Method and apparatus for building subscriber service profile based on subscriber related data

• US 6,249,815 B1
• Filed: 05/06/1998
• Issued: 06/19/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Goldman, Shelley B., Foladare, Mark Jeffrey, Kapsales, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Amsbury, Wayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHEUNG, MARY DA ZHI WANG
• Application Number:
  US09/072,786
• Time in Patent Office: 1,140 Days
• Field of Search: 713/200-202, 709/200-203, 709/223-225, 709/238, 709/239, 709/246, 705/7, 705/10, 705/14
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A service optimizer establishes an initial subscriber profile relating to a subscriber upon subscribing to a service. The service optimizer uses service data within the subscriber profile to administer a service for the subscriber. The initial subscriber profile contains personal and service information particular to the subscriber. The service optimizer analyzes the personal and service information in the subscriber profile to alter the service data used by the service optimizer to more efficiently administer the service. Additionally, the service optimizer analyzes information indicating how the subscriber uses the service to alter the service data used by the service optimizer to more efficiently administer the service.

Claims

1. A method for optimizing a use of one or more services for a subscriber, comprising:

analyzing subscriber'"'"'s use of subscribed to services to identify one or more patterns in the subscriber'"'"'s use;

generating a proposed new use of the one or more services based on the patterns;

evaluating the patterns based on optimizing parameters, wherein the evaluation step comprises;

processing the one or more patterns using a set of alteration rules to identify an inconsistency between the subscriber'"'"'s use and the services; and

generating one or more alterations of the subscriber'"'"'s use based on the identified inconsistency, wherein the subscriber'"'"'s use is altered by applying one or more alterations to generate the proposed new use based on the evaluation results.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically implementing the proposed new use of the one or more services; and

notifying the subscriber of the implementation.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting the proposed new use of the one or more services as a suggestion;

prompting the subscriber to accept the suggestion; and

performing the accepted suggestion.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the prompting step comprises communicating the suggestion to the subscriber using a network.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring the subscriber'"'"'s use to generate transactional data, wherein the transactional data is processed to identify the one or more patterns of the subscriber'"'"'s use.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the services are one of telecommunications services and information access services.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising ensuring an identity of the subscriber by verifying one of:

a text-based password, a spoken password, an input voice print, and an automated name identification of a terminal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more alterations include one or more services not subscribed to by the subscriber.

9. A device that optimizes a use of one or more services for a subscriber, comprising;

a memory; and

a controller coupled to the memory, the controller analyzing subscriber'"'"'s use of subscribed to services to identify one or more patterns in the subscriber'"'"'s use, and generating a proposed new use of the one or more services on the analysis result;

wherein the patterns are evaluated based on optimizing parameters, wherein the controller processes the one or more patterns using a set of alteration rules to identify an inconsistency between the subscriber'"'"'s use and the services, and generates one or more alterations of the subscriber'"'"'s use based on the identified inconsistency, wherein the subscriber'"'"'s use is altered by applying the one or more alterations to generate the proposed new use.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the controller implements the proposed new use of the one or more services automatically and notifies the subscriber of the implementation.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the controller:

presents the proposed new use of the one or more services as a suggestion;

prompts the subscriber to accept the suggestion prior to implementing the suggestion; and

performs the accepted suggestion.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the controller:

monitors the subscriber'"'"'s use to generate transactional data, wherein the transactional data is processed to identify the one or more patterns of the subscriber'"'"'s use.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the controller prompts the subscriber to accept the suggestion by communicating the suggestion to the subscriber using a network coupled to the controller.

14. The device of claim 9, wherein the services are one of telecommunications services and information access services.

15. The device of claim 9, further comprising an input/output interface coupled to the controller and the memory, said input/output interface providing external access to the memory.

16. The device of claim 9, further comprising a security mechanism coupled to the controller and the memory, said security mechanism securing the memory to ensure that the subscriber'"'"'s use of the subscribed to services is altered only by the subscriber.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the security mechanism verifies one of a text-based password, a spoken password, an input voice print and an automated name identification of a terminal.

18. The device of claim 9, wherein the one or more alterations include one or more services not subscribed to by the subscriber.