Methods for Providing Overdraft Protection for Post-Paid Communication Service Plans

• US 20120069979A1
• Filed: 11/30/2011
• Published: 03/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cingular Wireless LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cingular Wireless LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Henry, Coulter C. Jr., Lazaro, Francis Richard Jr., Hines, Andrew Lamont Jr., Johnson, Derek Ukow-Badu
• Granted Patent: US 8,478,235 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/114.03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1457 using an account
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1467 involving prepayment
• 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 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• 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 15/854 Available credit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/857 Cumulative charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/882 for continuing the call beyond the limit using an alternative, e.g. alternative account
• 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 17/02 Coin-freed or check-freed systems , e.g. mobile- or card-operated phones, public telephones or booths
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/10 Account details or usage
• 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 2215/0124 Continue alternative, i.e. alternative account to continue use
• 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 2215/146 : Data billing, e.g. wherein the user is charged based only on the time he receives data
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7806 : Time based
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8166 : Available credit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8179 : Cumulative charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing

Abstract

Methods for adding minutes to a calling plan having a calling plan period. The methods including determining whether a threshold number of minutes have been reached during the calling plan period; and incrementally adding minutes to the calling plan when the threshold number of minutes has been reached. The cost per minute of the added minutes is less than the high-cost per minute rate normally associated with exceeding the threshold number of minutes during the calling plan period.

Claims

1. A method, for providing overdraft protection in connection with a communications account, comprising:

receiving, at a tangible computer server, a user instruction indicating whether a user associated with the communications account would like to;

borrow additional data blocks from a future data plan period;

or

be charged a predetermined cost per additional data block for additional data blocks,

the predetermined cost per additional data block being less than a cost per data block normally associated with exceeding a predetermined base number of data blocks during a data plan period for the communications account.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adjusting, at the billing system server, in response to receiving the user instruction, a data subscription plan, associated with the communications account and having the data plan period, to add additional data blocks to the communications account; and

charging, if the user instruction indicates that the user would like to be charged the predetermined cost per additional data block for additional data blocks, a user fee corresponding to the predetermined cost per additional data block.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein data blocks of the data subscription plan, adjusted by the billing system server, are shared among multiple communication devices.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the communications account is a post-paid account including (i) the data subscription plan and (ii) a plurality of data plan periods, each data plan period having the predetermined base number of data blocks;

5. The method of claim 2, wherein adjusting the data subscription plan to add additional data blocks to the communications account includes adjusting the data subscription plan to add the additional data blocks in predetermined first size increments.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the predetermined cost per additional data block is a first predetermined cost; and

the method further comprises adjusting, at the billing system server, the data subscription plan to provide additional data blocks in predetermined second size increments for a second predetermined cost per data block as usage of the communications account increases above a threshold number of data blocks over the predetermined based number of data blocks.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, at the billing system server, whether the communications account is associated with overdraft protection; and

providing, in response to determining that the communications account is associated with overdraft protection, a user-inquiry message to determine whether the user would like to borrow additional data blocks from the future data plan period or be charged the predetermined cost per additional data block for additional data blocks.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

receiving a user instruction indicating whether a user associated with the communications account would like to;

borrow additional data blocks from a future data plan period;

or

be charged a predetermined cost per additional data block for additional data blocks,

the predetermined cost per additional data block being less than a cost per data block normally associated with exceeding a predetermined base number of data blocks during a data plan period for the communications account.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

adjusting in response to receiving the user instruction, a data subscription plan, associated with the communications account and having the data plan period, to add additional data blocks to the communications account; and

charging, if the user instruction indicates that the user would like to be charged the predetermined cost per additional data block for additional data blocks, a user fee corresponding to the predetermined cost per additional data block.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein data blocks of the data subscription plan, adjusted by the billing system server, are shared among multiple communication devices.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the communications account is a post-paid account including (i) the data subscription plan and (ii) a plurality of data plan periods, each data plan period having the predetermined base number of data blocks;

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein adjusting the data subscription plan to add additional data blocks to the communications account includes adjusting the data subscription plan to add the additional data blocks in predetermined first size increments.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein:

the predetermined cost per additional data block is a first predetermined cost; and

the method further comprises adjusting the data subscription plan to provide additional data blocks in predetermined second size increments for a second predetermined cost per data block as usage of the communications account increases above a threshold number of data blocks over the predetermined based number of data blocks.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

determining whether the communications account is associated with overdraft protection; and

providing, in response to determining that the communications account is associated with overdraft protection, a user-inquiry message to determine whether the user would like to borrow additional data blocks from the future data plan period or be charged the predetermined cost per additional data block for additional data blocks.

15. A billing system server, for providing overdraft protection to a user, comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable memory comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising;

receiving a user instruction indicating whether a user associated with the communications account would like to;

borrow additional data blocks from a future data plan period;

or

be charged a predetermined cost per additional data block for additional data blocks,

the predetermined cost per additional data block being less than a cost per data block normally associated with exceeding a predetermined base number of data blocks during a data plan period far the communications account.

16. The billing system server of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the method further comprising:

adjusting, in response to receiving the user instruction, a data subscription plan, associated with the communications account and having the data plan period, to add additional data blocks to the communications account; and

charging, if the user instruction indicates that the user would like to be charged the predetermined cost per additional data block for additional data blocks, a user fee corresponding to the predetermined cost per additional data block.

17. The billing system server of claim 16, wherein data blocks of the data subscription plan, adjusted by the billing system server, are shared among multiple communication devices.

18. The billing system server of claim 16, wherein the communications account is a post-paid account including (i) the data subscription plan and (ii) a plurality of data plan periods, each data plan period having the predetermined base number of data blocks;

19. The billing system server of claim 16, wherein adjusting the data subscription plan to add additional data blocks to the communications account includes adjusting the data subscription plan to add the additional data blocks in predetermined first size increments.

20. The billing system server of claim 19, wherein:

the predetermined cost per additional data block is a first predetermined cost; and

the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the method further comprising adjusting the data subscription plan to provide additional data blocks in predetermined second size increments for a second predetermined cost per data block as usage of the communications account increases above a threshold number of data blocks over the predetermined based number of data blocks.