Billing Server Silent SMS Transaction Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing transaction processing systems face challenges in handling diverse currency and price point requirements across different countries, as well as supporting various pricing options and carrier restrictions, which complicates the billing process for mobile transactions.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for processing transactions using a billing server that includes configuring a pricing matrix with cells representing intersections of countries and target prices, allowing for different price points in each country, and integrating with carrier servers to charge accounts, while supporting various payment options and currencies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a billing server supports diverse currency and price point requirements across different countries, then the system's adaptability and versatility improve, but the device complexity and difficulty of managing pricing structures increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the pricing information into discrete price points stored in a data structure (e.g., array or database table) where each element represents a specific price point for a particular country and currency. This segmentation allows the system to handle diverse pricing requirements by simply adding or modifying individual price point entries rather than redesigning the entire billing system, thus improving adaptability while managing complexity through modular organization.
Solution Approach 2:
The billing server implements a universal pricing mechanism that can handle multiple currencies and price points through a single unified interface. The system uses a generic data structure and processing logic that works across all countries and currencies, allowing the same billing server to serve multiple functions and markets without requiring country-specific implementations, thereby reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high versatility.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the billing server implements a pricing matrix with multiple price points per country, then the adaptability to carrier restrictions improves, but the complexity of configuring and maintaining pricing structures increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-configuring pricing matrices with all possible price points for each country and currency combination before actual billing operations. These price points are stored in advance in a structured data format, allowing the billing server to quickly retrieve and apply the appropriate price point based on the consumer's location and carrier restrictions without requiring complex real-time calculations or configurations during transaction processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes by representing different price points as discrete parameter values in a data structure. Instead of using complex formulas or algorithms to calculate prices, the system stores pre-determined price point parameters (e.g., array indices or database records) that can be directly applied. This approach simplifies the configuration process as administrators only need to update parameter values rather than modify complex pricing logic, reducing maintenance complexity while maintaining adaptability to carrier restrictions.
3Ease of operation
If the system uses silent SMS triggering for payment authorization, then the ease of operation for consumers improves, but the reliability of transaction processing may be affected by SMS delivery delays or failures
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback mechanisms by monitoring SMS delivery status and transaction processing outcomes. When a silent SMS is sent for payment authorization, the system tracks whether the SMS is delivered and whether it triggers the expected payment action. If the SMS fails to deliver or the transaction does not proceed as expected, the system can send follow-up notifications, retry the authorization process, or alert administrators, thereby maintaining high reliability while preserving the ease of operation through the simple SMS interface.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides a method of processing transactions with a billing server, including receiving, with the billing server, a transaction request API call from a merchant computer including a msisdn, transmitting, with the billing server, a transaction request response to the merchant computer in response to the transaction request API call, including a transmission ID, receiving, with the billing server, a payment authorization text message from a consumer device at the msisdn including a transaction ID, determining, with the billing server, a match between the transaction ID in the text message with the transaction ID in the transaction request response and if a match is determined between the transaction ID's, transmitting, with the billing server, a charge request to a carrier server to charge an account on the carrier server corresponding to the msisdn.