Systems and methods for employing "pay-as-you-go" telecommunication services

• US 20040203585A1
• Filed: 01/07/2003
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pay As You Go, LLC (Leigh M. Rothschild)
• Original Assignee: Inphonic Incorporated (Simplexity)
• Inventors: Steinberg, David A., Wills, Harold S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,013,127 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1414 in real-time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1485 Tariff-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/82 Advice-of-Charge [AOC], i.e. notify subscriber of charges/cumulative charge; meter at the substation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

Telecommunication services systems and methods are disclosed. The telecommunication services systems and methods preferably enable the user and/or the responsible party to make payments as the user uses the telecommunication services. The systems and methods may also be employed to provide the user and/or the responsible party with specialized pricing options and other customized services.

Claims

1. A method for affecting payment of telecommunication services, comprising:

monitoring a user'"'"'s use of the telecommunication services at regular time intervals; and

communicating results of said monitoring to a telecommunication services provider, wherein said telecommunication services provider processes said results and communicates processed results to said user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said telecommunication services are selected from the group consisting of telephone calls, data calls, audio transfers, video transfers, e-mail sessions, voice mail sessions, video mail sessions, web sessions, and/or other services provided over a telecommunication network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said telecommunication services are selected from the group consisting of wireless services, wire line services and internet (“

on-line”

) service.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said telecommunication services provider notifies said user of a happening of an event, wherein said event is determined as a result of said monitoring of said telecommunication services.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said user has established a telecommunication services account having a corresponding account identifier.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising conducting a payment transaction comprising receiving a payment from a user at a point-of-sale together with the account identifier;

communicating data indicative of the payment transaction from the point-of-sale to a telecommunication services provider; and

collecting an amount of money equal to the payment amount from a point-of-sale proprietor to the telecommunication services provider.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said point-of-sale is selected from the group consisting of a retail merchant site;

a vending machine; and

an automated teller machine (ATM).

9. The method of claim 8, wherein payment at the point-of-sale is made in the form of cash;

as a debit card transaction;

or as a credit card transaction.

5. The method of claim 5, wherein said telecommunication services provider notifies said user using an interactive voice notification system, an on-line notification system, a SMS notification system or a MMS notification system.