Methods and apparatus to monitor subscriber activity

• US 8,837,699 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2008
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Company (US) LLC (RR Donnelley & Sons Company)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Hurst, Jennifer Ann, Fogle, Eric, Stoffel, Paul, LeBreton, Alison
• Primary Examiner(s): AL AUBAIDI, RASHA S
• Application Number:
  US12/243,699
• Publication Number:
  US 20100080369A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,176 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201.01, 455/405
• US Class Current: 379/201.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42297 with number portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/005 Personal communication services, e.g. provisions for portability of subscriber numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to respond to monitor subscriber activity are disclosed. An example method includes receiving a first set of client telephone number (TN) data associated with a client and a current time period, and receiving a second set of client TN data associated with a prior time period. The example method also includes receiving a first set of subscriber activity data associated with the current time period, identifying a TN that is in the first set of subscriber activity data and is absent from at least one of the first or second sets of client TN data, and identifying the TN with at least one of a new inroad for a competitor or a new inroad for the client based on at least one activity code from the first set of subscriber activity data.

Claims

1. A method to identify subscriber activity, comprising:

receiving a first set of service provider telephone number (TN) data associated with a service provider and a current time period;

receiving a second set of service provider TN data associated with a first prior time period;

receiving a first set of subscriber activity data associated with the current time period;

identifying a TN that is in the first set of subscriber activity data, is present in the first set of service provider TN data, is absent from the second set of service provider TN data, and is present within a threshold number of subscriber activity data sets associated with prior time periods; and

identifying the TN as a winback for the service provider when the TN is owned by the service provider at the current time period.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising querying a local exchange and routing guide to determine ownership of a TN block associated with the TN when an activity code comprises at least one of an add-event or a change-event.

3. A method as defined in claim 2, further comprising identifying the TN as a new inroad for a competitor when the TN block is not owned by the service provider.

4. A method as defined in claim 2, further comprising querying a local number portability data source to determine an operating carrier name (OCN) of the TN when the TN block is owned by the service provider.

5. A method as defined in claim 4, further comprising identifying the TN as a new inroad for the service provider when the OCN is indicative of service provider ownership.

6. A method as defined in claim 4, further comprising identifying the TN as a new inroad for a competitor when the OCN is indicative of competitor ownership.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising identifying the TN as a disconnect when an activity code comprises a disconnect event.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising determining whether the TN is present within a second set of subscriber activity data, present within the first set of service provider TN data, and absent from the second set of service provider TN data.

9. A method as defined in claim 8, further comprising querying a local exchange and routing guide to determine ownership of a TN block associated with the TN when the TN is not present within the threshold number of subscriber activity data sets associated with prior time periods.

10. A method as defined in claim 9, further comprising identifying the TN as a competitive gain for the service provider when the TN block ownership is associated with the competitor.

11. A method as defined in claim 9, wherein the threshold number of subscriber activity data sets is a first threshold number of subscriber activity data sets and further comprising identifying the TN as a new inroad for the service provider when disconnect activity codes are absent from a second threshold number of subscriber activity data sets associated with prior time periods.

12. A method as defined in claim 8, further comprising querying a local exchange and routing guide to determine ownership of a TN block associated with the TN when the TN is present within the threshold number of subscriber activity data sets associated with prior time periods.

13. A method as defined in claim 12, further comprising identifying the TN as a client winback when the TN block ownership is associated with the service provider.

14. A method as defined in claim 12, further comprising identifying the TN as a competitive gain for the service provider when the TN block ownership is associated with the competitor.

15. An apparatus to identify subscriber activity, comprising:

a customer data retriever to retrieve service provider telephone number (TN) data, the service provider TN data comprising a current time period data set and prior time period data sets;

a subscriber activity system interface to retrieve subscriber activity data associated with the current time period and prior time periods; and

a process engine to;

identify a TN that is present in the subscriber activity data associated with the current time period, present in the service provider TN data during the current time period, absent from the service provider TN data during a first one of the prior time periods, and present within a threshold number of subscriber activity data sets associated with prior time periods; and

associate the TN with a winback status when the TN is owned by the service provider at the current time period.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 15, further comprising a local exchange and routing guide (LERG) interface to query a LERG database, the LERG interface to initiate a query in response to the subscriber activity system interface identifying at least one of an add-event or a change-event associated with the TN, the query to determine ownership of a TN block associated with the TN.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, further comprising a local number portability (LNP) engine to query an LNP database, the LNP engine to initiate a query in response to determining that the TN block is owned by the service provider, the query to determine an operating carrier name (OCN) associated with the TN.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the process engine identifies the TN as a new inroad for the service provider when the OCN is indicative of service provider ownership.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the process engine identifies the TN as a new inroad for a competitor when the OCN is indicative of competitor ownership.

20. A tangible machine readable storage device or storage disk comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the machine to at least:

receive a first set of service provider telephone number (TN) data associated with a service provider and a current time period;

receive a second set of service provider TN data associated with a first prior time period;

receive a first set of subscriber activity data associated with the current time period;

identify a TN that is in the first set of subscriber activity data, is present in the first set of service provider TN data, is absent from the second set of service provider TN data, and is present within a threshold number of subscriber activity data sets associated with prior time periods; and

identify the TN as a winback for the service provider when the TN is owned by the service provider at the current time period.

21. A tangible machine readable storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 20, wherein the instructions cause the machine to query a local exchange and routing guide to determine ownership of a TN block associated with the TN when an activity code comprises at least one of an add-event or a change-event.

22. A tangible machine readable storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 21, wherein the instructions cause the machine to query a local number portability data source to determine an operating carrier name (OCN) of the TN when the TN block is owned by the service provider.