Multiple channel automated refill system

• US 20090047926A1
• Filed: 10/09/2007
• Published: 02/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture SPA (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Mastrantuono, Domenico, Clemenzi, Jacopo
• Granted Patent: US 8,090,345 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/405
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/43 Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/51 for resellers, retailers or service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/52 for operator independent billing system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/745 Customizing according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. friends or family
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/7655 shared by technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/77 involving multiple accounts per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/772 per service, e.g. prepay or post-pay
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• 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 15/88 Provision for limiting connection, or expenditure
• 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 17/20 with provision for recharging the prepaid account or card, or for credit establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/201 automatic recharging with predetermined amount at threshold
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2017/22 with automatic recharging of account/card, e.g. if limit is reached during connection the account is recharged automatically
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2017/222 at threshold
• 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 2215/0116 Provision for limiting expenditure, e.g. limit on call expenses or account
• 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 2215/54 : Resellers-retail or service providers billing, e.g. agreements with telephone service operator, activation, charging/recharging of accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/725 : Shared by technologies, e.g. one account for different access technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7254 : Multiple accounts per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7263 : per service, e.g. prepay and post-pay
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/815 : Notification when a specific condition, service or event is met
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8158 : Low balance or limit reached

Abstract

An automatic refill system for pre-paid accounts provides enhanced funding flexibility for customers and additional revenue streams for a telecommunication service provider. The automatic refill system solves the technical challenges involved with implementing a scheduled refill channel co-existing with a triggered refill channel for funding a pre-paid account. The scheduled channel regularly refills the pre-paid account. The telecommunication service provider also coordinates funding through a triggered refill channel that refills the pre-paid account when specific conditions are met, such as account balance falling below a threshold.

Claims

1. A telecommunication service provider automatic refill system comprising:

a customer account linked with a configuration record operable to identify whether only a triggered refill channel is activated on the customer account, whether only a scheduled refill channel is activated on the customer account, and whether both the triggered refill channel and scheduled refill channel are activated on the customer account;

a billing system operable to receive a customer account identifier that identifies the customer account and operable to analyze the configuration record linked to the customer account identifier to determine whether a triggered refill condition is met for the customer account, that a regularly scheduled refill condition is met for the customer account, or that both the regularly schedule refill condition and triggered refill condition are met for the customer account;

a triggered refill channel in communication with the billing system, the triggered refill channel operable to execute a triggered refill funding procedure for the customer account when the triggered refill condition is met for the customer account; and

a scheduled refill channel in communication with the billing system, the scheduled refill channel operable to execute a scheduled refill funding procedure for the customer account when the regularly scheduled refill condition is met for the customer account.

2. The system of claim 1 where the configuration record comprises:

an executed date data field operable to store a calendar date representing when the scheduled refill funding procedure was executed;

a refill activation data operable to store an identifier identifying whether only the triggered refill channel is activated, only the scheduled refill channel is activated, or the triggered refill channel and the scheduled refill channel are activated;

a refill status data field operable to store an identifier representative of a refill status;

a refill amount data field operable to store an identifier representative of a refill amount;

a scheduled condition data field operable to store a calendar date representative of the regularly scheduled refill condition; and

a triggered refill amount data field operable to store a value representative of the triggered refill condition.

3. The system of claim 1 where the triggered refill condition comprises a predetermined threshold of an amount representative of a monetary value for a balance remaining in a customer account.

4. The system of claim 1 where:

the customer account comprises a pre-paid customer account; and

the triggered refill channel is operable to execute the triggered refill funding procedure by being operable to;

determine an automatic refill payment to apply to the pre-paid customer account;

determine a post-paid account identifier associated with the pre-paid customer account; and

,

determine whether a post-paid account associated with the post-paid account identifier is active; and

,

the triggered refill channel is further operable to;

apply the automatic refill payment to the pre-paid customer account; and

apply an adjustment to a post-paid account corresponding to the post-paid account identifier in an amount equal to the automatic refill payment applied to the pre-paid customer account, when

the triggered refill channel determines that the post-paid account identifier is active.

5. The system of claim 4 where the triggered refill channel is further operable to:

determine whether applying the adjustment to the post-paid account is successful; and

deduct the automatic refill payment from the pre-paid customer account when the adjustment applied to the post-paid account is not successful.

6. The system of claim 1 where the regularly scheduled refill condition comprises a calendar date.

7. The system of claim 1 where:

the customer account comprises a pre-paid customer account; and

the scheduled refill channel is operable to execute the scheduled refill funding procedure by being operable to;

determine an automatic refill payment to apply to the pre-paid customer account;

determine a post-paid account identifier associated with the pre-paid customer account; and

,

determine whether a post-paid account associated with the post-paid account identifier is active; and

,

the scheduled refill channel is further operable to;

apply the automatic refill payment to the pre-paid customer account; and

apply an adjustment to a post-paid account corresponding to the post-paid account identifier in an amount equal to the automatic refill payment applied to the pre-paid customer account, when

the scheduled refill channel determines that the post-paid account identifier is active.

8. The system of claim 7 where the scheduled refill channel is further operable to

determine whether applying the adjustment to the post-paid account is successful;

and

deduct the automatic refill payment from the pre-paid customer account when the adjustment applied to the post-paid account is not successful.

9. A telecommunication service provider automatic refill method comprising:

receiving a customer account identifier for a customer account;

querying a configuration record linked to the customer account identifier to determine that only a triggered refill channel is activated on the customer account, that only a scheduled refill channel is activated on the customer account, or that both the triggered refill channel and scheduled refill channel are activated on the customer account;

implementing multiple refill channel configuration options for the customer account by;

determining when only the triggered refill channel is activated, or when both the triggered refill channel and scheduled refill channel are activated, and in response;

establishing a triggered refill condition for the customer account;

determining that the triggered refill condition is met; and

responsively executing a triggered refill funding procedure for the customer account; and

determining when only the scheduled refill channel configuration is activated, or when both the triggered refill channel and scheduled refill channel are activated, and in response;

establishing a regularly scheduled refill condition for the customer account;

determining that the regularly scheduled refill condition is met; and

responsively executing a scheduled refill funding procedure for the customer account.

10. The method of claim 9 where the configuration record comprises:

an executed date data field operable to store a calendar date representing when the scheduled refill funding procedure was executed;

a refill activation data field operable to store an identifier identifying whether only the triggered refill channel is activated, only the scheduled refill channel is activated, or the triggered refill channel and the scheduled refill channel are activated;

a refill status data field operable to store an identifier representative of a refill status;

a refill amount data field operable to store an identifier representative of a refill amount;

a scheduled condition data field operable to store a calendar date representative of the regularly scheduled refill condition; and

a triggered refill amount data field operable to store value representative of the triggered refill condition.

11. The method of claim 9 where the triggered refill condition comprises a predetermined threshold of an amount representative of a monetary value for a balance remaining in a customer account.

12. The method of claim 11 where establishing a triggered refill condition for the customer account comprises:

receiving the predetermined threshold amount; and

storing the predetermined threshold amount in the configuration record linked to the customer account identifier.

13. The method of claim 9 where responsively executing a triggered refill funding procedure comprises:

determining an automatic refill payment to apply to the customer account;

determining a post-paid account identifier associated with the customer account; and

,

determining whether a post-paid account associated with the post-paid account identifier is active, and where the post-paid account is active;

applying the automatic refill payment to the customer account; and

,

applying an adjustment to a post-paid account corresponding to the post-paid account identifier in an amount equal to the automatic refill payment applied to the customer account.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

determining whether the adjustment applied to the post-paid account was successful; and

where the adjustment applied to the post-paid account was not successful, deducting the automatic refill payment from the customer account.

15. The method of claim 9 where the regularly scheduled refill condition comprises a calendar date.

16. The method of claim 15 where establishing the regularly scheduled refill condition for the customer account comprises:

receiving the calendar date; and

storing the calendar date in the configuration record linked to the customer account identifier.

17. The method of claim 9 where responsively executing the scheduled refill funding procedure comprises:

determining an automatic refill payment to apply to the customer account;

determining a post-paid account identifier associated with the customer account; and

,

determining whether a post-paid account associated with the post-paid account identifier is active, and where the post-paid account is active;

applying the automatic refill payment to the customer account; and

applying an adjustment to a post-paid account corresponding to the post-paid account identifier in an amount equal to the automatic refill payment applied to the customer account.

18. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

determining whether the adjustment applied to the post-paid account was successful; and

where the adjustment applied to the post-paid account was not successful, deducting the automatic refill payment from the customer account.

19. A product comprising:

a machine readable medium; and

logic stored on the medium operable to;

receive a customer account identifier for a customer account;

query a configuration record linked to the customer account identifier to determine that only a triggered refill channel is activated on the customer account, that only a scheduled refill channel is activated on the customer account, or that both the triggered refill channel and scheduled refill channel are activated on the customer account;

implement multiple refill channel configuration options for the customer account by being operable to;

determine when only the triggered refill channel is activated, or when both the triggered refill channel and scheduled refill channel are activated, and responsively operable to;

establish a triggered refill condition for the customer account;

determine that the triggered refill condition is met; and

execute a triggered refill funding procedure for the customer account; and

determine when only the scheduled refill channel configuration is activated, or when both the triggered refill channel and scheduled refill channel are activated, and responsively operable to;

establish a regularly scheduled refill condition for the customer account;

determine that the regularly scheduled refill condition is met; and

execute a scheduled refill funding procedure for the customer account.

20. The product of claim 19 where the configuration record comprises:

an executed date data field operable to store a calendar date representing when the scheduled refill funding procedure was executed;

a refill activation data field operable to store an identifier identifying whether only the triggered refill channel is activated, only the scheduled refill channel is activated, or the triggered refill channel and the scheduled refill channel are activated;

a refill status data field operable to store an identifier representative of a refill status;

a refill amount data field operable to store an identifier representative of a refill amount;

a scheduled condition data field operable to store a calendar date representative of the regularly scheduled refill condition; and

a triggered refill amount data field operable to store a value representative of the triggered refill condition.

21. The product of claim 19 where:

the customer account comprises a pre-paid customer account; and

the logic is further operable to execute the triggered refill funding procedure by being operable to;

determine an automatic refill payment to apply to the pre-paid customer account;

determine a post-paid account identifier associated with the pre-paid customer account; and

,

determine whether a post-paid account associated with the post-paid account identifier is active; and

,

the logic is further operable to;

apply the automatic refill payment to the pre-paid customer account; and

apply an adjustment to a post-paid account corresponding to the post-paid account identifier in an amount equal to the automatic refill payment applied to the pre-paid customer account, when

the logic determines that the post-paid account identifier is active.

22. The product of claim 21 where the logic is further operable to:

determine whether applying the adjustment to the post-paid account is successful; and

deduct the automatic refill payment from the pre-paid customer account when the logic determines that the adjustment applied to the post-paid account is not successful.

23. The product of claim 19 where:

the customer account comprises a pre-paid customer account; and

the logic is operable to execute the scheduled refill funding procedure by being operable to;

determine an automatic refill payment to apply to the pre-paid customer account;

determine a post-paid account identifier associated with the pre-paid customer account; and

,

determine whether a post-paid account associated with the post-paid account identifier is active; and

,

the logic is further operable to;

apply the automatic refill payment to the pre-paid customer account; and

apply an adjustment to a post-paid account corresponding to the post-paid account identifier in an amount equal to the automatic refill payment applied to the pre-paid customer account, when

the logic determines that the post-paid account identifier is active.

24. The product of claim 23 where the logic is further operable to

determine whether applying the adjustment to the post-paid account is successful;

and

deduct the automatic refill payment from the pre-paid customer account when the logic determines that the adjustment applied to the post-paid account is not successful.