Methods for providing overdraft protection for post-paid communication service plans
AssigneeAT&T Mobility II LLC
InventorsCoulter C. Henry, Jr., Francis Richard Lazaro, Jr., Andrew Lamont Hines, Jr., Derek Ekow-Badu Johnson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods for adding minutes to a calling plan having a calling plan period. The methods including determining whether a threshold number of minutes have been reached during the calling plan period; and incrementally adding minutes to the calling plan when the threshold number of minutes has been reached. The cost per minute of the added minutes is less than the high-cost per minute rate normally associated with exceeding the threshold number of minutes during the calling plan period.
Claims15
A method, for providing overdraft protection to a user, comprising:
- activating, using a billing system server, a post-paid account for the user, the post-paid account including (i) a data subscription plan having a predetermined base number of data blocks allotted to the post-paid account and (ii) a plurality of data plan periods, each having the predetermined base number of data blocks;
- monitoring, using the billing system server, usage of the post-paid account;
- selecting, using the billing system server, between borrowing additional data blocks from a future data plan period and charging the post-paid account a first predetermined cost per additional data block for additional data blocks, the first predetermined cost per additional data block being less than a cost per data block normally associated with exceeding the predetermined base number of data blocks during a data plan period of the plurality of data plan periods;
- and
- adjusting the data subscription plan, using the billing system server, to provide additional data blocks in predetermined first size increments and, if charging the post-paid account is selected, charging the post-paid account the first predetermined cost per data block for the additional blocks provided.
A tangible computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:
- activating a post-paid account for a user, the post-paid account including (i) a data subscription plan having-a predetermined base number of data blocks allotted to the post-paid account and (ii) a plurality of data plan periods, each having the predetermined base number of data blocks;
- monitoring usage of the post-paid account;
- selecting between borrowing additional data blocks from a future data plan period and charging the post-paid account a first predetermined cost per additional data block for additional data blocks, the first predetermined cost per additional data block being less than a cost per data block normally associated with exceeding the predetermined base number of data blocks during a data plan period of the plurality of data plan periods;
- and
- adjusting the data subscription plan to provide additional data blocks in predetermined first size increments and, if charging the post-paid account is selected, charging the post-paid account the first predetermined cost per data block for the additional data blocks provided.
A billing system server, providing overdraft protection to a user, comprising:
- a processor;
- and
- a computer-readable memory comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
- activate a post-paid account for the user, the post-paid account including (i) a data subscription plan having a predetermined base number of data blocks allotted to the post-paid account and (ii) a plurality of data plan periods, each having the predetermined base number of data blocks;
- monitor usage of the post-paid account using the billing system server;
- select between borrowing additional data blocks from a future data plan period and charging the post-paid account a first predetermined cost per additional data block for additional data blocks, the first predetermined cost per additional data block being less than a cost per data block normally associated with exceeding the predetermined base number of data blocks during a data plan period of the plurality of data plan periods;
- and
- adjust the data subscription plan to provide additional data blocks in predetermined first size increments and, if charging the post-paid account is selected, charging the post-paid account the first predetermined cost per data block for the additional data blocks provided.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.