SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INDEPENDENTLY AUTHORIZING AUXILIARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES

• US 20080219422A1
• Filed: 05/17/2007
• Published: 09/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Securus Technologies Incorporated (Securus Special Investments LLC)
• Original Assignee: Evercom Systems Incorporated (Securus Special Investments LLC)
• Inventors: Polozola, Michelle L., Rosenfield, Stuart
• Granted Patent: US 8,255,300 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/127.02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• 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 15/08 Metering calls to called party , i.e. B-party charged for the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/47 Fraud detection or prevention means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/835 Time or frequency of notifications, e.g. Advice of Charge [AoC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8351 before establishing a communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/84 Types of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/842 Announcement, e.g. IVR dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/85 characterised by the type of condition triggering a notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/851 Determined tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/852 Low balance or limit reached
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/854 Available credit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/858 Request users acknowledgement prior to use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/00 Prepayment of wireline communication systems, wireless communication systems or telephone systems using a coded card to authorise calls from a telephone set H04M1/675
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0148 Fraud detection or prevention means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0188 Network monitoring; statistics on usage on called/calling number
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/62 Called party billing, e.g. reverse billing, freephone, collect call, 0800 or 0900
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/68 : Billing calls completely to the calling party, except POTS, e.g. charge on caller's choice service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/81 : Notifying aspects, e.g. notifications or displays to the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8104 : Time or frequency of notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8108 : before establishing a communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8129 : Type of notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8133 : Announcement, e.g. IVR dialogue, intelligent peripheral or switch
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/815 : Notification when a specific condition, service or event is met
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8154 : Determined tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8158 : Low balance or limit reached
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8166 : Available credit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8183 : Request users acknowledgement prior to use

Abstract

Systems and methods which determines the likelihood that a calling (or in some cases the called) user will pay for a particular auxiliary service are described. A system of an embodiment considers the user'"'"'s credit risk and his/her propensity to pay, when deciding if the user is eligible for a particular auxiliary service. A methodology used for determining propensity to pay for an auxiliary service according to embodiments is independent from a determination of propensity to pay for a basic calling service. Thus, the criteria used, and the weight given to each criteria, for determining eligibility for auxiliary services can be different from the criteria and criteria weight used for basic communication connections.

Claims

1. A method for determining eligibility for a message service, said method comprising:

detecting when a particular user has placed a calling connection that results in an opportunity to use a message service;

determining, at the time of said detection, eligibility options of said particular user to use one or more message options; and

communicating to said particular user said determined ones of said eligibility options.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein at least some of said eligibility options are dependent upon credit factors of said particular user.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said credit factors are selected from a list of:

a credit risk associated with said user;

a metric indicating said user'"'"'s propensity to pay; and

said user'"'"'s credit history.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein at least some of said eligibility options are dependent upon a length of stay by said user at a facility served with said message service.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein at least some of said eligibility options are dependent upon a potential profit margin available for the type of said calling connection.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein said credit factors are contemporaneous decile factors of said particular user.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said message service is selected from the list of:

leaving a voicemail message;

retrieving a voicemail message;

leaving a reply voicemail message in response to a retrieved voicemail message.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said particular user is either a person calling an incarcerated person or an incarcerated person.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of said eligibility options is selected from the list of:

the identity of a user eligible for leaving a message;

the identity of a user to whom a message is being directed;

credit availability of a user, quick check of eligibility, establishment of a new account by a user.

10. A transaction authorization system for optimizing transaction profitability, said transaction authorization system comprising:

an authorization interface for receiving one or more transaction requests from a user, said requests pertaining to a BTN;

a scoring module for assessing a profitability score associated with at least one of;

said BTN and said one or more transaction requests; and

a transaction services system available for use by a user based upon a certain assessed profitability score associated with a transaction request.

11. The system of claim 10 further comprising:

a profit opportunity module for selecting ones of a plurality of profit generation applications based at least in part on said profitability score.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein said transaction services are selected from the list of:

leaving a voice mail message, leaving an e-mail message, creating message copies hand delivery of a message, private messages, retrieving a voicemail message;

leaving a reply voicemail message in response to a retrieved voicemail message, retrieving an e-mail message.

13. A method for use in controlling communications with respect to an incarceration facility;

said method comprising;

accepting calling connections directed to incarcerated users,

processing an accepted calling connection when said calling connection is directed to a user who is unavailable to accept said calling connection in real time;

said processing comprising;

determining at least one auxiliary service desired by said calling connection; and

determining a credit eligibility of said calling connection based upon said determined desired calling connection.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

completing said calling connection to said auxiliary service upon a positive determination of said credit eligibility.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said auxiliary services are selected from the list of:

leaving a voice mail message, leaving an e-mail message, creating message copies, hand delivery of a message, private messages, retrieving a voicemail message;

leaving a reply voicemail message in response to a retrieved voicemail message, retrieving an e-mail message.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

accepting calling connections from an incarcerated user, said calling connection directed to receipt of a desired one of said auxiliary services; and

determining an eligibility of said incarcerated user to receive said desired service.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said last-mentioned determining comprises:

accepting from said incarcerated user an ID pertaining to said desired auxiliary service.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein said last-mentioned determining comprises:

determining whether credit available to said incarcerated user is sufficient for said desired auxiliary service.

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

accepting calling connections from an incarcerated users said calling connection directed to a non-incarcerated user;

determining at least one auxiliary service available to said incarcerated user when said called user is unavailable; and

determining an eligibility of said incarcerated user to access determined available ones of said auxiliary services.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said last-mentioned determining comprises:

accepting from said incarcerated user an ID pertaining to a desired one of said auxiliary services.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein said last-mentioned determining comprises:

determining whether credit available to said incarcerated user is sufficient for a desired one of said auxiliary services.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein said auxiliary services are selected from the list of:

leaving a voice mail message, leaving an e-mail message, creating message copies, hand delivery of a message, private messages, retrieving a voicemail message;

leaving a reply voicemail message in response to a retrieved voicemail message, retrieving an e-mail message.