U.S. patent number RE43,092 [Application Number 12/861,099] was granted by the patent office on 2012-01-10 for method for controlling subscriber access to a fee-based service.
This patent grant is currently assigned to AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.. Invention is credited to Sally Byrd, Jonathan P. Harwood, Suzanne P. Kerr.
United States Patent |
RE43,092 |
Byrd , et al. |
January 10, 2012 |
Method for controlling subscriber access to a fee-based service
Abstract
Access by a subscriber (12) to a fee-based service is managed so
that the subscriber, when qualified, receives the service. If the
subscriber is found unqualified, then the subscriber is prompted to
enter qualifying information, either in the form of the identity of
a purchased product, or a bank credit card number. Once the
subscriber is qualified, then the subscriber receives the service
in the same manner as if he or she were initially found
qualified.
Inventors: |
Byrd; Sally (Somerville,
NJ), Harwood; Jonathan P. (Morganville, NJ), Kerr;
Suzanne P. (Madison, NJ) |
Assignee: |
AT&T Intellectual Property I,
L.P. (Atlanta, GA)
|
Family
ID: |
24021574 |
Appl.
No.: |
12/861,099 |
Filed: |
August 23, 2010 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
Reissue of: |
08508143 |
Jul 27, 1995 |
6069941 |
May 30, 2000 |
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
379/121.06;
379/134; 379/114.12; 379/111; 379/133; 379/114.17 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04M
15/854 (20130101); G07F 17/0014 (20130101); H04M
15/68 (20130101); H04M 17/00 (20130101); G06Q
20/4014 (20130101); G06Q 20/1235 (20130101); H04M
17/20 (20130101); G06Q 20/403 (20130101); H04M
2215/0196 (20130101); H04M 2215/0192 (20130101); H04M
2215/8166 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H04M
15/00 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;379/111,112.01-112.04,114.01-114.19,115.01-115.02,121.01-121.06,133,134,142.01-142.06 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2 215 897 |
|
Sep 1989 |
|
GB |
|
2215897 |
|
Sep 1989 |
|
GB |
|
Primary Examiner: Shankar; Vijay
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Zimmerman, PLLC; Scott P.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method for providing a subscriber with a fee-based service
during a telephone call if the .[.caller.]. .Iadd.subscriber
.Iaddend.is qualified, and affording the subscriber, if
unqualified, the opportunity to become qualified during the
.[.same.]. call to obtain the service, comprising the steps of: (a)
verifying .Iadd.during the call .Iaddend.whether the subscriber is
qualified to receive the service .[.during said call.].; (b)
providing the subscriber with the service .Iadd.during the
call.Iaddend., when the subscriber is found to be qualified to
receive the service, while accounting for .[.how much.]. .Iadd.a
length of .Iaddend.service the subscriber is receiving; (c)
prompting the subscriber during .[.said same.]. .Iadd.the
.Iaddend.call, when the subscriber is not qualified to receive the
service, to enter qualifying information, including credit data,
that would entitle the subscriber to receive the service; (d)
processing the qualifying information to verify whether the
information is correct and, if so, then qualifying the subscriber
to receive the service; and (e) repeating step (b).
2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the step of verifying
whether the subscriber is qualified includes, the steps of:
prompting the subscriber to provide a subscriber-qualifier .[.in
the form of.]. .Iadd.associated with at least one of .Iaddend.a
password .[.or PIN.]. .Iadd.and a personal identification
number.Iaddend.; and comparing the subscriber-qualifier to a list
of valid subscriber-qualifiers to determine whether the subscriber
is qualified.
3. The method according, to claim 1 wherein the step of qualifying
the subscriber includes the steps of: establishing a subscriber
identity based on a telephone number associated with the
subscriber; and determining, from the subscriber identity, whether
the subscriber is qualified.
4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the step of verifying
whether the subscriber is qualified includes the step of verifying
whether the subscriber has sufficient credit to entitle the
subscriber to receive the service.
5. The method according to claim 4 wherein the step of verifying
whether the subscriber is qualified includes the step of
determining whether the subscriber has obtained access to the
service more than a prescribed number of times within a
pre-determined interval.
6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the credit data entered
by the subscriber includes .[.the.]. .Iadd.an .Iaddend.identity of
a product purchased by the subscriber.
7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the credit data entered
by the subscriber includes a credit card number.
8. The method according to claim 1 further including the step of
recording the qualifying information entered by the subscriber.
9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the subscriber is
prompted to enter survey information in addition to the qualifying
information.
10. In a telephone network wherein a telephone subscriber seeking
access to a desired fee-based telephone service obtains such access
by placing a telephone call to the service provider, a method for
controlling access to the service provider by the subscriber,
comprising the steps of: (a) routing the .[.subscriber's.]. call to
a gateway toll switch of an inter-exchange carrier wherein the call
terminates; (b) connecting the call terminating at the switch to a
call platform; (c) processing the call at the call platform to
verify whether the subscriber is qualified to receive the service;
(d) transferring the subscriber call to the service provider so the
subscriber receives the .[.desired.]. service therefrom when the
subscriber is found to be qualified, while accounting for .[.how
much.]. .Iadd.a length of .Iaddend.service the subscriber is
receiving; (e) prompting the subscriber during the call, when the
subscriber is not qualified to receive the .[.desired.]. service,
to enter qualifying information, including credit data, that would
entitle the subscriber to receive the service; (f) processing the
qualifying information at the call platform .[.during the call.].
to verify whether the information is correct and, if so, then
qualifying the subscriber to receive the service .Iadd.during the
call.Iaddend.; and (g) repeating step (d).
11. The method according to claim 10 wherein the step of processing
the call to verify whether the subscriber is qualified includes the
steps of: prompting the subscriber to provide a
subscriber-qualifier .[.in the form of.]. .Iadd.associated with at
least one of .Iaddend.a password .[.or PIN.]. .Iadd.and a personal
identification number.Iaddend.; and comparing the
subscriber-qualifier to a list of valid subscriber-qualifiers to
determine whether the subscriber is qualified.
12. The method according to claim 10 wherein the step of processing
the call to verify if the subscriber is qualified includes the
steps of: establishing a subscriber identity based on a telephone
number associated with the subscriber; and determining, from the
subscriber identity, whether the subscriber is qualified.
13. The method according to claim 10 wherein the step of processing
the call to verify whether the subscriber is.[.;.]. qualified
includes the step of verifying whether the subscriber has
sufficient credit to entitle the subscriber to receive the
service.
14. The method according to claim 13 wherein the step of processing
the call to verify whether the subscriber is qualified includes the
step of determining whether the subscriber has obtained access to
the service more than a prescribed number of times within a
pre-determined interval.
15. The method according to claim 10 wherein the credit data
entered by the subscriber includes .[.the.]. .Iadd.an
.Iaddend.identity of a product purchased by the subscriber.
16. The method according to claim 10 wherein the credit data
entered by the subscriber includes a credit card number.
17. The method according to claim 10 further including the step of
recording the qualifying information entered by the subscriber.
18. The method according to claim 10 wherein the subscriber is
prompted to enter survey information in addition to the qualifying
information.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a technique for managing subscriber
access to a fee-based service via a telecommunications network.
BACKGROUND ART
Many companies and institutions offer their customers toll-free
telephone access to various services. For example, some
manufacturers of computer software provide their customers with
no-charge telephone support via a toll-free telephone number (i.e.,
an 800 number) provided by an inter-exchange carrier such as
AT&T. In many instances, the demand for such no-charge
telephone service has placed an enormous financial burden on the
companies and institutions providing the service. A growing number
of institutions and companies that previously provided service at
no charge via a toll-free telephone number are now imposing a
charge for such service.
One past approach for rendering a service by telephone on a fee
basis has been to impose a fee upon the completion of the
customer-initiated call to the provider of the service who has been
assigned a 900 number for this purpose. A customer (i.e., a
telephone subscriber) who places a telephone call to a 900 number
incurs a charge based on the number of minutes of service the
subscriber receives. This approach affords little flexibility in
terms of providing a certain amount of service at no charge before
imposing a fee for additional service. Often, a manufacturer of
software, for example, may wish to provide the purchaser with
several hours of telephone support without charge.
Presently, most companies and institutions that offer a limited
amount of no-charge telephone service do so by providing their
customers with some type of qualifier, in the form of a password or
Personal Identification Number (PIN), that expires or otherwise
becomes invalid after the customer has obtained a prescribed amount
of service. To obtain a password or PIN, the customer must usually
register with the company or institution offering the service,
usually by mail or sometimes, by phone. If the registration occurs
by phone, invariably, the customer, once registered must dial a
separate number to actually obtain the service.
Once the customer has expended the allocated amount of the service,
the customer must call the provider of the service, usually at
telephone number different from the one associated with the service
itself and sometimes different from the number associated with
product registration. Only by calling the number associated with
renewal of the service can the customer arrange for payment to
obtain additional service. Once the customer has arranged for
payment, then he or she would access the service provider in the
same manner as before by dialing the number associated with the
service itself. The need to dial separate numbers to: (1) obtain a
password or PIN, (2) obtain the service itself, and (3) arrange for
payment for renewal of the service, is certainly cumbersome.
Thus, there is a need for an improved method for controlling
subscriber access to a fee-based service that is not subject to the
disadvantage of the prior art.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly, in accordance with the invention, a method is disclosed
for controlling subscriber access to a fee-based service. In
accordance with the method, the subscriber first establishes a
communications link with a call-processing platform, typically by
placing a call to a single gateway number. Once the call is
completed, the call-processing platform determines whether the
subscriber is qualified to receive the desired service. Typically,
the call-processing platform establishes a subscriber's
qualification by prompting the subscriber to enter an identifier
(i.e., a password or PIN) that allows the call-processing platform
to determine whether the subscriber is eligible to receive service,
and if so, how much. If the subscriber is qualified, then the
call-processing platform connects the subscriber to the service
while monitoring the amount of the service that is used. Rather
than prompt the subscriber to enter a password or PIN, the
call-processing platform may establish a subscriber's qualification
by ascertaining whether the subscriber caller is calling from a
telephone number that has been previously authorized to receive
service.
Should the subscriber not be qualified to receive the service, then
the subscriber is prompted to enter information, including credit
data, that would entitle the subscriber to receive the service. For
example, if the subscriber had purchased a product bundled with a
limited amount of no-charge support, then the subscriber would
enter information identifying the product, such as a product serial
number, that would entitle the subscriber to a credit for a certain
amount of no-charge service in the future. On the other hand, if
the subscriber already had expended an amount of the service that
was previously credited, then the subscriber would be prompted to
enter a credit card number. In this way, the subscriber would
arrange for payment for future service. Once the subscriber has
entered the appropriate information to become qualified, the
call-processing platform connects the subscriber to the service
while monitoring the amount of service being supplied.
The entire process of providing a qualified subscriber with the
service, or qualifying an unqualified subscriber and then providing
service, occurs during a single telecommunications link (e.g., a
single telephone call). In practice, the transaction is handled
entirely by the call platform that verifies the qualifications of a
subscriber to entitle that subscriber to receive the service. The
call platform also prompts an unqualified subscriber to enter
information and thereafter verifies such information before
qualifying the subscriber for service. If necessary, the call
platform may also couple a subscriber at any time to a human agent
should manual intervention become necessary.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block schematic diagram of a system for controlling
subscriber access to a fee-based service in accordance with the
method of the invention; and
FIG. 2 is a flowchart diagram depicting the steps of the method of
the invention for controlling subscriber access to a fee-based
service.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 depicts a telephone network 10 through which a subscriber
(i.e., a calling party) 12 may access a service on a fee basis in
accordance with the present invention. The type of service may
vary. For example, the service may comprise telephone support for a
particular piece of computer software. The exact type of service
rendered to the subscriber 12 is not critical to the present
invention.
To obtain a desired service, the subscriber 12 first dials a
telephone number associated with the provider of that service. In
the illustrated embodiment depicted in FIG. 1, the service provider
is presumed to have a toll-free 800 number. As should be
appreciated, the telephone number of the service provider need not
be toll free. The call initiated by the subscriber 12 to the
service provider first reaches a Local Exchange Carrier (LEC) 14
that provides the subscriber with local access. When the service
provider has an 800 telephone number, the LEC 14 accesses a data
base 15 containing a set of 800 numbers, designated by the
expression "800# A". Using the data base 15, the LEC 14 determines
the destination of the call, which in the illustrated embodiment,
is an Inter-Exchange Carrier (IXC), such as AT&T. To that end,
the LEC 14 delivers the subscriber-initiated call to a gateway
switch 16. In practice, the switch 16 comprises an AT&T 4ESS
switch, that serves as a Point-Of-Presence (POP) for the IXC within
the LEC 14.
Upon receipt of the call, the switch 16 accesses a data base 17 at
a network control point. The data base 17 contains routing
information that enables the switch 16 to route the call, based
upon the #800 number dialed by the calling party 12. For example,
the customer dialed number may be intended directly for a target
party 18, whereupon the call is routed directly to that party. On
the other hand, the calling party 12 may have dialed an #800 number
associated with a particular service, such as computer software
support managed. In accordance with the invention, such support is
managed by a call platform 20, associated either with the IXC, or
with the target party 18. In the illustrated embodiment, the call
platform 20 is associated with the IXC.
Associated with the switch 16 is a transfer/connect platform 21
that comprises a data processor, for controlling disposition of a
customer-initiated call for service received at the switch. The
transfer/connect platform 21 either transfers the call or connects
it to the call platform 20, depending on whether the IXC is to
manage subscriber access to the service provider, via the call
platform, or whether a target party 18 is to manage such access
through a similar call platform. As mentioned, the number dialed by
the calling party 12 determines the call destination. Obviously,
for calls that always terminate at the call platform 20 (i.e.,
calls that never go elsewhere), then the transfer/connect platform
21 would not be necessary.
To enable the IXC to manage subscriber access to the service
provider in accordance with the invention the call platform 20
includes at least one, and preferably a pair of Voice Response
Units (VRUs) 24 and 25. The platform 20 also may advantageously
include a PC server 26, such as AT&T's Electronic Media
Networked Service (EMNS) server, and a fax server 27, such as
AT&T's Fax Image Recognition SysTem (FIRST) server. The VRUs 24
and 25, the PC server 26, and the fax server 27 are all connected
to each other via a network 28 that may comprise a Local Area
Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN) or a TCP/IP network for
example.
Each of the VRUs 24 and 25 has the capability of analyzing DTMF
data received from the switch 16 from voice terminal (not shown)
and the ability to deliver simulated voice responses to voice
terminal in accordance with such data analysis. For example, upon
receipt of data from the switch 16 indicating that a
subscriber-initiated voice call has been connected to the call
platform 20, the VRU 24 (or alternatively, the VRU 25) delivers a
voice welcome to the subscriber 12. The PC server 26 operates
analogously to the VRUs 24 and 25 except that the PC server 26
handles a subscriber-initiated call originating from a personal
computer (not shown). Thus, when a subscriber-initiated call
originates from a personal computer, the transfer/connect platform
21 routes such a call received at the switch 16 to the PC server 26
that serves to analyze incoming computer-generated data. Thus, upon
the receipt of a subscriber-initiating call originating from a
computer, the PC server 26 analyzes the incoming data and,
thereafter down-loads information to that computer, causing a
welcome message to appear on its screen.
The fax platform 27 handles subscriber-initiated calls originating
at a fax machine (not shown). Unlike the VRUs 24 and 25 and the PC
server 26 that "interact" with the subscriber, the fax server 27
plays a passive role, allowing faxed information to be received at
the call platform 20. For example, the fax platform 20 may allow
the calling party 12 to fax registration information.
To facilitate further discussion of the call platform 20, the
subscriber-initiated call is assumed to originate from either a
voice terminal, or a computer. Once the subscriber initialed call
is connected to the call platform 20 and the subscriber is welcomed
as described, then for a voice call, one of the VRUs 24 and 25
prompts the subscriber 12 to enter a subscriber-qualifier via DTMF
data. The subscriber qualifier typically takes the form of a
password or a PIN indicating that the subscriber is authorized to
receive the desired service. For a subscriber-initiated call
originating at a personal computer, the PC server 26 will likewise
prompt the caller to enter an appropriate password or PIN.
Upon receipt of the subscriber password or PIN, the active one of
the VRUs 24 and 25 or the PC server 26 accesses one of a pair of
data bases 29 and 30 through the network 28 to obtain the account
records associated with the password or PIN. (Note that while a
pair of data bases 29 and 30 have been shown, a single data base
could be employed.) From the information contained in the accessed
one of the data bases 29 and 30 (or from the lack of such
information), the active one of the VRUs 24 and 25 or the PC server
26 can verify whether the subscriber 12 is qualified to receive the
desired service, and if so, how much of the desired service the
subscriber may receive. Once the active one of the VRUs 24 and 25
or the PC server 26 has verified that the subscriber is entitled to
receive the desired service, the VRU or the PC server signals the
transfer/connect platform 21 to transfer the subscriber-initiated
call via the switch 16 to a target party 18 providing the service
desired by the subscriber 12. While the subscriber 12 receives the
desired service from the target party 18, an Automated Message
Accounting unit 33, which is well known in the art, monitors the
length of the call to account for billing purposes.
Rather than store the subscriber account information within one of
the data bases 29 and 30 in the call platform 20, the service
provider may wish to maintain its own data base of subscriber
qualification information in a host computer 34. Under such
circumstances, a telecommunications link 36, such as a dedicated
digital service line, is provided to couple the host 34 to a host
gateway 38 within the call platform 20 for interfacing the host to
the net work 28. In practice, the host gateway 38 provides an
appropriate protocol, such as the IBM 3270 protocol for
example.
In some instances, it may be desirable to qualify the subscriber in
accordance with the subscriber's telephone number. To that end, the
host gateway 38 of the call platform 20 is coupled by a
telecommunications link 40 (e.g., a dedicated digital service line)
to a data base 42 containing subscriber telephone numbers, names
and addresses. By accessing the data base 42, the active one of the
VRUs 24 and 25 or the PC server 26 can cross-reference the
subscriber's telephone number to a corresponding name and address
in order to establish if the subscriber is qualified. The name and
address obtained from the data base 42 can be cross-referenced to a
listing of qualified subscribers within one of the data bases 29 or
30, or within the host 34, to establish whether the subscriber is
qualified receive the desired service. (Note that the data base 42
could also be provided with information concerning each
subscriber's account, thereby obviating the need to access the
appropriate one of the data bases 29 and 30.)
In some instances, the subscriber initiating the call to the
service provider may not be qualified to receive the desired
service. For example, the subscriber 12 may be the purchaser of a
new software product and has not yet registered the product. Thus,
the subscriber has no password or PIN. Alternatively, the
subscriber 12 may have expended the amount of service previously
allocated with the purchase of a software product. Thus, the
subscriber's account has an insufficient balance to allow the
subscriber to obtain additional service. In either event, the
subscriber must 12 must now become qualified. In the past, the
subscriber 12 could not become qualified by accessing the service
provider through the same telephone number that a qualified
subscriber would dial to receive service. Rather, a unqualified
subscriber had to manually register the product, either by mail or
by telephone before becoming qualified.
In accordance with the invention, the call platform 20
advantageously can qualify an unqualified subscriber 12 and provide
the desired service thereto in the same manner that the platform
provides the desired service to a qualified subscriber. To
understand how the call platform accomplishes such subscriber
qualification, assume that the subscriber 12 who initiated the call
to the service provider has an insufficient account balance to
obtain additional service. When such a subscriber calls a service
provider that has chosen an IXC to manage subscriber access in
accordance with the invention, the call is received at the switch
16 and is thereafter transferred to the call platform 20 in the
same manner as before. Upon receipt of the call at the call
platform 20, the active one of the VRUs 24 and 25 or the PC server
26 welcomes the subscriber and thereafter prompts the subscriber to
enter a password or PIN. Following receipt of the password or PIN,
the active one of the VRUs 24 and 25 or the PC server 26 accesses
the appropriate one of the data bases 29 and 30 (or the host 34).
Upon accessing the appropriate one of the data bases 28 and 30 or
the host 34, the active one of the VRUs 24 and 25 or the PC server
26 would learn that the subscriber 12 has an insufficient account
balance. Accordingly, the active one of the VRUs 24 and 25 or the
PC server 26 would alert the subscriber of this fact and then
prompt the subscriber to enter data, including credit information,
in order to become qualified to receive the desired service.
As part of the prompting message to the subscriber 12, the active
one of the VRUs 24 and 25 or the PC server 26 may provide the
subscriber with the option of entering qualifying data, including
credit information. Thus, a subscriber 12 who knows his or her
account balance is insufficient can avoid the delay associated with
accessing the appropriate one of the data bases 29 and 30 or the
host 34 to check the subscriber's account.
Normally, the credit information provided by the subscriber 12
takes the form of a credit card number, such as an AT&T
Universal Credit Card number, although the credit information could
take other forms as will be discussed below, In practice, the call
platform 20 usually does not have information about credit card
numbers. For that reason, a data link 44, in the form of a digital
data line, is provided to couple the host gateway 38 to a data base
46 of credit information maintained by a bank or other credit
provider. Thus, after a subscriber enters a credit card number, the
active one of the VRUs 24 and 25 or the PC server 26 accesses the
data base 46 to verify the credit card number. If valid, the
subscriber's credit card is then debited in an amount authorized by
the subscriber. Once the subscriber 12 has been qualified in this
manner, then the transfer/connect platform 18 transfers the
subscriber's call to the target party 22 providing the desired
service.
Assume now that the subscriber 12 has not yet been assigned a
password or PIN. For example, the subscriber 12 may have just
purchased a piece of software and has not yet registered it.
However, the subscriber now wants to obtain telephone support
bundled with the software. Under such circumstances, the subscriber
12 calls the service provider at the same number as if the
subscriber were qualified. Again, the subscriber's call is received
at the switch 16. Assuming that the service provider has chosen the
IXC to manage subscriber access in accordance with the invention,
the transfer/connect call platform 21 connects the subscriber's
call to the call platform 20. In response to the call, an active
one of the VRUs 24 and 25 or the PC server 26 welcomes the
subscriber 12 and prompts the subscriber to enter a password or PIN
as before,
As part of the prompt to the subscriber 12, the active one of the
VRUs 24 and 25 or the PC server 26 also provides an option to allow
the subscriber to register the product. Once the subscriber selects
this option, the subscriber is prompted to enter the necessary
information identifying the purchased product, such as the product
serial number, to become qualified. As may be appreciated, when the
subscriber initially undertakes to become qualified by registering
the purchased product, the product identity (i.e., its serial
number) serves as the "credit" information to initially fund the
subscriber's account. The information entered by the subscriber 12
in connection with product registration is typically stored in a
transcription VRU 46 within the call platform 20 having the
capability of recording the subscriber-entered registration
information. The registration information stored in the
transcription VRU 46 may be accessed by a customer transcriber 50
(i.e., a computer maintained by the product manufacturer) that
communicates with the call platform 20 by calling a pre-assigned
POTS routed to the switch 16. Similarly, faxed registration
information, previously received via the fax server 27, could also
be obtained in this manner.
Once the subscriber enters the requested registration information,
the active one of the VRUs 24 and 25 or the PC server 26 verifies
this information by accessing the appropriate one of the data bases
29 and 30, or by accessing the host 34, depending on where the
verification data is stored. Once the subscriber entered
information is verified, then the active one of the VRUs 24 and 25
or the PC server 26 establishes an account for the subscriber and
thereafter signals the transfer/connect platform 21 to transfer the
subscriber call to the target party 22 providing the desired
service.
Ordinarily, the active one of the VRUs 24 and 25 or the PC server
26 communicates with the subscriber 12 during the above-described
process. However, in some instances, a subscriber may wish to talk
to a live person. Under such circumstances, the subscriber would
enter an appropriate command, whereupon the active one of the VRUs
24 or 25 or the PC server 26 would signal the transfer/connect
platform 21 to transfer the call to the switch 16 for routing to a
customer service agent 52 at the service provider premises.
A flowchart depiction of subscriber call flow in accordance with
the invention is illustrated in FIG. 2. As seen in FIG. 2, a
subscriber-initiated call to the service provider, once received at
the call platform 20 of FIG. 1, initially triggers one of VRUs 24
and 25 or the PC server 26 of FIG. 1 to generate a prompt (step
54). Among other messages, the prompt generated during step 54 of
FIG. 2 requests that the subscriber designate one of three choices:
(1) enter a password or PIN, (2) register a product and receive a
password or PIN, or (3) purchase additional service. Following the
prompt, the subscriber 12 of FIG. 1 enters a response that
determines whether a registration sequence, an authorization
sequence or a purchase/renewal is executed.
Assume that in response to the prompt generated during step 54, the
subscriber designates the product registration option, thereby
triggering the product registration sequence. Upon execution of the
product registration sequence, step 56 is executed, whereupon the
subscriber 12 of FIG. 1 is initially prompted to enter product
information (e.g., the product serial number) that is later
collected and stored. Following step 56, step 58 is executed,
whereupon the subscriber is prompted to enter certain survey
information that may be helpful for marketing purposes. After entry
and collection of the survey information, step 58 is executed and
the subscriber is prompted to purchase additional service if
desired.
Following step 58 step 60 is executed, whereupon the subscriber
receives a password or PIN. Note that step 60 could be executed
directly following step 54, since steps 56 and 58, although
desirable, are nevertheless not critical to managing subscriber
access to the service. After issuance of the password or PIN during
step 60, the appropriate data bases are updated during step 64.
Thereafter, the subscriber-initiated call branches (step 66) to a
branch point (67) within the authorization sequence to be described
hereinafter.
Assume that during step 54, the subscriber 12 of FIG. 1 has chosen
the authorization sequence and now enters a password or PIN. Upon
entry of a password or PIN, the subscriber 12 is offered an
optional service menu (step 68), whereupon the subscriber is first
prompted (step 70) to indicate whether this is the first time the
subscriber has proceeded through the menu. If so, step 72 is
executed and one of the data bases 24 and 25 or the PC server 26 of
FIG. 1 is updated to reflect that this is the first time that the
subscriber has entered the authorization sequence.
Following step 72 (or following step 70 if the subscriber has
previously entered the authorization routine), step 74 is executed,
and a determination is made whether the subscriber-entered password
or PIN is valid. (Note that step 74 could have been executed
immediately after step 68 if no record is to be kept of whether the
subscriber has ever entered the authorization routine.) If the
subscriber-entered password or PIN is not found or is compromised,
then step 76 is executed, and the caller is prompted either to
invoke the automated authorization process described or to reach
the customer service agent 52 of FIG. 1. After the call is
transferred to the agent, the call ends (step 78). The agent may
thereafter update the appropriate data base in a separate
transaction (not shown).
Assume now that the subscriber 12 of FIG. 1 was found to have a
valid password or PIN during step 74. Under this condition, step 84
is executed, and a determination is made whether the subscriber has
a valid access limit. In other words, during step 84 of FIG. 2, a
determination is made whether the subscriber 12 has sufficient
credit to entitle the subscriber to access. If so, program
execution branches to branch point 67. Otherwise, step 86 is
executed, whereupon the subscriber is prompted to renew (i.e., to
pre-pay to obtain additional service). If the subscriber chooses to
renew, then step 87 is executed, whereupon the call branches to
branch point 88. Should the subscriber 12 choose not to renew
during step 86, then step 89 is executed, and the appropriate data
base is updated and thereafter the call is ended (step 90).
If the subscriber 12 of FIG. 1 is determined to have a valid access
limit during step 84, then the call proceeds to branch point 67
whereupon a determination is made (step 92) whether a call count
access limit is reached. Under some circumstances, it may be
desirable to limit the number of accesses that a subscriber 12 may
make within a certain time period and to that end, step 92 is
executed after a call reaches branch point 67. If, upon execution
of step 92, a determination is made that the call count limit of a
subscriber has been reached, then step 94 is executed, whereupon
the appropriate data bases are updated. Following step 94, the call
ends (step 96).
In addition to limiting the number of subscriber accesses, it may
also be desirable to limit the length of service a subscriber may
receive. Thus during step 92, it may be desirable to check the
cumulative amount of service (i.e., call minutes) a subscriber has
thus far received. If the subscriber has already received the
maximum amount of service allowed, then steps 94 and 96 are
executed as described.
Should the call count limit be below the prescribed limit during
step 92 (and the amount of service thus far provided is below the
maximum service limit), then the subscriber is connected to the
service (step 98). Note that if no limits are to exist on the
number of accesses or on the amount of service provided, then step
98 could be executed, after executing (step 86) and determining
that the subscriber had a valid password or PIN. Once the
subscriber ends the service following the connection made during
step 98, then, upon call hang-up, the appropriate data bases are
updated (step 100), whereupon the call ends (step 102).
The routine associated with purchase/renewal of service begins at
branch point 88 which is reached either during step 54, or after
step 87. At branch point 88, the subscriber is prompted to decide
whether he or she wishes to debit his or her credit card (step
104). If so, step 105 is executed and the subscriber's credit card
is debited to the extent authorized by the subscriber. Should the
subscriber not wish to proceed with debiting his or her card, step
106 is executed and an agent (e.g., the agent 52) now intervenes to
assist the subscriber. Following steps 105 or 106, a determination
is made (step 108) whether the subscriber has indeed successfully
made a purchase/renewal. If so, then the appropriate data bases are
updated accordingly and program execution branches (step 112) to
branch point 67 as previously described. Should the subscriber's
purchase/renewal not be authorized, the appropriate data bases are
updated accordingly (step 114) and the call is ended (step
116).
Although not part of the call flow routine of FIG. 2, it should be
appreciated that various information, including credit card data,
is collected by the call platform 20 of FIG. 1 during the call flow
routine of FIG. 2. The target party 18 may receive this data in a
variety of ways. For example, such data may be transferred to the
customer host 34. Alternatively, the active one of the VRUs 24 and
25, or the PC server 26, could transfer subscriber-entered data to
the target party 18 via an ISDN link (not shown).
As may be appreciated from the foregoing description, a method has
been described for controlling a qualified subscriber's access to a
fee-based service, and for enabling an unqualified subscriber to
become qualified and receive service.
It is to be understood that the above-described embodiments are
merely illustrative of the principles of the invention. Various
modifications and changes may be made thereto by those skilled in
the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall
within the spirit and scope thereof. For example, the method of the
invention has been discussed in terms of controlling telephone
access of subscriber to a fee-based service. The method is equally
applicable for controlling access by other types of
telecommunications equipment, such as computer terminals and
set-top boxes.
* * * * *