Chip card with integrated time-determining system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9641693-B2
Application number	US-96290101-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 25, 2001
Priority date	Mar 26, 1999
Publication date	May 2, 2017
Grant date	May 2, 2017

Abstract

Billing method for billing a call to a user identified with an identification card ( 2 ) in a telecommunication network. The duration of the calls is determined by a GPS receiver. The identification card further preferably comprises downloaded scales of charges, the billed amount depending on the determined duration of the call and on the stored scales of charges.
Advantage: the determined time can not be falsified by the user.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A system, comprising:
a chip card that is configured for storage of data containing at least user identification data, wherein said chip card comprises:
at least one processor that decodes digital signals sent by a location-determining satellite system to determine time information; and
a contactless interface;

wherein:
said identification data are identification data of a user in a digital communication network; and
duration of calls in said communication network is determined with said time information.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein said processor comprises a digital processor circuit with which said signals can be decoded, as well as a processor in which said user identification data is stored.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein said digital processor circuit is integrated in a chip.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein said chip card comprises an integrated circuit, with which the satellite location-determination signals received by an antenna can be transformed into a form that can be processed by said digital processor circuit.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein said chip card comprises an integrated antenna.

6. The system of claim 2 , wherein said chip card comprises an integrated battery to power said digital processor circuit.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein said contactless interface is an electro-magnetic interface.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein said contactless interface is a BLUETOOTH interface.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the duration of usage of resources not required for traffic handling is determined in the identification card with said time information.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein said chip card comprises at least one scale of charges, in which the fees for using the communication network are indicated.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein said scale of charges can be downloaded from and/or modified by a tariff server in said communication network.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the chip card is configured for checking electronic signature of received scales of charges.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the chip card computes amounts to be billed based on said duration of calls, and the computed amounts are debited from a pre-paid account.

14. A system for determining the duration of a process in a chip card, comprising:
a chip card configured to identify a user in a digital telecommunication network, and
a receiver to receive signals of a location-determining satellite and to determine time information from said signals,
wherein said time information is available in said chip card for measuring the duration of a process in said chip card, and
wherein at least certain components of said receiver are integrated in the chip card.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein said time information is calculated in the chip card.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the chip card comprises a digital processor circuit, with which said time information is calculated.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein said digital processor circuit is integrated in a chip.

18. The system of claim 14 , wherein the chip card further comprises an integrated circuit, with which satellite location-determining signals received with an antenna can be transformed into a form that can be processed by said digital processor circuit.

19. The system of claim 14 , wherein the chip card further comprises an integrated antenna.

20. The system of claim 16 , wherein the chip card further comprises an integrated battery to power said digital processor circuit.

21. The system of claim 14 , wherein said time information is determined outside the chip card and transmitted into this chip card.

22. The system of claim 21 , wherein said time information is transmitted over a contactless interface.

23. The system of claim 22 , wherein said time information is transmitted over an electro-magnetic interface.

24. The system of claim 14 , wherein location information is further determined from said signals and wherein this location information is available in said chip card.

25. A system, comprising:
a chip card that is configured for storage of data containing at least user identification data, wherein said chip card comprises:
an integrated antenna;
at least one processor that decodes digital signals sent by a location-determining satellite system to determine time information; and
a contactless interface, wherein said contactless interface is a BLUETOOTH interface.

26. The system of claim 25 , wherein said processor comprises a digital processor circuit with which said signals can be decoded, as well as a processor in which said user identification data is stored.

27. The system of claim 26 , wherein said digital processor circuit is integrated in a chip.

28. The system of claim 26 , wherein said chip card comprises an integrated circuit, with which the satellite location-determination signals received by the antenna can be transformed into a form that can be processed by said digital processor circuit.

29. The system of claim 26 , wherein said chip card comprises an integrated battery to power said digital processor circuit.

30. The system of claim 25 , wherein said contactless interface is an electro-magnetic interface.

31. The system of claim 25 , wherein said identification data are identification data of a user in a digital communication network.

32. The system of claim 31 , wherein the duration of calls in said communication network is determined with said time information.

33. The system of claim 31 , wherein the duration of usage of resources not required for traffic handling is determined in the identification card with said time information.

34. The system of claim 31 , wherein said chip card comprises at least one scale of charges, in which the fees for using the communication network are indicated.

35. The system of claim 34 , wherein said scale of charges can be downloaded from and/or modified by a tariff server in said communication network.

36. The system of claim 35 , wherein the chip card is configured for checking electronic signature of received scales of charges.

37. The system of claim 32 , wherein the chip card computes amounts to be billed based on said duration of calls, and the computed amounts are debited from a pre-paid account.

38. A system, comprising:
a chip card that is configured for storage of data containing at least user identification data, wherein said chip card comprises:
at least one processor, wherein:
said processor decodes digital signals sent by a location-determining satellite system to determine time information, and
said processor comprises a digital processor circuit with which said signals can be decoded, as well as a processor in which said user identification data is stored; and

an integrated battery to power said digital processor circuit;

wherein:
said identification data are identification data of a user in a digital communication network, and
the duration of calls in said communication network is determined with said time information.

39. The system of claim 38 , wherein said digital processor circuit is integrated in a chip.

Assignees

• Ritter R
• Swisscom Ag

Inventors

• Ritter R

Classifications

• H04W4/02

  Services making use of location information · CPC title

• H04W92/08

  between user and terminal device · CPC title

• G01S19/14 Primary

  specially adapted for specific applications · CPC title

• H04M15/00 Primary

  Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication {; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP} · CPC title

• H04W4/24

  Accounting or billing · CPC title