Apparatus and method for providing dynamic communications network traffic control

Abstract

Systems and methods for controlling traffic on a communications network include dynamic and flexible control plans that enable service providers to control or influence customer access to communications facilities. Communications facilities are monitored to identify network elements, such as cell sites, that are overloaded. When the traffic intensity on a particular facility exceeds a predetermined level, either active or passive control is imposed on subscribers that are in the geographic area of the facility. Active control involves blocking, delaying or disrupting subscriber calls during the critical time period. Passive control involves providing cost incentives or disincentives during low or peak periods of traffic intensity. Customers are notified of the commencement and / or termination of active or passive control preferably via SMS. When implemented with stationary cellular service, the systems and methods aid in traffic engineering and provide opportunities for customers to reduce the cost and increase the accessibility of telephone service.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This patent application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 261,132, entitled “Apparatus and Method for Providing Dynamic Communications Network Traffic Control,” filed on Sep. 27, 2002 and assigned to the same assignee as this application. The aforementioned patent application is expressly incorporated herein, in its entirety, by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to telecommunications, and more particularly, to systems and methods for providing reduced cost cellular service by minimizing the cost of equipment, activation and service. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003]“Plain old telephone service” (POTS) is ubiquitous in much of the world today. For a variety of reasons, however, cellular technology sometimes provides an attractive alternative to POTS, even for customers that do not need the mobility that cellular service inherently provides. For example, a low-income customer such as a college stude...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0017] Certain aspects and features of the various embodiments of the present invention address the problems described above with a cellular apparatus and service that is significantly less expensive to provide, easier to activate, and less expensive to operate. Reductions in cost are achieved by streamlining the cellular device itself, automating the process of activating and servicing the cellular device, and by providing more accurate and flexible rate plans and signals that enable the customer and the service provider to control the cost of service. These measures reduce the cost of providing cellular service and serve the market demand for lower priced cellular service.

[0018] More specifically, one aspect of the present invention is a telephone that includes all of the features necessary to place telephone calls, without certain features that are costly to provide. For instance, in one embodiment, the telephone is a stationary cellular device (SCD). The SCD lacks the unlimited handoff capability that allows ongoing cellular telephone conversations to be passed from any one cell site to any other cell site. Instead, the SCD can only handoff between cell sites in a predefined list of permissible cells. A list of permissible cell sites for a particular SCD is stored locally in a memory in the SCD. Whenever a call is attempted from the SCD, an originating cell identifier and a SCD identifier are cross-referenced in a network database that contains a remote version of the list of permissible cells for that SCD. Alternatively, the originating cell identifier can be compared to the list of cell IDs stored in the memory of the SCD. If the originating cell identifier is in the list of permissible cells for that SCD, the network permits the SCD to place the call. Once a call is connected, the local list of permissible cells determines whether the SCD can handoff to another cell site. The limited handoff feature enables the service provider to control use of system resources, while enabling the user to handoff as needed to place and receive calls in a fixed and predetermined area.

[0021] Yet another aspect of various embodiments of the invention includes flexible rate plans and real-time rate signals that benefit the CSP and the customer by providing real-time traffic control. As used herein, the term “traffic” means the amount of activity during a given period of time over a given communications network element, such as a circuit, cell site, trunk, line or group of lines, or communications switch. The CSP can optimize its network by engineering the cellular network specifically for reduced cost cellular service, rather than overcompensating for statistical peaks in call traffic. Whenever call traffic actually drives network capacity outside of an acceptable range, a CSP can control call traffic by transmitting favorable or prohibitive cost signals, or by delaying or disrupting service to appropriate subscribers. In this manner, aspects of the invention facilitate peak-shifting of customer usage according to actual fluctuations in call traffic.

Problems solved by technology

The SCD lacks the unlimited handoff capability that allows ongoing cellular telephone conversations to be passed from any one cell site to any other cell site.

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