Separable Voice Billing for Business and Personal Airtime Use
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Solution Overview
Problem
Businesses face challenges in managing cellular phone bills as they often incur costs for both business and personal calls, making it difficult to negotiate lower airtime contracts, and they are hesitant to provide phones to a broader range of employees due to uncertainty about airtime usage exceeding allotted limits.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system that allows for separable billing by using a remote station apparatus with a calling control subsystem to determine if a call is to an approved number, allowing business calls to be billed to the company and personal calls to be billed to the user, with user authorization for non-approved numbers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If businesses provide cellular telephones to a broader range of employees, then employee accessibility and communication capability are improved, but airtime usage is likely to exceed negotiated allotments and incur additional expenses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments airtime usage into business calls and personal calls by implementing separate billing accounts. The system divides the telephone usage into distinct categories that can be tracked and billed separately, allowing businesses to control and monitor airtime consumption while enabling employees to use phones for both business and personal purposes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary billing system that acts as a mediator between the employee and the carrier. This intermediary system automatically tracks calls, determines whether they are business or personal in nature, and routes charges to appropriate accounts, thereby preventing direct control issues while ensuring proper cost allocation.
2Loss of energy
If businesses negotiate lower airtime contracts with expected usage limits, then monthly airtime costs are reduced, but the business cannot confidently provide phones to more employees due to uncertainty about exceeding limits
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms through automated billing systems that provide real-time or periodic information about airtime consumption. The system tracks usage against negotiated limits, notifies when thresholds are approaching, and provides detailed breakdowns of business versus personal usage, enabling businesses to make informed decisions about phone distribution and contract negotiations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by establishing pre-negotiated airtime allotments and billing thresholds before employees begin using their phones. The system pre-configures billing parameters, sets usage limits, and prepares automated monitoring, allowing businesses to confidently expand phone distribution knowing that cost control measures are already in place.
3Ease of operation
If businesses pay for all calls made on provided cellular telephones, then employees have unrestricted communication capability, but businesses incur costs for personal calls that could be billed to employees personally
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the billing responsibility by creating separate accounts for business and personal calls. The system automatically categorizes calls based on various criteria (time, location, recipient, duration) and assigns charges to appropriate accounts, maintaining ease of communication while ensuring that personal calls are billed to employees personally rather than business funds.
Data Source
AI summary
Separable billing of business and non-business calls to/from a remote station or wireless communications device is provided. Business calls may be billed to the business, or other entity that provides a telephone to a user, and non-business calls may be billed to a user personally. When a call is desired to be connected, it is determined if the number of the call is a business number. If the number is a business number, the call is placed and billed to the business. If the number is not a business number, the call is placed and billed to the user when the user approves personal billing for the call. If the user does not approve personal billing of a non-business call, the call may be denied.