Reversed Billing Direction for Fixed-to-Mobile Call Setup

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Solution Overview

Problem

The high cost of telephone calls from fixed networks to mobile networks due to higher termination charges, which can be reduced by reversing the direction of calls for billing purposes.

Innovation Solution

A method and apparatus for establishing a communications session where a user terminal identifies a contact and transmits contact and user data to initiate a session, allowing the mobile terminal to establish the session, thereby reversing the billing direction from mobile to fixed networks.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a fixed network initiates a call to a mobile network, then the user can communicate with mobile users, but the termination charge is high

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecall initiation capabilityVSAvoidtermination charge

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent inverts the traditional call setup direction by having the mobile terminal initiate the communications session instead of the fixed network terminal. The fixed terminal sends a request to the mobile terminal, which then establishes the session back to the fixed terminal, reversing the billing direction from fixed-to-mobile to mobile-to-fixed, thereby reducing termination charges.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces session initiation means as an intermediary component that facilitates the reversed call setup. This intermediary receives requests from the fixed terminal, formulates appropriate requests to the mobile terminal, and manages the session establishment process, enabling the cost-saving reversed billing direction while maintaining user-friendly operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Loss of energy

If the mobile terminal establishes the session, then the billing direction is reversed to mobile to fixed, but the session initiation appears to be from the user terminal

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecall costVSAvoidsession initiation source

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The session initiation means acts as an intermediary that decouples the apparent session initiator from the actual billing responsibility. It receives the initiation request from the fixed terminal, translates it into a mobile-terminal-initiated session setup, and manages the information flow to ensure proper billing attribution while maintaining the user-friendly interface.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS8472951B2Establishing communications sessions

Publication Date: 2013.06.25 BRITISH TELECOM PLC

AI summary

A method of establishing a communications session in a communications system is disclosed. The communications system comprises a user terminal, a mobile terminal associated with a contact a and session initiation unit. The method comprises: identifying the contact using the user terminal; transmitting contact data identifying the contact and user data associated with the user terminal from the user terminal to said session initiation unit; in dependence on the contact data, transmitting a request from the session initiation unit to the mobile terminal, the request comprising the user data and requesting that the mobile terminal establishes the communications session with the user terminal in dependence on the user data.