Methods, systems and computer products for always-on dialtone incentive to purchase wireline telephone services

• US 7,991,135 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2007
• Issued: 08/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Salazar, Gonzalo, Rauba, Rimas
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, CREIGHTON H
• Application Number:
  US11/834,941
• Publication Number:
  US 20090041219A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,456 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67.1, 379/88.22, 379/201.01, 379/201.12
• US Class Current: 379/201.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42289 with carrierprovider selection by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 Advertisement messages

Abstract

A plain old telephone service (POTS) communications service incentive is offered for maintaining the voice path connection after disconnection of POTS, at a residence or business location. The communications service incentive includes providing an always-on dialtone service from a wireline service provider to a customer premises. After receiving an order to disconnect phone service at the premises, it is determined by a central office computer processor of a wireline service provider whether the premises, which is subject to the order to disconnect phone service, meets a set of requirements for the always-on dialtone service.

Claims

1. A method for providing an incentive to purchase a communications service, the method comprising:

receiving an order to disconnect telephone service at a premises;

determining whether the premises meets a set of requirements for an always-on dialtone service;

completing a call made by a caller at the premises;

providing a first message prompting the caller to place an order for the communications service; and

if the order for the communications service is received, then providing the always-on dialtone service until the ordered communications service is provided.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the incentive is offered for plain old telephone service (POTS) at the premises, wherein the premises has a customer premises equipment connection for a customer premises equipment, and wherein the set of requirements for the incentive offered as the always-on dialtone service includes determining whether the premises is habitable and whether the call was initiated at the premises.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

administering a set of use restrictions on local calls, if the premises is habitable, wherein the set of use restrictions includes at least one of a time limit on the call, a limit on a number of calls that can be made and a limit on a number of attempts at making unauthorized long distance calls from the premises; and

performing one of disconnecting, all telephone service to the premises, if a computer processor determines that the premises does not meet the set of requirements and keeping only local telephone service at the premises, if the premises meets the set of requirements.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the set of use restrictions are communicated to the caller by the first message, and wherein the first message is presented to the caller via at least one of a recorded message and a GUI display associated with the customer premises equipment.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising terminating the always-on dialtone service, if the order for the communications service is not received.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first message includes information informing the caller that the always-on dialtone service is being provided to the caller to enable the caller to place the order for the communications service by directing the caller to contact a customer service representative and to use the always-on dialtone service for emergencies.

7. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

determining whether an at least one use restriction of the set of use restrictions is violated; and

if the at least one use restriction of the set of use restrictions is violated, then providing a second message indicating the at least one use restriction is violated, and stopping the call.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising routing the call to the customer service representative after the call is stopped.

9. A system for providing to a potential customer from a wireline service provider an incentive to purchase a communications service, the system comprising:

a computer system containing a computer processor; and

a program unit residing in the computer processor, wherein the program unit contains a computer executable program that when executed by the computer processor causes the computer system to;

receive in a central office of a wireline service provider an order to disconnect telephone service at a premises;

determine whether the premises meets a set of requirements for an always-on dialtone service, wherein the premises is subject to the order to disconnect telephone service at the premises;

complete a call made by a caller at the premises, route the call to a recording of an informational advertisement and prompt the caller to place an order for the communications service, wherein the communications service includes local and long distance wireline service from the wireline service provider; and

perform one of removing the incentive, if the caller does not order any service from the wireline service provider and removing the incentive after the caller purchases at least one wireline service from the wireline service provider.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the incentive to purchase the communications service is offered for plain old telephone service (POTS) at the premises, wherein the premises has a customer premises equipment connection for a customer premises equipment, wherein the set of requirements for the incentive offered as the always-on dialtone service, includes determinations of whether the premises is habitable and whether the call was initiated at the premises, wherein the call is made on a phone supplied by the caller, and wherein the phone supplied by the caller is connected to the customer premises equipment connection.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the computer executable program when executed by the computer processor further causes the computer system to administer a set of use restrictions on local calls, if the premises is habitable, wherein the set of use restrictions includes one of a time limit on the call, a limit on a number of calls that can be made and a limit on a number of attempts at making long distance calls from the premises, wherein the computer processor performs one of disconnecting all telephone service to the premises, if the computer processor determines that the premises does not meet the set of requirements and keeping only local telephone service at the premises, if the premises meets the set of requirements, and wherein the customer premises equipment connection includes DSL broadband connectivity.

12. The system according to claim 11, further including a GUI display associated with the phone supplied by the caller, wherein the set of use restrictions are communicated to the caller by the informational advertisement, and wherein the informational advertisement is presented to the caller via at least one of a recorded message and the GUI display associated with the phone supplied by the caller.

13. The system according to claim 10, wherein removing the incentive terminates the always-on dialtone service.

14. The system according to claim 10, wherein the informational advertisement includes a first message informing the caller that the always-on dialtone service is being provided to the caller to enable the caller to place the order for the communications service by directing the caller to contact a customer service representative and to use the communications service for emergencies.

15. The system according to claim 11, wherein the computer executable program when executed further causes the computer system to determine whether an at least one use restriction of the set of use restrictions is violated;

and wherein if the at least one use restriction is violated, then to provide a second message informing the caller that the at least one use restriction is violated, and to stop the call.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the computer executable program when executed further causes the computer system to route the call to the customer service representative after the call is stopped.

17. An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory computer executable medium including a computer readable program code stored on the computer executable medium and when the computer readable program code is executed by a computer processor the computer readable program code causes the computer processor to perform a method of automatically providing a communications service incentive, the method comprising:

receiving an order to disconnect telephone service at a premises;

determining whether the premises meets a set of requirements for initiating an always-on dialtone service;

completing a call made by a caller at the premises, routing the call to a recording of an informational advertisement and prompting the caller to place an order for a wireline service from a wireline service provider; and

performing one of ending the always-on dialtone service, if the caller does not order any service from the wireline service provider and ending the always-on dialtone service after the caller purchases at least one wireline service from the wireline service provider.

18. The article of manufacture according to claim 17, wherein the computer readable program code causes the computer processor to further automatically administer a set of use restrictions on the always-ort dialtone service, if the premises is habitable, wherein the set of use restrictions includes one of a time limit on the call, a limit on a number of calls that can be made and a limit on a number of attempts at making long distance calls from the premises.

19. The article of manufacture according to claim 18, wherein, the computer readable program code causes the computer processor to further automatically determine whether a use restriction of the set of use restrictions is violated;

and if the use restriction is violated, then provide a second message indicating that the use restriction is violated, and stop the call.

20. The article of manufacture according to claim 19, wherein, the computer readable program code causes the computer processor to further automatically route the call to a customer service representative after the call is stopped, and wherein the customer service representative prompts the caller to purchase local and long distance service.