System and method for provisioning telephony services

• US 7,860,228 B1
• Filed: 12/09/2004
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Liberty Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Inventors: Fehlhaber, Jeffrey Scott, Bailey, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad F
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHAH, ANTIM G
• Application Number:
  US10/905,004
• Time in Patent Office: 2,210 Days
• Field of Search: 379/114.04, 379/114.1, 379/126, 379/127.05, 379/210.03, 379/201.12, 379/114.12, 379/114.13, 705/14.1
• US Class Current: 379/201.12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42161 via computer interface

Abstract

The invention includes telephony servicing over a computerized network wherein customers of a telephony services company may establish basic services, add new services or modify existing services. A customer may create an account on a provisioning system and manage the account options within a provisioning system which facilitates activity within an existing carrier provisioning system architecture.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a computer based system for managing telecommunication services having a processor and a non-transitory memory, account information via a webpage;

receiving, by the computer based system, a request to modify a communications service of an account including at least one of a request to add a service to an account, a request to modify an existing service to the account and a request to remove a service from the account;

verifying, by the computer based system, that the request to modify the communications service conforms with predetermined requirements of the account and a carrier system, wherein the verifying comprises determining an authorization level of the account owner;

testing, by the computer based system, the carrier system;

determining, by the computer based system, at least one of human-labor-required and no-human-labor-required in response to the testing of the carrier system;

presenting, by the computer based system, a service options webpage alerting of a promotion relating to the request, wherein the promotion is a reward which is offered to the account owner based on the request to modify a communications service;

receiving, by the computer based system, at least one of an acceptance of the promotion and a denial of the promotion;

presenting, by the computer based system, updated telecommunications services available with the account, in response to the request to modify a communications service of the account;

presenting, by the computer based system, updated billing information based on the request;

receiving, by the computer based system, an indication that the updated billing information and the updated telecommunications services are acceptable; and

transmitting, by the computer based system, the request to a provisioning system

wherein the provisioning system issues a work order in response to a determination of human-labor-required, and

wherein the provisioning system routes the request to modify the communications service to a switching system in response to a determination of no-human-labor-required.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication service includes at least one of:

a cable service, a voice messaging service, a long distance service, a call forwarding service, a conference calling service, a distinctive ring service, a caller ID service, a call blocking service, and a bill payment service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the carrier system provides at least one of:

telephony services and data services.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising awarding loyalty points based upon the request.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the computer based system, whether the account owner has established an account with a provisioning system.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, by the computer based system, at least one of historical customer information related to the communication service and a suggested service.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising scheduling, by the computer based system, an installation of the communications service in response to determining human-labor-required.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, by the computer based system, a summary of at least one of:

costs, scheduling, and terms via the webpage.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting occurs in substantially real-time in response to receipt of the indication that the updated billing information is acceptable.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the scheduling comprises presenting user selectable times for installation.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the account information is associated with at least one of a personal account and a business account.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting, by the computer based system, service plan options in response to the request, wherein the request includes adding a service plan.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising implementing, by the computer based system, the request in substantially real time in response to determining no-human-labor-required.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the computer based system, an existing service in response to receiving the account information.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying, by the computer based system, a plurality of user selectable service plans in response to receiving the account information.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein verifying further comprises determining a credit worthiness of an account owner in response to at least one of the request to add a service to the account.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein verifying further comprises determining at least one of the credit worthiness of the account owner in response to the request to modify the existing service from the account.

16. A non-transitory tangible computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a computer based system for managing telecommunications services, cause the computer based system to perform a method comprising:

receiving, by the computer based system, account information via a webpage;

receiving, by the computer based system, a request to modify a communications service of an account including at least one of a request to add a service to an account, a request to modify an existing service to the account and a request to remove a service from the account;

verifying, by the computer based system, that the request to modify the communications service conforms with predetermined requirements of the account and a carrier system, wherein the verifying comprises determining an authorization level of the account owner;

testing, by the computer based system, the carrier system;

determining, by the computer based system, at least one of human-labor-required and no-human-labor-required in response to the testing of the carrier system;

presenting, by the computer based system, a service options webpage alerting of a promotion relating to the request, wherein the promotion is a reward which is offered to the account owner based on the request to modify a communications service;

receiving, by the computer based system, at least one of an acceptance of the promotion and a denial of the promotion;

presenting, by the computer based system, updated telecommunications services available with the account, in response to the request to modify a communications service of the account;

presenting, by the computer based system, updated billing information based on the request;

receiving, by the computer based system, an indication that the updated billing information and the updated telecommunications services are acceptable; and

transmitting, by the computer based system, the request to a provisioning system

wherein the provisioning system issues a work order in response to a determination of human-labor-required, and

wherein the provisioning system routes the request to modify the communications service to a switching system in response to a determination of no-human-labor-required.

17. A system comprising:

a network interface communicating with a non-transitory memory;

the memory communicating with a processor; and

the processor, when executing a computer program for managing telecommunication services, is configured to;

receive account information via a webpage;

receive a request to modify a communications service of an account including at least one of a request to add a service to an account, a request to modify an existing service to the account and a request to remove a service from the account;

verify that the request to modify the communications service conforms with predetermined requirements of the account and a carrier system, wherein an authorization level of an account owner is determined;

test the carrier system;

determine at least one of human-labor-required and no-human-labor-required in response to the testing of the carrier system;

present a service options webpage alerting of a promotion relating to the request, wherein the promotion is a reward which is offered to the account owner based on the request to modify a communications service;

receive at least one of an acceptance of the promotion and a denial of the promotion;

present updated telecommunications services available with the account, in response to the request to modify a communications service of the account;

present updated billing information based on the request;

receive an indication that the updated billing information and the updated telecommunications services are acceptable; and

transmit the request to a provisioning system

wherein the provisioning system issues a work order in response to a determination of human-labor-required, and

wherein the provisioning system routes the request to modify the communications service to a switching system in response to a determination of no-human-labor-required.