Method of selecting a cost effective service plan

• US 5,659,601 A
• Filed: 05/09/1995
• Issued: 08/19/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cheslog, Robert Jacob
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOOMIS, PAUL A
• Application Number:
  US08/437,346
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• Field of Search: 379/112, 379/111, 379/114, 379/115, 379/116, 379/117, 379/118, 379/119, 379/121, 379/130, 379/131, 379/58, 379/59, 379/60, 379/221, 379/220, 370/238
• US Class Current: 379/121.02
• 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 15/55 for hybrid networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• 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 2215/0152 General billing plans, rate plans, e.g. charge rates, numbering plans, rate centers, customer accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0184 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions, volume discounts, cell discounts, group billing, frequent calling destination(s) or user history list
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2046 Hybrid network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/42 Least cost routing, i.e. provision for selecting the lowest cost tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/745 Least cost routing, e.g. Automatic or manual, call by call or by preselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A unique cellular telephone billing system (100) processes call detail records (102) of cellular telephone calls made by users of customers to produce invoices and reports containing consolidated billing, usage and cost information for the current and other eligible cellular service plans. Eligible cellular service plans are identified for each user in a candidate file and costs for accumulated usage data are calculated (216) under the current and eligible cellular service plans. The calculated costs for the current and eligible cellular service plans may then be compared to determine the most cost effective service plan for each user on the basis of peak and off-peak usage and customer discounts. Reports may be generated (218) for each user illustrating consolidated billing, usage and cost information by sorting on the basis of the corresponding key identification number and information format.

Claims

1. A method of selecting one of a plurality of rate plans for cellular radiotelephone users each having corresponding user records from one or more cellular systems gathered in a billing pool, said billing pool including user records for at least a current billing period and a previous billing period, each user record including a current rate plan and usage information for the current and previous billing periods, said method comprising the steps of:

a) selecting all user records from the billing pool for each cellular radiotelephone user which has non-zero usage information;

b) creating an active customer summary record for each cellular radiotelephone user by accumulating the usage information in all corresponding user records;

c) accessing peak and off-peak usage minutes in the accumulated usage information of all corresponding user records;

d) calculating costs for each cellular radiotelephone user based upon the usage minutes in the corresponding active customer summary record and at least two of the rate plans; and

e) selecting for each cellular radiotelephone user a rate plan which has the lowest calculated cost.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein said step a) further comprises the step of excluding all user records for each cellular radiotelephone user which has changed current rate plans during the current or previous billing periods.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein said step a) further comprises the step of excluding all user records for each cellular radiotelephone user which has been activated during the current billing period.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein said step c) further comprises the step of accessing customer discount information.

5. The method according to claim 4 wherein said step d) further comprises the step of multiplying the peak and off-peak usage minutes by peak and off-peak rates, respectively, for each rate plan and subtracting customer discount information.

6. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step f) of outputting, for each cellular radiotelephone user, the corresponding selected rate plan, current rate plan, and accumulated usage information.

7. A method of selecting one of a plurality of rate plans for cellular radiotelephone users each having corresponding user records from one or more cellular systems gathered in a billing pool, said billing pool including user records for at least a current billing period and a previous billing period, each user record including a current rate plan and usage information for the current and previous billing periods, said method comprising the steps of:

a) selecting all user records from the billing pool for each cellular radiotelephone user which has non-zero usage information;

b) creating an active customer summary record for each cellular radiotelephone user by accumulating the usage information in all corresponding user records;

c) accessing peak and off-peak usage minutes in the accumulated usage information and customer discount information of all corresponding user records;

d) calculating costs for each cellular radiotelephone user based upon the usage minutes in the corresponding active customer summary record and at least two of the rate plans by multiplying the peak and off-peak usage minutes by peak and off-peak rates, respectively, for each rate plan and subtracting customer discount information; and

e) selecting for each cellular radiotelephone user a rate plan which has the lowest calculated cost.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein said step a) further comprises the step of excluding all user records for each cellular radiotelephone user which has changed current rate plans during the current or previous billing periods and all user records for each cellular radiotelephone user which has been activated during the current billing period.

9. The method according to claim 7 further comprising the step f) of outputting, for each cellular radiotelephone user, the corresponding selected rate plan, current rate plan, and accumulated usage information.

10. A method of selecting one of a plurality of rate plans for cellular radiotelephone users each having corresponding user records from one or more cellular systems gathered in a billing pool, said billing pool including user records for at least a current billing period and a previous billing period, each user record including a current rate plan and usage information for the current and previous billing periods, said method comprising the steps of:

a) selecting all user records from the billing pool for each cellular radiotelephone user which has non-zero usage information;

b) excluding all user records for each cellular radiotelephone user which has changed current rate plans during the current or previous billing periods and excluding all user records for each cellular radiotelephone user which has been activated during the current billing period

c) creating a quarterly active customer summary record for each cellular radiotelephone user by accumulating the usage information in all corresponding user records;

d) accessing peak and off-peak usage minutes in the accumulated usage information and customer discount information of all corresponding user records;

d) calculating costs for each cellular radiotelephone user based upon the usage minutes in the corresponding quarterly active customer summary record and at least two of the rate plans by multiplying the peak and off-peak usage minutes by peak and off-peak rates, respectively, for each rate plan and subtracting customer discount information;

e) selecting for each cellular radiotelephone user a rate plan which has the lowest calculated cost; and

f) outputting, for each cellular radiotelephone user, the corresponding selected rate plan, current rate plan, and accumulated usage information.