Variable rate billing methods
First Claim
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1. ) A method for a provider of goods and/or services to determine an amount to be charged to a customer for the consumption or use of one or more goods or services, which method comprises the steps of:
- a) obtaining a consumption value based on the consumption by a customer of one or more goods or services during a service interval;
b) calculating a plurality of invoice amounts using said consumption value as a basis, at least partially, wherein said plurality of invoice amounts include at least one hypothetical invoice amount;
c) comparing at least two of the invoice amounts from said plurality of invoice amounts with one another, wherein at least one of said invoice amounts being compared is a hypothetical invoice amount; and
d) selecting one of said invoice amounts from said plurality of invoice amounts.
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Abstract
Provided herein is a variable billing plan which calculates the lowest possible invoice amount to be billed to a consumer of various goods and/or services, including without limitation cellular services, from a variety of billing options. Through use of a billing method according to the invention, consumer loyalty is increased at negligible expense to bandwidth consumption.
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Citations
38 Claims
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1. ) A method for a provider of goods and/or services to determine an amount to be charged to a customer for the consumption or use of one or more goods or services, which method comprises the steps of:
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a) obtaining a consumption value based on the consumption by a customer of one or more goods or services during a service interval;
b) calculating a plurality of invoice amounts using said consumption value as a basis, at least partially, wherein said plurality of invoice amounts include at least one hypothetical invoice amount;
c) comparing at least two of the invoice amounts from said plurality of invoice amounts with one another, wherein at least one of said invoice amounts being compared is a hypothetical invoice amount; and
d) selecting one of said invoice amounts from said plurality of invoice amounts. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. ) An invoicing plan which comprises:
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a) calculation of at least one hypothetical invoice amount using a consumption value that is reflective of the consumption by a customer of one or more goods and/or services during a service interval according to the terms of a billing plan to which said customer is not contractually bound; and
b) comparison of said at least one hypothetical invoice amount with an invoice amount said customer is contractually obligated to pay for such goods and/or services;
c) charging said customer an invoice amount which is based on selection criteria. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. ) A method of advertising for providers that supply goods and/or services to customers, which includes the step of:
- offering said customers an invoicing plan which changes the amount that the customer is invoiced when the customer'"'"'s consumption of said goods and/or services fluctuates, over what it would have been in the absence of said invoicing plan, wherein said invoicing plan includes the calculation of at least one hypothetical invoice amount using a consumption value based on the consumption by a customer of one or more goods or services during a service interval according to the terms of a billing plan to which said customer is not contractually bound, and compares said at least one hypothetical invoice amount with the amount said customer is contractually obligated to pay said provider under an existing contract.
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35. ) A billing plan which provides for the total of the invoices charged to a customer over a plurality of service intervals to remain the same or to be reduced in dollar equivalent value when the customer'"'"'s consumption of goods and/or services increases from one service interval to another within said plurality of service intervals, with respect to the total amount said customer would have been charged under a contract offered by at least one other provider of the same goods and/or services for such same goods and/or services during the same service intervals.
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36. ) A method of advertising cellular telephone services comprising the step of:
- offering a variable billing plan, wherein said plan enables the total of the invoices charged to a customer over a plurality of service intervals to remain constant or be reduced if the customer'"'"'s usage fluctuates from one service interval to another, as compared to the total amount the customer would be invoiced under the terms of at least one other single contract offered to the customer by any provider of such services in the marketplace for substantially the same quantity of service over a service interval of substantially the same length, wherein said at least one other single contract is made available or offered to said customer after said customer has already executed a contract for such services.
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37. ) A method of advertising cellular telephone services comprising the step of:
- offering a variable billing plan, wherein said plan enables the total of the invoices charged to a customer over a plurality of service intervals to remain constant or be reduced if the customer'"'"'s usage fluctuates from one service interval to another, as compared to the total amount the customer would be invoiced under the terms of at least one other single contract offered to the customer by any provider of such services in the marketplace for substantially the same quantity of service over a service interval of substantially the same length, wherein said at least one other single contract is made available or offered to said customer before said customer has executed a contract for such services.
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38. ) A billing method which is capable of causing the amount which a consumer of goods and/or services is invoiced to remain the same or to be reduced when the customer'"'"'s usage increases, versus what said consumer would have been invoiced under any one contract offered to said consumer prior to or during consumption of said goods and/or services.
Specification