Customer profile based customized messaging

• US 6,125,173 A
• Filed: 05/21/1997
• Issued: 09/26/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jagadish, Hosagrahar V., Mumick, Inderpal S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US08/861,047
• Time in Patent Office: 1,224 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67, 379/88, 379/89, 379/111, 379/112, 379/114, 379/115, 379/121, 379/125, 379/126, 379/143, 379/144, 379/124, 379/127, 455/406, 455/407, 455/408
• US Class Current: 379/114.1
• 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 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• 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 15/8353 during the 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 15/854 Available credit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/857 Cumulative charges

Abstract

A method and system of telephone call processing that provides information to customers while telephone calls are made. Summary information for a customer is stored. A call from the customer is received alt a network switch. The network switch transmits information identifying the customer to a billing analysis system. The billing analysis system transmits the summary information for the customer to the network switch and an audio message based on the summary information is played to the customer.

Claims

1. A method of telephone call processing comprising the steps of:

storing summary parameters that define summary information that is to be generated for a customer;

storing summary information for the customer, the summary information comprising exemplary summary information relating to a telephone billing plan other than a current telephone billing plan of the customer the summary information generated as specified by the summary parameters and accumulated as calls are placed by the customer and rated in real-time

receiving a call from the customer at a network switch; and

during a call setup phase, before the call has been completed to a destination station, performing the steps of;

transmitting information identifying the customer to a billing analysis system,

transmitting the summary information for the customer, including the exemplary summary information, to the network switch, and

transmitting the summary information, including the exemplary summary information, to the customer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting the exemplary summary information to the customer comprises the step of:

playing an audio message based on the exemplary summary information to the customer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the exemplary information comprises exemplary usage based on a telephone billing plan.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the summary information further comprises actual summary information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the actual summary information comprises actual usage.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the summary information includes actual summary information and exemplary summary information and the storing step comprises the steps of:

generating actual summary information for the customer based on a current telephone billing plan of the customer;

generating exemplary summary information for the customer based on an exemplary telephone billing plan; and

storing the summary information for the customer.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the exemplary summary information comprises:

an exemplary balance for the customer based on the exemplary telephone billing plan.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the exemplary summary information comprises:

a difference between an actual balance of the customer and an exemplary balance for the customer based on the exemplary telephone billing plan.

9. A system for telephone call processing comprising:

a database storing summary parameters that define summary information that is to be generated for a customer and summary information for the customer, the summary information comprising exemplary summary information relating to a telephone billing plan other than a current telephone billing plan of the customer, the summary information generated as specified by the summary parameters and accumulated as calls are placed by the customer and rated in real-time;

a network switch receiving a call from the customer and, during a call setup phase, before the call has been completed to a destination station, transmitting information identifying the customer to a billing analysis system;

a billing analysis system, during the call setup phase, before the call has been completed to the destination station, accessing the database to obtain the summary information for the customer and transmitting the summary information, including the exemplary summary information, to the network switch; and

a device, coupled to the network switch, during the call setup phase, before the call has been completed to the destination station, transmitting the exemplary summary information, including the exemplary summary information, to the customer.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the device transmitting the exemplary summary information to the customer comprises:

a voice messaging unit receiving the exemplary summary information from the network switch and playing an audio message based on the exemplary summary information to the customer through the network switch.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the exemplary summary information comprises exemplary usage based on a telephone billing plan.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the summary information further comprises actual summary information.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the actual summary information comprises actual usage.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the summary information includes actual summary information and exemplary summary information and the billing analysis system further:

generates actual summary information for the customer based on a current telephone billing plan of the customer;

generates exemplary summary information for the customer based on an exemplary telephone billing plan; and

transmits the summary information for the customer to the database for storage.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the exemplary summary information comprises:

an exemplary balance for the customer based on the exemplary telephone billing plan.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the exemplary information comprises:

a difference between an actual balance of the customer and an exemplary balance for the customer based on the exemplary telephone billing plan.

17. A system for telephone call processing comprising:

means for storing summary parameters that define summary information that is to be generated for a customer;

means for storing summary information for the customer, the summary information comprising exemplary summary information relating to a telephone billing plan other than a current telephone billing plan of the customer, the summary information generated as specified by the summary parameters and accumulated as calls are placed by the customer and rated in real-time;

means for receiving a call from the customer and, during the call setup phase, before the call has been completed to the destination station, transmitting information identifying the customer;

means for, during the call setup phase, before the call has been completed to the destination station, receiving the information identifying the customer, accessing the stored summary information for the customer and transmitting the summary information, including the exemplary summary information; and

means for, during the call setup phase, before the call has been completed to the destination station, receiving the summary information, including the exemplary summary information, and transmitting the summary information to the customer.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the exemplary summary information comprises exemplary usage based on a telephone billing plan.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the summary information further comprises actual summary information.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the actual summary information comprises actual usage.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the summary information includes actual summary information and exemplary summary information and the storing means comprises:

means for generating actual summary information for the customer based on a current telephone billing plan of the customer; and

means for generating exemplary summary information for the customer based on an exemplary telephone billing plan.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the exemplary summary information comprises:

an exemplary balance for the customer based on the exemplary telephone billing plan.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the exemplary information comprises:

a difference between an actual balance of the customer and an exemplary balance for the customer based on the exemplary telephone billing plan.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the means for transmitting the exemplary summary information to the customer comprises:

means for playing an audio message based on the exemplary summary information to the customer.

25. A method of telephone call processing comprising the steps of:

storing summary parameters that define summary information that is to be generated for a customer;

generating actual summary information for the customer based on a current telephone billing plan of the customer, including actual usage, the actual summary information generated as specified by the summary parameters and accumulated as calls are placed by the customer and rated in real-time;

generating exemplary summary information for the customer based on an exemplary telephone billing plan other than a current telephone billing plan of the customer, including an exemplary balance for the customer based on the exemplary telephone billing plan and a difference between an actual balance of the customer and an exemplary balance for the customer based on the exemplary telephone billing plan, the exemplary summary information generated as specified by the summary parameters and accumulated as calls are placed by the customer and rated in real-time;

storing the summary information for the customer;

receiving a call from the customer at a network switch; and

during a call setup phase, before the call has been completed to a destination station, performing the steps of;

transmitting information identifying the customer to a billing analysis system,

transmitting the summary information for the customer, including the exemplary summary information, to the network switch, and

transmitting the summary information, including the exemplary summary information, to the customer by playing an audio message based on the exemplary summary information to the customer.

26. A system for telephone call processing comprising:

a database storing summary parameters that define summary information that is to be generated for a customer and summary information for the customer, the summary information comprising exemplary summary information for the customer based on an exemplary telephone billing plan other than a current telephone billing plan of the customer, including an exemplary balance for the customer based on the exemplary telephone billing plan and a difference between an actual balance of the customer and an exemplary balance for the customer based on the exemplary telephone billing plan and actual summary information for the customer based on a current telephone billing plan of the customer, including actual usage, the exemplary summary information and the actual summary information generated as specified by the summary parameters and accumulated as calls are placed by the customer and rated in real-time;

a network switch receiving a call from the customer and, during a call setup phase, before the call has been completed to a destination station, transmitting information identifying the customer to a billing analysis system;

a billing analysis system, during the call setup phase, before the call has been completed to the destination station, accessing the database to obtain the summary information for the customer and transmitting the summary information, including the exemplary summary information, to the network switch; and

a device, coupled to the network switch, during the call setup phase, before the call has been completed to the destination station, transmitting the exemplary summary information, including the exemplary summary information, to the customer by playing an audio message based on the exemplary summary information to the customer.

27. A system for telephone call processing comprising:

means for storing summary parameters that define summary information that is to be generated for a customer;

means for generating actual summary information for the customer based on a current telephone billing plan of the customer, including actual usage, the actual summary information generated as specified by the summary parameters and accumulated as calls are placed by the customer and rated in real-time;

means for generating exemplary summary information for the customer based on an exemplary telephone billing plan other than a current telephone billing plan of the customer, including an exemplary balance for the customer based on the exemplary telephone billing plan and a difference between an actual balance of the customer and an exemplary balance for the customer based on the exemplary telephone billing plan, , the exemplary summary information generated as specified by the summary parameters and accumulated as calls are placed by the customer and rated in real-time;

means for storing the summary information for the customer;

means for receiving a call from the customer and, during the call setup phase, before the call has been completed to the destination station, transmitting information identifying the customer;

means for, during the call setup phase, before the call has been completed to the destination station, receiving the information identifying the customer, accessing the stored summary information for the customer and transmitting the summary information, including the exemplary summary information; and

means for, during the call setup phase, before the call has been completed to the destination station, receiving the summary information, including the exemplary summary information, and transmitting the summary information to the customer by playing an audio message based on the exemplary summary information to the customer.