System and Method for Independently Authorizing Auxiliary Communication Services

• US 20120296807A1
• Filed: 08/03/2012
• Published: 11/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Securus Technologies Incorporated (Securus Special Investments LLC)
• Original Assignee: Securus Technologies Incorporated (Securus Special Investments LLC)
• Inventors: Polozola, Michelle L., Rosenfield, Stuart, Falcone, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 8,583,527 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/38
• 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 comprising:

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

determining, in response to the detection, eligibility options of the particular user to use one or more message options; and

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

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

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the credit factors include at least one factor selected from the group consisting of:

a credit risk associated with the user, a metric indicating the user'"'"'s propensity to pay, and the user'"'"'s credit history.

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

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

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

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the message service includes at least one service selected from the group consisting of:

leaving a voicemail message, retrieving a voicemail message, and leaving a reply voicemail message in response to a retrieved voicemail message.

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

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the eligibility options include at least one option selected from the group consisting of:

an identity of a user eligible for leaving a message, an identity of a user to whom a message is being directed, a credit availability of a user, and an establishment of a new account by a user.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the eligibility option is dependent upon a user paying a fee to:

leave a message, listen to a message, or retrieve a message.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is a resident of a controlled-environment facility, wherein the calling connection involves a non-resident of the controlled-environment facility, and wherein the controlled-environment facility is a prison or jail.

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.

13-22. -22. (canceled)

25. A system, comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor, the memory configured to store instructions executable by the at least one processor to cause the system to;

determine that a resident of a controlled-environment facility has attempted to initiate a communication with a non-resident of the controlled-environment facility; and

communicate one or more message services that are available to resident based, at least in part, upon one or more eligibility factors associated with the resident.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the controlled-environment facility is a prison or jail, and wherein the resident is an inmate.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the one or more message services include leaving a voicemail message to the non-resident or retrieving a voicemail message from the non-resident.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the one or more eligibility factors associated with the resident include a length of stay of the resident in the controlled-environment facility.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein the one or more eligibility factors is dependent upon the resident paying a fee to:

leave a message or retrieve a message.

30. A tangible computer-readable storage medium having program instructions stored thereon that, upon execution by a computer system, cause the computer system to:

determine that a non-resident of a controlled-environment facility has attempted to initiate a communication with a resident of the controlled-environment facility; and

communicate one or more message services that are available to the non-resident based, at least in part, upon one or more eligibility factors associated with the non-resident.

31. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 30, wherein the controlled-environment facility is a prison or jail, and wherein the resident is an inmate.

32. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 30, wherein the one or more message services include leaving a voicemail message to the resident or retrieving a voicemail message from resident.

33. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 30, wherein the one or more eligibility factors associated with the non-resident include a credit of the non-resident or payment by the non-resident of a fee to:

leave a message or retrieve a message.