Method for managing wireless telecommunications bills

• US 7,486,944 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2003
• Issued: 02/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Bill Police LLC
• Original Assignee: The Bill Police LLC
• Inventors: Zulager, Kae Kimberly, Carpenter, Ronald Vaiden
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah; Charles N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Peaches; Randy
• Application Number:
  US10/675,501
• Publication Number:
  US 20040067747A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,953 Days
• Field of Search: 455/406, 455/405, 455/407, 455/408, 705/52, 705/53, 705/54, 379/121.02, 379/121.05
• US Class Current: 455/406
• 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 15/43 Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/49 Connection to several service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/52 for operator independent billing system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/73 Validating charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/735 Re-crediting user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/75 Account location specifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/765 Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/7655 shared by technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/772 per service, e.g. prepay or post-pay
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/773 per technology, e.g. PSTN or wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• 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 2215/0152 General billing plans, rate plans, e.g. charge rates, numbering plans, rate centers, customer accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0188 Network monitoring; statistics on usage on called/calling number
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/46 : Connection to several service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7072 : Validate charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7081 : Re-credit user, e.g. repay user with the amount or free time after finding an error in calculating the charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/72 : Account specifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/724 : Linked accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/725 : Shared by technologies, e.g. one account for different access technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7263 : per service, e.g. prepay and post-pay
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7268 : per technology, e.g. PSTN or wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/745 : Least cost routing, e.g. Automatic or manual, call by call or by preselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing

Abstract

A method manages wireless telecommunications bills for end user subscribers. The method includes complete bill management for the wireless subscribers including, for example, establishing a baseline report, receiving and analyzing a subscriber bill, and requesting and posting credits from wireless telecommunication providers. The method includes the creation of the baseline report in order to manage common billing components across all wireless carriers and carrier plans.

Claims

1. A method for managing telecommunication bills for a subscriber, the method comprising the steps of:

conducting an initial analysis of a subscriber'"'"'s telecommunication usage requirements, wherein the initial analysis is based at least on the subscriber'"'"'s predicted telecommunication usage requirements and the subscriber'"'"'s historical telecommunication usage;

creating a report based on the initial analysis of the subscriber'"'"'s telecommunication usage requirements;

selecting at least one telecommunication carrier plan to conform to the initial analysis;

receiving a subsequent bill from the carrier corresponding to the subscriber'"'"'s actual telecommunication usage and containing an actual billed amount;

comparing the subscriber'"'"'s actual telecommunication usage to the initial analysis of the subscriber'"'"'s telecommunication usage requirements to identify differences between the actual usage and the initial analysis;

identifying instances in which such differences result in additional or unexpected charges;

updating the initial analysis of the subscriber'"'"'s telecommunication usage requirements based at least on the subscriber'"'"'s actual telecommunication usage and on additional subscriber'"'"'s predicted telecommunication usage requirements;

comparing the updated analysis to the initial analysis to determine any differences between the updated analysis and the initial analysis;

determining whether a different telecommunications plan better conforms to the updated analysis based on the comparison of the updated analysis to the initial analysis;

selecting the different telecommunications plan when the determination indicates that the different telecommunications plan better conforms to the updated analysis;

determining an anticipated billed amount based on the actual usage;

comparing the anticipated billed amount to the actual billed amount to identify billing errors in the bill; and

creating an actual report for the subscriber.

2. The method as described in claim 1, comprising:

requesting billing credit from the carrier in the amount of the identified errors;

reviewing a further subsequent bill from the carrier to insure that credit was posted to the subscriber account.

3. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the method is performed on a periodic basis corresponding to the generation of bills by the carrier.

4. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a new telecommunication carrier plan;

comparing both the selected carrier plan and the new carrier plan to the analysis and the actual usage;

deciding whether the new carrier plan better conforms to the analysis and the subscriber'"'"'s actual usage.

5. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the subscriber comprises a plurality of telecommunication users.

6. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the step of selecting a telecommunication carrier plan to correspond to the analysis of the subscriber'"'"'s telecommunication usage requirements comprises selecting a plurality of telecommunication carrier plans to correspond to the analysis of the subscriber'"'"'s telecommunication usage requirements.

7. The method as described in claim 6, wherein the plurality of plans is provided by a plurality of plan carrier.

8. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the analysis of a subscriber'"'"'s telecommunication usage requirements includes identifying a plurality of telecommunication carrier plans.

9. The method as described in claim 5, wherein the analysis of a subscriber'"'"'s telecommunication usage requirements corresponds to a plurality of telecommunication users and usage requirements for each user.

10. The method as described in claim 9, wherein the analysis is further based on calling patterns of each user, coverage requirements for each user, and feature needs of each user.

11. The method as described in claim 9, wherein the analysis is further based on an organizational departmentalization for each user.

12. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the subscriber is part of a business entity.