Method for the billing of transactions over the internet

Abstract

A method for performing centralized billing for transactions conducted over the Internet between a user and an Internet Service Provider (ISP) (106) through an Internet Access Provider (IAP) (104) is disclosed. Upon connection of the user's terminal (101) to the IAP, the IAP transmits to a billing platform (108) a message that associates the user's identity and the temporary Internet Protocol (IP) address that is assigned by the IAP to the user's session for use by to that user's terminal. In response to a chargeable transaction with an ISP, the ISP transmits to the billing platform the IP address of the user making the transaction and the charge for the transaction. The charges for all such transactions are accumulated by a transaction server (109) and stored in an account on an associated database (110) identified with the IP address of the requesting terminal. At the end of the user's session, the charges for all the transactions during the session that are stored on the transaction server database in the account identified with the IP address, are charged to an account associated with the user's identity that is stored on a database (112) of a billing server (111) by cross-referencing the IP address to the user's identity from the previously received and stored message.