Intelligent dynamic realtime feature delivery

• US 20020186826A1
• Filed: 05/16/2001
• Published: 12/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hsu, Wen-Ling, Stine, Ted, Ramage, John G., Sherman, Ronald
• Application Number:
  US09/858,974
• Publication Number:
  US 20020186826A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/201.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42136 Administration or customisation of services

Abstract

A system and method for offering a service upgrade to a service user. The system includes a server that monitors utilization by the user and evaluates the user'"'"'s utilization pattern to determine which, if any, service upgrades may be appropriate for the user. Once a set of candidate service upgrades has been identified, the server then determines whether there is sufficient available capacity to accommodate the provision of such additional services. If such capacity exists, the user is offered the service upgrade. Since the offer is not made unless there is shown to be sufficient available capacity, once the offer is made, the system is able to implement the upgrade in real time with the user'"'"'s approval.

Claims

1. A method for offering a service upgrade to a user comprising:

storing an upgrade condition;

storing a user profile for a particular service;

monitoring a user'"'"'s utilization of the service;

updating the user profile based on said user'"'"'s utilization;

determining whether the service upgrade meets the upgrade condition based on said user profile; and

offering in real time the service upgrade to the user if the service upgrade meets the upgrade condition.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the user profile comprises a utilization database having at least one data entry corresponding to the user'"'"'s utilization of the service.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the user profile comprises a utilization parameter that describes a characteristic of the utilization database.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the service upgrade meets the upgrade condition if the utilization parameter equals or exceeds an upgrade criterion.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the service upgrade meets the upgrade condition if a service provider has an available capacity that equals or exceeds an upgrade capacity.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the service upgrade meets the upgrade condition if the utilization parameter equals or exceeds an upgrade criterion and a service provider has an available capacity that equals or exceeds an upgrade capacity.

7. A system for offering a service upgrade to a user comprising:

a server adapted for storing an upgrade condition;

storing a user profile for a particular service;

monitoring a user'"'"'s utilization of the service;

updating the user profile based on said user'"'"'s utilization;

determining whether a service upgrade meets the upgrade condition based on said user profile; and

offering in real time the service upgrade to the user if the service upgrade meets the upgrade condition.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the user profile comprises a utilization database having at least one data entry corresponding to the user'"'"'s utilization of the service.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the user profile comprises a utilization parameter that describes a characteristic of the utilization database.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the service upgrade meets the upgrade condition if the utilization parameter equals or exceeds an upgrade criterion.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the service upgrade meets the upgrade condition if a service provider has an available capacity that equals or exceeds an upgrade capacity.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein the service upgrade meets the upgrade condition if the utilization parameter equals or exceeds an upgrade criterion and a service provider has an available capacity that equals or exceeds an upgrade capacity.