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US 7,742,961 B2Granted
Methods, systems, and computer program products for managing services accounts through electronic budget adjustments based on defined rules
AssigneeAT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
InventorsJeffrey A. Aaron, Jun-Gang Alin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Services accounts are managed by defining budget categories for the services accounts. Budgets are defined for the respective categories and rules are defined for the budget categories. Input on usage of the services is electronically received and the budgets are electronically adjusted based on the received input and the defined rules.
Claims14
A method of managing services accounts, comprising:
- defining financial budget categories for the services accounts;
- defining budgets for the categories, respectively;
- defining rules for the financial budget categories;
- electronically receiving input on actual usage of the services at a budget controller;
- electronically adjusting the budgets based on the received input and the defined rules at the budget controller;
- and
- determining if service usage for one of the financial budget categories has exceeded a threshold at the budget controller;
- wherein defining the rules comprises assigning priorities to the financial budget categories, respectively;
- and
- wherein adjusting the budgets comprises increasing the budget for the one of the financial budget categories by reducing the budget for another one of the financial budget categories having a priority associated therewith that is not greater than a priority associated with the one of the financial budget categories if the service usage for the one of the financial budget categories has exceeded the threshold.
7 more elements
A budgeting system for managing services accounts, comprising:
- a budget database that comprises financial budget categories for the services accounts, budgets for the categories, respectively, and rules for the financial budget categories;
- and
- a budget processor that is configured to electronically receive input on actual usage of the services and to electronically adjust the budgets based on the received input and the defined rules;
- wherein the budget database further comprises priorities assigned to the financial budget categories, respectively;
- and
- wherein the budget processor is further configured to determine if service usage for one of the financial budget categories has exceeded a threshold and to increase the budget for the one of the financial budget categories by reducing the budget for another one of the financial budget categories having a priority associated therewith that is not greater than a priority associated with the one of the financial budget categories if the service usage for the one of the financial budget categories has exceeded the threshold.
3 more elements
A computer program product for managing services accounts, comprising:
- a computer readable storage medium having computer readable progfam code embodied therein, the computer readable program code comprising:
- computer readable program code configured to define financial budget categories for the services accounts;
- computer readable program code configured to define budgets for the categories, respectively;
- computer readable program code configured to define rules for the financial budget categories;
- computer readable program code configured to electronically receive input on actual usage of the services;
- computer readable program code configured to electronically adjust the budgets based on the received input and the defined rules;
- computer readable program code configured to determine if service usage for one of the financial budget categories has exceeded a threshold;
- wherein the computer readable program code configured to define the rules comprises computer readable program code configured to assign priorities to the financial budget categories, respectively;
- and
- wherein the computer readable program code configured to adjust the budgets comprises computer readable program code configured to increase the budget for the one of the financial budget categories by reducing the budget for another one of the financial budget categories having a priority associated therewith that is not greater than a priority associated with the one of the financial budget categories if the service usage for the one of the financial budget categories has exceeded the threshold.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.