Patent
System and method for tracking a billing cycle
| العنوان: | System and method for tracking a billing cycle |
|---|---|
| Patent Number: | 8,032,432 |
| تاريخ النشر: | October 04, 2011 |
| Appl. No: | 12/581016 |
| Application Filed: | October 16, 2009 |
| مستخلص: | A system for tracking a billing cycle in a billing system includes a data tracking engine and a rule-based engine. The rule-based engine retrieves information from the billing system during the billing cycle based on a set of rules, and provides the data to the data tracking engine. The data tracking engine generates status information and reports based on the data. The status information and reports can be accessed via a web client to monitor the billing cycle. Additionally, the rule-based engine identifies events in the billing cycle and generates a notification to alert a person if the event is not successfully completed according to a billing schedule. The notification can be accessed via a web client or a wireless communications device. The rule-based engine can subsequently issue an escalated notification to alert another user if the event has not successfully completed at a later time. |
| Inventors: | Brumfield, Pam (Plano, TX, US); Harper, George W. (Garland, TX, US); Reed, Christina (Dallas, TX, US); Coleman, Daniel (Dallas, TX, US); Bell, Alec (Dallas, TX, US) |
| Assignees: | AT&T Mobility II LLC (Atlanta, GA, US) |
| Claim: | 1. A method for tracking a plurality of billing cycle events in a given billing cycle, the method comprising: a tangible data tracking and notification system executing computer-readable code to process a bill according to a billing schedule defined for a billing cycle, the code being executed to perform acts comprising: identifying one of a plurality of billing cycle events set to occur before reaching a milestone during the billing cycle as provided by the billing schedule, wherein: the milestone marks completion of a billing process for which the plurality of billing cycle events are defined; and the billing cycle event has an expected value and a time value associated therewith: the expected value specifying a desired value for the billing cycle event and the time value specifying a time at which the billing cycle event is to have the expected value; determining an actual value for the billing cycle event; comparing the expected value to the actual value at the time specified in the time value to determine whether the expected value has been reached; if the expected value has been reached, marking successful completion of the billing cycle event; and if the expected value has not been reached, issuing a notification to alert a predetermined entity that the expected value has not been reached. |
| Claim: | 2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving the billing schedule, including definitions for the plurality of billing cycle events and the milestone, from a web client in communication with the data tracking and notification system via a computing network. |
| Claim: | 3. The method of claim 2 , wherein receiving the billing schedule, including definitions for the plurality of billing cycle events and the milestone, from the web client comprises receiving the billing schedule as input by a user of the web client. |
| Claim: | 4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving the billing schedule, including definitions for the plurality of billing cycle events and the milestone, from a billing system in communication with the data tracking and notification system via a computing network. |
| Claim: | 5. The method of claim 1 , wherein issuing the notification to alert the predetermined entity that the expected value has not been reached comprises sending the notification to a web client in communication with the data tracking and notification system via a computing network. |
| Claim: | 6. The method of claim 1 , wherein issuing the notification to alert the predetermined entity that the expected value has not been reached comprises sending the notification to a communications device in communication with the data tracking and notification system via a communications link. |
| Claim: | 7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising creating a web page containing indicia representative of the expected value and the actual value for the billing cycle event. |
| Claim: | 8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising creating the web page containing indicia representative of the notification. |
| Claim: | 9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising issuing an escalated notification to alert the predetermined entity that the expected value has not been reached. |
| Claim: | 10. A data tracking and notification system for tracking a plurality of billing cycle events in a given billing cycle, the data tracking and notification system comprising: a tangible rule-based engine configured to execute computer-readable code in order to at least: identify one of a plurality of billing cycle events set to occur before reaching a milestone during the billing cycle as provided by the billing schedule, wherein: the milestone marks completion of a billing process for which the plurality of billing cycle events are defined; and the billing cycle event has an expected value and a time value associated therewith: the expected value specifying a desired value for the billing cycle event and the time value specifying a time at which the billing cycle event is to have the expected value; determine an actual value for the billing cycle event; compare the expected value to the actual value at the time specified in the time value to determine whether the expected value has been reached; if the expected value has been reached, mark successful completion of the billing cycle event; and if the expected value has not been reached, issue a notification to alert a predetermined entity that the expected value has not been reached. |
| Claim: | 11. The data tracking and notification system of claim 10 , wherein the rule-based engine is further configured to: issue an escalated notification to alert the predetermined entity that the expected value has not been reached. |
| Claim: | 12. The data tracking and notification system of claim 10 , wherein the rule-based engine is further configured to receive the billing schedule, including definitions for the plurality of billing cycle events and the milestone, from a web client in communication with the data tracking and notification system via a computing network. |
| Claim: | 13. The data tracking and notification system of claim 12 , wherein the rule-based engine being configured to receive the billing schedule, including definitions for the plurality of billing cycle events and the milestone, from the web client comprises receiving the billing schedule as input by a user of the web client. |
| Claim: | 14. The data tracking and notification system of claim 10 , wherein the rule-based engine is further configured to receive the billing schedule, including definitions for the plurality of billing cycle events and the milestone, from a billing system in communication with the data tracking and notification system via a computing network. |
| Claim: | 15. The data tracking and notification system of claim 10 , wherein the rule-based engine being configured to issue the notification to alert the predetermined entity that the expected value has not been reached comprises the rule-based engine being configured to send the notification to a web client in communication with the data tracking and notification system via a computing network, whereby the predetermined entity has access to the notification by way of the web client. |
| Claim: | 16. The data tracking and notification system of claim 10 , wherein the rule-based engine being configured to issue the notification to alert the predetermined entity that the expected value has not been reached comprises the rule-based engine being configured to send the notification to a communications device in communication with the data tracking and notification system via a communications link, whereby the predetermined entity has access to the notification by way of the communications device. |
| Claim: | 17. The data tracking and notification system of claim 16 , wherein the rule-based engine is further configured to receive an input from the communications device, the input specifying a corrective action to successfully complete the billing cycle event. |
| Claim: | 18. The data tracking and notification system of claim 17 , wherein the rule-based engine is further configured to receive the input specifying a request to disable the billing cycle event in the billing schedule as the corrective action. |
| Claim: | 19. The data tracking and notification system of claim 10 , configured to create a web page containing indicia representative of the expected value and the actual value for the billing cycle event. |
| Claim: | 20. A tangible computer program product for tracking a plurality, of billing cycle events in a given billing cycle, the tangible computer program product comprising computer-executable code executable by a processor to perform acts comprising: identifying one of a plurality of billing cycle events set to occur before reaching a milestone during the billing cycle as provided by the billing schedule, wherein: the milestone marks completion of a billing process for which the plurality of billing cycle events are defined; and the billing cycle event has an expected value and a time value associated therewith: the expected value specifying a desired value for the billing cycle event and the time value specifying a time at which the billing cycle event is to have the expected value; determining an actual value for the billing cycle event; comparing the expected value to the actual value at the time specified in the time value to determine whether the expected value has been reached; if the expected value has been reached, marking successful completion of the billing cycle event; and if the expected value has not been reached, issuing a notification to alert a predetermined entity that the expected value has not been reached. |
| Current U.S. Class: | 705/34 |
| Other References: | U.S. Appl. No. 10/693,311, filed Oct. 24, 2003, Brumfield et al. cited by other |
| Primary Examiner: | Champagne, Luna |
| Attorney, Agent or Firm: | Parks IP Law LLC Murray, Esq., Mickki D. |
| رقم الانضمام: | edspgr.08032432 |
| قاعدة البيانات: | USPTO Patent Grants |
| الوصف غير متاح. |