Methods for providing overdraft protection for post-paid communication service plans
First Claim
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1. A method, for providing overdraft protection in connection with a communications account, comprising:
- receiving, by a server having a processor, a user instruction to add data blocks to a present data plan period of the communications account by a mechanism selected from a group consisting of;
borrowing additional data blocks from a future data plan period; and
charging a first predetermined cost per additional data block for additional data blocks, the first predetermined cost per additional data block being less than a cost per data block normally associated with exceeding a predetermined base number of data blocks during a data plan period for the communications account;
adjusting, by the server, in response to receiving the user instruction, the communications account to add additional data blocks to the communications account, including adjusting the communications account to add the additional data blocks in predetermined first size increments;
charging, if the user instruction indicates that the user would like to be charged the first predetermined cost per additional data block for additional data blocks, a user fee corresponding to the first predetermined cost per additional data block; and
adjusting, by the server, the communications account to provide additional data blocks in predetermined second size increments for a second predetermined cost per data block in response to usage of the communications account increasing above a threshold number of data blocks over the predetermined base number of data blocks.
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Abstract
Methods for adding minutes to a calling plan having a calling plan period. The methods including determining whether a threshold number of minutes have been reached during the calling plan period; and incrementally adding minutes to the calling plan when the threshold number of minutes has been reached. The cost per minute of the added minutes is less than the high-cost per minute rate normally associated with exceeding the threshold number of minutes during the calling plan period.
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. A method, for providing overdraft protection in connection with a communications account, comprising:
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receiving, by a server having a processor, a user instruction to add data blocks to a present data plan period of the communications account by a mechanism selected from a group consisting of; borrowing additional data blocks from a future data plan period; and charging a first predetermined cost per additional data block for additional data blocks, the first predetermined cost per additional data block being less than a cost per data block normally associated with exceeding a predetermined base number of data blocks during a data plan period for the communications account; adjusting, by the server, in response to receiving the user instruction, the communications account to add additional data blocks to the communications account, including adjusting the communications account to add the additional data blocks in predetermined first size increments; charging, if the user instruction indicates that the user would like to be charged the first predetermined cost per additional data block for additional data blocks, a user fee corresponding to the first predetermined cost per additional data block; and adjusting, by the server, the communications account to provide additional data blocks in predetermined second size increments for a second predetermined cost per data block in response to usage of the communications account increasing above a threshold number of data blocks over the predetermined base number of data blocks. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A computer-readable storage device comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
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receiving a user instruction to add data blocks to a present data plan period of the communications account by a mechanism selected from a group consisting of; borrowing additional data blocks from a future data plan period; and charging a first predetermined cost per additional data block for additional data blocks, the first predetermined cost per additional data block being less than a cost per data block normally associated with exceeding a predetermined base number of data blocks during a data plan period for the communications account; adjusting, in response to receiving the user instruction, the communications account to add additional data blocks to the communications account, including adjusting the communications account to add the additional data blocks in predetermined first size increments; charging, if the user instruction indicates that the user would like to be charged the first predetermined cost per additional data block for additional data blocks, a user fee corresponding to the first predetermined cost per additional data block; and adjusting the communications account to provide additional data blocks in predetermined second size increments for a second predetermined cost per data block in response to usage of the communications account increasing above a threshold number of data blocks over the predetermined base number of data blocks. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8)
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9. A server, for providing overdraft protection in connection with a communications account, comprising:
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a processor; and a computer-readable memory being in operative communication with the processor and comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising; receiving a user instruction to add data blocks to a present data plan period of the communications account by a mechanism selected from a group consisting of; borrowing additional data blocks from a future data plan period; and charging a first predetermined cost per additional data block for additional data blocks, the first predetermined cost per additional data block being less than a cost per data block normally associated with exceeding a predetermined base number of data blocks during a data plan period for the communications account; adjusting, in response to receiving the user instruction, the communications account to add additional data blocks to the communications account, including adjusting the communications account to add the additional data blocks in predetermined first size increments; charging, if the user instruction indicates that the user would like to be charged the first predetermined cost per additional data block for additional data blocks, a user fee corresponding to the first predetermined cost per additional data block; and adjusting the communications account to provide additional data blocks in predetermined second size increments for a second predetermined cost per data block in response to usage of the communications account increases above a threshold number of data blocks over the predetermined base number of data blocks. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11)
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Specification