Air time management
First Claim
1. A method for managing message units, the method comprising:
- receiving a list of potential calling parties associated with a subscriber, the list including identification information regarding the listed potential calling parties;
associating a priority level to each of the listed potential calling parties; and
, screening calls based on at least one of a calling line identification and a personal identification code associated with the calls and based on information included in the list of potential calling parties, on the associated priorities and on a current cost of message units.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Calls are screened on the basis of a priority assigned to the calling party and a current cost (monetary or opportunity) to a communications service subscriber. For example, a calling line identification or a PIN is used to identify the calling party and to find a priority level assigned to the calling party by the subscriber. An applicable billing category is determined (e.g., a night or weekend, peak, or mobile to mobile billing category). An unused amount of air time or message units in a basic allotment of message units or air time is determined. If, given the amount of remaining message units or the cost of message units, the priority level assigned to the calling party justifies call completion; the user equipment of the calling party is connected to the user equipment of the subscriber. Otherwise, the user equipment of the calling party is connected to a message service or call completion is denied.
40 Citations
30 Claims
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1. A method for managing message units, the method comprising:
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receiving a list of potential calling parties associated with a subscriber, the list including identification information regarding the listed potential calling parties;
associating a priority level to each of the listed potential calling parties; and
,screening calls based on at least one of a calling line identification and a personal identification code associated with the calls and based on information included in the list of potential calling parties, on the associated priorities and on a current cost of message units. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for managing air time, the method comprising:
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receiving a list of potential calling parties associated with a subscriber, the list including identification information regarding the listed potential calling parties;
associating a priority level with each of the listed potential calling parties;
receiving a call request from a calling party directed at user equipment of the subscriber;
determining a priority level associated with the calling party;
determining a current air time ration state associated with the subscriber; and
processing the call request according to the current ration state and the priority level of the calling party. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A system operative to conserve message units for a subscriber, the system comprising:
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a potential caller list manager operative to receive and maintain a list of potential callers in association with priority levels of the callers, the list being associated with the subscriber;
a message unit conserver operative to determine a priority of a calling party based on the list of potential callers and to determine a current message unit ration state based on a current cost of message units to the subscriber; and
a call processor operative to process a call request of the calling party based on the determined priority of the calling party and the determined current message unit ration state. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A system for managing message units, the method comprising:
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means for receiving a list of potential calling parties associated with a subscriber, the list including identification information regarding the listed potential calling parties;
means for associating a priority level with each of the listed potential calling parties;
means for receiving a call request from a calling party directed at user equipment of the subscriber;
means for determining a priority level associated with the calling party;
means for determining a current message unit ration state associated with the subscriber; and
means for processing the call request according to the current ration state and the priority level of the calling party.
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Specification