Method for managing wireless telecommunications bills

• US 20040067747A1
• Filed: 09/30/2003
• Published: 04/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Bill Police LLC
• Original Assignee: The Bill Police LLC
• Inventors: Zulager, Kae Kimberly, Carpenter, Ronald Vaiden
• Granted Patent: US 7,486,944 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/405
• 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 15/43 Billing software details
• 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 15/52 for operator independent billing system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/73 Validating charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/735 Re-crediting user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/75 Account location specifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/765 Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/7655 shared by technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/772 per service, e.g. prepay or post-pay
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/773 per technology, e.g. PSTN or wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• 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 2215/0152 General billing plans, rate plans, e.g. charge rates, numbering plans, rate centers, customer accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0188 Network monitoring; statistics on usage on called/calling number
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/46 : Connection to several service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7072 : Validate charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7081 : Re-credit user, e.g. repay user with the amount or free time after finding an error in calculating the charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/72 : Account specifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/724 : Linked accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/725 : Shared by technologies, e.g. one account for different access technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7263 : per service, e.g. prepay and post-pay
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7268 : per technology, e.g. PSTN or wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/745 : Least cost routing, e.g. Automatic or manual, call by call or by preselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing

Abstract

A method manages wireless telecommunications bills for end user subscribers. The method includes complete bill management for the wireless subscribers including, for example, establishing a baseline report, receiving and analyzing a subscriber bill, and requesting and posting credits from wireless telecommunication providers. The method includes the creation of the baseline report in order to manage common billing components across all wireless carriers and carrier plans.

Claims

1. A method for managing telecommunication bills for a subscriber, the method comprising the steps of:

conducting an analysis of a subscriber'"'"'s telecommunication usage requirements;

creating a baseline report to correspond to the subscriber'"'"'s requirements;

selecting a telecommunication carrier plan to conform to the baseline report;

receiving a subsequent bill from the carrier corresponding to the subscriber'"'"'s actual telecommunication usage;

comparing the bill to the baseline report; and

creating an actual report for the subscriber.

2. The method described in claim 1 further comprising:

identifying exceptions in the bill as compared to the baseline report; and

requesting billing credit from the carrier in the amount of the identified exceptions.

3. The method as described in claim 2, comprising:

following-up with the carrier to insure that credit was posted to the subscriber account.

4. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the method is performed on a periodic basis corresponding to the generation of bills by the carrier.

5. The method as described in claim 4, further comprising:

identifying a new telecommunication carrier plan;

comparing the new carrier plan to the baseline report;

deciding whether the new carrier plan better conforms to the subscriber'"'"'s usage requirements.

6. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the subscriber comprises a plurality of telecommunication users.

7. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the step of selecting a telecommunication carrier plan to correspond to the baseline report comprises selecting a plurality of telecommunication carrier plans to correspond to the baseline report.

8. The method as described in claim 7, wherein the plurality of plans is provided by a plurality of plan carrier.

9. The method as describe in claim 1, wherein the analysis of a subscriber'"'"'s telecommunication usage requirements includes indentifying and suggesting a plurality of carrier options and plans.