Traffic shaping of cellular service consumption through delaying of service completion according to geographical-based pricing advantages

• US 20060040641A1
• Filed: 08/05/2004
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Waters, Timothy Moffett, Seaman, James Wesley, Hamilton, Rick Allen II, Dawson, Christopher James
• Granted Patent: US 7,076,237 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/405
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1091 Recording time for administrative or management purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/22 Traffic shaping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2416 Real-time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/32 by discarding or delaying data units, e.g. packets or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/28 with meter at substation or with calculation of charges at terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/30 the meter or calculation of charges not being controlled from an exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8016 based on quality of service [QoS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8033 location-dependent, e.g. business or home
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• 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 2215/7414 QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7435 : Location dependent, e.g. Bussiness or home
• 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: H04M 2215/92 : Autonomous calculations of charges in terminal, i.e. meter not controlled from exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 : using intermediate storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 : Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 : Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 : Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems

Abstract

Changes in user behavior of usage of wireless services from a mobile device are encouraged in order to effect shaping of traffic and utilization patterns among a plurality of cells within a rate plan region, wherein a discount indicator disposed in said mobile device is provided to notify a user of a discount available for consuming wireless service from a given cell. A geo-cost policy is established for that user or mobile device in which rules and conditions according to the available discounts and class of service are defined. A service completer queues services and automatically completes queued services upon present conditions meeting said geo-cost policy rules, such as delaying and later delivering messages when the mobile device is relocated to a cell where discounts are being offered.

Claims

1. A system for shaping of traffic and utilization patterns among a plurality of cells within a rate plan region, said rate plan defining at least one standard charge rate of service consumption for services consumed within a rate plan region, said system comprising:

a discount indicator disposed in a mobile communications device, said indicator being set by a wireless service provider for a given cell in which said mobile device is presently located, said indicator indicating a discount value available for consuming wireless service from said given cell in order to encourage said service consumption;

a geo-cost policy associated with said mobile device, said policy defining a set of rules and conditions according to said discount value and according to one or more classes of service under which service initiation is to be delayed and queued, and according to discount values offered in each cell of said rate plan region;

a service completer which queues services by receiving information from a user of said mobile device, storing said information in said mobile device without use of network communications, and which automatically completes queued services upon present conditions meeting said geo-cost policy rules by delivering said stored information using network communications thereby delaying the use of network communications until geo-cost policy conditions are met.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said service completer is configured to queue and automatically complete a wireless service selected from the group of sending a text message, receiving a text message, sending a voice message, receiving a voice message, sending picture, and receiving a picture.

3. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said service completer is configured to queue and automatically dial telephone numbers.

4. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said service completer is configured to queue and automatically complete a wireless service selected from the group of automatically connecting to a web address, automatically downloading a data structure, and refreshing a stored web page from a source web page.

5. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said discount indicator comprises a selection from the group of a user icon, a text message, and a computer-readable data value.

6. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said geo-cost policy comprises service classes based upon a selection from the group of telephone number, buddy name, web address, and keyword.

7. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said service completer is configured to automatically complete a queued service according to one or more geo-cost conditions selected from the group of currently offered discount value for a given cell, a mobile device battery low indicator, a mobile device power-off request, a clock time, a calendar day, and a mobile device low wireless signal strength indicator.

8. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a geo-cost policy editor configured to edit said geo-cost policy.

9. A method for shaping of traffic and utilization patterns among a plurality of cells within a rate plan region, said rate plan defining at least one standard charge rate of service consumption for services consumed within a rate plan region, said system comprising:

disposing a discount indicator in a mobile communications device, said indicator being set by a wireless service provider for a given cell in which said mobile device is presently located, said indicator indicating a discount value available for consuming wireless service from said given cell in order to encourage said service consumption;

accessing a geo-cost policy associated with said mobile device, said policy defining a set of rules and conditions according to said discount value and according to one or more classes of service under which service initiation is to be delayed and queued, and according to discount values offered in each cell of said rate plan region;

queuing mobile services by receiving information from a user of said mobile device, and storing said information in said mobile device without use of network communications; and

automatically completing queued services upon present conditions meeting said geo-cost policy rules by delivering said stored information using network communications thereby delaying the use of network communications until geo-cost policy conditions are met.

10. The method as set forth in claim 9 wherein said steps of queuing and completing a mobile service comprises queuing and automatically completing a wireless service selected from the group of sending a text message, receiving a text message, sending a voice message, receiving a voice message, sending picture, and receiving a picture.

11. The method as set forth in claim 9 wherein said steps of queuing and completing a mobile service comprises automatically dialing a telephone number.

12. The method as set forth in claim 9 wherein said steps of queuing and completing a mobile service comprises queuing and automatically completing a wireless service selected from the group of automatically connecting to a web address, automatically downloading a data structure, and refreshing a stored web page from a source web page.

13. The method as set forth in claim 9 wherein said step of disposing a discount indicator comprises disposing an indicator selected from the group of a user icon, a text message, and a computer-readable data value.

14. The method as set forth in claim 9 wherein said step of accessing a geo-cost policy comprises evaluating service classes based upon a selection from the group of telephone number, buddy name, web address, and keyword.

15. The method as set forth in claim 9 wherein said steps of queuing and completing a mobile service comprises automatically completing a queued service according to one or more geo-cost conditions selected from the group of currently offered discount value for a given cell, a mobile device battery low indicator, a mobile device power-off request, a clock time, a calendar day, and a mobile device low wireless signal strength indicator.

16. The method as set forth in claim 9 further comprising providing a geo-cost policy editor configured to edit said geo-cost policy.

17. A computer readable medium encoded with software for shaping of traffic and utilization patterns among a plurality of cells within a rate plan region, said rate plan defining at least one standard charge rate of service consumption for services consumed within a rate plan region, said software being executed by a mobile communications device and performing the steps of:

providing to a user of said mobile communications device a discount indicator, said indicator being set by a wireless service provider for a given cell in which said mobile device is presently located, said indicator indicating a discount value available for consuming wireless service from said given cell in order to encourage said service consumption;

accessing a geo-cost policy associated with said mobile device, said policy defining a set of rules and conditions according to said discount value and according to one or more classes of service under which service initiation is to be delayed and queued, and according to discount values offered in each cell of said rate plan region;

queuing mobile services by receiving information from a user of said mobile device, and storing said information in said mobile device without use of network communications; and

automatically completing queued services upon present conditions meeting said geo-cost policy rules by delivering said stored information using network communications thereby delaying the use of network communications until geo-cost policy conditions are met.

18. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 17 wherein said software for queuing and completing a mobile service comprises software for queuing and automatically completing a wireless service selected from the group of sending a text message, receiving a text message, sending a voice message, receiving a voice message, sending picture, and receiving a picture.

19. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 17 wherein said software for queuing and completing a mobile service comprises software for automatically dialing a telephone number.

20. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 17 wherein said software for queuing and completing a mobile service comprises software for queuing and automatically completing a wireless service selected from the group of automatically connecting to a web address, automatically downloading a data structure, and refreshing a stored web page from a source web page.

21. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 17 wherein said software for providing a discount indicator comprises software for providing an indicator selected from the group of a user icon, a text message, and a computer-readable data value.

22. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 17 wherein said software for accessing a geo-cost policy comprises software for evaluating service classes based upon a selection from the group of telephone number, buddy name, web address, and keyword.

23. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 17 wherein said software for queuing and completing a mobile service comprises software for automatically completing a queued service according to one or more geo-cost conditions selected from the group of currently offered discount value for a given cell, a mobile device battery low indicator, a mobile device power-off request, a clock time, a calendar day, and a mobile device low wireless signal strength indicator.

24. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 17 further comprising software for editing said geo-cost policy.