Control of prepaid balance status notification
AssigneeAlcatel-Lucent USA Inc.
InventorsWilliam Dale Bartter, Yigang Cai, Werner Ulrich
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This invention relates to an enhanced method and apparatus for providing notification to a telecommunications customer using prepaid service that his/her prepaid balance is below a pre-specified threshold. The number of notifications is limited to a specified number within a specified interval. Advantageously, the customer is spared the nuisance o receiving multiple notifications when he/she is already aware of the problem.
Claims20
A method of notifying a customer of a status of the customer's prepaid telecommunications account, comprising the steps of:
- storing a notification database for said customer, said database comprising a limit of a number of low balance notifications to be provided to said customer during a specified interval;
- if, before, during, or after said customer makes a call, a prepaid balance for said customer is below a pre-specified threshold and fewer than N notifications have been provided to said customer during said interval, providing a low balance notification to said customer.
Apparatus for notifying a customer of a status of the customer's prepaid telecommunications account, comprising:
- a notification database for said customer, said database comprising a limit of a number of low balance notifications to be provided to said customer during a specified interval;
- means for detecting that said customer's prepaid balance is at or below a pre-specified threshold;
- means, responsive to detecting that said customer's prepaid balance is at or below said threshold, and that fewer than N notifications having been provided to said customer, for providing a low balance notification to said customer before, during or after said customer makes a call.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.