Method and apparatus for providing a user with charging-related voice service

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9231772-B2
Application number	US-201213982953-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 4, 2012
Priority date	Feb 1, 2011
Publication date	Jan 5, 2016
Grant date	Jan 5, 2016

Abstract

The present invention provides a ubiquitous solution for providing charge-related voice service such as voice announcement and interactive voice response in an IP multimedia subsystem. In particularly, an online charging system ( 10 ) detects the subscriber account profile of a user terminal ( 51 ) to determine whether there is an event for providing an end user with voice announcement or interactive voice response (S 203 ). If there is such voice announcement event or interactive voice response event, the online charging system ( 10 ) will enter “redirection state” and send an instruction (S 204 ) to an online charging client ( 20 ) for instructing the online charging client ( 20 ) to redirect the user terminal to a first server ( 30 ) for providing voice announcement or interactive voice response such that the first server ( 30 ) provides the user terminal ( 51 ) with voice announcement or interactive voice response. The online charging client ( 20 ) may comprise network gateway, session initiation protocol application server or media resource function controller, etc.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of providing a user with charging-related voice service in an online charging system of an IP multimedia subsystem, comprising:
determining whether there exists an event of providing said user with said voice service according to account profile of said user;
if said event exists, sending, to an online charging client, a first instruction for instructing said online charging client to redirect said user to a first server for providing said voice service, wherein said first instruction includes an identifier of said first server and a first information related to content of said voice service;
wherein
if said event is an event of providing said user with voice announcement, said first server is a media resource function device, and said first information includes a second information for instructing said media resource function device to perform voice announcement related to said event of voice announcement; and
if said event is an event of providing said user with interactive voice response, said first server is an interactive voice response device, and said first information includes a third information for instructing said interactive voice response device to perform interactive voice response related to said event of interactive voice response.

2. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising, after the sending, if said first server is an interactive voice response device:
receiving, from said first server, an operation request for operating said account profile;
operating said account profile according to said operation request.

3. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising, before the determining:
receiving, from said online charging client, a first request related to online charging for a session between said user and a counterpart user; and
said determining further comprises: determining whether there exists said event of providing said user with said voice service according to said first request.

4. A method according to claim 3 , further comprising, after the sending:
receiving, from said online charging client, a second request for indicating end of said voice service;
sending, to said online charging client, a second instruction for instructing said online charging client to redirect said user to said counterpart user.

5. A method of providing a user with charging-related voice service in an online charging client of an IP multimedia subsystem, comprising:
receiving, from an online charging system, a first instruction for instructing said online charging client to redirect said user to a first server for providing said voice service, wherein said first instruction includes an identifier of said first server and a first information related to content of said voice service;
sending a first message including said first information to said first server so as to redirect said user to said first server, according said first instruction;
wherein
if a determined event is an event of providing said user with voice announcement, said first server is a media resource function device, and said first information includes a second information for instructing said media resource function device to perform voice announcement related to said event of voice announcement; and
if said determined event is an event of providing said user with interactive voice response, said first server is an interactive voice response device, and said first information includes a third information for instructing said interactive voice response device to perform interactive voice response related to said event of interactive voice response.

6. A method according to claim 5 , further comprising, after the sending:
receiving, from said first server, a second message for indicating end of said voice service;
sending, to said online charging system, a second request for indicating end of said voice service in response to said second message.

7. A method according to claim 6 ,
further comprising, before the receiving from the online charging system:
sending, to said online charging system, a first request related to online charging for a session between said user and a counterpart user;
and further comprising, after the sending to said online charging system:
receiving, from said online charging system, a second instruction for instructing said online charging client to redirect said user to said counterpart user, and redirecting said user to said counterpart user according said second instruction.

8. A method of providing a user with charging-related voice service in a media resource function device of an IP multimedia subsystem, comprising:
receiving, from an online charging client or an interactive voice response device, a second information for instructing said media resource function device to perform voice announcement related to said voice service;
generating corresponding announcement information according to said second information, and play said announcement information to said user; and
receiving, from the interactive voice response device, an additional second information for instructing the media resource function device to perform voice announcement and collect user input.

9. A method according to claim 8 , further comprising: after said playing ends, sending, to said online charging client, a second message for indicating end of said voice service.

10. A method according to claim 8 , wherein said second information is further for instructing said media resource function device to perform an operation which is related to said voice service and for collecting an input from said user, and said method further comprises:
receiving said input from said user;
generating a third message for identifying said input according to said input;
sending said third message to said interactive voice response device.

11. A method according to claim 10 , further comprising:
receiving, from said interactive voice response server, a fourth message for indicating end of said voice service,
ending said voice service in response to said fourth message.

12. A method of providing a user with charging-related voice service in an interactive voice response device of an IP multimedia subsystem, comprising:
receiving, from an online charging client, a third information for instructing said interactive voice response device to perform interactive voice response related to said voice service;
performing a corresponding interactive operation according to said third information;
wherein said interactive operation includes:
generating a second information for instructing a media resource function device to perform voice announcement related to said voice service and an operation for collecting an input from said user, and sending said second information to said media resource function device; and
receiving, from said media resource function device, a third message for identifying said input of said user, and performing a predetermined operation according to said third message.

13. A method according to claim 12 , wherein;
if said third message is for instructing an operation to account profile of said user:
generating a corresponding operation request according to said third message, and
sending said operation request to said online charge system;

if said third message is for requesting exit:
sending, to said media resource function device, a fourth message for indicating end of said voice service; and
sending, to said online charging client, a second message for indicating end of said voice service.

Assignees

• Li Xiangyang
• Cai Yigang
• Alcatel Lucent

Inventors

• Li Xiangyang
• Cai Yigang

Classifications

• H04M7/006

  Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer (H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42) · CPC title

• H04M3/493

  Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries {; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals} · CPC title

• H04M15/705

  Account settings, e.g. limits or numbers or payment · CPC title

• H04L65/1016

  IP multimedia subsystem [IMS] · CPC title

• H04L12/14 Primary

  Charging, metering or billing arrangements specially adapted for data communications, e.g. authentication, authorisation and accounting [AAA] framework · CPC title