System and method for pricing communication of a telecommunication platform

• US 9,338,018 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2014
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Twilio, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Twilio, Inc.
• Inventors: Hageman, Robert, Ballai, Adam, Milliron, Timothy S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Garcia, Santiago
• Application Number:
  US14/488,770
• Publication Number:
  US 20150079927A1
• Time in Patent Office: 601 Days
• Field of Search: 455/406
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1421 Indication of expected costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1485 Tariff-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/765 Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects

Abstract

A system and method that include receiving a communication pricing query; mapping the communication pricing query to a billable item; resolving a price of a billable item within a set of hierarchically defined pricing models with sparse overrides, wherein each pricing model is defined for a set of billable items; and returning the price of the billable item in a response to the communication pricing query.

Claims

1. A method for routing communication in a hardware communications platform system comprising:

at the hardware communication platform system, the hardware communication platform system including;

a telephony communication application programming interface (API) that processes programmatic interactions of an external system of a platform account holder with the communication platform system, the programmatic interactions including at least one of a programmatic interaction with a telephony voice service of the communication platform system and a programmatic interaction with a telephony messaging service of the communication platform system,

the telephony voice service,

the telephony messaging service,

a pricing API that includes a price request interface to request a price for a billable item by using a pricing service and a pricing model interface to define a pricing model by using the pricing service, and

the pricing service,

at the pricing service, defining a hierarchical structure of pricing models for a set of billable items in the communication platform system which comprises;

setting a root pricing model for the set of billable items within the communications platform system, and

setting a set of pricing sub-models that sparsely over-ride at least a portion of the root pricing model for a subset of the billable items in the communication platform system;

at the telephony communication API, responsive to the communication API receiving a programmatic interaction from the external system of the platform account holder, the communication API interfacing with at least one of the telephony voice service and the telephony messaging service to process the programmatic interaction;

at the pricing API, and during processing of the programmatic interaction, receiving a telephony communication pricing query, receiving the telephony communication pricing query comprising;

in a case where the telephony voice service processes the programmatic interaction, receiving the telephony communication pricing query from the telephony voice service, and in a case where the telephony messaging service processes the programmatic interaction, receiving the telephony communication pricing query from the telephony messaging service;

at the pricing service, and responsive to the pricing API receiving the communication pricing query, mapping the telephony communication pricing query to a billable item;

at the pricing service, resolving a price of the billable item within a set of pricing models which comprises;

identifying a first pricing model that most specifically applies to the billable item, and determining information of the billable item at least partially from the first pricing model;

responsive to the pricing service resolving the price, the pricing API returning the determined information of the billable item in a response to the communication pricing query, returning the determined information comprising;

in a case where the telephony voice service provides the communication pricing query, the pricing API providing the response to the telephony voice service, and in a case where the telephony messaging service provides the communication pricing query, the pricing API providing the response to the telephony messaging service; and

in a case where the pricing API provides the response to the telephony voice service, the telephony voice service selecting a routing option of a voice communication corresponding to the programmatic interaction received by the communication API based on the determined information included in the response from the pricing API; and

in a case where the pricing API provides the response to the telephony messaging service, the telephony messaging service selecting a routing option of a messaging communication corresponding to the programmatic interaction received by the communication API based on the determined information included in the response from the pricing API,

wherein at least one hardware server of the communication platform system provides the telephony communication API,

wherein at least one hardware server of the communication platform system provides the telephony voice service,

wherein at least one hardware server of the communication platform system provides the telephony messaging service,

wherein the telephony communication pricing query specifies at least one communication routing option according to the programmatic interaction received from the external system of the platform account holder,

wherein each communication routing option specifies at least one of a communication protocol and a carrier network according to the programmatic interaction received from the external system of the platform account holder,

wherein the first pricing model corresponds to a usage plan of the platform account holder, the usage plan being selected responsive to a user-selection received at the external system of the platform account holder, and

wherein the determined information includes at least pricing information of the billable item that is mapped to the telephony communication pricing query.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein setting a set of pricing sub-models comprises setting a first pricing sub-model for a group of billable items and setting a second pricing sub-model at a second instance through an administrator interface.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first pricing sub-model is set at a first instance and the second pricing model is set at the second instance that is substantially distinct from the first instance;

and wherein the first and second pricing sub-models are set through an administrator interface.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a billable item of the second pricing sub-model applies to a billable item of the group of billable items of the first pricing sub-model.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein resolving a price of a billable item comprises applying a discount rate of the second pricing sub-model to a specified price of the first pricing sub-model.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the root pricing model is defined for a first currency;

and wherein setting a set of pricing sub-models comprises setting a currency sub-model that defines a full set of billable items for a second currency.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein at least one currency sub-model defines a currency conversion factor applied to a root pricing model for billable items without pricing defined in the second currency.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one billable item is defined by a specified telephony communication mode, a caller telephony communication endpoint, and a callee telephony communication endpoint.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein setting a set of pricing sub-model comprises setting at least one pricing sub-model with a fixed price, setting at least a second pricing sub-model with a discount applied to a parent pricing model, and at least a third pricing sub-model that defines a tiered pricing function that is dependent on usage.

10. A method for routing communication, the method comprising:

at a hardware telephony communication platform system, the hardware communication platform system including;

a telephony communication application programming interface (API) that processes programmatic interactions of an external system of a platform account holder with the communication platform system, the programmatic interactions including at least one of a programmatic interaction with a telephony voice service of the communication platform system and a programmatic interaction with a telephony messaging service of the communication platform system,

the telephony voice service,

the telephony messaging service,

a pricing API that includes a price request interface to request a price for a billable item by using a pricing service and a pricing model interface to define a pricing model by using the pricing service, and

the pricing service,

at the communication API, responsive to the communication API receiving a programmatic interaction from the external system of the platform account holder, the communication API interfacing with at least one of the telephony voice service and the telephony messaging service to process the programmatic interaction;

at the pricing API, and during processing of the programmatic interaction, receiving a telephony communication pricing query, receiving the telephony communication pricing query comprising;

in a case where the telephony voice service processes the programmatic interaction, receiving the telephony communication pricing query from the telephony voice service, and in a case where the telephony messaging service processes the programmatic interaction, receiving the telephony communication pricing query from the telephony messaging service;

at the pricing service, and responsive to the pricing API receiving the communication pricing query, mapping the telephony communication pricing query to a billable item;

at the pricing service, resolving a price of the billable item within a set of hierarchically defined pricing models with sparse overrides, wherein each pricing model is defined for a set of billable items; and

responsive to the pricing service resolving the price, the pricing API returning the price of the billable item in a response to the communication pricing query, returning the price comprising;

in a case where the telephony voice service provides the telephony communication pricing query, the pricing API providing the response to the telephony voice service, and in a case where the telephony messaging service provides the telephony communication pricing query, the pricing API providing the response to the telephony messaging service; and

in a case where the pricing API provides the response to the telephony voice service, the telephony voice service selecting a routing option of a voice communication corresponding to the programmatic interaction received by the communication API based at least on the price include in the response from the pricing API; and

in a case where the pricing API provides the response to the telephony messaging service, the telephony messaging service selecting a routing option of a messaging communication corresponding to the programmatic interaction received by the communication API based at least on the price include in the response from the pricing API,

wherein at least one hardware server of the communication platform system provides the telephony communication API,

wherein at least one hardware server of the communication platform system provides the telephony voice service, and

wherein at least one hardware server of the communication platform system provides the telephony messaging service,

wherein the telephony communication pricing query specifies at least one communication routing option according to the programmatic interaction received from the external system of the platform account holder,

wherein each communication routing option specifies at least one of a communication protocol and a carrier network according to the programmatic interaction received from the external system of the platform account holder, and

wherein the first pricing model corresponds to a usage plan of the platform account holder, the usage plan being selected responsive to a user-selection received at the external system of the platform account holder, and

wherein the returned price of the billable item is associated with the selected usage plan.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein a billable item is defined at least in part by a telephony communication endpoint participating in a telephony communication.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein a billable item is defined at least in part by a telephony communication service usage during a telephony communication service.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein receiving a telephony communication pricing query occurs in response to accounting for usage of an account within the telephony communication platform system.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein mapping the telephony communication pricing query to a billable item comprises mapping a set of parameters, which includes a telephony communication mode, regional association of involved endpoints, and service association of involved endpoints, to a billable item.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising defining a hierarchical structure of pricing models for a set of billable items in the telephony communication platform system.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein defining the hierarchical structure of pricing models comprises setting a root pricing model for the set of billable items within the telephony communications platform system and setting a set of pricing sub-models that sparsely over-ride at least a portion of the root pricing model for a subset of the billable items in the telephony communication platform system.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the pricing models are mutable through an administrators interface, and wherein setting a set of pricing sub-models comprises setting a first sub-model over-rides a parent sub-model for set of billable items.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein setting a set of pricing sub-model comprises setting at least one pricing sub-model with a fixed price.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein setting a set of pricing sub-model comprises setting at least one pricing sub-model with a discount applied to a parent pricing model.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein setting a set of pricing sub-model comprises setting at least one pricing sub-model that defines a tiered pricing function that is dependent on usage.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the root pricing model is defined for a first currency;

and wherein setting a set of pricing sub-models comprises setting a currency root sub-model that defines a full set of billable items for a second currency.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein at least one currency root sub-model defines a currency conversion factor applied to a root pricing model for billable items without pricing defined in the second currency.

23. A hardware system for pricing in a communication platform comprising:

a telephony communication platform with a plurality of creditable items associated with account use of the platform, the communication platform including a telephony communication application programming interface (API) that processes programmatic interactions of an external system of a platform account holder with the communication platform, the programmatic interactions including at least one of a programmatic interaction with a telephony voice service of the communication platform and a programmatic interaction with a telephony messaging service of the communication platform;

a pricing application programming interface (API) that includes a price request interface to request a price for a creditable item by using a pricing engine, and a pricing model interface to define a pricing model by using the pricing engine;

a platform-pricing model that includes a set of root pricing models that define pricing for a full set of creditable items in the communication platform and a set of sub-models that override at least a portion of a root pricing sub-model and depend on at least one parent, and wherein each pricing sub-model includes dependency on at least a portion of the root pricing models; and

the pricing engine, the pricing engine being configured to resolve a price from the platform-pricing model for a given creditable item,

wherein responsive to the telephony communication API receiving a programmatic interaction from the external system of the platform account holder, the communication API interfaces with at least one of the telephony voice service and the telephony messaging service to process the programmatic interaction,

wherein during processing of the programmatic interaction, the pricing API receives a telephony communication pricing query, receiving the telephony communication pricing query comprising;

in a case where the telephony voice service processes the programmatic interaction, the pricing API receives the telephony communication pricing query from the telephony voice service, and in a case where the telephony messaging service processes the programmatic interaction, the pricing API receives the telephony communication pricing query from the telephony messaging service,

wherein responsive to the pricing API receiving the communication pricing query, the pricing engine maps the telephony communication pricing query to a creditable item,

wherein the pricing engine resolves a price of the creditable item within a set of pricing models which comprises;

identifying a first pricing model that most specifically applies to the creditable item, and calculating a price at least partially from the first pricing model,

wherein in a case where the pricing API provides the response to the telephony voice service, the telephony voice service selects a routing option of a voice communication corresponding to the programmatic interaction received by the communication API based on the response from the pricing API, and

wherein in a case where the pricing API provides the response to the telephony messaging service, the telephony messaging service selecting a routing option of a messaging communication corresponding to the programmatic interaction received by the communication API based on the response from the pricing API wherein at least one hardware server of the communication platform system provides the telephony communication API,

wherein at least one hardware server of the communication platform system provides the telephony voice service, and

wherein at least one hardware server of the communication platform system provides the telephony messaging service,

wherein the telephony communication pricing query specifies at least one communication routing option according to the programmatic interaction received from the external system of the platform account holder,

wherein each communication routing option specifies at least one of a communication protocol and a carrier network according to the programmatic interaction received from the external system of the platform account holder, and

wherein the first pricing model corresponds to a usage plan of the platform account holder, the usage plan being selected responsive to a user-selection received at the external system of the platform account holder, and

wherein the returned price of the billable item is associated with the selected usage plan.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the pricing model includes a set of currency sub-models that define a full set of billable items for a first currency.