Systems and methods for providing multiple simultaneous calls from the same prepaid account

• US 8,543,084 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2011
• Issued: 09/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Mumford, Gregory L., Abel, Jon E., Fitzgerald, David A., Gunasekar, Radhika, Appleby, Anna Marie, Leslein, John M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Agosta, Steve D
• Application Number:
  US13/097,674
• Publication Number:
  US 20110206194A1
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455418-420, 455405-408, 379/114.01, 379/114.03, 379/115.01, 379/121.02, 379126-12705
• US Class Current: 455/405
• 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 15/765 Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/7652 shared by users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/775 Account specifications on parallel communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/78 Redistributing amount between accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/781 dynamically
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/783 by user request
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/785 Reserving amount on the account
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/85 characterised by the type of condition triggering a notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/851 Determined tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/852 Low balance or limit reached
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/854 Available credit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/00 Prepayment of wireline communication systems, wireless communication systems or telephone systems using a coded card to authorise calls from a telephone set H04M1/675
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/02 Coin-freed or check-freed systems , e.g. mobile- or card-operated phones, public telephones or booths
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/201 automatic recharging with predetermined amount at threshold
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/204 on-line recharging, e.g. cashless
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2017/22 with automatic recharging of account/card, e.g. if limit is reached during connection the account is recharged automatically
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2017/24 with on-line recharging of an account or card, e.g. cashless
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/724 Linked accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7245 : Shared by users, e.g. group accounts or one account for different users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7277 : Account specifications on parallel communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7281 : Redistribute amount between accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7286 : Dynamically
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/729 : by user request
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7295 : Reserve amount, e.g. according to estimated costs for a typical communication duration or according to the estimated volume to be transferred
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/81 : Notifying aspects, e.g. notifications or displays to the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/815 : Notification when a specific condition, service or event is met
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8158 : Low balance or limit reached
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8166 : Available credit

Abstract

Prepaid services include associating a plurality of users with a prepaid services account. The account is configured to track a prepaid balance associated with the account as well as to allow at least a subset of the plurality of users associated with the account to draw down the prepaid balance at least generally at the same time. Drawing down the prepaid balance includes allocating a portion of the prepaid balance to each respective user, monitoring a provision of service, and repeating, selectively, the allocating and monitoring.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

associating a plurality of users with a prepaid services account;

tracking a prepaid balance associated with the account;

drawing down the prepaid balance at least generally at the same time using at least a subset of the users, including;

allocating a portion of the prepaid balance to each respective user;

monitoring a provision of service; and

repeating, selectively, the allocating and the monitoring.

2. The method of claim 1, where determining to recharge the prepaid balance comprises:

determining a recharge time for the prepaid services account, and

determining to recharge the prepaid balance based on the total burn rate of the prepaid services account and the recharge time for the prepaid services account.

3. The method of claim 2, where determining the recharge time comprises:

determining the recharge time based on a maximum expected length of time that is required to recharge the prepaid balance.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

allocating, while recharging the prepaid balance, a portion of the prepaid balance to the subset of the plurality of users.

5. The method of claim 1, where determining to recharge the prepaid balance comprises:

dividing the prepaid balance by the total burn rate to obtain a result,

comparing the result to a recharge time of the prepaid services account, and

determining to recharge the prepaid balance based on comparing the result to the recharge time.

6. The method of claim 1, where calculating the total burn rate comprises:

calculating the total burn rate by combining burn rates associated with one or more users included in the subset of the plurality of users.

7. The method of claim 1, where the drawing down of the prepaid balance occurs in an asynchronous manner.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, before determining to recharge the prepaid balance, that automatic recharge of the prepaid balance is allowed based on information associated with the prepaid services account.

9. A system comprising:

a memory; and

a processor to;

associate a plurality of users with a prepaid services account;

calculate a total burn rate of the prepaid services account by combining burn rates at which one or more users included in a subset of the plurality of users draw down a prepaid balance associated with the prepaid services account;

determine a change in the subset of the plurality of users that are drawing down the prepaid balance;

recalculate the total burn rate of the prepaid service account based on determining the change in the subset of the plurality of users that are drawing down the prepaid balance;

determine to recharge the prepaid balance based on the total burn rate; and

recharge the prepaid balance after determining to recharge the prepaid balance.

10. The system of claim 9, where, when determining to recharge the prepaid balance, the processor is to:

determine a recharge time for the prepaid services account, and

determine to recharge the prepaid balance based on the total burn rate of the prepaid services account and the recharge time for the prepaid services account.

11. The system of claim 10, where, when determining the recharge time for the prepaid services account, the processor is to:

determine the recharge time based on a maximum expected length of time that is required to recharge the prepaid balance.

12. The system of claim 9, where, when recharging the prepaid balance, the processor is to:

recharge the prepaid balance while contemporaneously allocating a portion of the prepaid balance.

13. The system of claim 9, where, when determining to recharge the prepaid balance, the processor is to:

divide the prepaid balance by the total burn rate to obtain a result,

compare the result to a recharge time of the prepaid services account, and

determine to recharge the prepaid balance based on comparing the result to the recharge time.

14. The system of claim 9, where the drawing down of the prepaid balance occurs in an asynchronous manner.

15. The system of claim 9, where the processor is further to:

determine, before determining to recharge the prepaid balance, that automatic recharge of the prepaid balance is allowed based on information associated with the prepaid services account.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

associate a plurality of callers with an account;

calculate a total burn rate of the account based on a rate at which a subset of the plurality of callers draw down a prepaid balance associated with the account;

determine a change in the subset of the plurality of callers that are drawing down the prepaid balance;

recalculate the total burn rate of the account based on determining the change in the subset of the plurality of callers that are drawing down the prepaid balance;

determine that automatic recharge of the prepaid balance is allowed based on information associated with the account;

determine, after determining that automatic recharge of the prepaid balance is allowed, to recharge the prepaid balance based on the total burn rate; and

recharge the prepaid balance after determining to recharge the prepaid balance.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

calculate a service increment for a particular caller of the subset of the plurality of callers based on a burn rate associated with the particular caller,

the total burn rate being based on the burn rate associated with the particular caller, and

provide a service to the particular caller based on the service increment.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, where the one or more instructions to determine to recharge the prepaid balance comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

determine a recharge time for the account, and

determine to recharge the prepaid balance based on the total burn rate of the account and the recharge time for the account.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, where the one or more instructions to calculate the total burn rate comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

calculate the total burn rate by summing call burn rates from simultaneous calls, made by the subset of the plurality of callers, that are drawing the prepaid balance.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, where the one or more instructions to recharge the prepaid balance comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

determine at least one of payment account information associated with the account or a recharge amount, and

transmit, based on at least one of the payment account information or the recharge amount, a request to recharge the prepaid balance.