System and method for providing user notifications

• US 9,386,165 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2014
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Headwater Research LLC (Greg Raleigh)
• Original Assignee: Headwater Partners I LLC (Greg Raleigh)
• Inventors: Raleigh, Gregory G., Lavine, James, Green, Jeffrey, Raissinia, Alireza
• Primary Examiner(s): RUDY, ANDREW J
• Application Number:
  US14/292,282
• Publication Number:
  US 20150072641A1
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• Field of Search: 455/405, 455/410, 455/414.1, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/406, 705/30, 705/34, 709/203, 709/217, 709/223, 709/224
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1417 Advice of charge with threshold, e.g. user indicating maximum cost
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1435 volume-based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/66 Policy and charging system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8038 Roaming or handoff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/852 Low balance or limit reached
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A method performed by an end user device associated with a service plan having a limit on usage of a network service, the method comprising storing one or more notification actions corresponding to one or more notification requests; performing a device action that reflects a past or intended use of the network service; receiving one of the one or more notification requests from a network element in response to the device action; performing one of the one or more notification actions in response to the notification request, the notification action causing the end user device to retrieve at least a portion of a notification message associated with a status of the use, the at least a portion of the notification message being separate from the one of the one or more notification requests; and presenting the notification message on a user interface of the end user device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing on an end user device one or more notification actions corresponding to one or more notification requests, the end user device being associated with a service plan having a limit on usage of one or more network services;

performing a device action that reflects a past or intended use of the one or more network services;

receiving by the end user device one of the one or more notification requests from a network element in response to the device action;

performing by the end user device one of the one or more notification actions in response to the one of the one or more notification requests, the one of the one or more notification actions causing the end user device to retrieve at least a portion of a notification message associated with a status of the use, the at least a portion of the notification message being separate from the one of the one or more notification requests; and

presenting the notification message on a user interface of the end user device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the usage limit identifies when at least one of the one or more network services is no longer available, or when a billing rate changes.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more network services is classified as a first type before the usage limit has been reached, and the at least one of the one or more network services is classified as a second type after the usage limit has been reached.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the device action (a) is based on the service plan, (b) includes a device request by the end user device to access a new network service, (c) includes exceeding a threshold usage amount of the one or more network services, (d) includes a roaming event, or (e) includes a tethering request.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more network services includes a category of services, and the device action includes exceeding a threshold amount of the category of services.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the end user device is associated with the service plan when the end user device or a user currently using the end user device is subscribed to the service plan.

7. The method of claim 1,

wherein the notification message includes an offer to cancel, modify, replenish or replace the service plan;

and

further comprising enabling a user of the end user device to respond to the offer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification request includes a network destination identifier, and the one of the one or more notification actions causes the end user device to access a server associated with the network destination identifier to retrieve the at least a portion of the notification message.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification message includes an offer to learn more about a service plan feature or different service plan, a link to additional information, or a request to acknowledge a usage amount or a new billing rate.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing the one of the one or more notification actions includes accessing a server associated with a predetermined network destination identifier that includes the at least a portion of the notification message.

11. The method of claim 1,

wherein the performing of the one of the one or more notification actions includes accessing a first server associated with a predetermined network destination identifier that includes a second network destination identifier;

and

further comprising retrieving the at least a portion of the notification message using the second network destination identifier.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the one of the one or more notification requests identifies the at least a portion of the notification message in a local notification store.

13. An end user device comprising:

memory for storing one or more notification actions to one or more notification requests, the end user device being associated with a service plan having a limit on usage of one or more network services;

at least one processor configured to perform a device action reflecting a past or intended use of the one or more network services;

a communications interface configured to receive one of the one or more notification requests from a network element in response to the device action;

the at least one processor configured to perform a one of the one or more notification actions in response to the one of the one or more notification requests, the one of the one or more notification actions causing the at least one processor to retrieve a portion of the notification message associated with a status of the use, a potion of the notification message being separate from the one of the one or more notification requests; and

a user interface configured to present the notification message.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one processor is configured to access a server associated with a predetermined network destination identifier that includes a portion of the notification message.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one processor is configured to access a first server associated with a predetermined network destination identifier that includes a second network destination identifier, and to retrieve a portion of the notification message using the second network destination identifier.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one processor is configured to use the one of the one or more notification requests to identify a portion of the notification message in a local notification store.

17. A system comprising:

memory for storing information about a service plan, the service plan having a limit on usage of one or more network services, the service plan being associated with an end user device;

at least one processor configured to detect a device action that reflects a past or intended use of the one or more network services, to identify the device action as a trigger event, and to identify a notification request based on the trigger event, the notification request corresponding to a notification action to be performed by the end user device to retrieve at least a portion of a notification message associated with a status of the use, the at least a portion of the notification message being separate from the notification request; and

a communications interface configured to transmit to the end user device the notification request in response to the device action.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the notification request includes a network destination identifier, the notification action causes the end user device to access a server associated with the network destination identifier to retrieve the at least a portion of the notification message, and the at least one processor is configured to send an index to the server to identify the at least a portion of the notification message.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the notification request causes the end user device to access a server associated with a predetermined network destination identifier that includes the at least a portion of the notification message, and the at least one processor is configured to send an index to the server to identify the at least a portion of the notification message.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the notification request identifies the at least a portion of the notification message in a local notification store, and the at least one processor is configured to configure the local notification store to contain the at least a portion of the notification message associated with the notification request.