Method for tracking wireless telephone minutes used and providing an alert

• US 7,167,699 B1
• Filed: 11/15/2004
• Issued: 01/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Smigs, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Minute Guard, LLC
• Inventors: Kretsinger, Matthew R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Danh C.
• Application Number:
  US10/988,863
• Time in Patent Office: 799 Days
• Field of Search: 455/405, 455/408, 455/407, 455/418, 370/235, 370/395.21, 379/114.27, 379/114.28
• US Class Current: 455/405
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/28 with meter at substation or with calculation of charges at terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/85 characterised by the type of condition triggering a notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/851 Determined tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/853 Calculate maximum communication time or volume
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/854 Available credit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/88 Provision for limiting connection, or expenditure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0116 Provision for limiting expenditure, e.g. limit on call expenses or account
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/81 Notifying aspects, e.g. notifications or displays to the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/815 Notification when a specific condition, service or event is met
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8162 Calculate maximum communication time or volume
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like

Abstract

A method for tracking allotted wireless telephone minutes used and providing an alert before overage charges are accrued. Information about allotted minutes used and days to refresh are obtained from a user'"'"'s wireless telephone service provider on a periodic basis, such as daily. E-mail or text message reports are provided to the user on such basis as requested by the user and/or to an account administrator.

Claims

1. A method for tracking allotted wireless telephone minutes used during a billing cycle and providing an alert before overage charges are accrued, said method comprising

obtaining the number of metered usage minutes allotted under a user'"'"'s wireless telephone plan from the user and storing them in a user'"'"'s record;

obtaining instructions from the user as to the reporting basis for alerts before overage charges are accrued during the billing cycle and storing the instructions in the user'"'"'s record;

retrieving usage minutes used and number of days until the minutes refresh from a user'"'"'s wireless telephone service provider on a periodic basis during the billing cycle;

comparing the usage minutes used during the billing cycle with the number of number of usage minutes allotted; and

,

sending an e-mail or text message to the user during the billing cycle before overage charges are accrued reporting the number of usage minutes used and the number of days until the minutes refresh on the basis selected by the user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the usage minutes used are retrieved from the user'"'"'s wireless telephone service provider on a daily basis and reported to the user on the basis selected by the user.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the user selects the reporting basis from the group consisting of daily and on barrier minutes used as a percentage of usage minutes allotted.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the barrier minutes used are set at 75%, 80%, 90% and 100% of usage minutes allotted.

5. A method for tracking allotted cellular telephone minutes used during a billing cycle and providing an alert to a user and an account administrator for a member before overage charges are accrued, said method comprising

associating the user with a member;

obtaining the number of metered usage minutes allotted under a user'"'"'s cellular telephone plan, cellular telephone number, cellular service provider, log-in name and password from the user;

obtaining instructions from the user or account administrator as to the reporting basis for alerts before overage charges are accrued during the billing cycle;

retrieving usage minutes used and number of days until the minutes refresh from the user'"'"'s cellular telephone service provider on a periodic basis during the billing cycle;

comparing the usage minutes used with the number of number of usage minutes allotted; and

,

sending an e-mail or text message to the user during the billing cycle before overage charges are accrued and to the account administrator for the member associated with the user and reporting the number of usage minutes used and the number of days until the minutes refresh on the basis selected by the user or account administrator.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the usage minutes used are retrieved from the user'"'"'s cellular telephone service provider on a daily basis and reported to the user and to the account administrator for the member on the basis selected by the user and by the account administrator for the member.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the user and the account administrator for the member select the reporting basis from the group consisting of daily and on barrier minutes used as a percentage of usage minutes allotted.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the barrier minutes used are set at 75%, 80%, 90% and 100% of usage minutes allotted.

9. A method for tracking allotted cellular telephone minutes used and providing an alert to a user and an account administrator for a member before overage charges are accrued, said method comprising

assigning a member identification to a member and storing the member identification in a member record;

assigning a user identification to one or more users associated with the member and storing each user identification and the associated member identification in a user record;

obtaining from each user the number of metered usage minutes allotted under a user'"'"'s cellular telephone plan, cellular telephone number, cellular service provider, log-in name and password from each user and storing them in the user record;

obtaining either an e-mail address or text messaging address from each user and from the account administration for the member and storing them in each user'"'"'s record and the member'"'"'s record respectively;

obtaining instructions from each user and from the account administrator for the member as to the reporting basis for alerts and storing the instructions in each user'"'"'s record and the member'"'"'s record respectively;

retrieving usage minutes used and number of days until the minutes refresh from each user'"'"'s cellular telephone service provider on a periodic basis;

comparing the usage minutes used with the number of number of usage minutes allotted for each user;

sending an e-mail or text message alert to each user reporting the number of usage minutes used and the number of days until the minutes refresh on the basis selected by each user;

storing the date the usage information was retrieved in each user'"'"'s record;

forming a list of users whose user identification is associated with the member identification; and

,

sending an e-mail or text message to the account administrator for the member with the list of users associated with the member identification on the basis selected by the member.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the usage minutes used are retrieved from each user'"'"'s cellular telephone service provider on a daily basis and the date the usage information was retrieved updated in each user'"'"'s record.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein each user and the account administrator for the member select the reporting basis from the group consisting of daily and on barrier minutes used as a percentage of usage minutes allotted.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the barrier minutes used are set at 75%, 80%, 90% and 100% of usage minutes allotted.