Billing policy management for multi-number phones

• US 9,661,131 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2015
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hearsay Social, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Mast Mobile, Inc. (Hearsay Social, Inc.)
• Inventors: Messenger, David, Lurie, Peter, Dawson, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Nimesh
• Application Number:
  US14/827,193
• Publication Number:
  US 20160381231A1
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2477 for selecting a function from a menu display H04M1/2474 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27457 Management thereof, e.g. manual editing of data
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/32 Charging, billing or metering arrangements for satellites or concentrators which connect one or more exchange lines with a group of local lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/66 Policy and charging system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/67 Transmitting arrangements for sending billing related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/70 Administration or customization aspects; Counter-checking correct charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/705 Account settings, e.g. limits or numbers or payment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/72 by the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/45 related to voicemail messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4509 Unified messaging with single point of access to voicemail and other mail or messaging systems unified messaging in packet switching networks H04L51/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/551 Call history recording a computer conference H04L12/1831
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42034 Calling party identification service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42051 where the notification is included in the ringing tone
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/465 Arrangements for simultaneously calling a number of substations until an answer is obtained
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5141 : Details of processing calls and other types of contacts in an unified manner unified messaging in packet-switching networks H04L51/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 : Message receiving aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53358 : Message preview
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/537 : Arrangements for indicating the presence of a recorded message , whereby the presence information might include a preview or summary of the message
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 : Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/34 : Modification of an existing route
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for managing a billing policy for mobile phone associated with a first phone number corresponding to a first account and a second phone number corresponding to a second account is described herein. The billing policy defines actions performed by the mobile phone to be charged to the first account, and defines actions performed by the mobile phone to be charged to the second account. Charges are allocated to one of the first account and second account based on the billing policy. A user can configured to phone to operate in a private mode, in response to which actions are charged to a default account of the two accounts, and information about the action is not provided to an external entity.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

accessing, for a mobile phone associated with a first phone number and a second phone number, a billing policy associated with a first account associated with at least the first phone number and a second account associated with at least the second phone number, the billing policy defining a first set of actions that when performed by the mobile phone are charged to the first account and defining a second set of actions that when performed by the mobile phone are charged to the second account, at least one action in the second set of actions identifying a website such that data costs incurred by the mobile phone in association with the website are charged to the second account;

identifying, by an intermediate server communicatively coupled to the mobile phone, an action performed by the mobile phone;

in response to the identified action comprising an action defined by the billing policy to be charged to the first account, allocating, by the intermediate server, charges corresponding to the identified action to the first account;

in response to the identified action comprising an action defined by the billing policy to be charged to the second account, allocating, by the intermediate server, charges corresponding to the identified action to the second account; and

in response to the identified action comprising an action performed by the mobile phone not defined by the billing policy, allocating, by the intermediate server, charges corresponding to the identified action to the second account.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first phone number comprises a phone number corresponding to hardware of the mobile phone.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second phone number comprises a virtual phone number assigned to the mobile phone by the intermediate server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the billing policy is defined by an employer of a user of the mobile phone, and wherein the first account belongs to the employer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second account belongs to a user of the mobile phone.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a description of an identified action comprising an action performed by the mobile phone associated with the first phone number is provided to an entity associated with the first account.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving, from a user of the mobile phone, a request to configure the mobile phone to operate in a private mode;

identifying, by the intermediate server, a second action performed by the mobile phone while the mobile phone is configured to operate in the private mode; and

allocating, by the intermediate server, charges corresponding to the second action to the second account in response to the mobile phone being configured to operate in the private mode;

wherein the second action is kept private from to the entity associated with the first account.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable computer instructions that, when executed by a hardware processor, perform steps comprising:

accessing, for a mobile phone associated with a first phone number and a second phone number, a billing policy associated with a first account associated with at least the first phone number and a second account associated with at least the second phone number, the billing policy defining a first set of actions that when performed by the mobile phone are charged to the first account and defining a second set of actions that when performed by the mobile phone are charged to the second account, at least one action in the second set of actions identifying a website such that data costs incurred by the mobile phone in association with the website are charged to the second account;

identifying, by an intermediate server communicatively coupled to the mobile phone, an action performed by the mobile phone;

in response to the identified action comprising an action defined by the billing policy to be charged to the first account, allocating, by the intermediate server, charges corresponding to the identified action to the first account;

in response to the identified action comprising an action defined by the billing policy to be charged to the second account, allocating, by the intermediate server, charges corresponding to the identified action to the second account; and

in response to the identified action comprising an action performed by the mobile phone not defined by the billing policy, allocating, by the intermediate server, charges corresponding to the identified action to the second account.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the first phone number comprises a phone number corresponding to hardware of the mobile phone.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the second phone number comprises a virtual phone number assigned to the mobile phone by the intermediate server.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the billing policy is defined by an employer of a user of the mobile phone, and wherein the first account belongs to the employer.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the second account belongs to a user of the mobile phone.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein a description of an identified action comprising an action performed by the mobile phone associated with the first phone number is provided to an entity associated with the first account.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, comprising instructions that, when executed by the hardware processor, perform further steps comprising:

receiving, from a user of the mobile phone, a request to configure the mobile phone to operate in a private mode;

identifying, by the intermediate server, a second action performed by the mobile phone while the mobile phone is configured to operate in the private mode; and

allocating, by the intermediate server, charges corresponding to the second action to the second account in response to the mobile phone being configured to operate in the private mode;

wherein the second action is kept private from the entity associated with the first account.

15. A system, comprising:

an intermediate server communicatively coupled to a mobile phone associated with a first phone number and a second phone number, the intermediate server comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions and one or more hardware processors configured to execute the instructions to perform steps comprising;

accessing, for the mobile phone, a billing policy associated with a first account associated with at least the first phone number and a second account associated with at least the second phone number, the billing policy defining a first set of actions that when performed by the mobile phone are charged to the first account and defining a second set of actions that when performed by the mobile phone are charged to the second account, at least one action in the second set of actions identifying a website such that data costs incurred by the mobile phone in association with the website are charged to the second account;

identifying an action performed by the mobile phone;

in response to the identified action comprising an action defined by the billing policy to be charged to the first account, allocating charges corresponding to the identified action to the first account;

in response to the identified action comprising an action defined by the billing policy to be charged to the second account, allocating charges corresponding to the identified action to the second account; and

in response to the identified action comprising an action performed by the mobile phone not defined by the billing policy, allocating charges corresponding to the identified action to the second account.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the first phone number comprises a phone number corresponding to hardware of the mobile phone.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the second phone number comprises a virtual phone number assigned to the mobile phone by the intermediate server.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the billing policy is defined by an employer of a user of the mobile phone, and wherein the first account belongs to the employer.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the second account belongs to a user of the mobile phone.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein a description of an identified action comprising an action performed by the mobile phone associated with the first phone number is provided to an entity associated with the first account.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the one or more hardware processors are configured to execute the instructions to perform further steps comprising:

receiving, from a user of the mobile phone, a request to configure the mobile phone to operate in a private mode;

identifying a second action performed by the mobile phone while the mobile phone is configured to operate in the private mode; and

allocating charges corresponding to the second action to the second account in response to the mobile phone being configured to operate in the private mode;

wherein the second action is kept private from the entity associated with the first account.