Post-paid wireless service balance management

• US 8,594,626 B1
• Filed: 04/02/2008
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Woodson, Charles, Kindred, Russell, Spieker, Christina, Steinel, Daniel, Gallagher, John, Fenton, Keith, Groth, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Nimesh
• Application Number:
  US12/061,465
• Time in Patent Office: 2,064 Days
• Field of Search: 455/406, 455/415, 455/409, 379/114.03, 379/112.04, 379/114.01, 379/114.17, 379/114.2, 379/32.01, 705/30, 705/32, 705/34
• US Class Current: 455/408
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8228 Session based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8355 after the end of the communication
• 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 15/857 Cumulative charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/86 Recipients of the notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/88 Provision for limiting connection, or expenditure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/885 limit per application

Abstract

Methods and media for post-paid wireless service balance management are described. In one embodiment, it is determined that a usage threshold has been met based upon a concluded wireless session occurring during a billing period associated with an account. Upon determining that the threshold has been met, enforcement points are provisioned to monitor wireless service usage associated with the account. Further, upon receiving a request for service, and prior to commencing the wireless session, it is determined whether the request exceeds account resources. If the request does not exceed the account resources, the request is allowed. If the request does exceed the account resources, the request is handled based on an account status.

Claims

1. One or more tangible computer-storage media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of post-paid wireless service balance management, the method comprising:

allotting an amount of post-paid usage resources to a post-paid wireless service account (“

account”

) for a billing period associated with the account;

monitoring a current amount of usage for the billing period, wherein the monitoring includes

A) determining that a wireless session has concluded,

B) upon determining that the wireless session has concluded, then determining the current amount of usage based on an amount of usage at the end of the concluded wireless session, and

C) determining whether the current amount of usage meets a threshold amount of post-paid usage prior to exceeding the allotted amount of post-paid resources;

upon determining that the threshold amount of post-paid usage has been met, provisioning an enforcement point that monitors requests for service associated with the account and providing an option to upgrade the account in the middle of a billing session to avoid charges associated with excess usage, wherein upon upgrading the account, the account is associated with an upgraded set of mobile-phone minutes or messages that are applied retroactively during the billing period;

at the provisioned enforcement point, subsequent to determining that the threshold amount of post-paid usage has been met, upon receiving a request for service from a mobile device associated with the account, and prior to commencing a wireless session in response to the request, determining whether the request exceeds the allotted amount of post-paid resources;

upon determining that the request exceeds the allotted amount of post-paid resources associated with the account;

A) determining a status associated with the account, wherein the status indicates how the request should be handled when the request exceeds the allotted amount of post-paid resources associated with the account, and

B) handling the request based on the status associated with the accounts;

C) wherein the account has associated therewith an authority user and a subservient user,

wherein the authority user elects to enable the post-paid wireless service balance management on behalf of the subservient user, providing a set of instructions regarding handling of requests received after the threshold has been met, and

wherein the instructions include at least one of

A) an instruction to reject all but in-plan requests that exceed the set of resources associated with the account, or

B) an instruction to notify the authority user of all requests that exceed the set of resources associated with the account and allow all requests.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein determining that the threshold has been met comprises accessing a billing system to compare a minute balance associated with the billing period at the end of the concluded wireless session with a minute total associated with the set of resources.

3. The media of claim 1, wherein determining that the threshold has been met comprises accessing a billing system to compare a dollar balance associated with the billing period at the end of the concluded wireless session with a dollar total associated with the set of resources.

4. The media of claim 1, wherein determining that the threshold has been met comprises accessing a billing system to compare a service usage balance associated with the billing period at the end of the concluded wireless session with a usage total associated with the set of resources.

5. The media of claim 1, wherein handling the request based on the status associated with the account comprises determining that the request is for an in-plan service and allowing the request.

6. The media of claim 1, wherein handling the request based on the status associated with the account comprises determining that the request is for an out-of-plan service and rejecting the request.

7. The media of claim 1, wherein handling the request based on the status associated with the account comprises notifying a user of the mobile device that the request exceeds the set of resources associated with the account and allowing the request.

8. The media of claim 1, wherein a user associated with the account is automatically enrolled in the post-paid wireless service balance management.

9. The media of claim 1, wherein, upon exceeding the set of resources associated with the account, a user associated with the account pays down a bill associated with the billing period, and wherein the account is associated with an upgraded set of resources.

10. One or more tangible computer-storage media having computer-usable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of post-paid wireless service balance management, the method comprising:

receiving a provisioning instruction to monitor wireless service usage associated with a post-paid wireless service account (“

the account”

) that has an allotted amount of post-paid usage resources associated therewith, and wherein the account has associated therewith an authority user and a subservient user;

monitoring the wireless service usage;

monitoring for a request for a wireless session from a mobile device associated with the account, wherein the monitoring for the request includes

A) receiving the request for the wireless session,

B) upon receiving the request, prior to commencing a wireless session, determining whether the request exceeds the allotted amount of post-paid usage resources, wherein;

a) when it is determined that the request does not exceed the allotted amount of post-paid usage resources associated with the account, allowing the request, and wherein

b) when it is determined that the request exceeds the allotted amount of post-paid usage resources associated with the account, determining a status associated with the account, and handling the request based on the status associated with the account;

wherein the provisioning instruction is received after it has been determined that a current amount of usage has met a threshold amount of post-paid usage at the end of a concluded wireless session occurring during a billing period associated with the account, wherein the threshold amount of post-paid usage has been met prior to exceeding the allotted amount of post-paid resources;

receiving an election from the authority user associated with the account to enable the post-paid wireless service balance management and provide a set of instructions regarding handling of requests received after the threshold has been met on behalf of the subservient user, wherein the instructions include;

A) an instruction to reject all but in-plan requests that exceed the allotted amount of post-paid usage resources associated with the account; and

B) an instruction to notify the authority user of all requests that exceed the allotted amount of post-paid usage resources associated with the account and allow all requests; and

modifying the account to a different quantity of mobile phone minutes or wireless usage in the middle of a billing session to avoid charges associated with excess usage, wherein upon upgrading the account, the account is associated with an upgraded set of post-paid mobile phone minutes or wireless usage applied retroactively during the billing period.

11. The media of claim 10, wherein determining that the threshold has been met comprises accessing a billing system to compare a minute balance associated with the billing period at the end of the concluded wireless session with a minute total associated with the set of resources and wherein the billing system is accessed to determine whether the threshold has been met at the end of every wireless session.

12. The media of claim 10, wherein determining that the threshold has been met comprises accessing a billing system to compare a minute balance associated with the billing period at the end of the concluded wireless session with a minute total associated with the set of resources, and wherein the billing system is accessed to determine whether the threshold has been met at the end of every wireless session.

13. One or more tangible computer-storage media having computer-usable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of post-paid wireless service balance management, the method comprising:

monitoring a billing system for an indication that a wireless session associated with a post-paid wireless service account (“

the account”

) has concluded, wherein the account has associated therewith an authority user and a user;

upon receiving the indication, comparing a current amount of wireless service usage during a billing period associated with the account with an allotted amount of post-paid resources associated with the account, wherein the current amount of usage is based on an amount of usage at the end of the concluded wireless session;

determining that a threshold amount of post-paid usage has been met prior to exceeding the allotted amount of post-paid resources;

as a result of having met the threshold amount of post-paid usage, provisioning an enforcement point to monitor wireless service usage associated with the account and providing an option to upgrade the account in the middle of a billing session to avoid charges associated with excess usage, wherein upon upgrading the account, the account is associated with an upgraded amount of post-paid resources applied retroactively during the billing period;

at the enforcement point, monitoring for a request for a wireless session from a mobile device associated with the account;

upon receiving the request for the wireless session, determining, prior to commencing a new wireless session, that a dollar balance based on the wireless service usage during the billing period exceeds a threshold dollar amount associated with the allotted amount of post-paid resources for the account during the billing period;

upon determining that the dollar balance exceeds the threshold dollar amount associated with the allotted amount of post-paid resources associated with the account;

A) determining a status associated with the account, wherein the status indicates how the request should be handled when the request exceeds the allotted amount of post-paid resources associated with the account, and

B) handling the request based on the status associated with the account,

wherein the authority user elects to enable the post-paid wireless service balance management on behalf of the user, providing a set of instructions regarding handling of requests received after the threshold has been met, and

wherein the instructions include at least one of;

a) an instruction to reject all but in-plan requests that exceed the set of resources associated with the account; and

b) an instruction to notify the authority user of all requests that exceed the set of resources associated with the account and allow all requests;

wherein handling the request includes notifying the user that the dollar balance exceeds the threshold dollar amount associated with the allotted amount of post-paid resources; and

because the dollar balance exceeds the threshold dollar amount associated with the allotted amount of post-paid resources, reviewing subsequent requests for service during a remainder of the billing period prior to commencing subsequent wireless sessions, and only commencing the subsequent wireless sessions after sending notifications to the user that the threshold dollar amount has been exceeded.