RECOMMENDATIONS BASED ON REAL-TIME USAGE INFORMATION

• US 20120191536A1
• Filed: 01/20/2011
• Published: 07/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.), Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.), Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Chen, Xuming, Ritter, Phillip A., Hoffner, Barry F., Shaikh, Imtiyaz, Karpov, Sergei, Cheuk, Ho Yin, Powell, John C., Notwell, Lindsay, Ferro, Javier
• Granted Patent: US 9,924,044 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.49
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP

Abstract

A method including receiving a request for a service or an application from a user device associated with a customer; determining a type of service or a type of application; providing the service or the application; performing real-time tracking of the customer'"'"'s usage of the service or the application based on the type of service or the type of application; generating one or more recommendations pertaining to the service or the application based on the real-time tracking; and sending the one or more recommendations to the customer via the user device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a request for a service or an application from a user device associated with a customer;

determining a type of service or a type of application;

providing the service or the application;

performing real-time tracking of the customer'"'"'s usage of the service or the application based on the type of service or the type of application;

generating one or more recommendations pertaining to the service or the application based on the real-time tracking; and

sending the one or more recommendations to the customer via the user device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the customer is approaching a service limit or an application limit based on the real-time tracking, and wherein the one or more recommendations include one or more recommendations pertaining to one or more service plans.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the customer is approaching a service limit or an application limit based on the real-time tracking, and wherein the one or more recommendations include one or more recommendations pertaining to managing an overage.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the customer'"'"'s selection of one of the one or more recommendations; and

providing real-time control of the service or the application in accordance with the customer'"'"'s selection.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

providing real-time changes to billing of the customer'"'"'s usage of the service or the application in accordance with the customer'"'"'s selection.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the service includes one of a mobile service, a telephone service, or an Internet service, and wherein the one or more recommendations include real-time usage information.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating real-time usage information based on the real-time tracking; and

selecting one or more service control options applicable to the customer'"'"'s usage based on the real time information, and wherein the one or more recommendations include one or more service control options.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the type of service or the type of application includes one of a duration type, a data amount type, or a number of messages type.

9. One or more network devices comprising logic to:

receive a request for a service or an application from a user device associated with a customer;

provide the service or the application;

perform real-time tracking of the customer'"'"'s usage of the service or the application;

generate one or more recommendations based on the real-time tracking, wherein the one or more recommendations includes one or more recommendations pertaining to at least one of an available service plan or options for controlling a current service plan; and

send the one or more recommendations to the customer via the user device.

10. The one or more network devices of claim 9, comprising logic to:

receive the customer'"'"'s selection of one of the one or more recommendations; and

provide real-time control of the service or the application in accordance with the customer'"'"'s selection.

11. The one or more network devices of claim 10, comprising logic to:

provide real-time changes to billing of the customer'"'"'s usage of the service or the application in accordance with the customer'"'"'s selection.

12. The one or more network devices of claim 9, comprising logic to:

identify at least one of one or more service plans or service control options to recommend to the customer based on real-time usage information and marketing information; and

calculate balance information pertaining to the customer'"'"'s usage of the service or the application.

13. The one or more network devices of claim 9, wherein the one or more network devices reside in a Long Term Evolution network.

14. The one or more network devices of claim 9, comprising logic to:

provide user interfaces to allow the customer to configure a service plan that makes available the service or the application; and

provide real-time updates to the one or more network devices in accordance with the customer'"'"'s configuration.

15. The one or more network devices of claim 9, comprising logic to:

determine that the customer is approaching a service limit or an application limit based on the real-time tracking.

16. The one or more network devices of claim 9, wherein the service includes mobile service or Internet service.

17. One or more computer-readable mediums comprising executable instructions for execution by at least one processing system, the instructions causing the at least one processing system to:

receive a customer'"'"'s request for a service or an application;

provide the service or the application;

perform real-time tracking of the customer'"'"'s usage of the service or the application;

generate one or more recommendations pertaining to the service or the application based on the real-time tracking; and

send the one or more recommendations to the customer via a user device associated with the customer.

18. The one or more computer-readable mediums of claim 17, comprising the instructions that further cause the at least one processing system to:

receive the customer'"'"'s selection of one of the one or more recommendations; and

provide real-time control of the service or the application in accordance with the customer'"'"'s selection.

19. The one or more computer-readable mediums of claim 17, comprising the instructions that further cause the at least one processing system to:

identify at least one of one or more service plans or service control options to recommend to the customer based on real-time usage information and marketing information.

20. The one or more computer-readable mediums of claim 17, comprising the instructions that further cause the at least one processing system to:

provide user interfaces to allow the customer to configure a service plan that makes available the service or the application; and

provide real-time updates to the one or more network devices in accordance with the customer'"'"'s configuration.