Banded billing system for data communication service

• US 7,603,102 B1
• Filed: 06/29/2004
• Issued: 10/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Pryor, Bruce A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid; Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): HERRERA, DIEGO D
• Application Number:
  US10/881,435
• Time in Patent Office: 1,932 Days
• Field of Search: 455/406, 455/405, 455/407, 455/558, 705/40, 705/52, 705 77- 79, 379/114.01, 379/132
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/085 involving remote charge determination or related payment systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• 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 15/51 for resellers, retailers or service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/81 Dynamic pricing, e.g. change of tariff during call
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0112 Dynamic pricing, e.g. change of tariff during call
• 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 2215/0184 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 2215/54 Resellers-retail or service providers billing, e.g. agreements with telephone service operator, activation, charging/recharging of accounts

Abstract

A banded billing system for data communication service is disclosed. A carrier'"'"'s billing system maintains in data storage a banded-pricing schedule that divides a continuum of increments of data into a series of contiguous, mutually-exclusive increment-ranges and that specifies for each increment-range a respective cost. At the end of a billing period, the billing system determines a number of increments of data communicated by a given subscriber during the billing period. The billing system then queries the banded-pricing schedule to determine which increment-range the number of increments falls into, and to determine the cost specified by the banded-pricing schedule for that increment-range. The billing system then bills the determined cost to the subscriber, for data communication service in the billing period.

Claims

1. A banded billing method for data communication services comprising:

maintaining in data storage a banded-pricing schedule that divides a continuum of increments of data into a series of contiguous, mutually-exclusive increment-ranges and that specifies for each increment-range a respective cost;

determining a number of increments of data communicated by a given subscriber during a given period;

querying the banded-pricing schedule to determine which increment-range the number of increments falls into, and to determine the cost specified by the banded-pricing schedule for that increment-range; and

billing the determined cost to the given subscriber, for data communication service during the given period

wherein the series of increment-ranges begins with a first increment-range of 0 to P increments, and then continues with increment-ranges R_k, each extending from {P+(k−

1)(Q)+1} increments to {P+(k)(Q)} increments, wherein k=1, 2, 3, . . . , N, and wherein Q is a number of increments.

2. The banded billing method of claim 1, wherein each of a plurality of the increment-ranges defined by the banded-pricing schedule spans a plurality of increments.

3. The banded billing method of claim 1, wherein each of the increment-ranges defined by the banded pricing schedule spans a plurality of increments.

4. The banded billing method of claim 1, wherein P=5,000 kilobytes, and wherein Q=500 kilobytes.

5. The banded billing method of claim 4, wherein N=14.

6. The banded billing method of claim 1, wherein:

the cost that the banded-pricing schedule specifies for the first increment-range is C, and

the cost that the banded-pricing schedule specifies for each subsequent increment-range R_k is C+(k)(G), wherein G is an incremental cost.

7. The banded billing method of claim 1, wherein, after N increment-ranges following the first increment-range, the series of increment-ranges continues with increment-ranges R_j, each extending from {P+(N)(Q)+(j−

1)(T)+1} increments to {P+(N)(Q)+(j)(T)} increments, wherein j=1, 2, 3, . . . , M, and wherein T is a number of increments greater than Q.

8. The banded billing method of claim 7, wherein:

the cost that the banded-pricing schedule specifies for the first increment-range is C,

the cost that the banded-pricing schedule specifies for each subsequent increment-range R_k is C+(k)(G), wherein G is an incremental cost, and

the cost that the banded-pricing schedule specifies for each subsequent increment-range R_j is C+(N)(G)+(j)(G).

9. The banded billing method of claim 1, wherein, after N increment-ranges following the first increment-range, the series of increment-ranges continues with increment-ranges R_j, each extending from {P+(N)(Q)+(j−

1)(Q)+1} increments to {P+(N)(Q)+(j)(Q)} increments, wherein j=1, 2, 3, . . . , M, and wherein;

the cost that the banded-pricing schedule specifies for the first increment-range is C,

the cost that the banded-pricing schedule specifies for each subsequent increment-range R_k is C+(k)(G), wherein G is an incremental cost, and

the cost that the banded-pricing schedule specifies for each subsequent increment-range R_j is C+(N)(H)+(j)(H), wherein H is an incremental cost less than G.

10. The banded billing method of claim 9, wherein H is half of G.

11. The banded billing method of claim 1, wherein the data communicated by the given subscriber comprises voice-over-IP data.

12. The banded billing method of claim 1, wherein the data communicated by the given subscriber comprises data communicated by the given subscriber via a wireless access network.

13. The banded billing method of claim 1, wherein the data communicated by the given subscriber comprises data communicated by the given subscriber via a landline access network.

14. The banded billing method of claim 1, wherein determining the number of increments of data communicated by the given subscriber in the given period comprises extracting usage data from usage records generated by one or more gateways.

15. The banded billing method of claim 1, wherein the given period is a month.

16. The banded billing method of claim 1, further comprising:

rounding at least one increment of data when determining the number of increments.

17. The banded billing method of claim 1, wherein billing the determined cost to the subscriber comprises recording the cost in a subscriber account record.

18. The banded billing method of claim 1, wherein billing the determined cost to the given subscriber comprises generating and sending to the given subscriber an invoice indicating the determined cost.