Traffic shaping of cellular service consumption through modification of consumer behavior encouraged by cell-based pricing advantages
First Claim
1. A system for encouraging changes in user behavior of usage of wireless services in order to effect shaping of traffic and utilization patterns among a plurality of cells within a rate plan region, said system comprising:
- a rate plan defining at least one standard charge rate of service consumption for services consumed within a rate plan region;
one or more shaping rules which define potential discounts from said standard charge rate under certain cell-specific utilization conditions, said shaping rules comprising at least a graduated comparative function of a percentage discount from said standard charge rate as a function of a ratio of utilization of a current cell and a geographically adjacent cell;
a receiver for receiving utilization statistics for each of a plurality of cells within said rate plan region;
an analyzer configured to, responsive to receipt of a service initiation request from a mobile device located within a rate plan region and within a given cell, consider one or more shaping rules with respect to said received utilization statistics, and to generate a discount value relative to said standard charge rate; and
a user notifier settable by said analyzer for notifying a user of said mobile device of said discount value available for consuming a wireless service from said given cell in order to encourage said service consumption and to effect behavior modification of said user over a period of time.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Changes in wireless service user behavior are encouraged and produced to shape utilization patterns among cells within a rate plan region by using shaping rules which define potential discounts from a standard charge rate under certain cell-specific utilization conditions, analyzing the shaping rules and utilization statistics of a cell upon service initiation, generating a discount from the standard rate for underutilized cells. The user is notified of these discount opportunities using text messages, icons, or other means. Over time, the users learn that at certain places and times, significant discounts are offered, and thus changes their behavior to take advantage of those discounts, thereby shaping traffic in a manner desired by the service provider.
70 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A system for encouraging changes in user behavior of usage of wireless services in order to effect shaping of traffic and utilization patterns among a plurality of cells within a rate plan region, said system comprising:
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a rate plan defining at least one standard charge rate of service consumption for services consumed within a rate plan region; one or more shaping rules which define potential discounts from said standard charge rate under certain cell-specific utilization conditions, said shaping rules comprising at least a graduated comparative function of a percentage discount from said standard charge rate as a function of a ratio of utilization of a current cell and a geographically adjacent cell; a receiver for receiving utilization statistics for each of a plurality of cells within said rate plan region; an analyzer configured to, responsive to receipt of a service initiation request from a mobile device located within a rate plan region and within a given cell, consider one or more shaping rules with respect to said received utilization statistics, and to generate a discount value relative to said standard charge rate; and a user notifier settable by said analyzer for notifying a user of said mobile device of said discount value available for consuming a wireless service from said given cell in order to encourage said service consumption and to effect behavior modification of said user over a period of time. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for changing user behavior of usage of wireless services in order to effect shaping of traffic and utilization patterns among a plurality of cells within a rate plan region, said method comprising the steps of:
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accessing a rate plan having at least one standard charge rate of service consumption for services consumed within a rate plan region; defining one or more shaping rules having potential discounts from said standard charge rate under certain cell-specific utilization conditions, said shaping rules comprising at least a graduated comparative function of a percentage discount from said standard charge rate as a function of a ratio of utilization of a current cell and a geographically adjacent cell; receiving utilization statistics for each of a plurality of cells within said rate plan region; responsive to receipt of a service initiation request from a mobile device located within a rate plan region and within a given cell, generating a discount value relative to said standard charge rate in consideration of one or more shaping rules with respect to said received utilization statistics of one or more given cells within said rate plan area; and setting a notifier indicating to said user said discount value available for consuming a wireless service from a given cell in order to encourage said service consumption and to effect behavior modification of said user over a period of time. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An article of manufacture for changing user behavior of usage of wireless services in order to effect shaping of traffic and utilization patterns among a plurality of cells within a rate plan region, comprising:
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a computer readable medium suitable for encoding computer program code; and one or more computer program codes encoded by said computer readable medium, configured to cause a processor to perform the steps of; (a) accessing a rate plan having at least one standard charge rate of service consumption for services consumed within a rate plan region; (b) defining one or more shaping rules having potential discounts from said standard charge rate under certain cell-specific utilization conditions, said shaping rules comprising at least a graduated comparative function of a percentage discount from said standard charge rate as a function of a ratio of utilization of a current cell and a geographically adjacent cell; (c) receiving utilization statistics for each of a plurality of cells within said rate plan region; (d) responsive to receipt of a service initiation request from a mobile device located within a rate plan region and within a given cell, generating a discount value relative to said standard charge rate in consideration of one or more shaping rules with respect to said received utilization statistics of one or more given cells within said rate plan area; and (e) setting a notifier indicating to said user said discount value available for consuming a wireless service from a given cell in order to encourage said service consumption and to effect behavior modification of said user over a period of time. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification