Prepaid Short Messaging

Abstract

A prepaid messaging solution which uses open networking standards (e.g., TCP/IP) and which supports pre-payment of enhanced Internet messaging services. The disclosed prepaid architectures and methods accurately determine if a subscriber has sufficient account balance to deliver a complete short message, prior to delivery of the message. The short message may be prevented from being delivered (either at the source end or at the destination end) if insufficient funds are in the subscriber's account. A prepaid tariff engine is preferably extensible over a TCP/IP network, and supports remote interaction with the SMSC and web chat servers for the purpose of applying a real-time billing charge for each message. A service provider may create subscriber classes of service that define and uniquely identify subscriber rate and/or tariffing plans used to apply real-time billing charges for sending or receiving of messages. The prepaid short message tariff engine determines the appropriate message billing based upon, e.g., flat rate per message, message count (e.g., 10 messages @ $5.00), character count (e.g., $0.01/char.), Time of Day, Day of Week (i.e., peak & non-peak hours), type of message, and/or mobile location (i.e., network point code). The prepaid short messaging service preferably supports Internet web page access to subscriber's relating to their short messaging account balances and status maintained in the prepaid short messaging database of the prepaid messaging server.

1 - 30 . (canceled) 
     
     
         31 . A method comprising:
 receiving, at a server comprising one or more computing devices with access to a physical account database of information associated with prepaid balances of accounts of prepaid wireless subscribers, a file of a predetermined approximate size from a sending device, that is addressed to a recipient;   the server querying, in response to the receiving, the physical account database to determine whether a given prepaid balance of a given account is sufficient to support a transfer of the file to the recipient; and   the server causing the file to be sent to the recipient in response to determining that the given prepaid balance is sufficient to support the transfer of the file to the recipient, wherein the file is not sent to the recipient in response to determining that the given prepaid balance is not sufficient to support the transfer of the file to the recipient.   
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the given account is associated with the sending device or the recipient. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 31 , further comprising providing a message to a device associated with the given account that characterizes the given prepaid balance of the given account. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the file is a binary file. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 31 , further comprising:
 preventing the transfer of the file to the recipient in response to determining that the given prepaid balance of the given account is not sufficient to support the transfer of the file to the recipient.   
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 31 , further comprising:
 debiting the given prepaid balance of the given account in response to determining that the given prepaid balance of the given account is sufficient to support the transfer of the file to the recipient.   
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein the given prepaid balance of the given account is debited by an amount corresponding to at least one of a type of the file, a size of the file, a time that the file is received and a mobile location of a device associated with the given account. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the sending device or a device associated with the recipient comprises at least one of the following:
 a mobile device;   a mobile phone;   a personal digital assistant;   an Applet executing on the sending device;   an Intelligent agent executing on the sending device;   a Desktop chat client executing on the sending device;   a Gaming card device; or   any combination thereof.   
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the server is operating on an intelligent network. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the given prepaid balance of the given account defines funds available for debit. 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein at least one of the sending device and the recipient comprises a mobile device operating on a wireless carrier network. 
     
     
         42 . A method comprising:
 receiving, from a sender, a request to transfer a file to a recipient device at a server comprising one or more computing devices with access to a physical account database of information associated with accounts of prepaid wireless subscribers;   the server rating the file to determine a rate for transferring the file to the recipient device;   the server querying, in response to the receiving, the physical account database to determine a prepaid balance in an account associated with a device addressed in the request;   the server determining whether the prepaid balance in the account associated with the device addressed in the request is sufficient to support the rate for transferring the file to the recipient device; and   the server causing the file to be sent to the recipient device in response to determining that the prepaid balance is sufficient to support the rate for transferring the file to the recipient, wherein the file is not sent to the recipient device in response to determining that the prepaid balance in the account associated with the device addressed in the request is not sufficient to support the rate for transferring the file to the recipient device.   
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 42 , further comprising:
 debiting the account associated with the device addressed in the request in response to determining that the prepaid balance is sufficient to support the rate for transferring the file to the recipient device.   
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein the recipient device comprises a mobile device operating on a wireless carrier network. 
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein the prepaid balance of the account associated with the device addressed in the request is accessible through a web page. 
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 42 , further comprising:
 the server determining at least one of a plurality of characteristics associated with the file, wherein the plurality of characteristics associated with the file comprises a type of the file, a size of the file, a time that the request to transfer the file is received and a mobile location of the device addressed in the request that is associated with the account;   wherein the rate for transferring the file to the recipient device is based on the determined at least one of the plurality of characteristics associated with the file.   
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 42 , further comprising:
 preventing the transfer of the file to the recipient device in response to determining that the prepaid balance is not sufficient to support the rate for the transfer of the file to the recipient device.   
     
     
         48 . A method comprising:
 tariffing, at a server comprising one or more computing devices with access to a physical database of information associated with accounts of prepaid wireless subscribers, a file received via a network from a sending device addressed to a recipient to determine a tariff for transferring the file to the recipient;   the server querying, in response to the tariffing, the physical account database to determine whether a prepaid balance in at least one of the accounts of prepaid wireless subscribers is sufficient to support the tariff for transferring the file to the recipient; and   the server causing the file to be sent to the recipient in response to determining that the prepaid balance is sufficient to support the tariff for transferring the file to the recipient, wherein the file is not sent to the recipient in response to determining that the prepaid balance is not sufficient to support the tariff for transferring the file to the recipient.   
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 48 , wherein the file has a definite size and the tariffing is based on the definite size of the file. 
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 48 , further comprising:
 debiting, from the at least one of the accounts, the tariff for transferring the file to the recipient in response to determining that the prepaid balance is sufficient to support the tariff for transferring the file to the recipient.   
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 48 , further comprising:
 storing the file in a buffer; and   suspending the transfer of the file in response to determining that the prepaid balance is not sufficient to support the tariff for transferring the file, until the prepaid balance is replenished sufficiently to support the tariff for transferring the file to the recipient.   
     
     
         52 . The method of  claim 48 , further comprising:
 suspending a service of a given prepaid wireless subscriber associated with the at least one of the accounts of prepaid wireless subscribers until the prepaid balance is replenished sufficiently to support the tariff for transferring the file to the recipient.   
     
     
         53 . The method of  claim 48 , further comprising:
 preventing the transfer of the file to the recipient in response to determining that the prepaid balance is not sufficient to support the tariff for the transfer of the file to the recipient.   
     
     
         54 . The method of  claim 48 , wherein the tariff for transferring the file to the recipient is based on at least one of a type of the file, the size of the file, a time that the file is received and a mobile location of a device associated with the at least one of the accounts. 
     
     
         55 . A server comprising one or more computing devices with access to a physical database of information associated with accounts of prepaid wireless subscribers, the server being configured to:
 receive a file from a sending device addressed to a recipient;   determine a cost for completing a transfer of the file to the recipient;   query a physical account database to determine a prepaid balance of an account of a prepaid wireless subscriber associated with the sending device or the recipient;   determine whether the prepaid balance in the account associated with the sending device or the recipient is sufficient to complete the transfer of the file to the recipient; and   cause the file to be sent to the recipient in response to determining that the prepaid balance is sufficient to complete the transfer of the file to the recipient, wherein the file is not sent to the recipient in response to determining that the prepaid balance is not sufficient to complete the transfer of the file to the recipient.   
     
     
         56 . The server of  claim 55 , wherein the server is further configured to:
 debit the account associated with the sending device or the recipient in response to determining that the prepaid balance is sufficient to complete the transfer of the file to the recipient.   
     
     
         57 . The server of  claim 55 , wherein the cost is based on at least one of a type of the file, a size of the file, a time that the file is received, and a mobile location of the device associated with the prepaid subscriber. 
     
     
         58 . The server of  claim 55 , wherein the server is further configured to:
 prevent the transfer of the file to the recipient device in response to determining that the prepaid balance is not sufficient to complete the transfer of the file to the recipient.   
     
     
         59 . The server of  claim 55 , wherein the server is further configured to:
 store the file in a buffer; and   suspend the transfer of the file in response to determining that the prepaid balance is not sufficient to complete the transferring of the file to the recipient, until the prepaid balance is replenished sufficiently to support the transferring of the file to the recipient.   
     
     
         60 . The server of  claim 55 , wherein the server operates on a wireless carrier network.