Systems and methods for promoting use of wireless services exclusively

• US 9,185,575 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2010
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brisebois, Arthur Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): AJIBADE AKONAI, OLUMIDE
• Application Number:
  US12/943,215
• Publication Number:
  US 20110059737A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,826 Days
• Field of Search: 455405-409, 455/414.1, 455/432.1, 455/432.2, 4554351-4353, 455436-439, 379/114.01, 379/114.06, 379/114.1, 379/114.12, 379/114.13, 379/114.27, 379/121.02, 379/127.05
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0206 Price or cost determination based on market factors
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/21 Billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 for using the result on users' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/91 Mobile communication networks for accessing the Internet H04H60/85
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/24 Arrangements for testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/43 Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/51 for resellers, retailers or service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8033 location-dependent, e.g. business or home
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/844 Message, e.g. SMS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0022 for transferring data sessions between adjacent core network technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality

Abstract

Provided herein are systems and methods for providing exclusive wireless service proposals to subscribers. A method for providing an exclusive wireless service proposal to a subscriber includes the steps of conducting measurements of at least one metric; sending measurement data acquired during the step of conducting to a measurement analysis machine (MAM), the MAM being configured to analyze the measurement data; analyzing the measurement data; predicting performance of at least one of wireless voice and wireless data services based upon the results of the analysis step; generating a proposal for exclusive wireless services based upon the measurement data and the performance prediction; and providing the proposal to a subscriber. Systems for performing this and additional or alternative methods are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

calculating, at a tangible computing device comprising a processor, based upon an analysis of signal strength measurement data obtained via measurements of signal strength at a service address of a user, an increase in signal strength that would result from the user using exclusively wireless communications services at the service address as compared to using various communications services at the service address,

determining a benefit based on the increase in signal strength, and

providing a notification of the benefit for receipt by the user to promote use, by the user, exclusively of wireless communications services at the service address.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the benefit comprises at least one benefit selected from a group of benefits consisting of:

an increased-mobility benefit for the user;

a continuous-connectivity benefit for the user;

a subscriber benefit;

a wireless-only service benefit;

a subscriber-cost benefit; and

a superior-data-rates benefit for the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the signal strength comprises calculating the signal strength based upon the analysis of the signal strength measurement data obtained via the measurements of signal strength during a measurement session.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the signal strength comprises determining the signal strength based upon the analysis of signal strength measurement data obtained via the signal strength measurements during the measurement session wherein the measurement session includes a remotely-conducted measurement session preformed over a time period during which the user is at the service address.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising obtaining the time period during which the user is at the service address using a survey provided to the user prior to calculating the increase in signal strength.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining, prior to calculating the increase in signal strength, the time period during which the user is at the service address using a location-determining technique.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein calculating the increase in signal strength based upon the analysis comprises calculating the increase in signal strength based upon the analysis of signal strength measurement data obtained in at least one predetermined session selected from group of predetermined sessions consisting of:

a mobile-communication-device-based measurement session; and

a network-based measurement session.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the wireless communications service is a first wireless communications service of the various communications services; and

providing the notification comprises providing a wireless service proposal comprising;

the benefit; and

information indicating results of at least one comparison selected from a group of comparisons consisting of;

a comparison of voice-related characteristics of the first wireless communications service at the service address to a wireline communications service available at the service address;

a comparison of voice-related characteristics of the first wireless communications service at the service address to a wireline communications service, of the various communications services, to which the user is currently subscribed at the address;

a comparison of data-related characteristics of the first wireless communications service at the service address to the wireline communications service available at the service address;

a comparison of data-related characteristics of the first wireless communications service at the service address to the wireline communications service, of the various communications services, to which the user is currently subscribed at the address; and

a comparison of a current cost associated with a second wireless communications service, of the various communications services, to which the user is currently subscribed to at the address to a cost associated with the first wireless communications service.

9. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium in operative communication with the processor and having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

calculating, based upon an analysis of signal strength measurement data obtained via measurements of signal strength at a service address of a user, an increase in signal strength that would result from the user using exclusively wireless communications services exclusively at the address as compared to using various communications services at the address,

determining a benefit based on the increase in signal strength;

and

providing a notification of the benefit for receipt by the user to promote use, by the user, exclusively of wireless communications services at the address.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the benefit further comprises at least one benefit selected from a group of benefits consisting of:

an increased-mobility benefit for the user;

a continuous-connectivity benefit for the user;

a subscriber benefit;

a wireless-only service benefit;

a subscriber-cost benefit; and

a superior-data-rates benefit for the user.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the operation of calculating the increase in signal strength comprises determining the benefit based upon the analysis of the signal strength measurement data obtained via the measurements of signal strength during a measurement session.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the operation of calculating the increase in signal strength comprises calculating the increase in signal strength based upon the analysis of signal strength measurement data obtained via the measurements of signal strength during the measurement session wherein the measurement session comprises a remotely-conducted measurement session performed over a time period during which the user is at the service address.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise obtaining, prior to calculating the increase in signal strength, the time period during which the user is at the service address using a survey provided to the user.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise determining, prior to calculating the increase in signal strength, the time period during which the user is at the service address using a location-determining technique.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise calculating the increase in signal strength based upon the analysis of signal strength measurement data obtained in at least one predetermined session selected from a group of predetermined sessions consisting of:

a mobile-communication-device-based measurement session; and

a network-based measurement session.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein:

the wireless communications service is a first wireless communications service of the various communications services; and

the operation of providing the notification comprises providing a wireless service proposal comprising;

the benefit; and

information indicating results of at least one comparison selected from a group of comparisons consisting of;

a comparison of voice-related characteristics of the first wireless communications service at the service address to a wireline communications service available at the service address;

a comparison of voice-related characteristics of the wireless communications service at the service address to a wireline communications service, of the various communications services, to which the user is currently subscribed at the address;

a comparison of data-related characteristics of the wireless communications service at the service address to the wireline communications service also available at the service address;

a comparison of data-related characteristics of the wireless communications service at the service address to the wireline communications service, of the various communications services, to which the user is currently subscribed at the address; and

a comparison of a current cost associated with a second wireless communications service, of the various communications services, to which the user is currently subscribed at the address to a cost of the first wireless communications service.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform multiple operations, the operations comprising:

calculating, based upon an analysis of signal strength measurement data obtained via measurements of signal strength at a service address of a user, an increase in signal strength that would result from the user using exclusively wireless communications services at the service address as compared to using various communications services at the service address,

determining a benefit based on the increase in signal strength;

and

providing a notification of the benefit for receipt by the user to promote use, by the user, of wireless communications services exclusively at the service address.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the operation of calculating the increase in signal strength comprises calculating the increase in signal strength based upon the analysis of the signal strength measurement data obtained via the measurements of signal strength during a measurement session.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the operation of calculating the increase in signal strength comprises calculating the increase in signal strength based upon the analysis of signal strength measurement data obtained via the measurements of signal strength during the measurement session;

wherein the measurement session comprises a remotely-conducted measurement session performed over a time period during which the user is at the service address.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the operation of calculating the increase in signal strength comprises calculating the increase in signal strength based upon the analysis of signal strength measurement data obtained in at least one of predetermined session selected from a group of predetermined sessions consisting of:

a mobile-communication-device-based measurement session; and

a network-based measurement session.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

obtaining, prior to calculating the increase in signal strength the time period during which the user is at the service address; and

calculating the increase in signal strength comprises conducting a remote measurement session during the time period during which the user is at the service address.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein obtaining the time period during which the user is at the service address comprises obtaining the time period based on a user response to a survey.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein obtaining the time period during which the user is at the service address comprises obtaining the time period using a location-determining technique.