Methods, systems, and products for sharing usage plans
AssigneeAT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
InventorsJames Carlton Bedingfield, Sr., Quenton Lanier Gilbert
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Shared usage plans are popular with families, friends, and small businesses. These shared usage plans share some cumulative utilization of resources, such as communications services. Even though multiple devices may share a monthly allotment of resources, an individual threshold is established for each device. The multiple individual thresholds may then be dynamically regulated to maintain the monthly allotment of resources.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- associating multiple devices to a shared plan of a maximum allotment of resources of a communications system;
- establishing an individual threshold amount of the maximum allotment of the resources for each device of the multiple devices;
- designating one of the multiple devices as a usage monitor;
- reporting to the usage monitor, individual usage for the each device of the multiple devices sharing the shared plan;
- and
- dynamically regulating the individual threshold amount to maintain the maximum allotment of the resources.
A system comprising:
- a processor;
- and
- memory storing code that when executed causes the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:
- associating multiple devices to a shared plan of a maximum allotment of resources of a communications system;
- establishing an individual threshold amount of the maximum allotment of the resources for each device of the multiple devices;
- designating one of the multiple devices as a usage monitor;
- reporting to the usage monitor, individual usage for the each device of the multiple devices sharing the shared plan;
- and
- dynamically regulating the individual threshold amount for the each device to maintain the maximum allotment of the resources.
A memory storing instructions that when executed cause a processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:
- associating multiple devices to a shared plan of a maximum allotment of resources of a communications system;
- establishing an individual threshold amount of the maximum allotment of the resources for each device of the multiple devices;
- designating one of the multiple devices as a usage monitor;
- reporting to the usage monitor individual usage for the each device of the multiple devices sharing the shared plan;
- and
- dynamically regulating the individual threshold amount for the each device to maintain the maximum allotment of the resources.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.