Real time information system for cellular telephones

• US 5,517,555 A
• Filed: 09/21/1994
• Issued: 05/14/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cellular Technical Services Co., Inc. (Asensus Surgical, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellular Technical Services Co., Inc. (Asensus Surgical, Inc.)
• Inventors: Amadon, Charles G., Millward, Robert R., Edmonds, Michael A., Stanhope, David M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): OEHLING, GEORGE J
• Application Number:
  US08/310,216
• Time in Patent Office: 601 Days
• Field of Search: 379/58, 379/59, 379/63, 379/91, 379/111, 379/112, 379/113, 379/114, 379/144, 379/145
• US Class Current: 455/408
• 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 15/47 Fraud detection or prevention means
• 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 2215/0116 Provision for limiting expenditure, e.g. limit on call expenses or account
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0148 Fraud detection or prevention means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

Method and apparatus for collecting call detail, monitoring customer account balance for excessive charges, and controlling the capabilities of cellular subscriber stations on the cellular telephone switch in substantially real time is disclosed. A communication system co-located at a cellular MTSO is used to capture detailed call information by examining the switch'"'"'s Automated Message Accounting data in real-time. Call records are parsed, rated for toll and air charges and stored in a database. A software system monitors the billing activity on the customer account for excessive charges. When excessive charges take place, a connection between the communication system and the cellular telephone switch control port allows commands to be issued directly from the communication system to the cellular telephone switch providing operational control of selected cellular telephones.

Claims

1. In a cellular telephone system comprising mobile telephone transceiver units operated in conjunction with cell sites and mobile telephone switching offices (MTSOs) which route calls to and from the mobile transceiver unit through a public switched telephone network (PSTN) and which generate call records, the method of automated monitoring and analyzing customer usage in substantially real time, comprising the steps of:

collecting through an applications processor linked to the MTSO customer call records by real time filtering of call records generated at the MTSOs;

rating in the applications processor each customer call and adding such rating data to each said customer call record;

calculating in a call record monitoring and analyzing processor total charges for each customer call;

storing account balances for each customer in said monitoring and analyzing processor;

adding said total charges for each customer call to said account balance in said monitoring and analyzing processor;

storing in a data base an authorized usage level for each customer in said monitoring and analyzing processor;

comparing over a predetermined watch cycle said account balance with said stored usage level in said data base for each customer after said step of adding said total charges to said account balance;

storing in said data base one or more of a plurality of selectable predefined actions for each customer to be invoked as a response to the step of comparing;

generating an action signal in said monitoring and analyzing processor when the step of comparing results in a predetermined percentage relation of said account balance to said stored usage level; and

periodically resetting said account balance after each said predetermined watch cycle.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of changing customer service at the MTSO when said action signal is generated.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said step of changing customer service includes automatically terminating service at the switch of the MTSO.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said step of changing customer service includes automatically rerouting customer calls at the switch of the MTSO.

5. In the cellular telephone system of claim 1, said step of periodically resetting said account balance being performed by a bill cycle processor that further comprises the step of checking for said action signals occurring during said watch cycle and storing same.

6. Automated real time monitoring, analyzing and usage control system for mobile telephone subscribers in a cellular telephone network, comprising:

relational data base means for storing customer registrations, predetermined customer usage levels, account balances, and account action data including a plurality of selectable predefined actions for each of a plurality of predetermined customers;

means for monitoring in substantially real time accumulative actual usage by each of said predetermined customers by processing record data generated by a mobile telephone switching office, said processing of record data including means for rating each call and means for calculating total charges for each call;

means for comparing in substantially real time said accumulative actual usage with said predetermined customer usage level over a predetermined watch cycle for each of said predetermined customers;

means responsive to said means for comparing for generating an action signal when said accumulative actual usage over said predetermined watch cycle has a predetermined relation to said customer usage level for each of said customers;

means for retrieving said account action data from said relational data base means in response to said action signal; and

means for resetting said accumulative actual usage after each predetermined watch cycle.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein said means responsive to said means for comparing comprises processor means for generating said action signal when said accumulative actual usage equals or exceeds said predetermined customer usage level for each of said predetermined customers during said predetermined watch cycle.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein said means responsive to said means for comparing comprises warning means for generating a warning signal in response to the occurrence of said action signal.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein said means for retrieving said account action data further comprising means adapted to cause a change in the condition of customer service at a mobile telephone switching office in response to said action signal.

10. The system of claim 6, further comprising applications processor means adapted to send a command to a mobile telephone switching office responsive to said action signal to direct outbound calls of said predetermined customers to an administrative office phone line.

11. The system of claim 6, further comprising means adapted for integrity switching of predetermined customers at a mobile telephone switching office and being responsive to said action signal for causing a mobile telephone switching office to disable a predetermined customer'"'"'s service.

12. The system of claim 6, further comprising an applications processor linked to a mobile telephone switching office call record message processor, and said applications processor including means for collecting in substantially real time call record data for each predetermined customers placing or receiving calls through said mobile telephone switching office.

13. In a cellular telephone system having a switching office for selectively connecting certain predetermined mobile telephone user customers to other telephone stations and said switching office having a processor including an automatic message accounting program for responding to telephone calls to generate a call record for each such call, in combination therewith, a substantially real time usage monitoring and usage control subsystem comprising:

call record processor means for receiving said call data records and producing rating data for each call, and assembling multiple call data records including rating for each call into a data stream; and

usage monitoring and control processor means including a data base means storing predetermined customer identification, action data including a plurality of selectable actions, preset usage data and a customer account balance, said usage monitoring and control processor means including means for computing and accumulating total call charges for each customer in response to said data stream and adding said total charges to said customer account balance, means for comparing in substantially real time accumulated total charges over a predetermined watch cycle with said preset usage data for each of said predetermined customers, means for generating an action signal in response to said means for comparing resulting in a predetermined percentage relation of said customer account balance and said preset usage data, means for retrieving said action data in response to said action signal, and bill cycle processor means for resetting said account balance for each customer at the beginning of each watch cycle.

14. In the telephone system of claim 13, further comprising means for sending a switch change signal to the switching office in response to said action signal.

15. In a telephone system of claim 13, wherein said bill cycle processor further includes means for checking for occurrence of action signals during said watch cycle and storing such occurrences.

16. In a telephone system of claim 13, further comprising a closer processor operating in conjunction with said bill cycle processor means for closing accounts that have been cancelled, and deleting said customer identification and preset usage data from said database means.

17. In a telephone system of claim 13, further comprising a messages system means including a common memory area accessible to said call record processor means, usage monitoring and control processor means, and said bill cycle processor means, said messages system means for sending messages to designated processor means by attaching an identification header to each digital message that is placed in said common memory area for being picked up by a designated processor means.