# US 7,609,825 B2 · Method and apparatus for automated billing and crediting of customer accounts

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- Number: US 7,609,825 B2
- Document ID: US7609825B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 11/178,651
- Filed: 2005-07-11
- Published: 2007-02-01
- Granted: 2009-10-27
- Earliest claimed: 2005-07-11
- Assignees: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
- Inventors: Antonio Green; Jonathan Paden; Bobby Sams
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7609825B2

## CPC

- 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}
- G06Q 10/0635: Risk analysis of enterprise or organisation activities
- G06Q 30/04: Billing or invoicing
- H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08)
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

An account management system (100) is coupled to a service center (101) serving a number of customers (108). The account management system has a communications interface (110), a memory (104), and a controller (102). The controller is programmed to monitor (202) service outages of the service center, detect (204) a service outage, identify (206) one or more customers affected by the service outage, and assign (208) a credit to each of the affected one or more customers.

## Claims

### Claim 1

In an account management system coupled to a service center serving a plurality of customers, a computer-readable storage medium comprising computer instructions for:
monitoring service outages of the service center;
detecting a service outage;
identifying one or more customers affected by the service outage; and
assigning a credit to each of the affected one or more customers.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for:
receiving a call from a calling party;
receiving identification from the calling party;
determining from the identification whether the calling party is one among the affected customers;
presenting the calling party a credit if said calling party is identified as one of the affected customers and has been assigned said credit.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The storage medium of claim 2, wherein said call corresponds to one among a group of calls comprising a voice call, and an Internet access, and wherein the storage medium comprises computer instructions for processing any one of said group of calls.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for:
receiving a call from a calling party;
receiving identification from the calling party;
presenting the calling party one or more billable charges corresponding to one or more services provided to said calling party according to said identification;
receiving a dispute from the calling party for one among said billable charges; and
presenting the calling party a credit for said charge if said credit has been assigned thereto.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for:
receiving a call from a calling party;
receiving identification from the calling party;
presenting the calling party one or more billable charges corresponding to one or more services provided to said calling party according to said identification;
receiving a dispute and a corresponding description from the calling party for one among said billable charges;
determining whether the dispute description corresponds to one or more acceptable disputes if no credit has been assigned to said disputed charge;
assigning a credit according to one or more business rules if the dispute description corresponds to one or more acceptable disputes and no prior credit has been assigned to said disputed charge; and
presenting the credit to the calling party.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The storage medium of claim 5, comprising computer instructions for:
querying the calling party for acceptance of the credit; and
applying said credit to the disputed charge upon receiving an acceptance from said calling party.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The storage medium of claim 5, comprising computer instructions for:
determining a weighted customer value for said calling party upon receiving a rejection from said calling party; and
presenting an adjusted credited according to said customer value.

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The storage medium of claim 5, comprising computer instructions for interconnecting said calling party to a human agent upon receiving a rejection from said calling party.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for:
flagging a credit assigned to an affected customer if said customer does not redeem the credit within a predetermined period; and
processing said flagged credit according to one among a group of options comprising canceling the credit indefinitely, discounting the credit, and canceling the credit after a second predetermined period expires.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for:
crediting accounts of said affected customers according to their respective assigned credit; and
notifying the affected customers of their credit according to at least one among a group of mediums comprising email, an Internet website, wireless messages, and postal service correspondence.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for determining the credit for each affected customer according to a corresponding one among a group of customer categories, each category having a corresponding weighted customer value.

### Claim 12

An account management system coupled to a service center serving a plurality of customers, comprising:
a communications interface;
a memory; and
a controller programmed to:
monitor service outages of the service center;
detect a service outage;
identify one or more customers affected by the service outage; and
assign a credit to each of the affected one or more customers.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The account management system of claim 12, wherein the controller is programmed to:
receive a call from a calling party;
receive identification from the calling party;
determine from the identification whether the calling party is one among the affected customers;
present the calling party a credit if said calling party is identified as one of the affected customers and has been assigned said credit.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The account management system of claim 13, wherein said call corresponds to one among a group of calls comprising a voice call, and an Internet access, and wherein the controller is programmed to process any one of said group of calls.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The account management system of claim 12, wherein the controller is programmed to:
receive a call from a calling party;
receive identification from the calling party;
present the calling party one or more billable charges corresponding to one or more services provided to said calling party according to said identification;
receive a dispute from the calling party for one among said billable charges; and
present the calling party a credit for said charge if said credit has been assigned thereto.

### Claim 16 (depends on 12)

The account management system of claim 12, wherein the controller is programmed to:
receive a call from a calling party;
receive identification from the calling party;
present the calling party one or more billable charges corresponding to one or more services provided to said calling party according to said identification;
receive a dispute and a corresponding description from the calling party for one among said billable charges;
determine whether the dispute description corresponds to one or more acceptable disputes if no credit has been assigned to said disputed charge;
assign a credit according to one or more business rules if the dispute description corresponds to one or more acceptable disputes and no prior credit has been assigned to said disputed charge; and
present the credit to the calling party.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The account management system of claim 16, wherein the controller is programmed to:
query the calling party for acceptance of the credit; and
apply said credit to the disputed charge upon receiving an acceptance from said calling party.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The account management system of claim 16, wherein the controller is programmed to:
determine a weighted customer value for said calling party upon receiving a rejection from said calling party; and
present an adjusted credited according to said customer value.

### Claim 19 (depends on 12)

The account management system of claim 12, wherein the controller is programmed to:
flag a credit assigned to an affected customer if said customer does not redeem the credit within a predetermined period; and
process said flagged credit according to one among a group of options comprising canceling the credit indefinitely, discounting the credit, and canceling the credit after a second predetermined period expires.

### Claim 20 (depends on 12)

The account management system of claim 12, wherein the controller is programmed to:
credit accounts of said affected customers according to their respective assigned credit; and
notify the affected customers of their credit according to at least one among a group of mediums comprising email, an Internet website, wireless messages, and postal service correspondence.

### Claim 21 (depends on 12)

The account management system of claim 12, wherein the controller is programmed to determine the credit for each affected customer according to a corresponding one among a group of customer categories, each category having a corresponding weighted customer value.

### Claim 22

In an account management system coupled to a service center serving a plurality of customers, a method comprising the steps of:
monitoring service outages of the service center;
detecting a service outage;
identifying one or more customers affected by the service outage; and
assigning a credit to each of the affected one or more customers.