Account holder notification for an infracting mobile station or mobile directory number (MDN)

• US 8,194,581 B1
• Filed: 11/04/2008
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Bharathula, Madhu, Schroeder, Derek Andrew, Narayanasamy, Raj, Gaddam, Venkat, Weinstein, Julie
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US12/264,492
• Time in Patent Office: 1,309 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/313
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/765 Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/7652 shared by users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/84 Types of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/85 characterised by the type of condition triggering a notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/852 Low balance or limit reached
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/88 Provision for limiting connection, or expenditure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/651 Text message transmission triggered by call
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/38 Graded-service arrangements, i.e. some subscribers prevented from establishing certain connections queuing arrangements H04Q3/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A mobile communication network offers notification to an account holder upon occurrence of an infraction of a subscriber selected restriction by operation of one of the mobile stations under the subscriber'"'"'s account. In the examples, the subscriber can select a directory number/station under the account, a desired one of a number of available restriction options and one or more parameters of the selected restriction. When the mobile communication network detects an infraction, caused by operation of the mobile station through the network, a system or processor obtains a destination address designated for an account holder, for the subscriber'"'"'s account, such as the directory number for one of the subscriber'"'"'s stations selected as that of the account holder. The system sends a notification of the infraction intended for the account holder, using the destination address, for example, as a text message sent through the network to the account holder'"'"'s mobile station.

Claims

1. A method of notifying an account holder of an infraction of a restriction regarding communication by a mobile station, comprising steps of:

detecting an infraction of an account holder selected restriction, on usage of one of a plurality of mobile stations associated with an account of the account holder with a mobile communication network, caused by operation of the one mobile station through the mobile communication network;

responsive to detecting the infraction of the account holder selected restriction, obtaining a destination address designated for the account holder of the account associated with the one mobile station having caused the infraction; and

using the destination address, sending a notification of the infraction intended for the account holder of the account associated with the one mobile station having caused the infraction.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the destination address identifies a mobile station of the account holder for communications through the mobile communication network, other than the one mobile station; and

the step of sending comprises sending a message providing the notification of the infraction through the mobile communication network for the mobile station of the account holder, using the destination address.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the destination address comprises a mobile directory number (MDN) assigned to the mobile station of the account holder.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the MDN is one selected by the account holder from among mobile directory numbers assigned to the mobile stations under the account.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the message providing the notification of the infraction comprises a short message service (SMS) message.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

detecting a failure in the sending of the notification of the infraction for the account holder using the destination address; and

upon detecting the failure, using an alternate destination address for sending the notification of the infraction intended for the account holder.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the alternate destination address is an e-mail address, a mail address for a letter or an address for a facsimile communication.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the destination address is a selected one of a telephone number, an e-mail address, a mail address for a letter and an address for a facsimile communication.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a notification of the infraction intended for a user of the one mobile station.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the message providing the notification of the infraction for the user of the one mobile station comprises a short message service (SMS) message addressed to the one mobile station.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the infraction is an infraction of a usage control restriction selected from the group consisting of:

a voice call usage threshold, a voice call usage maximum limit, a message communication usage threshold, a message communication maximum limit, a data communication usage threshold, a data communication maximum limit, a blockage restriction for communication with regard to an identified station of another party, and a time of day restriction.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the account holder selected restriction comprises one of a plurality of restrictions selected from among a plurality of restrictions offered by a carrier providing service through the mobile communication network;

the one restriction is selected from among the plurality of restrictions by the account holder; and

at least one parameter of the selected restriction is set by the account holder.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the destination address identifies a mobile station of the account holder for communications through the mobile communication network, selected by the account holder from among the mobile stations under the account.

14. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a machine readable storage medium; and

executable program instructions embodied in the machine readable storage medium, wherein execution of the program instructions by a programmable system coupled to a mobile communication network causes the system to perform functions for notifying an account holder of an infraction of a restriction regarding communication by a mobile station, the functions comprising;

(a) detecting an infraction of an account holder selected restriction, on usage of one of a plurality of mobile stations associated with an account of the account holder with a mobile communication network, caused by operation of the one mobile station through the mobile communication network;

(b) responsive to detecting the infraction of the account holder selected restriction, obtaining a destination address designated for the account holder of the account associated with the one mobile station having caused the infraction; and

(c) using the destination address, sending a notification of the infraction intended for the account holder of the account associated with the one mobile station having caused the infraction.

15. The article of claim 14, wherein:

the destination address identifies a mobile station of the account holder for communications through the mobile communication network other than the one mobile station; and

the function of sending comprises sending a message providing the notification of the infraction through the mobile communication network for the mobile station of the account holder, using the destination address.

16. The article of claim 14, wherein the functions performed upon execution of the program instructions by the programmable system further comprise:

detecting a failure in the sending of the notification of the infraction for the account holder using the destination address; and

upon detecting the failure, using an alternate destination address for sending the notification of the infraction intended for the account holder.

17. The article of claim 16, wherein the alternate destination address is an e-mail address, a mail address for a letter or an address for a facsimile communication.

18. The article of claim 14, wherein the functions performed upon execution of the program instructions by the programmable system further comprise sending a notification of the infraction intended for a user of the one mobile station.

19. The article of claim 18, wherein the message providing the notification of the infraction for the user of the one mobile station comprises a short message service (SMS) message addressed to the one mobile station.

20. The article of claim 14, wherein the infraction is an infraction of a usage control restriction selected from the group consisting of:

a voice call usage threshold, a voice call usage maximum limit, a message communication usage threshold, a message communication maximum limit, a data communication usage threshold, a data communication maximum limit, a blockage restriction for communication with regard to an identified station of another party, and a time of day restriction.

21. The article of claim 14, wherein:

the account holder selected restriction comprises one of a plurality of restrictions selected from among a plurality of restrictions offered by a carrier providing service through the mobile communication network;

the one restriction is selected from among the plurality of restrictions by the account holder; and

at least one parameter of the selected restriction is set by the account holder.

22. The article of claim 21, wherein the destination address identifies a mobile station of the account holder for communications through the mobile communication network, selected by the account holder from among mobile the mobile stations under the account.

23. A mobile communication network, comprising:

a traffic network for providing mobile communications services to mobile stations of subscribers;

a usage data aggregator coupled to the traffic network, for monitoring usage of identified mobile stations including one of a plurality of mobile stations associated with an account of one of the subscribers, and for generating a notification request message upon determining that operation of the one mobile station through the mobile communication network has involved an infraction of a usage restriction selected by the one subscriber; and

a customer communication system, in communication with the usage data aggregator, for receiving the notification request message, for obtaining a destination address designated for a holder of the one subscriber'"'"'s account associated with the one mobile station having caused the infraction responsive to the notification request message, and for sending a notification of the infraction intended for the holder of the one subscriber'"'"'s account associated with the one mobile station having caused the infraction using the destination address.

24. The mobile communication network of claim 23, wherein the customer communication system, comprises:

a business rules database, storing rules for determining processing of notification request messages;

a preference center directory, for storing subscribers'"'"' preference information regarding notifications to be sent by the system, wherein the destination address designated for the holder for the one subscriber'"'"'s account is obtained from the preference center directory, based on an applicable one of the business rules; and

a notification request processor, for modifying the notification request message from the usage data aggregator, to add the destination address for the holder of the one subscriber'"'"'s account, to cause the customer communication system to send the notification of the infraction using the destination address.

25. The mobile communication network of claim 24, wherein the customer communication system further comprises a notification server for receiving the notification request message from the usage data aggregator in a first format utilized by the usage data aggregator and converting the notification request message into a second format utilized by the notification request processor.

26. The mobile communication network of claim 25, wherein the conversion by notification server parses the notification request to form a corresponding XML notification request message and delivers the XML notification request message to the notification request processor.

27. A customer communication system for notifying an account holder of an infraction of a restriction regarding communication by a mobile station, the customer communication system comprising:

a business rules database, storing rules for determining processing of notification request messages received from a mobile communication network;

a preference center directory, for storing account holders'"'"' preference information regarding notifications to be sent by the system; and

a notification request processor, for;

(a) receiving a notification request message from a usage data aggregator monitoring mobile station usage through the communication network, the received notification request message indicating that operation of one of a plurality of mobile stations associated with an account of a subscriber has involved an infraction of a usage restriction selected by the account holder of the subscriber account, and the received notification request message identifying the one mobile station;

(b) based on an applicable one of the business rules, obtaining a destination address designated for the account holder responsive to the notification request message, from a record for the account in the preference center directory; and

(c) modifying the notification request message from the usage data aggregator, to add the destination address, to cause the customer communication system to send the notification of the infraction using the destination address, the notification of the infraction identifying the one mobile station.

28. The customer communication system of claim 27, further comprising a notification server for receiving the notification request message from the usage data aggregator in a first format utilized by the usage data aggregator and converting the notification request message into a second format utilized by the notification request processor.

29. The customer communication system of claim 28, wherein the conversion by notification server parses the notification request to form a corresponding XML notification request message and delivers the XML notification request message to the notification request processor.