Selecting a service plan based on projected usage requirements

• US 8,315,594 B1
• Filed: 10/14/2009
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Mauser, Edward Ronald, Young, Andy G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Kent
• Assistant Examiner(s): WOO, KUO-KONG
• Application Number:
  US12/579,174
• Time in Patent Office: 1,133 Days
• Field of Search: 455/406, 455/414, 455/425, 455/405, 705/27.1
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1492 negotiation of tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/43 Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/46 Real-time negotiation between users and providers or operators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8022 Determining tariff or charge band

Abstract

An exemplary website allows a user to input projected usage requirements as user inputs including usage levels of mobile services and other desired services or features for the user and/or other persons intended for coverage under a chosen service plan. The exemplary website selects and suggests to the user a service plan based upon the user inputs, resulting in the lowest monthly cost to the user, among different service plans available form a mobile carrier or wireless service provider. In addition, in the example, the user may share with another person information relating to the selected service plan via an electronic messaging service or proceed to purchase the selected service plan.

Claims

1. A method implemented on a computer connected to a network for allowing a user to choose a service plan of a mobile carrier or wireless service provider, the method comprising steps of:

receiving user inputs, from the user via the network, of projected usage levels of a plurality of mobile services of the mobile carrier or wireless service provider, wherein the projected usage levels of the plurality of mobile services are for a group of persons intended for coverage by the chosen service plan;

processing in the computer the user inputs of the projected usage levels of the plurality of mobile services and information related to a plurality of service plans available from the mobile carrier or wireless service provider, including fee information for usage of the plurality of mobile services to determine, as the chosen service plan, a service plan offering the lowest total monthly cost for the projected usage levels from among the plurality of available service plans for the projected usage levels;

presenting to the user, via the network, information relating to the chosen service plan;

sending to the user a message including an option for sharing with at least one other person the information relating to the chosen service plan through an electronic messaging service, the message requesting for the user to designate the at least one other person for sharing the information on the chosen service plan;

in response to the message, receiving data input from the user indicating contact information of a designated at least one other person; and

based on the contact information, sending to the designated at least one other person, via the network, the information on the chosen service plan through the electronic messaging service.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to the step of processing, retrieving the information related to the plurality of service plans from at least one database, including the fee information for usage of the plurality of mobile services under each of the plurality of service plans.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of mobile services is selected from the group consisting of a mobile voice communication service, a mobile data communication service, a multimedia mobile communication service, and a mobile Internet service.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information relating to the chosen service plan includes a total monthly cost of the chosen service plan for the projected usage levels.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending to the user via the network a list of one or more available enhanced data services, for selection by the user; and

receiving, from the user via the network, a selection of one or more of the enhanced data services,

wherein the step of processing to determine the chosen service plan uses information on the selected enhanced data services in computing the total monthly cost.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each of the enhanced data services is a service selected from the group consisting of a high-speed data transfer service, a GPS-based navigation service, and a mobile electronic mail service.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user inputs, received from the user via the network, of the projected usage levels of the plurality of mobile services, are received as a result of operation of a graphical user interface by the user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of processing in the computer the user inputs and the information related to the plurality of service plans to determine the service plan offering the lowest total monthly cost among the plurality of available service plans is performed in real-time as the user inputs are received.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of receiving the user inputs, from the user via the network, of the projected usage levels of the plurality of mobile services comprises:

transmitting a web page representing the graphical user interface to the user, including options for user input of projected usage levels, for presentation to the user via a terminal device; and

receiving data indicating the projected usage levels, from the terminal device, the data resulting from user interaction with the web page representing the graphical user interface on the terminal device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the sending step comprises transmitting a web page representing a graphical user interface for the option for sharing, for presentation to the user via the terminal device, wherein the electronic messaging service is selected from the group consisting of an electronic mail service, a short messaging service, and a multimedia messaging service; and

the step of receiving data comprises receiving a user input via the network in response to the message, the user input resulting from user interaction with the web page representing the graphical user interface on the terminal device.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

transmitting a second web page representing a second graphical user interface to the user, for a purchase decision of the chosen service plan, for presentation to the user via the terminal device; and

receiving data indicating the purchase decision of the chosen service plan, from the terminal device, the data resulting from user interaction with the second web page representing the second graphical user interface on the terminal device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving user inputs of projected usage levels comprises receiving from the user over the network information on estimated future usage amounts of a plurality of mobile services by a plurality of persons to be covered by the chosen service plan.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of sending the message to the user regarding the option for sharing with the at least one other person comprises:

transmitting a web page representing a graphical user interface to the user, including input fields for contact information of the at least one other person and text messages, for presentation to the user via a terminal device; and

receiving data indicating the contact information of the at least one other person and the text messages, from the terminal device, the data resulting from user interaction with the web page representing the graphical user interface on the terminal device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of sending to the designated at least one other person the information on the chosen service plan comprises:

transmitting a web page representing a graphical user interface to the designated at least one other person, including information on the chosen service plan and a plurality of options for the designated at least one other person to select in relation to the chosen service plan or another desired service plan.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of options includes an option to create another service plan by the designated at least one other person.

16. A system, comprising:

a processor;

a machine readable storage medium accessible to the processor; and

a program stored in the machine readable storage medium, wherein execution of the program by the processor causes the system to act as a computer to perform the steps of the method of claim 1.

17. 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 serving as a computer causes the computer to perform the steps of the method of claim 1.