between the communication control server 5 and the billing server 6 and the method for billing the caller are the same as in the first embodiment.
[0020]
As described above, the communication control server 5 is notified of the charging conditions desired by the callee 3 during communication control, and the caller 2 inputs the company name and product name to connect to the callee 3 and establish a call. Then, after the disconnection, the communication control server 5 performs a step 201 of collecting necessary billing information, thereby providing a flexible billing method for each company name and product name.
[0021]
(Third embodiment)
FIG. 4 is a sequence example in the third embodiment.
As in the second embodiment, the caller 2 who is a user inputs a company name or a product name as caller identification information, and connects an Internet telephone according to a connection procedure using a general SIP protocol. In this sequence, the billing condition is notified when the callee 3 responds to the communication control server 5 (200 OK) (step 101). The communication control processing unit 5a of the communication control server 5 notifies the caller 2 of the received billing condition with 200OK (step 300), and confirms whether or not the caller 2 can agree to the billing condition. In this sequence, the signal is mapped to a signal of 200 OK. However, the communication control server 4 may be connected to a guidance device such as an IVR and notified by voice.
[0022]
In addition, if the notified charging condition does not meet the request, the caller 2 will not be charged unnecessary because the call is not established if it is disconnected before the ACK response.
[0023]
As described above, the communication control server 5 can confirm the charging conditions to the caller by notifying the caller 2 of the information after receiving the charging conditions from the caller 3.
[0024]
(Fourth embodiment)
FIG. 5 is a sequence example in the fourth embodiment.
The callee 3 registers the billing conditions for the call for the company name and product name of the callee in advance in the communication control server 5 for each item (step 102). The registration method at this time may be registered as contract information at the time of service contract or may be registered using Internet customer control. The billing condition may be a pay-as-you-go billing proportional to the call time or an information amount billing per piece of information, but a bill paid by the called party that the ISP collects as a commercial fee from the called party. It is a condition.
[0025]
The caller 1 connects to the callee 2 in the same procedure as in the first embodiment. After the call disconnection, the billing processing unit 5a of the communication control server 5 collects billing information according to the billing conditions registered in advance in step 102 (step 202), transmits the billing information to the billing server 6, and the billing server 6 For example, the data is tabulated at the end of the month and billed to the recipient 3. Note that the transmission method of the billing information between the communication control server 5 and the billing server。 may be a transmission method determined by each ISP (for example, transmission by FTP (File Transfer Protocol) for each call).
[0026]
As described above, the process 102 for registering the charging conditions for the callee 3 in the communication control server 5 in advance, and the caller 2 inputs the company name and product name to connect to the callee 3, establish the call, and then disconnect By performing the step 202 of collecting necessary billing information in the communication control server 5, it becomes possible to provide a flexible billing method for each company name and product name.
[0027]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, when a company name or product name is entered as part or all of the recipient identification information instead of dialing a telephone number via an Internet telephone and communication with the company is established, A flexible billing form for each name and product can be provided. In particular, since the billing form is left to the user's judgment, a flexible billing method can be realized according to the request of the user who is a communication service subscriber.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a communication service system according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a sequence example in the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a sequence example in a second embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a sequence example according to a third embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a sequence example in a fourth embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 IP network 2 User terminal 3 Contract subscriber terminal 4 DNS server 5 Communication control server 6 Charging server 5a Communication control processing part 5b Charging processing part

Claims (3)

A subscriber terminal of a communication service system and a plurality of user terminals are connected via an IP network, and a DNS server that processes a connection request from the user terminal and communication for controlling communication between the terminals. A control server and a billing server are connected, the contract subscriber terminal has registered identification information, and when there is a connection request from the user terminal to the contract subscriber terminal, the communication control server Terminal identification information is converted into a physical address, the corresponding receiving terminal and caller user terminal are connected, and communication is established between the user terminal and the contract subscriber terminal via the IP network. In a charging method for a communication service system using an IP network,
Each contract subscriber, when subscribing to the communication service system, specifies a communication cost burden method according to the amount of information provided to the user or the content of the information for each identification information, and Billing conditions for the service are registered in advance, and when the communication is completed, the communication control server collects billing information based on the registered billing conditions and transmits it to the billing server . Furthermore, the user terminal and the contract subscriber terminal Prior to the establishment of communication with the communication server, the communication control server notifies the caller side user terminal of charging conditions for the communication service, and if the user accepts the charging conditions, the caller side user terminal and the incoming call A communication service billing method using an IP network, characterized in that communication is established with a subscriber side subscriber terminal.   2. A method for charging a communication service using an IP network according to claim 1, wherein the contract subscriber's registered identification information includes a name, name, trade name, common name, abbreviation, product for sale or manufacture of the contract subscriber. Communication using an IP network characterized by using alphabetical identification information that combines a name, a brand name, or a contract subscriber's name, trade name, common name or abbreviation and a product name related to the manufacture and sale of the contract subscriber Service billing method. The communication service charging method using the IP network according to any one of claims 1 to 2 , wherein communication between the user terminal and the contract subscriber terminal is performed based on SIP. A charging method for a communication service using an IP network.

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