Core services platform for wireless voice, data and messaging network services

• US 10,142,868 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2014
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mohammed, Jahangir, Gupta, Amit, Collins, Daniel, Shah, Gautam, Barkely, Scott, McGwire, Jack
• Primary Examiner(s): Phillips, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jones, Prenell
• Application Number:
  US14/267,323
• Publication Number:
  US 20140242943A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,671 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/14 Monitoring arrangements for SDH/SONET rings H04J3/085
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/00 Arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received correcting synchronisation H04L7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1407 Policy-and-charging control [PCC] architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5064 Customer relationship management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/46 Real-time negotiation between users and providers or operators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/70 Administration or customization aspects; Counter-checking correct charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/745 Customizing according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. friends or family
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8016 based on quality of service [QoS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8214 Data or packet based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/844 Message, e.g. SMS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A Core Service Platform (CSP) system is integrated with an operator network and IT system to provide services to subscribers and operators. Based on information collected from the operator network and IT system, the CSP system delivers alerts to a subscriber'"'"'s device and provides offers to resolve the condition causing the alerts. The CSP system provides customized contextual offers to the subscriber'"'"'s device based on contextual assessments of a subscriber'"'"'s current context, such as time in contract, loyalty status, data and voice usage, value of customer, time, location and purchase history. The CSP system also provides an operator a suite of tools for the operator to manage its pricing, offers, campaigns and other subscriber-related issues.

Claims

1. A cellular device for operation in a cellular network, the cellular device comprising:

a wireless modem;

a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM);

a processor;

a radio receiver and transmitter unit coupled to the processor;

display coupled to the processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory is configured to provide the processor with instructions which when executed cause the processor to;

receive a cellular roaming alert associated with cellular usage in the cellular network from a control center provisioning server, wherein the cellular roaming alert indicates that the cellular device is roaming in a visited cellular network and will incur roaming charges;

receive a plurality of cellular plan options, each cellular plan option enables the cellular device to operate in the visited cellular network, wherein the plurality of cellular plan options are created based on a contextual assessment of a user of the cellular device, including a real-time usage assessment of the cellular device by the user;

display the roaming alert and the plurality of cellular plan options on the display of the cellular device through a graphical user interface (GUI);

receive a user selection of one of the cellular plan options through the GUI; and

transmit an indication of the user selection to the control center provisioning server via a cellular tower and a base station.

2. The cellular device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of cellular plan options comprises a plurality of data plans for the remainder of a billing cycle.

3. The cellular device of claim 2, wherein a data plan of the plurality of data plans comprises a price per amount of data usage.

4. The cellular device of claim 2, wherein a data plan of the plurality of data plans comprises a price per amount of data usage for the remainder of a billing cycle.

5. The cellular device of claim 2, wherein a data plan of the plurality of data plans comprises a price per amount of data usage per billing cycle.

6. The cellular device of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

initiate a purchase of the selected cellular plan option in response to receiving the user selection.

7. The cellular device of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

display a payment option screen in response to receiving the user selection.

8. The cellular device of claim 7, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

display a purchase confirmation screen in response to receiving a selection of a payment option via the payment option screen.

9. The cellular device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of cellular plan options are based on a contextual assessment of a user of the cellular device and comprises at least one of a time in contract, a loyalty status, a data usage, a voice usage, a valuation of customer, a time of a latest data request, a location of a latest data request, or a purchase history.

10. A method for operation of a cellular device utilizing a wireless modem and a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) for operation in a cellular network comprising:

receiving a cellular roaming alert associated with cellular usage in the cellular network from a control center provisioning server, wherein the cellular roaming alert indicates that the cellular device is roaming in a visited cellular network and will incur roaming charges;

receiving a plurality of cellular plan options, each cellular option enables the cellular device to operate in the visited cellular network, wherein the plurality of cellular plan options are created based on a contextual assessment of a user of the cellular device, including a real-time usage assessment of the cellular device by the user;

displaying the cellular roaming alert and the plurality of

cellular plan options on a display of the cellular device through a graphical user interface (GUI);

receiving a user selection of one of the cellular plan options through the GUI; and

transmitting an indication of the user selection to the control center provisioning server via a cellular tower and a base station.

11. A method comprising:

at a cellular device configured to operate in cellular networks, wherein the cellular device includes a cellular transceiver, a display, a processor and a non-transitory memory;

determining that the cellular device is currently located in a geographic area served by a first cellular network that is different from a second cellular network, wherein the second cellular network is a home cellular network of the cellular device;

determining that the cellular device is in a mode of operation that limits access to the first cellular network; and

displaying a plurality of cellular network access options on the display of the cellular device through a graphical user interface (GUI), each cellular network access option enables the cellular device to access the first cellular network, wherein the plurality of cellular plan options are created based on a contextual assessment of a user of the cellular device, including a real-time usage assessment of the cellular device by the user.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a user selection of one of the plurality of cellular network access options through the GUI; and

transmitting an indication of the selected cellular network access option via the cellular transceiver.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

initiating a purchase of the selected cellular network access option in response to receiving the user selection.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

displaying a payment option screen in response to receiving the user selection.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein determining that the cellular device is currently located in the geographic area served by the first cellular network comprises:

receiving, via the cellular transceiver, a cellular roaming alert indicating that the cellular device is roaming.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

displaying the cellular roaming alert on the display via the GUI.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein displaying the plurality of cellular network access options comprises:

displaying a plurality of data plans for the remainder of a billing cycle.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein displaying the plurality of cellular network access options comprises:

for each cellular network access option;

displaying a price per amount of data usage for the remainder of a billing cycle.

15. The method of 14, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a payment option via the payment option screen; and

displaying a payment confirmation screen in response to receiving the selection of the payment option via the payment option screen.