Tracking and notification of telephone plan minute status

• US 8,009,817 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2007
• Issued: 08/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2001
• 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: Short, Shannon M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier; Gerald
• Application Number:
  US11/957,967
• Publication Number:
  US 20080187118A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,352 Days
• Field of Search: 379/114.01, 379/114.2, 379/130, 379/133, 379/218.01, 379/131, 379/200, 455/405, 455/406, 455/407, 455/458, 455/565, 455/522, 455/411, 455/418, 370/316, 370/324, 348/159, 148/509, 709/200
• US Class Current: 379/130
• 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 15/18 according to duration of the call , or the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8033 location-dependent, e.g. business or home
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7435 Location dependent, e.g. Bussiness or home

Abstract

A method and system for tracking telephone usage and notifying a user of his telephone usage includes a software program for tracking telephone usage based on the time and day that a phone call is made. The software program designates a timer for tracking phone usage. The timer has a time block and a time usage variable associated therewith. When a call is made, the time used by the call is recorded to the time usage variable if the call was made within the time block. The user may then be notified of how much time has been used. The software may be implemented in a number of environments, including a computer system accessible remotely or a processor located on the user'"'"'s telephone.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

initializing a first timer, having timer information, including a time block designation variable and a timer usage variable associated with the first timer, wherein the time block designation variable represents a predetermined temporal window for which a telephone plan provides a finite number of minutes for making calls during a recurring period;

adjusting a value of the timer usage variable in response to a call being made within a time frame associated with the time block designation variable of the first timer; and

facilitating access to plan time balance information, wherein the plan time balance information is related to the finite number of minutes adjusted by the value of the timer usage variable, and wherein the plan time balance information is accessible in response to receiving a predetermined keystroke sequence input to a device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plan time balance information is stored remote from the device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined keystroke sequence comprises a telephone number.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined keystroke sequence comprises a website address.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined keystroke sequence comprises a designated direct access key.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined keystroke sequence comprises the “

#”

(pound) key.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plan time balance information comprises a minute balance value.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

generating a notification signal in response to the plan time balance information transitioning a predetermined minute value.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the plan time balance information comprises a currency balance value.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

generating a notification signal in response to the plan time balance information transitioning a predetermined currency value.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the plan time balance information comprises a point balance value.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

generating a notification signal in response to the plan time balance information transitioning a predetermined point value.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the plan time balance information comprises an expiration value.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

generating a notification signal in response to the plan time balance information transitioning a predetermined expiration value.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the generating includes generating the notification signal in response to the plan time balance information transitioning a predetermined number of days.

16. A method, comprising:

initializing a first timer including a time block designation variable and a timer usage variable, wherein the time block designation variable represents a predetermined period of time for which a telephone plan provides a finite usage pool for making calls during a recurring period;

adjusting a value of the timer usage variable in response to a call being made within a time frame associated with the time block designation variable;

facilitating access to plan time balance information wherein plan time balance information is related to the finite usage pool adjusted by the value of the timer usage variable; and

adjusting the finite usage pool provided for in the telephone plan based on plan time balance information.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the adjusting the finite usage pool includes adding free minutes to the finite usage pool based on the plan time balance information complying with a predetermined feature of the telephone plan.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the adjusting the finite usage pool includes adding time to the finite usage pool, before the finite usage pool expires, based on the plan time balance information complying with a predetermined feature of the telephone plan.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the adjusting includes adjusting the finite usage pool by one or more of a temporal increment, a monetary increment, or a point increment.

20. A system, comprising:

a first timer component configured to access timer information, including a time block designation variable and a timer usage variable associated with the first timer component, wherein the time block designation variable comprises a predetermined period of time for which the telephone plan provides a finite usage pool for making calls during a recurring period

a tracking module component configured to adjust a value of the timer usage variable in response to a call being made within a time frame associated with the time block designation variable; and

a device interface configured to facilitate access to plan time balance information in response to reception of a predetermined sequence input to the device, wherein the plan time balance information is related to the finite usage pool adjusted by the value of the timer usage variable.