Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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AN INTELLIGENCE SYSTEM FOR THE PROCESSING
OF ELECTRONIC BILLING DATA
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to the field of wireless telecommunications, and more
particularly to
an intelligence system for the processing and mapping of data, that enables
the subscriber
to access and view their billing data in the form of reports or graphical
representations so
that the subscriber can understand and monitor their wireless usage, and
manipulate and
manage their portfolio based upon the information run by the intelligence
system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Wireless services are mostly provided in the form of wireless plans, which
provide the
subscriber with a number of peak-time minutes, and evenings and week-end
minutes.
Some plans include free incoming calls, and some provide for a number of long-
distance
calls etc.
However, most plans, except for pre-paid plans, do not interrupt the service
when the
subscriber exceeds the allowable limit defined in the plan that they are
under, or when the
subscriber uses services that they are not entitled to under their plan.
Additional minutes
are usually charged at a much higher rate than per-plan minutes.
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Organizations which provide their employees with wireless phones receive large
telephone
bills for services provided individually to various elements that comprise the
organization.
Some large organizations often include various branches, divisions and
regional offices.
For financial and management purposes, organizations may need to determine and
monitor the charges generated by each department or division, or may need to
adjust
these charges according to the productivity and/or need of each division.
Accordingly, the
larger the division, the harder and more time consuming the process becomes
with the
conventional methods and systems.
Conventional systems vary between the pen and paper method of managing hard-
copy
bills and/or electronic bills provided in the form of images, and billing
softwares which
provide the subscriber with the number of minutes used and the number left.
Many attempts have been made in the past in order to address the above
problem. For
instance, United States Patent No. 6,745,229 describes a web-based invoice
viewing
system and method for enabling a customer to generate invoices relating to
various
network services provided to the customer by an enterprise. A web enabled
invoice viewing
system provides billing and invoice information to remote customers having a
workstation
with a web browser and an Internet access. A graphical user interface system
at the
customer workstation presents a list of invoice documents organized into
products and
date ranges applicable to the customer for the customer to select and view.
Various
displays presented at the customer workstation may be printed, faxed, or
queued for batch
printing at the enterprise remotely. The customer is enabled to view
dynamically summed
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results of numerical figures displayed on the invoice documents by
highlighting the
numbers in the document directly on the display.
United States Patent No. 6,937,710 describes a system and method for providing
a usage
pattern for a customer of an intelligently-switched telecommunications system.
The usage
pattern provides historical information concerning the customer's use of the
telecommunications system. The usage pattern is acquired from either a service
control
point operating on the telecommunications system or a database operating on
the data
network. The usage pattern is then communicated to the customer along either
the data
network or the telecommunications system, whereby the customer can access the
usage
pattern using the computer device, or the telephonic/wireless device.
United States Patent No. 7,058,600 describes an Internet/Web-based data
management
tool that provides a common GUI that enables viewing of various types of
unpriced call
detail data reports pertaining to a customer's telecommunications network
traffic. A traffic
view server is provided that enables periodic acquisition of data from the
customer's
telecommunications network at a user-specified frequency and configured to
meet real-
time traffic reporting requirements.
United States Patent No. 7,167,699 describes a method for tracking allotted
wireless
telephone minutes used and providing an alert before overage charges are
accrued.
Information about allotted minutes used and days to refresh are obtained from
a user's
wireless telephone service provider on a periodic basis, such as daily. E-mail
or text
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message reports are provided to the user on such basis as requested by the
user and/or
to an account administrator.
United States Patent No. 7,280,818 describes a system for notifying users of
mobile
communication devices. The service provider formats the notification so that
it is
compatible with the mobile communication device of the user and sends the
notification
to the mobile communication device of the user.
Accordingly, the systems that have so far addressed this problem are of a
narrow view,
and consist of acquiring the data from the service provider and display this
to the
subscriber in the form of a report, without any intelligence processing of
this data that
assists the subscriber in understanding the bill and effectively manipulate
the data
displayed.
Therefore, there is a need for a system and method which allow the subscriber
to view,
monitor and manage their wireless usage, and at the same time assist them in
effectively
managing and manipulating their portfolio and understanding their bills.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides an intelligence system for the processing of electronic
billing data
pertaining to a subscriber. The system includes a server connected to one or
more servers
of one or more service providers through a communication network such as the
internet.
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The system acquires electronic billing data, such as wireless usage, history,
and profile of
the subscriber from the server of the service provider, along with financial
data pertaining
to the service provider including details of wireless plans, add-ons, and
features provided
by the service provider. The Electronic billing data along with the financial
data are then
mapped and processed by an intelligence module at the server of system.
The intelligence module can provide the user with a report or a graphical
representation
illustrating their wireless usage, and recommends a wireless plan, add-on, or
feature that
best suits the subscriber's portfolio based upon the subscriber's history,
usage, and future
needs. The subscriber can compare the savings and/or additional wireless usage
provided
by the suggested plan by a graphical representation or a numerical display,
and decide
whether to adopt the recommendation provided or not.
The invention eliminates the need for the subscriberto periodically check
forthe availability
of wireless plan and/or features that fit with their portfolio since the
intelligence module of
the present invention is always updated (may be in real time) of the latest
plans and
features offered by the service provider.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more
detail
hereinbelow, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying
drawings in
which:
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Fig.1 is schematic diagram illustrating the general architecture of the
system, and a
possible way for integrating it in a communication network with one or more
service
providers;
Fig.2 is a functional flowchart illustrating general steps to be executed by
the system when
the subscriber runs a session;
Fi.3 is a depiction of the interface that allows the subscriber to select and
run several types
of filters in order to separate between work related and non-work related
numbers dialled;
Fig.4 is a depiction of the interface when illustrating different wireless
plans to the
subscriber to choose from and run the electronic billing data against in the
intelligence
module; and
Fig.5 is a functional flowchart illustrating the system operation and
different steps and
options available to the subscriber when the subscriber is a corporate client
who acts as
an administrator.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention will now be described with respect to various embodiments. The
following
description provides specific details for a thorough understanding of, and
enabling
description for, these embodiments of the invention. However, one skilled in
the art will
understand that the invention may be practiced without these details. In other
instances,
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well-known structures and functions have not been shown or described in detail
to avoid
unnecessarily obscuring the description of the embodiments of the invention.
It is intended that the terminology used in the description presented be
interpreted in its
broadest reasonable manner, even though it is being used in conjunction with a
detailed
description of certain specific embodiments of the invention. Certain terms
may even be
emphasized below; however, any terminology intended to be interpreted in any
restricted
manner will be overtly and specifically defined as such in this Detailed
Description section.
Every time a call is made or received (or a message), details of the call such
as the time,
duration, number called, geographical area, identification whether the call
made is long
distance, local, or international, per-minute charges, etc. will be recorded
in the memory
of the service provider's server, as electronic billing data pertaining to a
specific subscriber.
As illustrated in Fig. 1, the system 1 of the present invention includes a
server 2 connected
to a one or more servers 3 of one or more wireless service providers 4 i.e.
Telus ,
Rogers etc. via a communication network such as the internet.
The system 1 provides a web-based application that enables secure internet
sessions
using the subscriber's personal computer 6, or any other web enabled device,
in order to
allow wireless subscribers 5 to view, and monitor their wireless usage on an
event basis.
The communication of data between the server 2 and servers 3 of the service
providers
can be provided in real-time or may also be updated periodically.
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The system 1 includes a communication module 9 that handles communications
between
the server 2 and the subscribers' terminals 6 and the servers 3 of the
wireless providers
4. The system 1 also includes a memory 7, and an intelligence module 8 for the
processing
of data.
In order to run a session, a GUI type interface allows the subscriber to enter
his login
information, which when verified, allow the server 2 of the system 1 to
retrieve the
electronic billing information of the subscriber 5 from the server 3 of the
wireless service
provider 4 which provides the subscriber with the wireless service.
The server 2 of the present invention retrieves the electronic billing data of
a specific
subscriber or corporate client from the server 3 of the service provider 4,
along with details
of wireless plans, add-ons, and features provided by the same service provider
4, with
identification to what the subscriber 5 is entitled to and what they are not.
For instance,
students or members of certain organizations are sometimes entitled to plans
that regular
subscribers are not entitled to etc.
The system then runs the information retrieved from the service provider 4 and
presents
the data in the form of a report, graphical representation, numerical display,
or any
combination thereof, to the subscriber 5 for manipulation, viewing, and
monitoring. Based
upon the subscriber's usage and profile, the system can recommend a
financially optimal
wireless plan that best suits the subscriber's needs. The system 1 may then
display, either
by a graphical representation, or by a numerical display, how the suggested
plan allows
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for better savings and/or more usage. The subscriber has the choice to either
accept the
plan or feature suggested, or to decline it. The subscriber's decision will
then be stored into
the system 1 for a certain period before suggesting further features, or until
a change
occurs in the subscriber's usage or profile.
In suggesting a certain plan, feature, of add-on, the system can also take
into
consideration future needs of the subscriber or the corporate client. By way
of example,
if the subscriber expects more long distance for the coming period, or more
roaming
charges as a result of an expected travel, the system may suggest adding a $5
roaming
plan, or long distance plan which allows the subscriber to use 100 long
distance minutes
or 100 roaming minutes, when in fact, each minute costs 50 cents without a
plan.
Additionally, the more the subscriber expects the usage to be the higher the
plan
suggested by the system would be.
Alternatively, the system can allow the user to manipulate and manage their
own portfolio
and explore how other plan, features, and add-ons can fit more and provide
more efficient
use of their telecom usage. For instance, when running a session, the
subscriber can drag
into their portfolio a feature, plan, or add-on and compare automatically how
the new
change can provide them with more usage or savings.
The system can also be configured to allow the subscriber to pre-set a future
activation and
end dates of a certain service, feature, plan, or add-on. For instance, if the
subscriber is
a corporate client and they are aware of a future work- related travel of one
or more of their
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employees wherein the employees have to use their wireless phones, the
subscriber acts
as an administrator and sets the activation date of a roaming plan for the
employees that
are traveling as the expected day of travel, and the end date of the roaming
plan can also
be set to be the date of return of the employees.
When the subscriber 5 adopts a new plan, feature, or add on, the system 1
notifies the
server 3 of the service provider 4 of the new change in the subscriber's
account so that the
subscriber 5 be entitled to the new services and be billed accordingly.
Figures 3 and 4 illustrate depictions of the interface that the subscriber can
use in
manipulating their portfolio. Figure 3 illustrate different types of filters
that can be run
against the electronic billing data. Figure 4 illustrates different wireless
plans that can also
be used by the intelligence module 8 in order to select the best plan and
recommend it to
the subscriber. The latter can also be done manually if the subscriber elects
to manually
explore and manipulate their portfolio by trying different plans and features.
The subscriber may also predefine the way they need their billing data to be
displayed.
Hence, the server 1 can store the subscriber's preferences, and automatically
display the
results according to the user's predefined preferences when running future
sessions.
The invention is beneficial to individual subscribers who wish to view and
monitor their
wireless usage and explore how other features and plans fit more and provide
them with
more efficient use of their telecom expenditure. At the same time, the
invention is of a great
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benefit to corporate clients who have a plurality of accounts with one or more
wireless
providers. For instance, if a large corporation provides cellular phones to
their employees,
it is difficult to manage a large amount of bills and monitor abuse and usage
of services
that employees are not entitled to. The invention can provide corporate
clients with the
ability to monitor, manage and manipulate the wireless usage of each employee.
Furthermore, by acquiring the financial data available at the service provider
in real time
when the user runs a session, the invention provides the subscriber with the
latest plans
and features offered by the service providerwhich eliminates the need to
periodically check
and search for plans that fit with the subscriber's profile. The system may
also be
configured to notifythe subscriber in the form of a pop-up windowwhen running
a session,
or by an email, or short message (sms), when a plan, feature or add-on that
suit the
subscriber's portfolio becomes available.
Accordingly, the corporate client can view the long distance charges generated
by their
employees, identify the employees that are using long distance minutes, and at
the same
time verify whether the employees are entitled to these services or not.
In order to identify non-work related phone calls, the intelligence module 8
of the present
invention is equipped with a filtering tool which separates between work
numbers, numbers
of work-related organizations, and frequently called numbers.
An additional filtering tool embedded into the Intelligence module is a
statistical scheme
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whereby, among numbers which are neither work numbers, nor numbers of work-
related
organizations, the Intelligence module runs the electronic billing data of the
suspect
employee versus the electronic billing data of the other employees in order to
check
whether any of the numbers called is common with other employees, or whether
the
numbers called are specific to the subject employee. If the number is a common
number,
the number may be added to the work related numbers. Otherwise, numbers that
are not
called by other employees would be considered personal calls.
A further filtering tool embedded into the Intelligence module 8 of the system
is the time
of the call, depending on the business hours of each corporation. For
instance, the
likelihood that excessive phone calls after 9.OOPM be work related for an
organization that
operates only between 8.OOAM and 4.OOPM is very minor. Therefore, by setting
the start
and end times of calls, a corporate client can separate between calls that are
made during
business hours and calls made after hours. The filter is also configured to
separate
between week-day calls and week-end and holidays calls.
Similar to the individual subscribers, corporate clients can explore how other
features and
plans fit more and provide them with more efficient use of their telecom
expenditure and
more savings either manually or through a plan suggested by the server after
running the
electronic billing data and the wireless plans provided by the service
provider. The system
may display, either by a graphical representation, or by a numerical display,
how the
suggested plan allows for better savings and/or more usage.
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Fig.5 illustrates by way of example different options and steps available to
the subscriber
when the system 1 is used by a corporate client. In which case, the corporate
client acts
as an administrator to manage the wireless usage of the employees.
The above detailed descriptions of embodiments of the invention are not
intended to be
exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed above.
While specific
embodiments of, and examples for, the invention are described above for
illustrative
purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of
the invention,
as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize.
Accordingly, the actual scope of the invention encompasses not only the
disclosed
embodiments, but also all equivalent ways of practicing or implementing the
invention
under the claims.
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