JPH07297956A - Communication system and communication charging method - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] Even when making a call using a normal general telephone number,
Provide a service that allows a child to perform billing processing at a billing rate designated by the called subscriber of the communication call. A communication system comprising: a billing rate input device; an exchange having subscriber data storage means, database access means and call control means; and a database having means for storing a billing rate and means for retrieving a billing rate. , The service contractor sets the charging rate in the database by the charging rate input means, and the exchange identifies the call arrived at the specific communication terminal by the identifier of the communication terminal based on the data of the service contractor, and the specific communication terminal When the call arrives at, the database is accessed, and the database searches the charging rate based on the identifier of the communication terminal,
The exchange charges the call according to the charging rate notified from the database.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

The present invention relates to a public communication network,
The present invention relates to a communication system and a charging method for performing a charging process for a call arriving at a specific communication terminal according to a charging rate registered in a database.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, a call issued to a general telephone number has been charged only by a charge rate based on a time difference method according to distance fixedly defined by a communication network. However, the demand for telephones has diversified, and it has become necessary to charge different charges for calls to receive special services. This is for example dial Q
Special service number such as 2 services (dial Q2
The service is implemented by a method of performing a special charging process only for a call originated by a service special number of 0990XX ...

[0003]

In the method using the service special number as described above, it is necessary to add the function of accessing the database to all the exchanges throughout the country and set the database access necessity condition. It takes effort and time.

In order to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to perform a billing process at a billing rate designated by the called subscriber of the communication call even for an outgoing call using a general telephone number. To provide a service that can be done.

[0005]

For the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides a charging rate input device for setting data of a charging rate required by a service contractor in a database, and a subscription for storing data of the service contractor. Person data storage means, database access means for accessing a database specified by the identifier of the communication terminal when a call arrives at a specific communication terminal stored in the subscriber data storage means, and a charging rate notified from the database An exchange having call control means for controlling call connection in accordance with the above, a means for storing a charging rate set by a service contractor, and a means for searching for a charging rate based on an identifier of a designated communication terminal. A communication system including a database having the same is provided.

Further, the present invention is a billing method that enables billing for a call that has been normally originated, at the billing rate set by the callee of the call, and accommodates and registers in the public communication network. When a call arrives at a communication terminal designated by the user who has set the charging rate in the database with respect to a call received at the terminal, the exchange containing the communication terminal accesses the database holding the charging rate, It is characterized in that the billing rate required for connection of the call is collected and the call connection process is performed according to the billing rate thus obtained.

[0007]

The present invention enables a subscriber of a communication network contracting for the service to register a predetermined charging rate in the database from the charging rate input means. Also,
In the present invention, the database is accessed when a call arrives at the communication terminal specified by the user who has set the charging rate in the database. for that reason,
It becomes possible for the subscriber to specify a billing rate independently specified in addition to the fixed billing rate in the conventional communication network, and not only for calling using the service special number,
It is possible to communicate at the billing rate specified by the service contractor even when calling to the general terminal number.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the principle of the present invention. The communication network to which the present invention is applied comprises subscriber line exchanges 10 and 12, a relay exchange 11, a database 13, and a charging rate input means 14. Further, the subscriber exchange 12 accommodates a communication terminal 15 specified by a subscriber (hereinafter referred to as a service contractor) using the communication charging system according to the present invention,
The subscriber line exchange 10 accommodates a communication terminal 16 which issues a call to be received by the communication terminal.

In the present invention, the service contractor first determines in advance a charging rate for a call that arrives at the communication terminal 15 specified by the service contractor, and the charging rate input means 14 stores the service contracting party in the database 13. Set the determined billing rate. The database 13 is shown in FIG.
An example of the charging rate information in the above is shown. The service contractor inputs the necessary information in the database 13 by the charging rate input means 14, that is, the charging rate for the caller when the call arrives at the service contractor and the charging rate for the called party (service contractor). Set. The charging rate input means 14 can check whether the set charging rate is correct.

FIG. 3 shows an operation sequence when each component according to the present invention operates at the time of call connection. After the setting of information in the charging rate database is completed and the service according to the present invention can be provided, the caller who wants to communicate with the service contractor from the communication terminal 16 to the communication terminal 15 of the service contractor. Then, the subscriber line exchange 10 and the trunk line exchange 11 perform normal call processing,
The line is set up to the subscriber line exchange 12 accommodating the service contractor.

The subscriber line exchange 12 inquires of the subscriber data memory about the incoming call, determines that the call is an incoming call to the service contractor, and stores it in the database 1
3 is accessed for searching the charging rate by using the identifier of the service contractor. Database 1
In step 3, the charging rate set by the service contractor is retrieved from the identifier of the service contractor specified by the access from the subscriber line exchange 12. After that, the database 13 notifies the subscriber line exchange 12 of the retrieved charging rate.

The subscriber line exchange 12 operates in accordance with the charging rate notified from the database 13 to the service contractor terminal 1
The incoming call processing to 5 is performed. Here, the subscriber line exchange 12
After notifying the subscriber line exchange 10 of the charging rate for the caller notified from the service control device,
The call is received by the service contractor. Due to the notification of the charging rate to the caller, the subscriber line exchange 10 accommodating the communication terminal 16 of the caller is not the charging rate prescribed by the normal communication network for the charging process for the call,
It is possible to charge the caller at the charge rate set in the database 13.

As described above, according to the present invention, when a call arrives at the communication terminal 15 possessed by the service contractor, the subscriber line exchange 12 that accommodates the call has the charging rate database 13 stored therein.
To obtain the charging rate specified by the service contractor from the database, and set the call at the charging rate specified by the service contractor. Therefore, for a call that arrives at the terminal owned by the service contractor, in addition to the conventional communication charge in the database 13, a value-added charge for the communication (the service contractor asks the caller to relate the call) If it is set to charge the information fee for the information to be provided, etc., the service contractor charges the added value charge from the caller to the communication network for the incoming call to the terminal owned by the service contractor. Can be collected through

According to another embodiment, for a call coming to a service contractor, the charging rate database is set to have a charging rate lower than the conventional communication fee in the charging rate database, so that the conventional communication fee is insufficient. It is also possible to set up the database so that the service contractor himself will bear the cost. This makes it possible for the caller and the service contractor to share the burden of the conventional communication charge for the incoming call to the terminal owned by the service contractor. As an effect of this, it is possible to appropriately share the charge without unilaterally charging the callee for the call as in the conventional toll-free service.

[0015]

As described above, according to the present invention, the billing rate set by the service contractor is set in the database in the public communication network, and the communication terminal owned by the service contractor receives an incoming call. By accessing the database at the occasion, it is possible to connect the call received at the communication terminal at the charging rate set by the service contractor. Therefore, in addition to the fixed charging rate for the conventional network, it becomes possible for the communication network subscriber to specify a charging rate that is uniquely specified, and for calling using a specific service number. In addition, even when a call is made to a general terminal number owned by the service contractor, communication can be performed at the charging rate specified by the service contractor.

According to the present invention, the database is accessed from the destination exchange to obtain the charging rate preset by the user. Therefore, it is only necessary to set the condition for accessing the database to the exchange that accommodates the communication terminal specified by the service contractor. This is different from the conventional method of accessing the database from the originating exchange such as the dial Q2 service, because it is not necessary to set the access requirement of the database to all the exchanges nationwide, so it is possible to provide a faster service. become.

Further, even when the communication is realized at the charging rate designated by the service contractor, the service contractor does not need a new communication facility or service number in order to realize the communication. As an effect of this, it is not necessary to make a contract for a new subscriber line at the time of a service contract such as the conventional dial Q2 service, and to give a new telephone number accompanying the contract, so that it is possible to provide a faster service.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of information in a charging rate database necessary for the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an operation sequence when each component according to the present invention operates during call connection.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 subscriber line exchange 11 relay exchange 12 subscriber line exchange 13 database 14 billing rate input means 15 communication terminal (receiver) 16 communication terminal (sender)

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A billing rate input device for setting data of a billing rate required by a service contractor in a database, a subscriber data storage unit for storing data of the service contractor, and a subscriber data storage unit. A switch having database access means for accessing a database specified by the identifier of the communication terminal when a call arrives at the specified communication terminal, and call control means for controlling the connection of the call according to the charging rate notified from the database. ,
And a database having means for storing the charging rate set by the service contractor and means for searching the charging rate based on the identifier of the designated communication terminal. 2. The communication billing method for a communication system according to claim 1, wherein the billing rate input means sets data of a billing rate required by a service contractor in a database, and the exchange sets subscriber data storage means. On the basis of the data of the service contractor stored in, the call received at the specific communication terminal is identified by the identifier of the communication terminal, and in the case of the call received at the specific communication terminal, the database is accessed, and the database is , Searching for a charging rate based on the identifier of the designated communication terminal, the exchange controlling the connection of the call according to the charging rate notified from the database, and according to the charging rate obtained from the result of the database search, A communication charging method comprising charging a caller and / or a callee for the call.