System and Method for Managing Multiple Sub Accounts Within A Subcriber Main Account In A Data Distribution System

• US 20100146607A1
• Filed: 12/05/2008
• Published: 06/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sofos, James Y., Chow, Lee M., Piepenbrink, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,677,463 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A computer readable storage medium is disclosed having a computer program stored therein, which in a particular embodiment, the computer program includes but is not limited to machine readable instructions that when executed by a computer manage a plurality of sub accounts under a main account in a data distribution system, the computer program including but not limited to instructions to assign the plurality of sub accounts under the main account in a main account data structure at a server in the data distribution system; instructions to assign a plurality of end user devices to each one of the plurality of sub accounts; and instructions to receive end user device attribute data from at least one of the end user devices to the main account data structure after the attribute data is created at the at least one end user device.

Claims

1. A computer readable storage medium, having a computer program stored therein, the computer program comprising machine readable instructions that when executed by a computer manage a plurality of sub accounts under a main account in a data distribution system, the computer program comprising instructions to assign the plurality of sub accounts under the main account in a main account data structure at a server in the data distribution system;

instructions to assign a plurality of end user devices to each one of the plurality of sub accounts; and

instructions to receive end user device attribute data from at least one of the end user devices to the main account data structure after the attribute data is created at the at least one end user device.

2. The medium of claim 1, wherein the end user device attributes data are stored in the main account data structure and the end user device attributes data further comprise data selected from the group consisting of favorite data and end user PIN data.

4. The medium of claim 1, the computer program further comprising:

instructions to assign features data to one sub account in the plurality of sub accounts;

instructions to assign the feature data from the features data assigned to the one sub account down to the plurality of end user devices assigned to the one sub account; and

instructions to send feature data to the plurality of end user devices, wherein the features data assigned to the plurality of end user devices is selected from the set consisting of spending limit data, parental control data and main personal identification code (PIN) data, the computer program further comprising instructions to send the feature data to the plurality of end user devices upon activation of one of the end user devices.

5. The medium of claim 1, the computer program further comprising instructions to receive end user activity data from the end user devices assigned to the one sub account;

and instructions to store the end user activity data in the one sub account in the main account data structure.

6. The medium of claim 5, wherein the end user device activity is received at the server in near real time, the computer program further comprising instructions to create a sub account profile for an end user profile in the main account data structure associated with the one sub account.

7. The medium of claim 6, the computer program further comprising instructions to send targeted advertising data to the end user devices for the one sub account based on the end user profile for the one sub account.

8. The medium of claim 7, wherein the end user activity data further comprises data selected from the set consisting of data indicating a preferred end user device type, a preferred time of day and a preferred advertising data format.

3. The medium of claim 3, the computer program further comprising instructions to receive main PIN data from one of the end user devices;

instructions to access an end user PIN in main account data associated with the one end user device; and

instructions to send the end user device PIN to the one end user device for entry in place of the main PIN on the end user device.

10. The medium of claim 9, wherein the preferred advertising data format further comprises format data selected from the set consisting of audio data, short messaging service data, instant messaging data, JPEG data and video data.

11. A system for managing a plurality of sub accounts under a main account in a data distribution system, the system comprising:

A server processor in data communication with a computer readable medium;

A first processor interface for receiving data indicating the plurality of sub accounts to be assigned under the main account in a main account data structure at the server in the data distribution system;

A second processor interface for receiving data from a plurality of end user devices, the data indicating a plurality of end user devices to assign to each one of the plurality of sub accounts;

A third processor interface for receiving end user device attribute data from at least one of the end user devices to store in the main account data structure after the attribute data has been created at the at least one end user device;

A fourth processor interface to receive main PIN data from one of the plurality of end user devices;

A fifth processor interface to access end user PIN data in the main account data associated with the end user device; and

A sixth processor interface to send the end user device PIN data to the end user device for entry at the end user device in place of the main PIN.

12. The system of claim 11, the system further comprising:

A seventh processor interface to send feature data to the plurality of end user devices, wherein the features data assigned to the plurality of end user devices is selected from the set consisting of spending limit data, parental control data and main personal identification code (PIN) data; and

An eighth processor interface to send the feature data to the plurality of end user devices upon activation of one of the end user devices.

13. The system of claim 12, the system further comprising:

A ninth processor interface to receive end user activity data from the end user devices assigned to the one sub account; and

A tenth processor interface to store the end user activity data in the one sub account in the main account data structure.

14. A method managing a plurality of sub accounts under a main account in a data distribution system, the method comprising:

assigning the plurality of sub accounts under the main account in a main account data structure at a server in the data distribution system;

assigning a plurality of end user devices to each one of the plurality of sub accounts;

receiving end user device favorite attribute data from at least one of the end user devices to the main account data structure after the attribute data is created at the at least one end user device; and

sending the favorite attribute data to other end user devices under the one sub account.

15. A computer readable storage medium, having a computer program stored therein, the computer program comprising machine readable instructions that when executed by a computer send end user device attribute data from an end user device to main account data structure in a server after the attribute data is created at the end user device.

16. A system, the system comprising:

A end user device processor in data communication with a computer readable medium;

A first processor interface for sending to a server, end user device attribute data for storage at the server in a main account data structure after the attribute data has been created at the end user device;

A second processor interface to send to the server main PIN data from the end user device; and

A third processor interface to receive from the server end user device PIN data for entry at the end user device in place of the main PIN data.

17. A method, the method comprising:

sending to a server, end user device favorite attribute data from an end user devices to the main account data structure after the attribute data is created at the at least one end user device for use by other end user devices under the one sub account.