Data volume exchange server, international communication system, data volume exchange method, and data volume exchange program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023217219-A1
Application number	US-202017928317-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 4, 2020
Priority date	Jun 4, 2020
Publication date	Jul 6, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

A data volume exchange server includes a terminal IF unit configured to receive an exchange request for a contract data volume of an own country and a contract data volume of another country from terminals of subscribers having contract data volumes of telecommunication carriers of countries different from each other, a data volume exchange unit configured to perform matching of a pair in which another country that requests a contract data volume in one of the received exchange requests matches the own country that provides a contract data volume in another of the received exchange requests, and a server IF unit configured to instruct the communication servers of the telecommunication carriers in the countries to transfer a contract data volume of a matched subscriber of the own country as an exchanged data volume of a subscriber of the other country who is a matching partner.

First claim

1 . A data volume exchange server comprising:
a terminal IF unit, including one or more processors, configured to receive an exchange request for a contract data volume of an own country and a contract data volume of another country from terminals of subscribers having contract data volumes of telecommunication carriers of countries different from each other; a data volume exchange unit, including one or more processors, configured to perform matching of a pair in which another country that requests a contract data volume in one of the received exchange requests matches the own country that provides a contract data volume in another of the received exchange requests; and a server IF unit, including one or more processors, configured to instruct communication servers of the telecommunication carriers in the countries to transfer a contract data volume of a matched subscriber of the own country as an exchanged data volume of a subscriber of the other country who is a matching partner.

2 . The data volume exchange server according to claim 1 , wherein
the terminal IF unit is configured to receive the exchange request in which a use period of a contract data volume of the other country to be exchanged is designated, and the data volume exchange unit, is configured to preferentially match a pair having a long overlapping period of use periods of the pair.

3 . An international communication system comprising:
the data volume exchange server according to claim 1 ; and the terminals, wherein the terminal of the subscriber of the own country is configured to receive a rewrite signal for an eSIM (Embedded-SIM) in the terminal from the communication server of the telecommunication carrier in the other country to make it possible to use the exchange data volume of the subscriber of the other country.

4 . An international communication system comprising:
the data volume exchange server according to claim 1 ; and the terminals, wherein the terminal of the subscriber of the own country is configured to receive insertion of a physical SIM issued by the telecommunication carrier in the other country and perform communication limitation for the exchange data volume notified from the data volume exchange server to make it possible to use the exchange data volume of the subscriber of the other country.

5 . A data volume exchange method in a data volume exchange server including a terminal IF unit, a data volume exchange unit, and a server IF unit, the data volume exchange method comprising:
receiving an exchange request for a contract data volume of an own country and a contract data volume of another country from terminals of subscribers having contract data volumes of telecommunication carriers of countries different from each other; performing matching of a pair in which another country that requests a contract data volume in one of the received exchange requests matches the own country that provides a contract data volume in another of the received exchange requests; and instructing communication servers of the telecommunication carriers in the countries to transfer a contract data volume of a matched subscriber of the own country as an exchanged data volume of a subscriber of the other country who is a matching partner.

6 . A non-transitory computer readable medium storing one or more instructions causing a computer to execute:
receiving an exchange request for a contract data volume of an own country and a contract data volume of another country from terminals of subscribers having contract data volumes of telecommunication carriers of countries different from each other; performing matching of a pair in which another country that requests a contract data volume in one of the received exchange requests matches the own country that provides a contract data volume in another of the received exchange requests; and instructing communication servers of the telecommunication carriers in the countries to transfer a contract data volume of a matched subscriber of the own country as an exchanged data volume of a subscriber of the other country who is a matching partner.

7 . The data volume exchange method according to claim 5 , comprising:
receiving the exchange request in which a use period of a contract data volume of the other country to be exchanged is designated, and preferentially matching a pair having a long overlapping period of use periods of the pair.

8 . The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 6 , wherein the one or more instructions cause the computer to execute:
receiving the exchange request in which a use period of a contract data volume of the other country to be exchanged is designated, and preferentially matching a pair having a long overlapping period of use periods of the pair.

Assignees

• Nippon Telegraph & Telephone

Inventors

• Hara Daisuke
• Kuriu Keiko

Classifications

• H04M2215/34

  Roaming · CPC title

• H04M15/8038

  Roaming or handoff · CPC title

• H04W4/24 Primary

  Accounting or billing · CPC title

• H04W8/183 Primary

  Processing at user equipment or user record carrier · CPC title

• H04M3/42

  Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers (specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00) · CPC title