Automated service change recommendations for wireless network subscribers

• US 7,420,920 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2003
• Issued: 09/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Benco, David S., True, Sandra Lynn, Sheen, Baoling S., Voight, Kenneth J., Overend, Kevin J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Taylor; Barry W
• Application Number:
  US10/712,510
• Publication Number:
  US 20050105467A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,755 Days
• Field of Search: 455/405, 455/406, 455/407, 455/408, 370/235, 370/259
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/42 Dynamic individual rates per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/43 Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• 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 15/83 Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/84 Types of notifications
• 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 2215/0184 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 2215/0188 Network monitoring; statistics on usage on called/calling number
• 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: H04M 2215/81 Notifying aspects, e.g. notifications or displays to the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8129 Type of notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A method of automatically suggesting service changes for a wireless communications network subscriber is provided. The method includes compiling a record of services used by the subscriber during a time period, determining one or more subscriber usage metrics, comparing the subscriber usage metrics to one or more thresholds, detecting a trigger condition including one or more of the usage metrics exceeding one or more of the thresholds, generating a service change suggestion, and informing the subscriber automatically of the suggested service change using the wireless communications network.

Claims

1. A method for a wireless communications network to automatically suggest subscriber service changes comprising:

compiling a record of services used by the subscriber during a time period;

determining a subscriber usage metric for the time period;

comparing the subscriber usage metric to a threshold, the threshold being a new feature threshold;

detecting a trigger condition including the subscriber usage metric exceeding the threshold;

generating a service change suggestion capable of eliminating the trigger condition, wherein the service change is a new feature not subscribed to by the subscriber; and

informing the subscriber of the service change suggestion via the wireless communications network.

2. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising repeating the step of compiling a record of services, the step of determining a subscriber usage metric and the step of comparing the subscriber usage metric to a threshold for several time periods, wherein the trigger condition includes a trend of the usage metric exceeding the threshold for a plurality of the time periods.

3. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising repeating the step of compiling a record of services, the step of determining a subscriber usage metric and the step of comparing the subscriber usage metric to a threshold for several time periods, wherein the trigger condition includes the usage metric exceeding the new feature threshold for a plurality of the time periods.

4. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the informing step comprises:

generating an SMS message informing of the service change suggestion; and

sending the SMS message to the subscriber via the wireless communications network.

5. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the informing step comprises:

sending an automated voicemail message to the subscriber via the wireless communications network.

6. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the time period is a billing cycle.

7. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the time period is a month.

8. A method for a wireless communications network to automatically suggest subscriber service changes comprising:

compiling a record of services used by the subscriber during a time period;

determining a subscriber usage metric for the time period, wherein the subscriber usage metric includes the number incoming calls received by the subscriber while the subscriber is already using the phone;

comparing the subscriber usage metric to a threshold, the threshold being a new feature threshold;

detecting a trigger condition including the subscriber usage metric exceeding the threshold;

generating a service change suggestion capable of eliminating the trigger condition, wherein the service change is a new feature not subscribed to by the subscriber; and

informing the subscriber of the service change suggestion via the wireless communications network.

9. A system for a wireless communications network to automatically suggest subscriber service changes comprising:

one or more processing nodes in the wireless network for determining a subscriber usage metric for a time period, comparing the subscriber usage metric to a new feature threshold, detecting a trigger condition including the subscriber usage metric exceeding the new feature threshold, generating a service change suggestion capable of eliminating the trigger condition having a new feature not subscribed to by the subscriber, and informing the subscriber of the service change suggestion via the wireless communications network.

10. The system defined in claim 9 further comprising:

a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) connected to the one or more processing nodes for informing the subscriber of the service change suggestion via the wireless communications network.

11. The system defined in claim 10 wherein the MSC informs the subscriber of the service change suggestion via a Short Message Service message.

12. The system defined in claim 10 further comprising:

a voicemail system in the wireless network connected to the MSC for informing the subscriber of the service change suggestion.