Intelligent automated data usage upgrade recommendation

• US 9,124,436 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2010
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Kashanian, Nematolah
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, MINH TRANG T
• Application Number:
  US12/970,377
• Publication Number:
  US 20120155296A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,720 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1417 Advice of charge with threshold, e.g. user indicating maximum cost
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1435 volume-based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1492 negotiation of tariff
• 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 15/8044 Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/84 Types of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/85 characterised by the type of condition triggering a notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/853 Calculate maximum communication time or volume
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/854 Available credit
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A method of notifying a mobile station regarding data usage with a plan limit includes tracking an amount of data usage consumed by the mobile station. A first data usage limit and a first data usage time frame are determined from a user account. A comparison is made of the data usage to the first data usage limit and a present time to the first data usage time frame. From this comparison, a projected data usage amount is determined and whether the projected data usage exceeds the first data usage limit. If exceeded, the system analyzes a second data usage limit to determine if it is greater than the projected data usage amount. If greater, the server provides a message to the mobile station notifying the user of the projected overage and suggestions to change to a new plan offering the second data usage limit.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

tracking, on at least one of a mobile station and a server communicating with the mobile station, an amount of communication usage through a mobile communication network by the mobile station;

determining, from an account for the mobile station stored on the server, a first communication usage limit and a communication usage time frame;

calculating, on the server, a projected communication usage amount based on the amount of communication usage, an elapsed or remaining time in the communication usage time frame, and a length of the communication usage time frame;

determining, based on a result of the calculating step, whether the projected communication usage amount exceeds the first communication usage limit;

upon determining that the projected communication usage amount exceeds the first communication usage limit in the communication usage time frame, analyzing at least a second communication usage limit different from the first communication usage limit to determine whether the second communication usage limit is greater than the projected communication usage amount; and

upon determining that second communication usage limit is greater than the projected communication usage amount, providing a notification message to the mobile station with a suggestion to change to a subscription plan offering the second communication usage limit.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

tracking a first data communication type to determine an amount of data communication usage through the mobile communication network of the first data communication type;

determining, from the account, a first bandwidth limit;

calculating, based on the amount of data communication usage of the first data communication type and the communication usage time frame, a projected operational bandwidth;

comparing the projected operational bandwidth to the first bandwidth limit;

upon determining that the projected operational bandwidth is greater than the first bandwidth limit, analyzing at least a second bandwidth limit to determine whether the second bandwidth limit is greater than the projected operational bandwidth; and

providing a message to the mobile station with a suggestion to change to a subscription plan offering the second bandwidth limit.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing step comprises the step of providing a result of the determining step in the message.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

tracking a first data communication type to determine an amount of data communication usage through the mobile communication network of the first data communication type;

determining, from the account, a first bandwidth limit;

calculating, based on the amount of data communication usage of the first data communication type and the communication usage time frame, a projected operational bandwidth;

comparing the projected operational bandwidth to the first bandwidth limit;

upon determining that the projected operational bandwidth is less than the first bandwidth limit, analyzing at least a third bandwidth limit to determine whether the third bandwidth limit is greater than the projected operational bandwidth and less than the first bandwidth limit; and

upon determining that the third bandwidth limit is greater than the projected operational bandwidth and less than the first bandwidth limit, providing a message to the mobile station with a suggestion to change to a subscription plan offering the third bandwidth limit.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

altering at least one of the amount of communication usage and the projected communication usage amount by a threshold amount before determining whether the projected communication usage amount exceeds the first communication usage limit.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile station maintains an ability to operate uninterrupted in a communication network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication usage is packet data communication through the mobile communication network, and the amount of communication usage is tracked in units of data volume.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication usage is voice call communication through the mobile communication network, and the amount of communication usage is tracked in units of time.

9. A method comprising the steps of:

detecting, by a usage data aggregator, a real-time communication usage of communication resources of a mobile communication network by a mobile station and a present time;

accessing account data for the mobile station;

determining, from the account data, a usage limit and an account cycle;

calculating a first ratio of the real-time communication usage to the usage limit, and a second ratio of a time elapsed in a current account cycle to the length of the account cycle;

comparing the first ratio and the second ratio and determining whether the first ratio exceeds the second ratio;

upon determining that the first ratio does not exceed the second ratio, analyzing at least a second account data having a second usage limit to determine whether a third ratio of the real-time communication usage to the second usage limit is greater than the second ratio; and

upon determining from the analysis that the third ratio is greater than the second ratio, providing a message to the mobile station with a suggestion to change to a subscription plan offering the second account data.

10. An article of manufacture, comprising:

at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium; and

programming instructions embodied in said at least one medium for execution by one or more computers, wherein the programming configures said one or more computers to be capable of performing functions for communicating a threshold notification and account suggestion over a network to a mobile station, the functions comprising functions to;

track, on at least one of the mobile station and a server communicating with the mobile station, an amount of communication usage through a mobile communication network by the mobile station;

determine, from an account for the mobile station stored on the server, a first communication usage limit and a communication usage time frame;

calculate, on the server, a projected communication usage amount based on the amount of communication usage, an elapsed or remaining time in the communication usage time frame, and a length of the communication usage time frame;

determine, based on a result of the calculating step, whether the projected communication usage amount exceeds the first communication usage limit;

upon determining that the projected communication usage amount exceeds the first communication usage limit in the communication usage time frame, analyze at least a second communication usage limit different from the first communication usage limit to determine whether the second communication usage limit is greater than the projected communication usage amount; and

upon determining that second communication usage limit is greater than the projected communication usage amount, provide a notification message to the mobile station with a suggestion to change to a subscription plan offering the second communication usage limit.

11. The article of claim 10, wherein the functions performed upon the execution of the programming further comprise functions to:

track a first data communication type to determine an amount of data communication usage through the mobile communication network of the first data communication type;

determine, from the account, a first bandwidth limit;

calculate, based on the amount of data communication usage of the first data communication type and the communication usage time frame, a projected operational bandwidth;

compare the projected operational bandwidth to the first bandwidth limit;

upon determining that the projected operational bandwidth is greater than the first bandwidth limit, analyze at least a second bandwidth limit to determine whether the second bandwidth limit is greater than the projected operational bandwidth; and

provide a notification message to the mobile station with a suggestion to change to a subscription plan offering the second bandwidth limit.

12. The article of claim 10, wherein the function to provide comprises the function of providing a result of the determining function in the message.

13. The article of claim 10, wherein the functions performed upon the execution of the programming further comprise functions to:

track a first data communication type to determine an amount of data communication usage through the mobile communication network of the first data communication type;

determine, from the account, a first bandwidth limit;

calculate, based on the amount of data communication usage of the first data communication type and the communication usage time frame, a projected operational bandwidth;

compare the projected operational bandwidth to the first bandwidth limit;

upon determining that the projected operational bandwidth is less than the first bandwidth limit, the programming comprises the function to analyze at least a third bandwidth limit to determine whether the third bandwidth limit is greater than the projected operational bandwidth and less than the first bandwidth limit; and

upon determining that the third bandwidth limit is greater than the projected operational bandwidth and less than the first bandwidth limit, the programming comprises the function to provide a message to the mobile station with a suggestion to change to a subscription plan offering the third bandwidth limit.

14. The article of claim 10, wherein the functions performed upon the execution of the programming further comprise a function to:

alter at least one of the amount of communication usage and the projected communication usage amount by a threshold amount before determining whether the projected communication usage amount exceeds the first communication usage limit.

15. The article of claim 10, wherein the mobile station maintains an ability to operate uninterrupted in a communication network.

16. A method comprising the steps of:

tracking, on at least one of the mobile station and a server communicating with the mobile station, a first data type to determine an amount of communication usage of the first data type by the mobile station through a mobile communication network;

determining, from an account for the mobile station stored on the server, a first bandwidth limit and a time frame;

calculating, based on the amount of communication usage of the first data type and an amount of time remaining in the time frame, a projected operational bandwidth;

comparing, on the server, the projected operational bandwidth to the first bandwidth limit;

upon determining that the projected operational bandwidth is greater than the first bandwidth limit, analyzing at least a second bandwidth limit different from the first bandwidth limit to determine whether the second bandwidth limit is greater than the projected operational bandwidth; and

providing a message to the mobile station with a suggestion to change to a subscription plan offering the second bandwidth limit.

17. The method of claim 16, upon determining that the projected operational bandwidth is less than the first bandwidth limit, analyzing at least a third bandwidth limit to determine whether the third bandwidth limit is greater than the projected operational bandwidth and less than the first bandwidth limit;

and

upon determining that the third bandwidth limit is greater than the projected operational bandwidth and less than the first bandwidth limit, providing a message to the mobile station with a suggestion to change to a subscription plan offering the third bandwidth limit.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the tracking step further tracks a second data type and an amount of communication usage of the second data type; and

the calculating step calculates the projected operational bandwidth based on the amount of communication usage of the first data type, and the amount of communication usage of the second data type, and the amount of time remaining in the time frame.

19. An article of manufacture, comprising:

at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium; and

programming instructions embodied in said at least one medium for execution by one or more computers, wherein the programming configures said one or more computers to be capable of performing functions for communicating a threshold notification and account suggestion over a network to a mobile station, the functions comprising functions to;

track, on at least one of the mobile station and a server communicating with the mobile station, a first data type to determine an amount of communication usage of the first data type by the mobile station through a mobile communication network;

determine, from an account for the mobile station stored on the server, a first bandwidth limit and a time frame;

calculate, based on the amount of communication usage of the first data type and an amount of time remaining in the time frame, a projected operational bandwidth;

compare, on the server, the projected operational bandwidth to the first bandwidth limit;

upon determining that the projected operational bandwidth is greater than the first bandwidth limit, analyze at least a second bandwidth limit different from the first bandwidth limit to determine whether the second bandwidth limit is greater than the projected operational bandwidth; and

provide a message to the mobile station with a suggestion to change to a subscription plan offering the second bandwidth limit.