Methods for providing communications services

• US 20060111079A1
• Filed: 12/30/2005
• Published: 05/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tischer, Steven N., Liu, Jerry C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,693,741 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1428 Invoice generation, e.g. customization, lay-out, database processing, algorithms for calculating the bill or formatting invoices as WWW pages invoicing in general G06Q30/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1446 inter-operator billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/145 trading network capacity or selecting route based on tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1457 using an account
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1467 involving prepayment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/42 Dynamic individual rates per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/49 Connection to several service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 : for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 : based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 : Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/805 : Bidding
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0104 : Augmented, consolidated or itemised billing statement, e.g. additional billing information, bill presentation, layout, format, e-mail, fax, printout, itemised bill per service or per account, cumulative billing, consolidated billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0188 : Network monitoring; statistics on usage on called/calling number
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/202 : VoIP; Packet switched telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 : Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2033 : WLAN
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 : Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 : Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/42 : Least cost routing, i.e. provision for selecting the lowest cost tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/46 : Connection to several service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/745 : Least cost routing, e.g. Automatic or manual, call by call or by preselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7457 : Biding
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing

Abstract

Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for providing communications services. One method receives a request for communications service. The request for communications service originates from a client communications device, and the request for communications service is communicated to a service provider of a communications network. A preferred scenario of segmentation, dispersion, and assemblage of electronic data is dynamically ascertained to fulfill the request. The method then bills for the communications service.

Claims

1. A method of providing communications services, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request for communications service from a client communications device;

querying a database storing pre-approved access to multiple service providers; and

dynamically ascertaining a preferred scenario of segmentation, dispersion, and assemblage of electronic data to fulfill the request.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of ascertaining the preferred scenario comprises dynamically negotiating amongst only the multiple service providers to which the client communications device has pre-approved access.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of ascertaining the preferred scenario comprises dynamically negotiating with at least one of the multiple service providers to which the client communications device has pre-approved access.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein if the client communications device is not pre-approved to access a particular service provider, then prompting the client communications device to authorize a pre-approval process with the particular service provider.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein if authorization is received, then communicating user information to the particular service provider to pre-approve access for the client communications device.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein after the particular service provider pre-approves the user, then ascertaining the preferred scenario of segmentation, dispersion, and assemblage of electronic data to fulfill the request.

7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising billing a user associated with the client communications device for the communications service.

8. A system, comprising:

an analysis module stored in memory; and

a processor communicating with the memory,

wherein the processor receives a request for communications service from a client communications device,

the processor queries a database storing pre-approved access to multiple service providers, and

the processor dynamically ascertains a preferred scenario of segmentation, dispersion, and assemblage of electronic data to fulfill the request.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein the processor dynamically negotiates amongst only the multiple service providers to which the client communications device has pre-approved access.

10. A system according to claim 8, wherein the processor dynamically negotiates with at least one of the multiple service providers to which the client communications device has pre-approved access.

11. A system according to claim 8, wherein if the client communications device is not pre-approved to access a particular service provider, then the processor sends a prompt to the client communications device to authorize a pre-approval process with the particular service provider.

12. A system according to claim 11, wherein if authorization is received, then the processor communicates user information to the particular service provider to pre-approve access for the client communications device.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein after the particular service provider pre-approves the user, then the processor ascertains the preferred scenario of segmentation, dispersion, and assemblage of electronic data to fulfill the request.

14. A system according to claim 8, wherein the processor bills a user associated with the client communications device for the communications service.

15. A computer program product comprising computer-readable instructions for performing the steps:

receiving a request for communications service from a client communications device;

querying a database storing pre-approved access to multiple service providers; and

dynamically ascertaining a preferred scenario of segmentation, dispersion, and assemblage of electronic data to fulfill the request.

16. A computer program product according to claim 15, further comprising computer-readable instructions for dynamically negotiating amongst only the multiple service providers to which the client communications device has pre-approved access.

17. A computer program product according to claim 15, further comprising computer-readable instructions for dynamically negotiating with at least one of the multiple service providers to which the client communications device has pre-approved access.

18. A computer program product according to claim 15, wherein if the client communications device is not pre-approved to access a particular service provider, then further comprising computer-readable instructions for prompting the client communications device to authorize a pre-approval process with the particular service provider.

19. A computer program product according to claim 18, wherein if authorization is received, then further comprising computer-readable instructions for communicating user information to the particular service provider to pre-approve access for the client communications device.

20. A method according to claim 19, further comprising computer-readable instructions for wherein after the particular service provider pre-approves the user, then the processor ascertains the preferred scenario of segmentation, dispersion, and assemblage of electronic data to fulfill the request.