Method for notifying a primary wireless unit of group calling plan activity

• US 20060003748A1
• Filed: 07/01/2004
• Published: 01/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Benco, David S., Mahajan, Sanjeev, Ruggerio, Raymond Leroy, McRoberts, Thomas Lee, Barclay, Deborah Lewandowski
• Granted Patent: US 7,412,228 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.100
• 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 15/26 with a meter or performing charging or billing at the exchange controlled by an operator
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/59 based on real time
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/745 Customizing according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. friends or family
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/765 Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/77 involving multiple accounts per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• 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 2215/0108 Customization according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. customer preferences, friends and family, selecting services or billing options, Personal Communication Systems [PCS]
• 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 2215/0184 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions, volume discounts, cell discounts, group billing, frequent calling destination(s) or user history list
• 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 2215/724 Linked accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7254 Multiple accounts per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/00 Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for notifying a primary wireless unit in a group calling plan that a wireless unit in the group calling plan has call activity. An MSC determines if there is call activity on a wireless phone. The MSC determines if the wireless phone is a member of a call monitoring group. If so, the MSC records call information related to the call activity and sends the call information to the primary wireless unit.

Claims

1. A method for notifying a primary wireless unit in a group calling plan that a wireless unit in the group calling plan has call activity, the method comprising:

determining if there is call activity on a wireless phone;

determining if the wireless phone is a member of a call monitoring group;

if the wireless phone is a member of the call monitoring group, recording call information related to the call activity; and

sending the call information to the primary wireless unit.

2. A method for notifying a primary wireless unit in a group calling plan that a wireless unit in the group calling plan has call activity in accordance with claim 1, wherein the step of determining if the wireless phone is a member of a call monitoring group comprises determining if the wireless phone has subscribed to a call monitoring service.

3. A method for notifying a primary wireless unit in a group calling plan that a wireless unit in the group calling plan has call activity in accordance with claim 2, wherein the call monitoring service can be enabled and disabled by the primary wireless unit.

4. A method for notifying a primary wireless unit in a group calling plan that a wireless unit in the group calling plan has call activity in accordance with claim 3, wherein the step of enabling and disabling the call monitoring services by the primary wireless unit comprises entering a feature code by the primary wireless unit.

5. A method for notifying a primary wireless unit in a group calling plan that a wireless unit in the group calling plan has call activity in accordance with claim 4, the method further comprising the step of entering, subsequent to the feature code, a phone number of a wireless unit in the group calling plan that the primary wireless unit desires to monitor.

6. A method for notifying a primary wireless unit in a group calling plan that a wireless unit in the group calling plan has call activity in accordance with claim 4, the method further comprising the step of entering, subsequent to the feature code, a plurality of phone numbers of wireless units in the group calling plan that the primary wireless unit desires to monitor.

7. A method for notifying a primary wireless unit in a group calling plan that a wireless unit in the group calling plan has call activity in accordance with claim 4, the method further comprising the step of monitoring all wireless units in the group calling plan when no phone numbers are entered subsequent to the feature code.

8. A method for notifying a primary wireless unit in a group calling plan that a wireless unit in the group calling plan has call activity in accordance with claim 1, wherein the step of recording call information related to the call activity comprises recording the directory number of the calling phone.

9. A method for notifying a primary wireless unit in a group calling plan that a wireless unit in the group calling plan has call activity in accordance with claim 1, wherein the step of recording call information related to the call activity comprises recording the directory number of the called phone.

10. A method for notifying a primary wireless unit in a group calling plan that a wireless unit in the group calling plan has call activity in accordance with claim 1, wherein the step of recording call information related to the call activity comprises recording the date of the call.

11. A method for notifying a primary wireless unit in a group calling plan that a wireless unit in the group calling plan has call activity in accordance with claim 1, wherein the step of recording call information related to the call activity comprises recording the time that the call was made.

12. A method for notifying a primary wireless unit in a group calling plan that a wireless unit in the group calling plan has call activity in accordance with claim 1, wherein the step of recording call information related to the call activity comprises recording the duration of the call.

13. A method for notifying a primary wireless unit in a group calling plan that a wireless unit in the group calling plan has call activity in accordance with claim 1, wherein the step of recording call information related to the call activity comprises recording a billing code associated with a user of the group wireless phone.

14. A method for notifying a primary wireless unit in a group calling plan that a wireless unit in the group calling plan has call activity in accordance with claim 1, the method further comprising the step of determining a client account to bill based at least in part upon the directory number of a phone connected to a wireless phone that is a member of the group calling plan.

15. A method for notifying a primary wireless unit in a group calling plan that a wireless unit in the group calling plan has call activity in accordance with claim 1, wherein the step of sending the call information to the primary wireless unit comprises sending the call information to a Short Message Service (SMS) Center.

16. A method for notifying a primary wireless unit in a group calling plan that a wireless unit in the group calling plan has call activity in accordance with claim 1, wherein the step of sending the call information to the primary wireless unit comprises sending an SMS message to the wireless unit.

17. A method for notifying a primary wireless unit in a group calling plan that a wireless unit in the group calling plan has call activity in accordance with claim 1, wherein the step of sending the call information to the primary wireless unit comprises sending an Instant Message to the wireless unit.

18. A method for notifying a primary wireless unit in a group calling plan that a wireless unit in the group calling plan has call activity in accordance with claim 1, wherein the step of sending the call information to the primary wireless unit is triggered based upon mobile phone usage.

19. A method for notifying a primary wireless unit in a group calling plan that a wireless unit in the group calling plan has call activity in accordance with claim 1, wherein the step of sending the call information to the primary wireless unit is performed after a predetermined period of time.

20. A method for notifying a primary wireless unit in a group calling plan that a wireless unit in the group calling plan has call activity in accordance with claim 1, wherein the step of sending the call information to the primary wireless unit is performed after a predetermined number of call information messages have been collected.