Title of Invention	A SYSTEM AND A METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY CREATING A SUBSCRIPTION FOR APPLICATIONS AND SERVICES PROVIDED TO WIRELESS DEVICES
Abstract	No. 2223/CHENP/2005 ABSTRACT "A SYSTEM AND A METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY CREATING A SUBSCRIPTION FOR APPLICATIONS AND SERVICES PROVIDED TO WIRELESS DEVICES" A system, method, and computer program that automatically creates a subscription for applications and services provided to wireless devices from other computer devices on a wireless network, where the subscription requires periodic payment by the wireless device subscriber for continued access to the application or service. The system monitors wireless device end-user interaction with other computer devices, such as application download servers, across the wireless network and when the end-user obtains an application or service from the computer device, the system automatically records the subscription and can either bill the wireless device subscriber for the subscription(s) or transmit the bill to the carrier or other entity to bill the subscriber. Figure 2.

Title of Invention

A SYSTEM AND A METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY CREATING A SUBSCRIPTION FOR APPLICATIONS AND SERVICES PROVIDED TO WIRELESS DEVICES

Abstract

No. 2223/CHENP/2005 ABSTRACT "A SYSTEM AND A METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY CREATING A SUBSCRIPTION FOR APPLICATIONS AND SERVICES PROVIDED TO WIRELESS DEVICES" A system, method, and computer program that automatically creates a subscription for applications and services provided to wireless devices from other computer devices on a wireless network, where the subscription requires periodic payment by the wireless device subscriber for continued access to the application or service. The system monitors wireless device end-user interaction with other computer devices, such as application download servers, across the wireless network and when the end-user obtains an application or service from the computer device, the system automatically records the subscription and can either bill the wireless device subscriber for the subscription(s) or transmit the bill to the carrier or other entity to bill the subscriber. Figure 2.

Full Text	BACKGROUNIQ) OF THE INVENTION /. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention generally relates to wireless telecommunications and computer networks. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system and method for providing an infrastructure to support an automatic subscription of wireless devices and an end-to-end billing arrangement for services provided to wireless device service subscribers by network carriers and third parties. U. Descriptionof the Related Art [0002] Wireless devices, such as cellular telephones, communicate packets including voice and data over a wireless network. In existing wireless telecommunication systems, such as cellular telecommunication systems, a wireless service provider or carrier has wireless service subscribers that pay the provider for the time that the wireless device of the subscriber accesses the cellular network. Fees are typically charged to the subscriber for the initial activation of a telecommunication device and then fees can be charged for ongoing airtime and device usage. However, existing systems typically do not account for other activities at the telecommunication device beyond airtime usage. [0003] Further, if the subscriber of the wireless device desires to download and use a software appHcation or upgrade the functionality of the telecommunication device, the user will typically either call a service provider or contact the service provider through another electronic means, such as through a separate Internet access. In some instances, the service provider can transmit the application to the wireless device across the wireless network (through a one time direct access download) or allow the user access a network site with the wireless device through the wireless network and at such site the application is downloadable or accessible to the subscriber. Otherwise service personnel of the provider must have physical access to the telecommunication device to install the software or upgrade the components thereof [0004] Further, the proliferation of computer technology has made it easier and cheaper to develop software application. A computer programmer can easily develop a video game or a utility appHcation on a personal computer, and the programmer can tailor the game to run on different computer hardware platforms including on a wireless handset. However, the individual application developer encounters difficulty in getting the product to market, especially for applications that are executable on wireless devices. The developer must first create a full version of the application and then sell it to the carriers in order to derive any income. Consequently, creating application for the wireless device market is a huge investment by the developer without the guarantee of return. [0005] Wireless telecommunications carriers may rely on independent developers to develop apphcations for their users, but this arrangement would create new problems for the carriers. Now, the carriers, instead of hiring many developers, needs to track usages of products developed by these independent developers and pay them accordingly, which can be a huge task itself. [0006] Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a system and method that handles end-to-end billing for carriers. Such system should allow wireless services provides to deliver value-added products and services to their subscribers beyond simple airtime, and allow the application developer to receive payments for their products. It is thus to such a system and method for automatically managing subscription billing for wireless device subscribers that the present invention is primarily directed. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0007] The present invention discloses a system, method, and computer program that automatically manages an application or service subscription price plan for applications and services provided to wireless devices firom other computer devices on a wireless network during wireless device end-user interaction with the computer devices. Once an appHcation or subscription is activated, the subscription requires periodic payment (such as monthly) by the wireless device carrier service subscriber (who is not necessarily the end-user at the wireless device interacting on the network) for continued access to the application or service. The wireless device end-user interaction with other computer devices, such as appUcation download servers, is monitored, either directly if the interaction is with the same server that records appHcation or service subscription data, or across the wireless network when the end-user obtains an application or service from another computer device. The application or service subscription can either be billed directly to the wireless device subscriber for the subscription(s) or a bill transmitted to the carrier or other entity to bill the subscriber. In one embodiment, the system includes one or more wireless devices selectively in communication with other computer devices across a wireless network, where each wireless device has an end-user thereof and a computer platform that is able to selectively download and ejcecute software applications thereupon and is accessible by the end-user. At least one server is selectively in communication and interacts with the one or more wireless devices across the wireless network, such interaction typically occurring upon request of the end-user of the wireless device through the wireless network to download or interact with the server. The end-user interaction with at least one server across the wireless network causes a subscription of an appUcation or service, which can be recorded and billed for at Ihe same server or through the interaction of several computer devices on the wireless network. [0008] The method for managing subscription price plans for applications and services provided to wireless devices from computer devices on a wireless network particularly includes the steps of causing a subscription of an application and service to occur from end-user interaction between the wireless device and a server, and recording the subscriptions for the wireless devices at the server. The method can also include the steps of billing the wireless device carrier service subscriber and tracking subscription deletion at the wireless device to automatically discontinue the subscription. [0009] The present system and method thus enable wireless telecommunications carriers to offer value-added services from individual developers providing applications and services to wireless service subscribers without needing to build up a requisite infrastructure for providing the application and services. The system can provide further support by generating invoices to the carrier themselves, carrier subscribers, and can disburse payments for the subscriptions to the appUcations and service providers, however, in one embodiment, the system simply forwards the subscription records to the carrier for billing and collection. The user of the system can Ihus tailor the degree of control and responsibility of the billing server(s) in supporting third party applications and services to the wireless devices. [0010] Other objects, advantages, and features of the present invention will become apparent after review of the hereinafter set forth Brief Description of the Drawings, Detailed Description of the Invention, and the Claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0011] Fig. 1 is a system diagram depicting an embodiment of telecommunication system that supports the automatic subscription system. [0012] Fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of the interface architecture between the third party developers, network carriers, and wireless devices. [0013] Fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an end-user appHcation or service subscription process. [0014] Fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a subscription process on a third party apphcation server. [0015] Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an end-user subscription termination process. [0016] Fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a deletion process on a third party computer device. [0017] Fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a monthly invoicing process of the wireless subscriber of the carrier network. [0018] Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating a multi-party settlement map for third party applications and services provided to the end-users of a wireless network carrier. [0019] Fig. 9 is an illustration of an invoice record according to one embodiment of the system. [0020] Fig. 10 is an illustration of a product (application or service) record according to one embodiment of the system. [0021] Fig. 11 is an exemplary embodiment of a billmg server. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0022] hi this description, the terms "communication device," "wireless device," "hand held telephone," and "handset" are used interchangeably, the terms "server" and "end- to-end billing system" are used interchangeably, and the term "application" as used herein is intended to encompass executable and non-executable software files, raw data, aggregated data, patches, and other code segments. A "wureless device service subscriber" is a carrier service customer that pays a carrier for network airtime, i.e. voice and data calls fi-om the wireless device. And an "application or service subscription" is a value-added service or appHcation purchased by the vdreless device end-user firom another computer device on the network, such as an apphcation download server, which is typically billed periodically, e.g. monthly. A "value-added" subscriber" is a party who subscribes to a value-added service and does not have to initiate an automatic subscription when accessing the subscribed value-added service. Thus, in some instances, the purchasing end-user may not be the same person as wireless device subscriber, an example being a child end-user using the wireless device of the parent who is actually the wireless device service subscriber. Further, like numerals refer to like elements throughout the several views. With the advent of 3"* generation (3G) wireless communication technology, more bandwidth becomes available for wireless communications, and handsets and wireless telecommunication devices, such as cellular telephones, pagers, personal digital assistants (PDAs) with increasing capabilities have become available. Now, users can check weather, receive e-mails, receive paging messages, traverse the Intemet, and play an interactive game with a remote party all through his wireless handset, in addition to using it for maintaining audio communications with another party. At the same time, proliferation of computer technology has made easier and cheaper to develop digital media and deliver it to the wireless devices. The provision of more value added services, such as downloadable apphcations, can bring revenue to a wireless service provider or carrier, and one manner to achieve the additional revenue is to provide support to independent ^plication developers. The present invention thus provides the billing support for third party independent appUcation providers who provide apphcations to end-users of a network carrier as is further described herein. [0023] Fig. 1 depicts a communication network 100 used according to the present invention. The communication network 100 includes a wireless communications network, a public sAvitched telephone network (PSTN) 110, and the Intemet 120. The wireless communication network includes one or more communication towers 102, each connected to a base station (BS) 104 and serving users with communication devices 106. The communication devices 106 can be cellular telephones, pagers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), laptop computers, or other hand-held, stationary, or portable communication device that uses a wireless and cellular telecommimication network. The commands and data input by each user are transmitted as digital data to a communication tower 102. The communication between a user using a communication device 106 and the communication tower 102 can be based on different technologies, such code division multiplexed access (CDMA), time division multiplexed access (TDMA), frequency division multiplexed access (FDMA), global system for mobile communications (GSM), or other protocols that may be used in a wireless communications network or a data communications network. The data from each user is sent from the communication tower 102 to a base station (BS) 104, and forwarded to a mobile switching center (MSC) 108, wliich may be connected to a pubUc switched telephone network (PSTN) 110. [0024] The PSTN 110 is connected to the Internet 120 and to the wireless communication network through a MSC 108. The PSTN 110 supports users accessing the Intemet using a computer 116 through dial up services. The user utilizes tlie computer 116 and dials through a telephone line 118 to access an Intemet service provider (ISP) 122. The ISP 122 provides connection between the user at the computer 116 and the Intemet 120. Users at computers 114 may also access directly the ISP 122 through high-speed data connections such as digital subscriber line (DSL), Tl connections, and the Uke. The Intemet 120 is a high-speed data network. A user may access the Intemet directly by connecting to a hub on the Intemet 120 or access through an ISP 122 connected to the Intemet 120. A billing server 112 may be connected to the Intemet 120, to the MSC 108, or to the PSTN 110. Preferably, the billing server 112 is connected directly to the MSC 108. However, the server 112 does not necessarily need access to the wireless device 106 but can solely reside on the network and a file level interface from the server can collect and transform the device download event into a billable usage record. [0025] Fig. 2 is an interface architecture 200 that depicts data flow in a virtual marketplace available for access by the wireless devices 106 that causes an automatic subscription for applications and services accessed by the wireless devices 106. The automatic subscription system of the present apphcation may be a subsystem of the virtual marketplace 206 according to one embodiment, and it may also be an independent system providing the billing services to the virtual marketplace according to another embodiment. The independent developers 202, who generally have access to a computer 114 or 116, can submit their products through an interface 204, also known as the developer extranet, to the virtual marketplace 206, which can reside on a billmg server, an application download server, or any computer device on the wireless network. Thus one server can provide the entire virtual marketplace with full billing and collection of proceeds as is ftirther defined herein, or billing can be a separate system from the virtual marketplace with an interface to the marketplace to create the rated billing records and to process subscription billing services. The developers 202 may also submit their products through the developer extranet 204, which then forwards to the virtual marketplace 206, or the developers can submit the product directly to the virtual marketplace 206 If the developer is the carrier then the application is submitted through the carrier extranet 208. The interface 204 may be a web site in communication with the server or a file transfer protocol (FTP) conforming port on the server 112, or other data interconnection. The carrier extranet 208 may be an interface to the carrier's private network. It should be noted.that the developer extranet 204 and carrier extranet 208 typically interface to a common server 112 or database that enables the virtual marketplace 206. If the developer extranet and carrier extranet cannot be hosted on private networks to enable interaction between the two without some common connectivity, the negotiation can occur through both extranets interfacing over the Internet to the server 112 or common database. [0026] In one embodiment, before a developer 202 is allowed to submit his product, such as a software application, to the virtual marketplace 206, the developer 202 must certify that the product conforms to the standards established by the virtual marketplace 206. The virtual marketplace 206 publishes a set of standards for its environment that should be followed by developers who wish to submit their products to the virtual marketplace 206. Standardizing the products ensures the product can run vsnithout problems on a user handset that supports the virtual marketplace's environment. One example of such environment is Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless (BREW™) and BREW Distributed System (BDS) developed by Qualcomm Corporation. The product may also be required to be tested for conformance by a third party testing organization. [0027] After the developer 202 submits the product, the developer extranet enables negotiation of the price for the product between the developer 202 and carrier. The negotiation may be conducted directly between the carrier(s), other third parties, and the developers 202 within the virtual marketplace 206 using the developer extranet (204), or through the carrier (212) using the carrier extranet 208. Thus, developers 202 can negotiate with other developers, and carriers, to deliver applications and services to carrier customers. After the negotiation, the virtual marketplace 206 retains an agreed to appUcation price plan between developer 202 and carrier 212. The product can be associated with the originating developer before negotiation starts. [0028] After the product is included in the product catalog and made available to the users 210 of communication devices 106. An end-user 210 of the wireless device accesses the wireless telecommunications services through the carrier 212 receives the product catalog from the carrier 212. The end-user 210 can view the product catalog and select a product from the product catalog. The step of "selection" can be aa application download, menu disqplay, data transfer, diagnosis tool, or any other computer interaction between the wireless device 106 and billing server 112 or other communication device. [0029] The selection is sent from the user wireless device 106 to the carrier 212, which forwards to the server 112, which is this capacity acts as an application download server. The server 112 checks the selection and downloads the product to the wireless device. The application is dispatched to the end-user's wireless device 106 via the carrier 212. After receiving the application, the end-user 210 can activate it on that end-user's wireless device 106. For certain products, the server 112 needs not to dispatch the entire product to the user device 106, but only a user interface portion of the product. The user interface interacts with the end-user 210 througji the user wireless device 106 and sends information back to the server 112 where the application runs. Note that in another embodiment, the appUcation runs on the device or it accesses services/content from a third party server and does not nm on the server 112. [0030] Fig. 3 illustrates an end-user process 300 at the wireless device 106. When the wireless device 106 is powered up and in communication with the carrier, the wireless devicel06 receives a catalog of products and services that are available to the user, as shown at step 302, and displays the catalog on the wireless device display screen, as shown at step 304. The products and services available to the user may include interactive games, personal appointment applications, and other utility programs. The user can select a product with an associated price from the catalog, and the selection is received by the wireless device 106, as shown at step 306. The wireless device 106 sends the end-user selection and a download request to the carrier 212, as shown at step 308, through a data channel, and the carrier 212 forwards the selection along with the user and application download information to the server 112. The handset 106 also sends user infomiation, which is normally minimal as carriers 212 are very sensitive to retaining the user specific information to the server 112 through the carrier 212, as shown at step 310. The server 112 retrieves the selected product aad dispatches to the user wireless device 106. When the end-user wireless device 106 receives the product, as shown at step 312, the end-user wireless device 106 activates the product for the end- user. It should be noted that in another embodiment, the download acknowledgement can be sent after step 312, as opposed to the time of application or service download. [0031] Fig. 4 illustrates one embodiment of the virtual marketplace automatic subscription process 400 executing on a server 112. The server 112 receives the end- user selection along with the download request and the user information from the carrier 212 (or wireless device), as shown at step 402, along with the user information, and can check to see if the user is a value-added service subscriber, as shown at step 404, i.e. is a subscriber for the application download or interactive service. Although, it is not necessary to perform this check if the application or service subscription can be instigated anew by the wireless device end-user. The subscription can also be part of the download acknowledgement. For example, the download may be one time purchase of 30 days of use of an application, or a monthly subscription, and the end-user can have the option of pay per use or monthly subscription. If a check is made the user is a monthly wireless service subscriber, then the server 112 records the request, as shown at step 406, and retrieves the product, as shown at step 408, After retrieving the product, the server 112 sends the product via the carrier data network to the wireless device 106, as shown at step 410. [0032] If so embodied, if the user is not a monthly subscriber, then the server 112 can check the user information received to see whether the user is a authorized subscriber of a wireless carrier, which would occur at decision 412. Conversely, the server 112 could be contacted by a prepaid wireless device or other device not subscribed to a specific carrier's service, and in which case another method of payment can be arranged with the end-user. Alternately, at this point a user authorization check can be made from the server 112 to a carrier 212 authorization service to validate that the user is a an authorized carrier user for the service. The user may be a wireless service subscriber and not yet a value-added service subscriber, and this would be a pay per use situation. If the wireless device 106 is a wireless service subscriber, then the server 112 has that wireless subscriber's information and an account set up for him. The server 112 records the request, as shown in step 414, and generates a one-time billable event, as shown in step 416. The server 112 can also generate a monthly bilUng record, step 418, and sends the billing record to the carrier 212, step 420. It should be noted that steps 414, 416, 418, 420 may not occur until after 410 as a billable event is not logged or account created at 422 a successfiil download is confirmed was successfixl. Alternately, the server 112 can send data to cause another device on the network to create a billing record for downloaded applications. For pay per use value-added subscribers, a billing record is generated for each appUcation download or other subscription event. After the billing process is taken care of (pre-pay only), the server 112 proceeds to retrieve the product, step 408, and sends it to the user, step 410. For post pay events, the download proceeds and the download event is recorded and billing is handled after the end-user has the appUcation on the device. [0033] In another embodiment, the system also handles the situation when the user is using a pre-paid wireless telephone, i.e., the user is not a monthly wireless service subscriber. The wireless telephone device can be a pre-paid device, where the user can purchase in advance for wireless communications services. Further, an application download server can make a call to a carrier provided pre-pay service first to authorize the apphcation download and secondly to debit the customer account. Pre-pay consumers are then not able to download subscription based apphcations. The amount of services purchased may be stored in the wireless device itself or in a card that can be inserted into the wireless device. This amount is debited each time the user makes a wireless call. When the amount is depleted, the wireless device can no longer place a wireless call, unless the user replenishes it at a dealer or purchases a new pre-paid card. [0034] When a wireless device subscriber that has no existing subscription account selects a product for download, the server 112 can automatically create an account for this user, as shown in step 422, and then proceed similarly as if the user were a monthly subscriber. Such step is uimecessary if only usage records exist on the server 112. If so embodied, a billing record is generated, as shown at step 418, and sent to the carrier, as shown at step 420, before the product is retrieved, as shown at step 408, and sent to the user, as shown at step 410. The carrier 212 may deduct the amount from the billing record for the product from the user's pre-paid amount. [0035] When recording the request as shown in step 406 or step 414, the server 112 can extract demographic information from the user information and record it along with the product information. One method of obtaining demographic information is using the Subscriber ID (SID) to derive detailed information about their customers and buying trends. The demographic information may be made available to the product's developer, so the developer may have an idea about the user of his product. The demographic information may also be provided to the carriers and allowing the carriers to have a better picture about the users who tend to subscribe to similar products or services. [0036] Fig. 5 illustrates an end-user process for terminating an active subscription of a product by using the deletion process 500. The end-user can select a product jfrom the displayed active apphcations displayed on the wireless device 106, as shown in step 502. The wireless device 106 can display more than one catalog: one for all the products and one for the products targeted to the individual or groups that the user is associated with. The wireless device 106 receives the selection, as shown at step 504, and sends the deletion request along with the product and user information to the server 112, as shown at step 506. Alternately, if the application is solely resident on the wireless device 106, the user does not have to browse the catalog to delete the appUcation and unsubscribe. The user can utilize an application manager to delete the application on the device, and the delete event is queued and sent to the server 112 on the next data call. [0037] Fig. 6 illustrates a server process 600 for a user terminating a subscription on a product for a specific value-added subscriber. When the server 112, either an application download server or transaction server, receives the deletion request and related information, step 602, the server 112 retrieves the user record, such as SID information, as shown at stqp 604, and updates the user record by removing the product from the Hst of active subscription products, as shown at step 606. The request can be simple deletion of a resident appUcation for which the end-user has a subscription, and a flag or other notification means can be sent to the server 112 for notification of the deletion. [0038] The system accordingly can support flexible subscription plans. A user may subscribe to a flat price service plan, where the user pays a fixed price per month and the wireless device subscriber can access all products listed in the catalog. The end-user may also subscribe to an adjustable price service plan, where the monthly subscription fee dq)ends on how many products or what products the user has subscribed to. The user may also purchase an application based on a one-time flat fee for a specified number of uses service plan. The system will automatically account for the subscription in whatever method provided. [0039] Fig. 7 illustirates the monthly invoice process 700, which can be a process on a carrier 212 server. If so embodied, the server 112 can periodically generate invoices or other billing information for its monthly application and service subscribers every month and sends the invoices or other bilUng information to the carriers 212 of the wireless device service subscribers. The server 112 retrieves subscriber records, as shown at step 702, and then generates billing records for those wireless service subscribers as shown at step 704. Customer may utihze products which are subscription services or one-time purchase. Since the server 112 may support multiple carriers and users who are subscribers with different carriers, the billing records are segregated and sent to the carrier based on carrier specific tagged identifier, as shown at step 706. [0040] Fig. 8 is a relationship map 800 illustrating the financial relationship between developers 202, the subscription billing system 802, carriers 212, and end-users at the wireless device 210. The subscription billing system 802 may support more than one carrier 212 and generate invoices separately for each carrier 212. The invoices generated are available for viewing by the developers 202. Each carrier 212 sends a bill to each individual user 210 who has subscribed or used a product or service from a product catalog, and receives a payment from each user 210. The carrier 212 pays the invoice to billing system 802, and the billing system 802 makes payments to the developers 202. [0041] The relationship 800 shows the advantage of the present invention. For developers 202, the present invention allows for easy marketing of their products and eliminates the hassle of dealing with individual buyers or the trouble of searching for publishers to carry their products. For carriers 212, the present invention provides a way to make more products available to end users 210, thus providing new venues to generate more profits, without the need to hire a large number of software developers. For users 210, the present invention makes more appUcations available to the users 210 and maybe be eliminates the need for the users 210 to carry multiple electronic devices, such as pagers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), or even game devices. [0042] Fig. 9 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a billing record 900. The bilUng record 900 is kept in a billing database in the server 112 and has user identification 902, carrier identification 904, subscription plan identification 906an invoice 908 (which can include rated price information, developer fee, and Ust price information) and usage information 910. The billing record is generated by the billing server 112 and sent to each carrier 212. The carrier 212 then bills the user for the rated price. The carrier 212 may adjust the invoice amount before billing the wireless device subscriber. [0043] Fig. 10 illustrates a product record 1000 according to one embodiment of the invention. The product record 1000 is accessible to developers for viewing. It should be noted that sometimes only a subset of the billing record is accessible to the developer because there is carrier sensitive information in the billing record that is not available to the developer. The product record 1000 is kept in a product database in the billing server 112 and has a developer identification field 1002, a product identification field 1004, a subscription usage (such as list price) information field 1006, a pay-per-use usage information field 1008, and one or more user information fields 1010. The subscription usage field 1006 can list how many value-added subscribers have subscribed this product on monthly basis; the pay-per-use usage field 1008 can list how many specific value-added subscriber have subscribed this product on pay-per-use basis; the user information field 1010 may list demographical data extracted firom the user information received. The usage record can also contain information such as subscriber id, timestamp, part number, part name, event type (i.e., download or delete), application list price, application developer fee, application license information, etc. [0044] Fig. 11 illustrates one embodiment of the components of a billing server, such as can be implemented-on server 112. The server 112 has an invoice generator 1102, a subscription recorder 1104, a developer interface 1106, a controller 1108, a product database 1110, a catalog library 1112, a developer account manager 1114, a carrier interface 1116, and a billing database 1118. The invoice generator 1102 generates invoices to the carriers; the subscription recorder 1104 records user selections; the developer interface 1106 receives product submissions fi-om developers and provides access to the developer for viewing subscription information; the product database 1110 stores all the products submitted; the catalog library 1112 stores all the catalogs devised for different carriers and hardware platforms; the developer account manager 1114 provides subscription information or other data to the developers and makes payments to the developers; the carrier interface 1116 interfaces with the carriers; the billing database 1118 records billing records for all the users; and the controller 1108 oversees the operation of the server 112. In other embodiment, the application download server or transaction manager generates carrier invoices, and the carrier billing systems generate customer invoices. Consequently, the transaction manager manages active subscriptions and generates monthly subscription billing events that get exported to carrier billing systems and the transaction manager can supports billing services to /4 developers 202 for developer payment reconciliation but this summary usage information does not include carrier sensitive usage information such as SID, etc. [0045] A developer can access the server 112 through the interface 204, which is handled by the developer interface 1106, by entering his developer identification number. The server 112 assigns to each developer an identification number and a password. After entering the identification number and the password, the billing server 112 allows the developer to access at least billing support services associated with the developer identification number. [0046] It can thus be seen that the system yields a method for providing an end-to-end billing system 802 that supports multiple parties, where the subscription billing system 802 supports plurality of developers and a multitude of end-users through various carriers. The system is transparent to the end-user that only sees the subscription- causing event and the subscription-ending event, with the system handling the billing between those events. The billing system 802 sets up individual accounts for each developer, where the products developed by each developer is hsted in his own account. The subscription billing system 802 also can associate each end-user with a carrier and records each end user's service plan. The system can also record product requests, deliver the product requested to the end-user, and generate invoices individually on per use basis or monthly on subscription basis. If so embodied, the payment collected from each carrier is recorded and an appropriate portion of the collected payment is distributed to the developers whose products have been used or subscribed by the end users. [0047] In view of the method being executable on the computer platform of a computing device such as server 112, the present invention includes a program resident in a computer readable medium, where the program directs a server or other computing device having a computer platform to perform the steps of the method. The computer readable medium can be the memory of the server 112, or can be in a connective database. Further, the computer readable medium can be in a secondary storage media that is loadable onto a wireless device computer platform, such as a magnetic disk or tape, optical disk, hard disk, flash memory, or other storage media as is known in the art. [0048] In the context of Figs. 3-7, the method may be implemented, for example, by operating portion(s) of the vdreless network to execute a sequence of machine-readable instructions, such the server 112. The instructions can reside in various types of signal- bearing or data storage primary, secondary, or tertiary media. The media may comprise, for example, RAM (not shown) accessible by, or residing within, the components of the wireless network. Whether contained in RAM, a diskette, or other secondary storage media, the instructions may be stored on a variety of machine-readable data storage media, such as DASD storage (e.g., a conventional "hard drive" or a RAID array), magnetic tape, electronic read-only memory (e.g., ROM, EPROM, or EEPROM), flash memory cards, an optical storage device (e.g. CD-ROM, WORM, DVD, digital optical tape), paper "punch" cards, or other suitable data storage media including digital and analog transmission media. [0049] While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail maybe made without departmg from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set for the in the following claims. Furthermore, although elements of the invention may be described or claimed in the singular,, the plural is contemplated imless hmitation to the singular is expHcitly stated. WE CLAIM: 1. A system for automatically creating a subscription for applications and services provided to wireless devices from at least one server on a wireless network, comprising: one or more wireless devices selectively in communication with other computer devices across a wireless network, each wireless device including an end-user thereof and a computer platform able to selectively download and execute software applications thereupon and accessible by the end-user, the wireless device further having a subscriber thereof for access to the wireless network; and at least one server selectively in communication with the one or more wireless devices across the wireless network, the at least one server selectively interacting with the one or more wireless devices upon request of the end-user of the wireless device through the wireless network, wherein the end-user interaction with the at least one server across the wireless network causing a subscription of an application or service, such subscription requiring periodic payment by the wireless device subscriber for continued access to the application or service. 2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the subscriptions for each wireless device are gathered into subscription data at the at least one server. 3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the subscription data is transmitted to another computer device across the wireless network. 4. The system as claimed in claim 1, v/herein the at least one server periodically generates a bill for the subscriptions of the one or more wireless devices. 5. The system as claimed in claim 4, wheiein the generated bill is transmitted from the at least one server to another computer device on the wireless network. 6. The system as claimed in claim 1. wherein the subscription occurs upon the download of an application from the at least one server to the wireless device computer platform. 7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the subscription occurs upon the execution of an application resident on the at least one server. 8. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the subscription occurs upon access of the wireless device to an application resident on another computer device on the wireless network, and the at least one server records such access. 9. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the server tracks subscription ending events of the one or more wireless devices. 10. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the subscription-ending event is the wireless device indicating that the end-user has requested to end the subscription. 11. The system as claimed in claim 1. wherein the subscription-ending event is the wireless device deleting a subscribed applicalion, the wireless device notifying the at least one server of such application deletion. 12. A server for selectively interacting with one or more wireless devices across a wireless network, said server comprising an invoice generator (1102) for generating invoices to the carriers; a subscription recorder (1 104) for recording the subscription caused by end- user interactions with a computer device across the wireless network; a developer interface (1106) for receiving product submission from developers and providing access to the developer for viewing subscription information; and a controller (1108) for controlling the operation of the server. 13. The server as claim.ed in claim 12. comprising a product database (1110) for storing all the products submitted by developers. 14. The server as claimed in claim 12, comprising a catalog library (1112) for storing all the catalogs devised for different carriers and hardware platfonns. 15. The server as claimed in claim 12, comprising a developer account manager (1114) for providing the subscription information caused by end-user interactions with a computer device to the developers. 16. A method for automatically creating a subscription for applications and services provided to wireless devices from computer devices on a wireless network, comprising the steps of causing a subscription of an application and service to occur from end-user interaction between a wireless device and a server, the wireless device selectively in communication with other computer devices across a wireless network and including a computer platform that further selectively downloads and executes software applications thereupon and which are accessible by the end-user; and recording the subscriptions for the wireless devices at a server, such subscription requiring periodic payment by the wireless device subscriber for continued access to the application or service. 17. The method as claimed in claim 16, comprising the step of transmitting the recorded subscriptions to another computer device on the wireless network. 18. The method as claimed in claim 16, comprising the step of generating a bill at the server for a wireless device based upon the recorded subscriptions. 19. The method as claimed in claim 18. comprising the step of transmitting the bill from the server to another computer device on the w ireless network. 20. The method as claimed in claim 16. wherein the step of causing a subscription to occur is causing a subscription to occur through the download of an application from a computer device on the wireless network to the wireless device computer platform. 21. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the step of causing a subscription to occur is causing a subscription to occur through the execution of an application on the wireless device. 22. The method as claimed in claim 16, comprising the step of tracking subscription- ending events of the wireless devices. 23. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein the step of tracking subscription ending events is tracking wireless device indications that the end-user has requested to end the subscription. 24. The method as claimed in claim 23, wherein the step of tracking subscription ending events is tracking is the wireless device deleting a subscribed application. 25. The method as claimed in claim. 24, comprising the step of the wireless device notifying the server of the deletion of a subscribed application.

Full Text

BACKGROUNIQ) OF THE INVENTION
/. Field of the Invention
[0001] The present invention generally relates to wireless telecommunications and
computer networks. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system and
method for providing an infrastructure to support an automatic subscription of wireless
devices and an end-to-end billing arrangement for services provided to wireless device
service subscribers by network carriers and third parties.
U. Descriptionof the Related Art
[0002] Wireless devices, such as cellular telephones, communicate packets including
voice and data over a wireless network. In existing wireless telecommunication systems,
such as cellular telecommunication systems, a wireless service provider or carrier has
wireless service subscribers that pay the provider for the time that the wireless device of
the subscriber accesses the cellular network. Fees are typically charged to the
subscriber for the initial activation of a telecommunication device and then fees can be
charged for ongoing airtime and device usage. However, existing systems typically do
not account for other activities at the telecommunication device beyond airtime usage.
[0003] Further, if the subscriber of the wireless device desires to download and use a
software appHcation or upgrade the functionality of the telecommunication device, the
user will typically either call a service provider or contact the service provider through
another electronic means, such as through a separate Internet access. In some instances,
the service provider can transmit the application to the wireless device across the
wireless network (through a one time direct access download) or allow the user access a
network site with the wireless device through the wireless network and at such site the
application is downloadable or accessible to the subscriber. Otherwise service
personnel of the provider must have physical access to the telecommunication device to
install the software or upgrade the components thereof
[0004] Further, the proliferation of computer technology has made it easier and cheaper
to develop software application. A computer programmer can easily develop a video
game or a utility appHcation on a personal computer, and the programmer can tailor the
game to run on different computer hardware platforms including on a wireless handset.

However, the individual application developer encounters difficulty in getting the
product to market, especially for applications that are executable on wireless devices.
The developer must first create a full version of the application and then sell it to the
carriers in order to derive any income. Consequently, creating application for the
wireless device market is a huge investment by the developer without the guarantee of
return.
[0005] Wireless telecommunications carriers may rely on independent developers to
develop apphcations for their users, but this arrangement would create new problems
for the carriers. Now, the carriers, instead of hiring many developers, needs to track
usages of products developed by these independent developers and pay them
accordingly, which can be a huge task itself.
[0006] Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a system and method that
handles end-to-end billing for carriers. Such system should allow wireless services
provides to deliver value-added products and services to their subscribers beyond
simple airtime, and allow the application developer to receive payments for their
products. It is thus to such a system and method for automatically managing
subscription billing for wireless device subscribers that the present invention is
primarily directed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention discloses a system, method, and computer program that
automatically manages an application or service subscription price plan for applications
and services provided to wireless devices firom other computer devices on a wireless
network during wireless device end-user interaction with the computer devices. Once an
appHcation or subscription is activated, the subscription requires periodic payment (such
as monthly) by the wireless device carrier service subscriber (who is not necessarily the
end-user at the wireless device interacting on the network) for continued access to the
application or service. The wireless device end-user interaction with other computer
devices, such as appUcation download servers, is monitored, either directly if the
interaction is with the same server that records appHcation or service subscription data,
or across the wireless network when the end-user obtains an application or service from
another computer device. The application or service subscription can either be billed
directly to the wireless device subscriber for the subscription(s) or a bill transmitted to

the carrier or other entity to bill the subscriber. In one embodiment, the system includes
one or more wireless devices selectively in communication with other computer devices
across a wireless network, where each wireless device has an end-user thereof and a
computer platform that is able to selectively download and ejcecute software
applications thereupon and is accessible by the end-user. At least one server is
selectively in communication and interacts with the one or more wireless devices across
the wireless network, such interaction typically occurring upon request of the end-user
of the wireless device through the wireless network to download or interact with the
server. The end-user interaction with at least one server across the wireless network
causes a subscription of an appUcation or service, which can be recorded and billed for
at Ihe same server or through the interaction of several computer devices on the wireless
network.
[0008] The method for managing subscription price plans for applications and services
provided to wireless devices from computer devices on a wireless network particularly
includes the steps of causing a subscription of an application and service to occur from
end-user interaction between the wireless device and a server, and recording the
subscriptions for the wireless devices at the server. The method can also include the
steps of billing the wireless device carrier service subscriber and tracking subscription
deletion at the wireless device to automatically discontinue the subscription.
[0009] The present system and method thus enable wireless telecommunications
carriers to offer value-added services from individual developers providing applications
and services to wireless service subscribers without needing to build up a requisite
infrastructure for providing the application and services. The system can provide
further support by generating invoices to the carrier themselves, carrier subscribers, and
can disburse payments for the subscriptions to the appUcations and service providers,
however, in one embodiment, the system simply forwards the subscription records to
the carrier for billing and collection. The user of the system can Ihus tailor the degree of
control and responsibility of the billing server(s) in supporting third party applications
and services to the wireless devices.
[0010] Other objects, advantages, and features of the present invention will become
apparent after review of the hereinafter set forth Brief Description of the Drawings,
Detailed Description of the Invention, and the Claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] Fig. 1 is a system diagram depicting an embodiment of telecommunication
system that supports the automatic subscription system.
[0012] Fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of the interface
architecture between the third party developers, network carriers, and wireless devices.
[0013] Fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an end-user appHcation or service subscription
process.
[0014] Fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a subscription process on a third party
apphcation server.
[0015] Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an end-user subscription termination process.
[0016] Fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a deletion process on a third party computer
device.
[0017] Fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a monthly invoicing process of the wireless
subscriber of the carrier network.
[0018] Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating a multi-party settlement map for third party
applications and services provided to the end-users of a wireless network carrier.
[0019] Fig. 9 is an illustration of an invoice record according to one embodiment of the
system.
[0020] Fig. 10 is an illustration of a product (application or service) record according to
one embodiment of the system.
[0021] Fig. 11 is an exemplary embodiment of a billmg server.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0022] hi this description, the terms "communication device," "wireless device," "hand
held telephone," and "handset" are used interchangeably, the terms "server" and "end-
to-end billing system" are used interchangeably, and the term "application" as used
herein is intended to encompass executable and non-executable software files, raw data,
aggregated data, patches, and other code segments. A "wureless device service
subscriber" is a carrier service customer that pays a carrier for network airtime, i.e.
voice and data calls fi-om the wireless device. And an "application or service
subscription" is a value-added service or appHcation purchased by the vdreless device
end-user firom another computer device on the network, such as an apphcation
download server, which is typically billed periodically, e.g. monthly. A "value-added"

subscriber" is a party who subscribes to a value-added service and does not have to
initiate an automatic subscription when accessing the subscribed value-added service.
Thus, in some instances, the purchasing end-user may not be the same person as
wireless device subscriber, an example being a child end-user using the wireless device
of the parent who is actually the wireless device service subscriber. Further, like
numerals refer to like elements throughout the several views. With the advent of 3"*
generation (3G) wireless communication technology, more bandwidth becomes
available for wireless communications, and handsets and wireless telecommunication
devices, such as cellular telephones, pagers, personal digital assistants (PDAs) with
increasing capabilities have become available. Now, users can check weather, receive
e-mails, receive paging messages, traverse the Intemet, and play an interactive game
with a remote party all through his wireless handset, in addition to using it for
maintaining audio communications with another party. At the same time, proliferation
of computer technology has made easier and cheaper to develop digital media and
deliver it to the wireless devices. The provision of more value added services, such as
downloadable apphcations, can bring revenue to a wireless service provider or carrier,
and one manner to achieve the additional revenue is to provide support to independent
^plication developers. The present invention thus provides the billing support for third
party independent appUcation providers who provide apphcations to end-users of a
network carrier as is further described herein.
[0023] Fig. 1 depicts a communication network 100 used according to the present
invention. The communication network 100 includes a wireless communications
network, a public sAvitched telephone network (PSTN) 110, and the Intemet 120. The
wireless communication network includes one or more communication towers 102, each
connected to a base station (BS) 104 and serving users with communication devices 106.
The communication devices 106 can be cellular telephones, pagers, personal digital
assistants (PDAs), laptop computers, or other hand-held, stationary, or portable
communication device that uses a wireless and cellular telecommimication network.
The commands and data input by each user are transmitted as digital data to a
communication tower 102. The communication between a user using a communication
device 106 and the communication tower 102 can be based on different technologies,
such code division multiplexed access (CDMA), time division multiplexed access
(TDMA), frequency division multiplexed access (FDMA), global system for mobile

communications (GSM), or other protocols that may be used in a wireless
communications network or a data communications network. The data from each user
is sent from the communication tower 102 to a base station (BS) 104, and forwarded to
a mobile switching center (MSC) 108, wliich may be connected to a pubUc switched
telephone network (PSTN) 110.
[0024] The PSTN 110 is connected to the Internet 120 and to the wireless
communication network through a MSC 108. The PSTN 110 supports users accessing
the Intemet using a computer 116 through dial up services. The user utilizes tlie
computer 116 and dials through a telephone line 118 to access an Intemet service
provider (ISP) 122. The ISP 122 provides connection between the user at the computer
116 and the Intemet 120. Users at computers 114 may also access directly the ISP 122
through high-speed data connections such as digital subscriber line (DSL), Tl
connections, and the Uke. The Intemet 120 is a high-speed data network. A user may
access the Intemet directly by connecting to a hub on the Intemet 120 or access through
an ISP 122 connected to the Intemet 120. A billing server 112 may be connected to the
Intemet 120, to the MSC 108, or to the PSTN 110. Preferably, the billing server 112 is
connected directly to the MSC 108. However, the server 112 does not necessarily need
access to the wireless device 106 but can solely reside on the network and a file level
interface from the server can collect and transform the device download event into a
billable usage record.
[0025] Fig. 2 is an interface architecture 200 that depicts data flow in a virtual
marketplace available for access by the wireless devices 106 that causes an automatic
subscription for applications and services accessed by the wireless devices 106. The
automatic subscription system of the present apphcation may be a subsystem of the
virtual marketplace 206 according to one embodiment, and it may also be an
independent system providing the billing services to the virtual marketplace according
to another embodiment. The independent developers 202, who generally have access to
a computer 114 or 116, can submit their products through an interface 204, also known
as the developer extranet, to the virtual marketplace 206, which can reside on a billmg
server, an application download server, or any computer device on the wireless network.
Thus one server can provide the entire virtual marketplace with full billing and
collection of proceeds as is ftirther defined herein, or billing can be a separate system
from the virtual marketplace with an interface to the marketplace to create the rated

billing records and to process subscription billing services. The developers 202 may
also submit their products through the developer extranet 204, which then forwards to
the virtual marketplace 206, or the developers can submit the product directly to the
virtual marketplace 206 If the developer is the carrier then the application is submitted
through the carrier extranet 208. The interface 204 may be a web site in communication
with the server or a file transfer protocol (FTP) conforming port on the server 112, or
other data interconnection. The carrier extranet 208 may be an interface to the carrier's
private network. It should be noted.that the developer extranet 204 and carrier extranet
208 typically interface to a common server 112 or database that enables the virtual
marketplace 206. If the developer extranet and carrier extranet cannot be hosted on
private networks to enable interaction between the two without some common
connectivity, the negotiation can occur through both extranets interfacing over the
Internet to the server 112 or common database.
[0026] In one embodiment, before a developer 202 is allowed to submit his product,
such as a software application, to the virtual marketplace 206, the developer 202 must
certify that the product conforms to the standards established by the virtual marketplace
206. The virtual marketplace 206 publishes a set of standards for its environment that
should be followed by developers who wish to submit their products to the virtual
marketplace 206. Standardizing the products ensures the product can run vsnithout
problems on a user handset that supports the virtual marketplace's environment. One
example of such environment is Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless (BREW™)
and BREW Distributed System (BDS) developed by Qualcomm Corporation. The
product may also be required to be tested for conformance by a third party testing
organization.
[0027] After the developer 202 submits the product, the developer extranet enables
negotiation of the price for the product between the developer 202 and carrier. The
negotiation may be conducted directly between the carrier(s), other third parties, and the
developers 202 within the virtual marketplace 206 using the developer extranet (204), or
through the carrier (212) using the carrier extranet 208. Thus, developers 202 can
negotiate with other developers, and carriers, to deliver applications and services to
carrier customers. After the negotiation, the virtual marketplace 206 retains an agreed to
appUcation price plan between developer 202 and carrier 212. The product can be
associated with the originating developer before negotiation starts.

[0028] After the product is included in the product catalog and made available to the
users 210 of communication devices 106. An end-user 210 of the wireless device
accesses the wireless telecommunications services through the carrier 212 receives the
product catalog from the carrier 212. The end-user 210 can view the product catalog
and select a product from the product catalog. The step of "selection" can be aa
application download, menu disqplay, data transfer, diagnosis tool, or any other computer
interaction between the wireless device 106 and billing server 112 or other
communication device.
[0029] The selection is sent from the user wireless device 106 to the carrier 212, which
forwards to the server 112, which is this capacity acts as an application download server.
The server 112 checks the selection and downloads the product to the wireless device.
The application is dispatched to the end-user's wireless device 106 via the carrier 212.
After receiving the application, the end-user 210 can activate it on that end-user's
wireless device 106. For certain products, the server 112 needs not to dispatch the entire
product to the user device 106, but only a user interface portion of the product. The
user interface interacts with the end-user 210 througji the user wireless device 106 and
sends information back to the server 112 where the application runs. Note that in
another embodiment, the appUcation runs on the device or it accesses services/content
from a third party server and does not nm on the server 112.
[0030] Fig. 3 illustrates an end-user process 300 at the wireless device 106. When the
wireless device 106 is powered up and in communication with the carrier, the wireless
devicel06 receives a catalog of products and services that are available to the user, as
shown at step 302, and displays the catalog on the wireless device display screen, as
shown at step 304. The products and services available to the user may include
interactive games, personal appointment applications, and other utility programs. The
user can select a product with an associated price from the catalog, and the selection is
received by the wireless device 106, as shown at step 306. The wireless device 106
sends the end-user selection and a download request to the carrier 212, as shown at step
308, through a data channel, and the carrier 212 forwards the selection along with the
user and application download information to the server 112. The handset 106 also
sends user infomiation, which is normally minimal as carriers 212 are very sensitive to
retaining the user specific information to the server 112 through the carrier 212, as
shown at step 310. The server 112 retrieves the selected product aad dispatches to the

user wireless device 106. When the end-user wireless device 106 receives the product,
as shown at step 312, the end-user wireless device 106 activates the product for the end-
user. It should be noted that in another embodiment, the download acknowledgement
can be sent after step 312, as opposed to the time of application or service download.
[0031] Fig. 4 illustrates one embodiment of the virtual marketplace automatic
subscription process 400 executing on a server 112. The server 112 receives the end-
user selection along with the download request and the user information from the carrier
212 (or wireless device), as shown at step 402, along with the user information, and can
check to see if the user is a value-added service subscriber, as shown at step 404, i.e. is
a subscriber for the application download or interactive service. Although, it is not
necessary to perform this check if the application or service subscription can be
instigated anew by the wireless device end-user. The subscription can also be part of the
download acknowledgement. For example, the download may be one time purchase of
30 days of use of an application, or a monthly subscription, and the end-user can have
the option of pay per use or monthly subscription. If a check is made the user is a
monthly wireless service subscriber, then the server 112 records the request, as shown at
step 406, and retrieves the product, as shown at step 408, After retrieving the product,
the server 112 sends the product via the carrier data network to the wireless device 106,
as shown at step 410.
[0032] If so embodied, if the user is not a monthly subscriber, then the server 112 can
check the user information received to see whether the user is a authorized subscriber of
a wireless carrier, which would occur at decision 412. Conversely, the server 112 could
be contacted by a prepaid wireless device or other device not subscribed to a specific
carrier's service, and in which case another method of payment can be arranged with the
end-user. Alternately, at this point a user authorization check can be made from the
server 112 to a carrier 212 authorization service to validate that the user is a an
authorized carrier user for the service. The user may be a wireless service subscriber
and not yet a value-added service subscriber, and this would be a pay per use situation.
If the wireless device 106 is a wireless service subscriber, then the server 112 has that
wireless subscriber's information and an account set up for him. The server 112 records
the request, as shown in step 414, and generates a one-time billable event, as shown in
step 416. The server 112 can also generate a monthly bilUng record, step 418, and
sends the billing record to the carrier 212, step 420. It should be noted that steps 414,

416, 418, 420 may not occur until after 410 as a billable event is not logged or account
created at 422 a successfiil download is confirmed was successfixl. Alternately, the
server 112 can send data to cause another device on the network to create a billing
record for downloaded applications. For pay per use value-added subscribers, a billing
record is generated for each appUcation download or other subscription event. After the
billing process is taken care of (pre-pay only), the server 112 proceeds to retrieve the
product, step 408, and sends it to the user, step 410. For post pay events, the download
proceeds and the download event is recorded and billing is handled after the end-user
has the appUcation on the device.
[0033] In another embodiment, the system also handles the situation when the user is
using a pre-paid wireless telephone, i.e., the user is not a monthly wireless service
subscriber. The wireless telephone device can be a pre-paid device, where the user can
purchase in advance for wireless communications services. Further, an application
download server can make a call to a carrier provided pre-pay service first to authorize
the apphcation download and secondly to debit the customer account. Pre-pay
consumers are then not able to download subscription based apphcations. The amount
of services purchased may be stored in the wireless device itself or in a card that can be
inserted into the wireless device. This amount is debited each time the user makes a
wireless call. When the amount is depleted, the wireless device can no longer place a
wireless call, unless the user replenishes it at a dealer or purchases a new pre-paid card.
[0034] When a wireless device subscriber that has no existing subscription account
selects a product for download, the server 112 can automatically create an account for
this user, as shown in step 422, and then proceed similarly as if the user were a monthly
subscriber. Such step is uimecessary if only usage records exist on the server 112. If so
embodied, a billing record is generated, as shown at step 418, and sent to the carrier, as
shown at step 420, before the product is retrieved, as shown at step 408, and sent to the
user, as shown at step 410. The carrier 212 may deduct the amount from the billing
record for the product from the user's pre-paid amount.
[0035] When recording the request as shown in step 406 or step 414, the server 112 can
extract demographic information from the user information and record it along with the
product information. One method of obtaining demographic information is using the
Subscriber ID (SID) to derive detailed information about their customers and buying
trends. The demographic information may be made available to the product's developer,

so the developer may have an idea about the user of his product. The demographic
information may also be provided to the carriers and allowing the carriers to have a
better picture about the users who tend to subscribe to similar products or services.
[0036] Fig. 5 illustrates an end-user process for terminating an active subscription of a
product by using the deletion process 500. The end-user can select a product jfrom the
displayed active apphcations displayed on the wireless device 106, as shown in step 502.
The wireless device 106 can display more than one catalog: one for all the products and
one for the products targeted to the individual or groups that the user is associated with.
The wireless device 106 receives the selection, as shown at step 504, and sends the
deletion request along with the product and user information to the server 112, as shown
at step 506. Alternately, if the application is solely resident on the wireless device 106,
the user does not have to browse the catalog to delete the appUcation and unsubscribe.
The user can utilize an application manager to delete the application on the device, and
the delete event is queued and sent to the server 112 on the next data call.
[0037] Fig. 6 illustrates a server process 600 for a user terminating a subscription on a
product for a specific value-added subscriber. When the server 112, either an
application download server or transaction server, receives the deletion request and
related information, step 602, the server 112 retrieves the user record, such as SID
information, as shown at stqp 604, and updates the user record by removing the product
from the Hst of active subscription products, as shown at step 606. The request can be
simple deletion of a resident appUcation for which the end-user has a subscription, and a
flag or other notification means can be sent to the server 112 for notification of the
deletion.
[0038] The system accordingly can support flexible subscription plans. A user may
subscribe to a flat price service plan, where the user pays a fixed price per month and
the wireless device subscriber can access all products listed in the catalog. The end-user
may also subscribe to an adjustable price service plan, where the monthly subscription
fee dq)ends on how many products or what products the user has subscribed to. The
user may also purchase an application based on a one-time flat fee for a specified
number of uses service plan. The system will automatically account for the subscription
in whatever method provided.
[0039] Fig. 7 illustirates the monthly invoice process 700, which can be a process on a
carrier 212 server. If so embodied, the server 112 can periodically generate invoices or

other billing information for its monthly application and service subscribers every
month and sends the invoices or other bilUng information to the carriers 212 of the
wireless device service subscribers. The server 112 retrieves subscriber records, as
shown at step 702, and then generates billing records for those wireless service
subscribers as shown at step 704. Customer may utihze products which are subscription
services or one-time purchase. Since the server 112 may support multiple carriers and
users who are subscribers with different carriers, the billing records are segregated and
sent to the carrier based on carrier specific tagged identifier, as shown at step 706.
[0040] Fig. 8 is a relationship map 800 illustrating the financial relationship between
developers 202, the subscription billing system 802, carriers 212, and end-users at the
wireless device 210. The subscription billing system 802 may support more than one
carrier 212 and generate invoices separately for each carrier 212. The invoices
generated are available for viewing by the developers 202. Each carrier 212 sends a bill
to each individual user 210 who has subscribed or used a product or service from a
product catalog, and receives a payment from each user 210. The carrier 212 pays the
invoice to billing system 802, and the billing system 802 makes payments to the
developers 202.
[0041] The relationship 800 shows the advantage of the present invention. For
developers 202, the present invention allows for easy marketing of their products and
eliminates the hassle of dealing with individual buyers or the trouble of searching for
publishers to carry their products. For carriers 212, the present invention provides a
way to make more products available to end users 210, thus providing new venues to
generate more profits, without the need to hire a large number of software developers.
For users 210, the present invention makes more appUcations available to the users 210
and maybe be eliminates the need for the users 210 to carry multiple electronic devices,
such as pagers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), or even game devices.
[0042] Fig. 9 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a billing record 900. The bilUng
record 900 is kept in a billing database in the server 112 and has user identification 902,
carrier identification 904, subscription plan identification 906an invoice 908 (which can
include rated price information, developer fee, and Ust price information) and usage
information 910. The billing record is generated by the billing server 112 and sent to
each carrier 212. The carrier 212 then bills the user for the rated price. The carrier 212
may adjust the invoice amount before billing the wireless device subscriber.

[0043] Fig. 10 illustrates a product record 1000 according to one embodiment of the
invention. The product record 1000 is accessible to developers for viewing. It should
be noted that sometimes only a subset of the billing record is accessible to the developer
because there is carrier sensitive information in the billing record that is not available to
the developer. The product record 1000 is kept in a product database in the billing
server 112 and has a developer identification field 1002, a product identification field
1004, a subscription usage (such as list price) information field 1006, a pay-per-use
usage information field 1008, and one or more user information fields 1010. The
subscription usage field 1006 can list how many value-added subscribers have
subscribed this product on monthly basis; the pay-per-use usage field 1008 can list how
many specific value-added subscriber have subscribed this product on pay-per-use basis;
the user information field 1010 may list demographical data extracted firom the user
information received. The usage record can also contain information such as subscriber
id, timestamp, part number, part name, event type (i.e., download or delete), application
list price, application developer fee, application license information, etc.
[0044] Fig. 11 illustrates one embodiment of the components of a billing server, such as
can be implemented-on server 112. The server 112 has an invoice generator 1102, a
subscription recorder 1104, a developer interface 1106, a controller 1108, a product
database 1110, a catalog library 1112, a developer account manager 1114, a carrier
interface 1116, and a billing database 1118. The invoice generator 1102 generates
invoices to the carriers; the subscription recorder 1104 records user selections; the
developer interface 1106 receives product submissions fi-om developers and provides
access to the developer for viewing subscription information; the product database 1110
stores all the products submitted; the catalog library 1112 stores all the catalogs devised
for different carriers and hardware platforms; the developer account manager 1114
provides subscription information or other data to the developers and makes payments
to the developers; the carrier interface 1116 interfaces with the carriers; the billing
database 1118 records billing records for all the users; and the controller 1108 oversees
the operation of the server 112. In other embodiment, the application download server
or transaction manager generates carrier invoices, and the carrier billing systems
generate customer invoices. Consequently, the transaction manager manages active
subscriptions and generates monthly subscription billing events that get exported to
carrier billing systems and the transaction manager can supports billing services to
/4

developers 202 for developer payment reconciliation but this summary usage
information does not include carrier sensitive usage information such as SID, etc.
[0045] A developer can access the server 112 through the interface 204, which is
handled by the developer interface 1106, by entering his developer identification
number. The server 112 assigns to each developer an identification number and a
password. After entering the identification number and the password, the billing server
112 allows the developer to access at least billing support services associated with the
developer identification number.
[0046] It can thus be seen that the system yields a method for providing an end-to-end
billing system 802 that supports multiple parties, where the subscription billing system
802 supports plurality of developers and a multitude of end-users through various
carriers. The system is transparent to the end-user that only sees the subscription-
causing event and the subscription-ending event, with the system handling the billing
between those events. The billing system 802 sets up individual accounts for each
developer, where the products developed by each developer is hsted in his own account.
The subscription billing system 802 also can associate each end-user with a carrier and
records each end user's service plan. The system can also record product requests,
deliver the product requested to the end-user, and generate invoices individually on per
use basis or monthly on subscription basis. If so embodied, the payment collected from
each carrier is recorded and an appropriate portion of the collected payment is
distributed to the developers whose products have been used or subscribed by the end
users.
[0047] In view of the method being executable on the computer platform of a
computing device such as server 112, the present invention includes a program resident
in a computer readable medium, where the program directs a server or other computing
device having a computer platform to perform the steps of the method. The computer
readable medium can be the memory of the server 112, or can be in a connective
database. Further, the computer readable medium can be in a secondary storage media
that is loadable onto a wireless device computer platform, such as a magnetic disk or
tape, optical disk, hard disk, flash memory, or other storage media as is known in the art.
[0048] In the context of Figs. 3-7, the method may be implemented, for example, by
operating portion(s) of the vdreless network to execute a sequence of machine-readable
instructions, such the server 112. The instructions can reside in various types of signal-

bearing or data storage primary, secondary, or tertiary media. The media may comprise,
for example, RAM (not shown) accessible by, or residing within, the components of the
wireless network. Whether contained in RAM, a diskette, or other secondary storage
media, the instructions may be stored on a variety of machine-readable data storage
media, such as DASD storage (e.g., a conventional "hard drive" or a RAID array),
magnetic tape, electronic read-only memory (e.g., ROM, EPROM, or EEPROM), flash
memory cards, an optical storage device (e.g. CD-ROM, WORM, DVD, digital optical
tape), paper "punch" cards, or other suitable data storage media including digital and
analog transmission media.
[0049] While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to
a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that
various changes in form and detail maybe made without departmg from the spirit and
scope of the present invention as set for the in the following claims. Furthermore,
although elements of the invention may be described or claimed in the singular,, the
plural is contemplated imless hmitation to the singular is expHcitly stated.

WE CLAIM:
1. A system for automatically creating a subscription for applications and services
provided to wireless devices from at least one server on a wireless network, comprising:
one or more wireless devices selectively in communication with other computer
devices across a wireless network, each wireless device including an end-user thereof and a
computer platform able to selectively download and execute software applications thereupon
and accessible by the end-user, the wireless device further having a subscriber thereof for
access to the wireless network; and
at least one server selectively in communication with the one or more wireless devices
across the wireless network, the at least one server selectively interacting with the one or
more wireless devices upon request of the end-user of the wireless device through the
wireless network,
wherein the end-user interaction with the at least one server across the wireless
network causing a subscription of an application or service, such subscription requiring
periodic payment by the wireless device subscriber for continued access to the application or
service.
2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the subscriptions for each wireless device
are gathered into subscription data at the at least one server.
3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the subscription data is transmitted to
another computer device across the wireless network.
4. The system as claimed in claim 1, v/herein the at least one server periodically
generates a bill for the subscriptions of the one or more wireless devices.
5. The system as claimed in claim 4, wheiein the generated bill is transmitted from the at
least one server to another computer device on the wireless network.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1. wherein the subscription occurs upon the download
of an application from the at least one server to the wireless device computer platform.
7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the subscription occurs upon the execution
of an application resident on the at least one server.
8. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the subscription occurs upon access of the
wireless device to an application resident on another computer device on the wireless
network, and the at least one server records such access.
9. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the server tracks subscription ending
events of the one or more wireless devices.
10. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the subscription-ending event is the
wireless device indicating that the end-user has requested to end the subscription.
11. The system as claimed in claim 1. wherein the subscription-ending event is the
wireless device deleting a subscribed applicalion, the wireless device notifying the at least
one server of such application deletion.
12. A server for selectively interacting with one or more wireless devices across a
wireless network, said server comprising an invoice generator (1102) for generating invoices
to the carriers; a subscription recorder (1 104) for recording the subscription caused by end-
user interactions with a computer device across the wireless network; a developer interface
(1106) for receiving product submission from developers and providing access to the
developer for viewing subscription information; and a controller (1108) for controlling the
operation of the server.
13. The server as claim.ed in claim 12. comprising a product database (1110) for storing
all the products submitted by developers.

14. The server as claimed in claim 12, comprising a catalog library (1112) for storing all
the catalogs devised for different carriers and hardware platfonns.
15. The server as claimed in claim 12, comprising a developer account manager (1114)
for providing the subscription information caused by end-user interactions with a computer
device to the developers.
16. A method for automatically creating a subscription for applications and services
provided to wireless devices from computer devices on a wireless network, comprising the
steps of
causing a subscription of an application and service to occur from end-user interaction
between a wireless device and a server, the wireless device selectively in communication
with other computer devices across a wireless network and including a computer platform
that further selectively downloads and executes software applications thereupon and which
are accessible by the end-user; and
recording the subscriptions for the wireless devices at a server, such subscription
requiring periodic payment by the wireless device subscriber for continued access to the
application or service.
17. The method as claimed in claim 16, comprising the step of transmitting the recorded
subscriptions to another computer device on the wireless network.
18. The method as claimed in claim 16, comprising the step of generating a bill at the
server for a wireless device based upon the recorded subscriptions.
19. The method as claimed in claim 18. comprising the step of transmitting the bill from
the server to another computer device on the w ireless network.
20. The method as claimed in claim 16. wherein the step of causing a subscription to
occur is causing a subscription to occur through the download of an application from a
computer device on the wireless network to the wireless device computer platform.

21. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the step of causing a subscription to
occur is causing a subscription to occur through the execution of an application on the
wireless device.
22. The method as claimed in claim 16, comprising the step of tracking subscription-
ending events of the wireless devices.
23. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein the step of tracking subscription ending
events is tracking wireless device indications that the end-user has requested to end the
subscription.
24. The method as claimed in claim 23, wherein the step of tracking subscription ending
events is tracking is the wireless device deleting a subscribed application.
25. The method as claimed in claim. 24, comprising the step of the wireless device
notifying the server of the deletion of a subscribed application.

Documents:

2223-chenp-2005 abstract duplicate.pdf

2223-chenp-2005 abstract.pdf

2223-chenp-2005 claims duplicate.pdf

2223-chenp-2005 claims.pdf

2223-chenp-2005 correspondence-others.pdf

2223-chenp-2005 correspondence-po.pdf

2223-chenp-2005 description (compelet) duplicate.pdf

2223-chenp-2005 description (compelet).pdf

2223-chenp-2005 drawings duplicate.pdf

2223-chenp-2005 drawings.pdf

2223-chenp-2005 form-1.pdf

2223-chenp-2005 form-18.pdf

2223-chenp-2005 form-26.pdf

2223-chenp-2005 form-3.pdf

2223-chenp-2005 form-5.pdf

2223-chenp-2005 others.pdf

2223-chenp-2005 pct search report.pdf

2223-chenp-2005 pct.pdf

2223-chenp-2005 petition.pdf

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Patent Number

230607

Indian Patent Application Number

2223/CHENP/2005

PG Journal Number

13/2009

Publication Date

27-Mar-2009

Grant Date

27-Feb-2009

Date of Filing

12-Sep-2005

Name of Patentee

QUALCOMM INCORPORATED

Applicant Address

5775 Morehouse Drive, San Diego, California 92121,

Inventors:

#	Inventor's Name	Inventor's Address
1	YU, Julie	48700 Algonquin Court, San Diego, CA 92130,
2	HOREL, Gerald	6500 Torin Road, Brentwood Bay, British Columbia V8M 2H5,
3	PATWARI, Jaiteerth	9974 Kika Court, Apt 7424, San Diego, California 92129,
4	KLEIN, Michelle	4104 Kerwood Court, San Diego, California 92130,
5	OLIVER, Mitchell, B	9737 Caminito Suelto, San Diego, California 92131,

PCT International Classification Number

G06F 15/16

PCT International Application Number

PCT/US04/06756

PCT International Filing date

2004-03-05

PCT Conventions:

#	PCT Application Number	Date of Convention	Priority Country
1	10/388,063	2003-03-12	U.S.A.