Methods, systems, and products for monitoring service usage

• US 10,021,251 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2016
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Aaron, Jeffrey A., Alin, Jun-Gang
• Primary Examiner(s): Tieu, Binh Kien
• Application Number:
  US15/142,879
• Publication Number:
  US 20160248917A1
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• Field of Search: 379 3201, 379 3204, 379 8811, 379 8812, 379111, 37911201, 37911204, 37911206, 37911207, 37911208, 37911401, 37911413, 37911417, 37912101, 37912102, 37912103, 37912104, 379122, 37912701, 370252, 455406, 455408
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/49 Connection to several service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/67 Transmitting arrangements for sending billing related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/70 Administration or customization aspects; Counter-checking correct charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/73 Validating charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/745 Customizing according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. friends or family
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8257 Unit based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0104 Augmented, consolidated or itemised billing statement, e.g. additional billing information, bill presentation, layout, format, e-mail, fax, printout, itemised bill per service or per account, cumulative billing, consolidated billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0108 Customization according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. customer preferences, friends and family, selecting services or billing options, Personal Communication Systems [PCS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0164 Billing record, e.g. Call Data Record [CDR], Toll Ticket[TT], Automatic Message Accounting [AMA], Call Line Identifier [CLI], details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0188 Network monitoring; statistics on usage on called/calling number
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/46 : Connection to several service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/70 : Administration aspects, modify settings or limits or counter-check correct charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7072 : Validate charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/36 : Statistical metering, e.g. recording occasions when traffic exceeds capacity of trunks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices

Abstract

Usage information is determined that describes usage of different services by a user device. A combined usage of the different services utilized by the user device is determined and compared to monitoring criteria. When the monitoring criteria are satisfied, an electronic message is sent to an address associated with the user device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining, by a system comprising a hardware processor, electronic usage information associated with monthly services utilized by a mobile communications device, the monthly services provided by a plurality of communications networks;

determining, by the system, a combined usage of the monthly services utilized by the mobile communications device;

determining, by the system, that the electronic usage information associated with the monthly services satisfies monitoring criteria having values that warn prior to incurring a charge for excess usage; and

providing, by the system, an electronic message to the mobile communications device in response to the electronic usage information associated with the monthly services satisfying the monitoring criteria, the electronic message providing an alert of the charge for the excess usage.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a text message to the mobile communications device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising including the combined usage of the monthly services in the electronic message.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising including balance information in the electronic message.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining an amount of data sent to the mobile communications device.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising determining the amount of data is less than the monitoring criterion.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising determining the amount of data exceeds the monitoring criterion.

8. A system, comprising:

a hardware processor; and

a memory device, the memory device storing executable instructions that, when executed by the hardware processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising;

determining usage information associated with different services in networks utilized by a group of mobile communications devices associated with a shared account;

determining a combined usage of the different services utilized by the group of mobile communications devices;

comparing a set of monitoring criteria to the usage information associated with the different services utilized by the group of mobile communications devices, the set of the monitoring criteria having values to warn prior to incurring charges for excess usage;

determining that the usage information associated with the different services utilized by the group of mobile communications devices satisfies the set of the monitoring criteria; and

providing an electronic message to a mobile communications device associated with the group of mobile communications devices, the electronic message provided in response to the determining that the combined usage information satisfies the set of the monitoring criteria.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise sending the electronic message to each mobile communications device in the group of mobile communications devices.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise sending the electronic message to multiple mobile communications devices associated with the group of mobile communications devices.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise sending a text message as the electronic message.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise including the combined usage in the electronic message.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise including a balance in the electronic message.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise including data transferred in the electronic message.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a hardware processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

identifying electronic usage information describing different services utilized by a mobile communications device via a plurality of communication networks;

determining a combined usage of the different services utilized by the mobile communications device;

retrieving a set of monitoring criteria associated with the mobile communications device, the set of the monitoring criteria associated with thresholds at which additional charges are incurred;

comparing the set of the monitoring criteria to the electronic usage information describing the different services utilized by the mobile communications device;

determining that the electronic usage information describing the different services satisfies the set of the monitoring criteria; and

sending an electronic message to the mobile communications device via any of the plurality of communications networks, the electronic message alerting of the additional charges.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the mobile communications device comprises one of a group of mobile communications devices associated with a shared account, and wherein the operations further comprise sending the electronic message to each mobile communications device in the group of mobile communications devices.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the mobile communications device comprises one of a group of mobile communications devices associated with a shared account, and wherein the operations further comprise sending the electronic message to multiple mobile communications devices in the group of mobile communications devices.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise sending a text message as the electronic message.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise including the combined usage in the electronic message.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise including a balance in the electronic message.