Methods, systems, and computer program products for managing services accounts through electronic budget adjustments based on defined rules

• US 7,742,961 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2005
• Issued: 06/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Aaron, Jeffrey A., Alin, Jun-Gang
• Primary Examiner(s): Kazimi, Hani
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shrestha, Bijendra K
• Application Number:
  US11/250,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20070088641A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,712 Days
• Field of Search: 705/35
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

Services accounts are managed by defining budget categories for the services accounts. Budgets are defined for the respective categories and rules are defined for the budget categories. Input on usage of the services is electronically received and the budgets are electronically adjusted based on the received input and the defined rules.

Claims

1. A method of managing services accounts, comprising:

defining financial budget categories for the services accounts;

defining budgets for the categories, respectively;

defining rules for the financial budget categories;

electronically receiving input on actual usage of the services at a budget controller;

electronically adjusting the budgets based on the received input and the defined rules at the budget controller; and

determining if service usage for one of the financial budget categories has exceeded a threshold at the budget controller;

wherein defining the rules comprises assigning priorities to the financial budget categories, respectively; and

wherein adjusting the budgets comprises increasing the budget for the one of the financial budget categories by reducing the budget for another one of the financial budget categories having a priority associated therewith that is not greater than a priority associated with the one of the financial budget categories if the service usage for the one of the financial budget categories has exceeded the threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the services accounts comprise accounts for a plurality of services and/or users.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each respective category is associated with at least one of the plurality of services and/or at least one of the plurality of users.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein increasing the budget comprises:

increasing the budget for the one of the financial budget categories by reducing the budget for other ones of the financial budget categories such that lower priority financial budget categories are reduced before higher priority financial budget categories if the service usage for the one of the financial budget categories has exceeded the threshold.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein increasing the budget comprises:

increasing the budget for the one of the financial budget categories by reducing the budget for the other ones of the financial budget categories such that lower priority financial budget categories are reduced before higher priority financial budget categories and lower priority financial budget categories are reduced by a greater amount than higher priority categories.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein increasing the budget comprises:

increasing the budget for the one of the financial budget categories by reducing the budget for the other ones of the financial budget categories such that, among financial budget categories having a same priority level, financial budget categories having a greater budget are reduced by a greater amount than financial budget categories having a lesser budget.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the threshold is a first threshold, and wherein increasing the budget comprises:

increasing the budget for the one of the financial budget categories by reducing the budget for the other ones of the financial budget categories such that financial budget categories having a budget amount less than a second threshold are not reduced.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

invoking an alert if insufficient budget amounts remain in the other ones of the financial budget categories to increase the budget for the one of the financial budget categories, if increasing the budget occurs at a frequency that exceeds a frequency threshold, and/or if increasing the budget occurs in a pattern that substantially matches a prohibited pattern.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a notification of the adjustment to the budgets to a user and/or a service provider.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein priorities are based on the services and/or users.

11. A budgeting system for managing services accounts, comprising:

a budget database that comprises financial budget categories for the services accounts, budgets for the categories, respectively, and rules for the financial budget categories; and

a budget processor that is configured to electronically receive input on actual usage of the services and to electronically adjust the budgets based on the received input and the defined rules;

wherein the budget database further comprises priorities assigned to the financial budget categories, respectively; and

wherein the budget processor is further configured to determine if service usage for one of the financial budget categories has exceeded a threshold and to increase the budget for the one of the financial budget categories by reducing the budget for another one of the financial budget categories having a priority associated therewith that is not greater than a priority associated with the one of the financial budget categories if the service usage for the one of the financial budget categories has exceeded the threshold.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the services accounts comprise accounts for a plurality of services and/or users.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein each respective category is associated with at least one of the plurality of services and/or at least one of the plurality of users.

14. A computer program product for managing services accounts, comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable progfam code embodied therein, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to define financial budget categories for the services accounts;

computer readable program code configured to define budgets for the categories, respectively;

computer readable program code configured to define rules for the financial budget categories;

computer readable program code configured to electronically receive input on actual usage of the services;

computer readable program code configured to electronically adjust the budgets based on the received input and the defined rules;

computer readable program code configured to determine if service usage for one of the financial budget categories has exceeded a threshold;

wherein the computer readable program code configured to define the rules comprises computer readable program code configured to assign priorities to the financial budget categories, respectively; and

wherein the computer readable program code configured to adjust the budgets comprises computer readable program code configured to increase the budget for the one of the financial budget categories by reducing the budget for another one of the financial budget categories having a priority associated therewith that is not greater than a priority associated with the one of the financial budget categories if the service usage for the one of the financial budget categories has exceeded the threshold.