Claims
- 1. A method of integrating billing and services management between a wireless telecommunications carrier and a wireline telecommunications carrier, comprising;
provisioning a call unit sharing plan allowing a user to charge units of wireless usage and units of wireline usage to one calling plan; receiving wireless usage at a wireless carrier; receiving wireline usage at a wireline usage rating platform; routing the wireless usage to the wireline usage rating platform; and if any of the wireless or wireline usage requires a billing charge, charging any of the wireless or wireline usage to the call unit sharing plan.
- 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising preparing a single periodic bill showing charges to the call unit sharing plan associated with the wireless and wireline usage charged to the call unit sharing plan.
- 3. The method of claim 1, prior to charging any of the wireless or wireline usage to the call unit sharing plan, rating the wireless and wireline usage at the wireline usage rating platform to determine whether any of the wireless or wireline usage must be charged to the call unit sharing plan.
- 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising determining whether any of the wireless or wireline usage is associated with calling types requiring no charge.
- 5. The method of claim 4, whereby if any of the wireless or wireline usage is associated with calling types requiring no charge, designating the any of the wireless or wireline usage associated as requiring no charge.
- 6. The method of claim 4, whereby at least some of the wireless usage requires no charge because a wireless call associated with the at least some of the wireless usage requiring no charge was made during a free call period or a different rate call period.
- 7. (Canceled)
- 8. (Canceled)
- 9. (Canceled)
- 10. The method of claim 9, after preparing a single periodic bill further comprising:
settling revenue associated with the single periodic bill between the wireless carrier and the wireline carrier by apportioning an amount of the revenue associated with wireless services during a billing cycle associated with the single periodic bill to the wireless carrier; and apportioning an amount of the revenue associated with wireline services during the billing cycle associated with the single periodic bill to the wireline carrier.
- 11. In a telecommunications system including integrated billing management between a first telecommunications services carrier and a second telecommunications services carrier, a method for synchronizing services between the first and second telecommunications services carriers, comprising:
receiving a services order at a first services ordering platform of the first telecommunications services carrier requiring services changes that affect the second telecommunications services carrier; and notifying the second telecommunications services carrier to provide the services order to the second telecommunications services carrier.
- 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising ensuring that subscriber services at the first telecommunications services carrier are synchronized with subscriber services at the second telecommunications services carrier for any subscriber services affecting both the first and second telecommunications services carriers.
- 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising ensuring that no subscriber services changes are made at the first telecommunications services carrier affecting the second telecommunications services carrier if a responsive services change is not made at the second telecommunications services carrier.
- 14. The method of claim 12, further comprising if a services change is made at the first telecommunications services carrier affecting the second telecommunications services carrier without making a required responsive services change at the second telecommunications services carrier, notifying the second telecommunications carrier of the services change at the first telecommunications services carrier.
- 15. (Canceled)
- 16. The method of claim 11, further comprising sending an integrated fulfillment notification to any subscriber making services changes with either the first telecommunications services carrier or the second telecommunications services carrier where the services changes affect both the first telecommunications services carrier and the second telecommunications services carrier.
- 17. A system for integrating billing and services management between a wireless telecommunications carrier and a wireline telecommunications carrier, comprising;
a wireless carrier billing system operative
to receive wireless call usage associated with wireless calls made via the wireless carrier; to route the wireless call usage to a call usage rating platform at the wireline carrier; the call usage rating platform at the wireline carrier operative to receive wireline call usage associated with wireline calls made via the wireline carrier; to charge any of the wireless or wireline call usage to a subscriber call unit sharing plan if any of the wireless or wireline call usage requires a billing charge; to route rated call usage information for all wireless and wireline call usage requiring billing under the subscriber call unit sharing plan to a wireline carrier billing system; and the wireline carrier billing system operative
to prepare a single periodic bill showing charges to the subscriber call unit sharing plan associated with the wireless and wireline call usage charged to the call unit sharing plan.
- 18. (Canceled)
- 19. A method of integrating billing management between a wireless telecommunications carrier and a wireline telecommunications carrier, comprising;
provisioning a call unit sharing plan allowing a user to charge units of wireless usage and units of wireline usage to one calling plan; receiving wireless usage at a wireless carrier; receiving wireline usage at a wireline usage rating platform; routing the wireless usage to the wireline usage rating platform; rating the wireless and wireline usage at the wireline usage rating platform to determine whether any of the wireless or wireline usage must be charged to the call unit sharing plan if any of the wireless or wireline usage requires a billing charge, charging the any of the wireless or wireline usage to the call unit sharing plan; and preparing a single periodic bill showing charges to the call unit sharing plan associated with the wireless and wireline usage charged to the call unit sharing plan.
- 20. (Canceled)
- 21. (Canceled)
- 22. The method of claim 21, after preparing a single periodic bill, further comprising:
settling revenue associated with the single periodic bill between the wireless carrier and the wireline carrier by apportioning an amount of the revenue associated with wireless services during a billing cycle associated with the single periodic bill to the wireless carrier; and apportioning an amount of the revenue associated with wireline services during the billing cycle associated with the single periodic bill to the wireline carrier.
- 23. A method of integrating billing management between a plurality of telecommunications services systems, comprising;
receiving first call usage associated with calls transacted via a first services system; receiving second call usage associated with calls transacted via a second services system; routing the first call usage and the second call usage to one or more call usage rating platforms; at the one or more call usage rating platforms, determining billing information associated with each of the first and second call usages; routing billing information associated with each of the first and second call usages to a billing system; and preparing a single periodic bill showing charges associated with the first and second call usages.
- 24. The method of claim 23, whereby routing the first call usage and the second call usage to the one or more call usage rating platforms includes routing the first call usage to a first call usage rating platform and routing the second call usage to a second call usage rating platform.
- 25. The method of claim 23, whereby routing the first call usage and the second call usage to the one or more call usage rating platforms includes routing the first call usage and the second call usage to a single call usage rating platform at one of the first of and second services systems.
- 26. A method of integrating billing and services management between a wireless telecommunications carrier and a wireline telecommunications carrier, comprising;
provisioning a call unit sharing plan allowing a user to charge units of wireless usage and units of wireline usage to one calling plan; receiving wireless usage at a wireless carrier; receiving wireline usage at a wireline usage rating platform; receiving the wireless usage at the wireline usage rating platform; and if any of the wireless or wireline usage requires a billing charge, charging any of the wireless or wireline usage to the call unit sharing plan.
- 27. The method of claim 26, further comprising preparing a single periodic bill showing charges to the call unit sharing plan associated with the wireless and wireline usage charged to the call unit sharing plan.
- 28. The method of claim 26, further comprising prior to charging any of the wireless or wireline usage to the call unit sharing plan:
rating each wireless and wireline usage at the wireline usage rating platform to determine whether any usage must be charged to the call unit sharing plan: determining whether any wireless usage or wireline usage is associated with calling types requiring no charge; and in response to any wireless usage or wireline usage being associated with calling types requiring no charge, designating the any wireless usage or wireline usage requiring no charge as requiring no charge.
- 29. A method of integrating billing and services management between a wireless telecommunications carrier and a wireline telecommunications carrier, comprising;
provisioning a call unit sharing plan allowing a user to charge units of wireless usage and units of wireline usage to one calling plan; receiving wireline call usage at a wireline rating platform; receiving wireless call usage at the wireline rating platform; if any of the wireless or wireline call usage requires a billing charge, charging the any of the wireless or wireline call usage requiring a billing charge to the call unit sharing plan; and preparing a single periodic bill showing charges to the call unit sharing plan associated with the wireless and wireline call usage charged to the call unit sharing plan.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims priority from U.S. provisional application No. 60/451,125 entitled “Wireline and Wireless Telephone Service Plan Method and System Including Wireless Minutes Sharing Between Wireless and Wireline Telephones,” filed Feb. 28, 2003, said application incorporated herein by reference.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60451125 |
Feb 2003 |
US |