Interactive communication service account management system

• US 7,450,927 B1
• Filed: 01/23/2002
• Issued: 11/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Creswell, Carroll W., Farah, Jeffrey J., Toney, Gregg A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid; Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHUONG, DAI
• Application Number:
  US10/052,814
• Time in Patent Office: 2,484 Days
• Field of Search: 455/405, 455/406, 455/408, 455/414.1, 455/452.1, 455/452.2, 455/517, 455/432.3, 455/428, 455/433, 455/461, 455/557, 455/632.3
• US Class Current: 455/405
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1453 Methods or systems for payment or settlement of the charges for data transmission involving significant interaction with the data transmission network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1467 involving prepayment

Abstract

A system and method permit a customer obtaining communication services to modify account parameters governing terms on which that service is provided. Customer account parameters are stored in one or more databases and accessed by one or more servers. The customer, upon accessing the communication service, is provided with an opportunity to modify the account parameters via automated interactive communication with the server. The invention can applied to wireless communication services such as wireless telephone service, wireless internet access, paging, or other forms of interactive wireless communication; to telephone or other wired interactive communication; to cable services; and to any other form of interactive subscriber communications. The invention may be implemented using existing equipment, and can be optimized for the type of communication device at issue.

Claims

1. A system for automated interactive management of a communication service account, said account having parameters establishing rules of use, comprising:

a server; and

a data storage device in communication with the server, the data storage device comprising account data that comprises the parameters establishing rules of use of at least one subscribed communication service, where said at least one subscribed communication service is accessible by a user device,

wherein the server is configured to receive a customer-initiated signal requesting modification of a first account parameter and a second account parameter from said parameters and to modify the first account parameter and the second account parameter in response to the customer-initiated signal,

wherein the server is further configured to update the first account parameter based upon use of the at least one subscribed communication service by the user device, and the server is further configured to, upon the first account parameter reaching a first predetermined value, automatically reset the first account parameter to a second predetermined value,

wherein the first account parameter is a number of calling plan minutes allocated for a first time period, the second account parameter is a number of calling plan minutes allocated for a second time period, the server is configured to update the number of calling plan minutes allocated for all time periods based upon the user device placing a plurality of wireless telephone calls, the first predetermined value is a minimum calling plan minute threshold, and the second predetermined value is larger than the first predetermined value.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one subscribed communication service is a wireless telephone service, the user device is a wireless telephone, the customer-initiated signal is initiated on the user device.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one subscribed communication service is a wireless telephone service, the user device is a wireless telephone, the customer-initiated signal is initiated on a device that is not the user device.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the customer-initiated signal is initiated on a personal computer.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one subscribed communication service is a long distance telephone service, the user device is a telephone, the customer-initiated signal is initiated on the user device.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one subscribed communication service is a long distance telephone service, the user device is a telephone, the customer-initiated signal is initiated on a device that is not the user device.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the customer-initiated signal is initiated on a personal computer.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one subscribed communication service shares a communication medium with a cable television transmission and the user device is one of a personal computer, a set top box, an interactive television, and a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the server is further configured to receive a customer-initiated identifying signal identifying the user device, to retrieve the first account parameter in response to the identifying signal, and

to issue, in response to the identifying signal and for communication to the customer, a response signal comprising at least part of the first account parameter.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the server is further configured to identify a type of user device, and

to issue the response signal in a form optimized for the user device.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the at least one subscribed communication service is a wireless telephone service, the user device is a wireless telephone, the customer-initiated signal is initiated on the user device.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the at least one subscribed communication service is a long distance telephone service, the user device is a telephone.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the at least one subscribed communication service shares a communication medium with a cable television transmission and the user device is one of a personal computer, a set top box, an interactive television, and a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the server is further configured, upon receipt of a customer-initiated cancellation signal, to not automatically reset the first account parameter to said second predetermined value.