Intermediary Server Network for Direct Carrier Billing Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Telecommunication service providers face challenges in integrating direct carrier billing services with merchant systems due to complexity and high costs, discouraging them from offering this service despite potential revenue benefits, as existing solutions require time-consuming and complicated server protocol adaptations.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that assign a unique reference to map a subscriber's account number to their registration ID, allowing transactions to be processed and associated with the subscriber, facilitating direct carrier billing without requiring extensive integration with merchant systems, using a server network and database to identify subscribers and process transactions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If direct carrier billing services are offered by integrating service provider systems with merchant systems, then revenue benefits are obtained, but integration complexity and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system that acts as a mediator between the service provider and the merchant. This intermediary handles the complex integration tasks, allowing the service provider to offer direct carrier billing without directly integrating with merchant systems. The intermediary translates and routes transactions between the two systems, reducing the complexity burden on the service provider.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the direct carrier billing system into distinct functional components: the service provider system, the intermediary system, and the merchant system. Each component has specific responsibilities and interfaces through standardized protocols. This segmentation allows the service provider to implement only their portion of the system, reducing overall integration complexity while maintaining full functionality.
2Adaptability or versatility
If direct carrier billing services are offered with full system integration, then service functionality is complete, but integration time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-configuring the intermediary system with standardized interfaces and protocols. The intermediary is prepared in advance to handle various service provider and merchant system configurations, eliminating the need for custom integration work during deployment. This preliminary setup significantly reduces integration time while maintaining complete service functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The intermediary system is designed with universal functionality to work with multiple different service provider and merchant systems through standardized interfaces. This multi-functionality allows a single intermediary implementation to support various billing scenarios and system configurations without requiring separate integration efforts for each case, thus reducing overall integration time.
3Ease of operation
If system integration is performed to enable direct carrier billing, then billing capability is achieved, but integration costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The intermediary system consolidates the complex integration logic and infrastructure in a single component, which can be deployed and maintained centrally. This approach eliminates the need for each service provider to invest in separate integration infrastructure, significantly reducing overall integration costs while maintaining full billing capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying by implementing standardized interface templates and protocol translations that can be replicated across different integrations. Instead of developing custom integration solutions for each service provider-merchant pair, the standardized templates can be copied and adapted, reducing development and implementation costs while achieving the required billing capability.
Data Source
AI summary
According to one aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a method for conducting a transaction between a service provider and a merchant, the method comprising: issuing an account number against which a transaction with the merchant is made, wherein the account number belongs to a subscriber registered with the service provider; assigning a unique reference used to map the subscriber to the account number; and transmitting, upon receiving use of the account number for the transaction, the unique reference and details of the transaction to the service provider, wherein the unique reference is processed against a database of unique references to identify the subscriber to which the account number belongs, for the service provider to associate the transaction to the identified subscriber, based on the details of the transaction. A service provider server, a server network and a system that implements this method is also disclosed.