Method and System for Family Plan Sharing of Wireless Services

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016249196-A1
Application number	US-201615049318-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 22, 2016
Priority date	Feb 20, 2015
Publication date	Aug 25, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system and process of sharing a wireless surface allotment in a third party wireless network includes implementing a metering system to meter wireless service usage by users of the third party wireless network and tracking wireless usage by a plurality of wireless devices associated with the metering system. The system and process further includes receiving a share request to reallocate the respective wireless service allotment for at least two of the plurality of wireless devices, forwarding modification instructions to the metering system, requesting confirmation from the metering system that the modification instructions have been received, and modifying the respective wireless service allotments for the at least two wireless devices in response to receiving confirmation from the metering system.

First claim

1 . A process of sharing a wireless surface allotment in a third party wireless network, the process comprising the steps of:
implementing a metering system to meter wireless service usage by users of the third party wireless network; tracking wireless usage by a plurality of wireless devices associated with the metering system; receiving a share request to reallocate the respective wireless service allotment for at least two of the plurality of wireless devices; forwarding modification instructions to the metering system; requesting confirmation from the metering system that the modification instructions have been received; and modifying the respective wireless service allotments based on an exchange rate for the at least two of the plurality of wireless devices in response to receiving confirmation from the metering system.

2 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the modifying the respective wireless service allotments comprises modification instructions sent as data.

3 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the modifying the respective wireless service allotments comprises modification instructions sent as non-data.

4 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the metering system is implemented in a network.

5 . The process of tracking usage of a wireless device according to claim 1 wherein the metering system is implemented in at least one of the plurality of wireless devices.

6 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the metering system is implemented in the third party wireless network.

7 . The process of tracking usage of a wireless device according to claim 1 wherein the metering system is implemented in at least one of the plurality of wireless devices, the third party wireless network, and a network.

8 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the receiving a share request comprises receiving a share request from a one of the plurality of wireless devices.

9 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the receiving a share request comprises receiving a share request from an Internet-based account of one of the plurality of wireless devices.

10 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the receiving a share request comprises receiving a share request from an application associated with one of the plurality of wireless devices.

11 . A wireless network provider system configured to share a wireless service allotment of a plurality of wireless devices in a third party wireless network comprising:
a metering system configured to measure usage of wireless services of the third party wireless network by the plurality of wireless devices; the metering system being further configured to receive a share request to reallocate the respective usage allotment for at least two of the plurality of wireless devices; and the metering system being further configured to modify the respective usage allotments based on exchange rate for the at least two of the plurality of wireless devices in response to receiving confirmation from the at least two of the plurality of wireless devices.

12 . The system according to claim 11 , wherein the metering system is configured to modify the respective wireless service allotments in response to modification instructions sent as data.

13 . The system according to claim 11 , wherein the metering system is configured to modify the respective wireless service allotments in response to modification instructions sent as non-data.

14 . The system according to claim 11 , wherein the metering system is implemented in a network.

15 . The system of tracking usage of a wireless device according to claim 11 wherein the metering system is implemented in at least one of the plurality of wireless devices.

16 . The system according to claim 11 , wherein the metering system is implemented in the third party wireless network.

17 . The system of tracking usage of a wireless device according to claim 11 wherein the metering system is implemented in at least one of the plurality of wireless devices, the third party wireless network, and a network.

18 . The system according to claim 11 , wherein the metering system is configured to receive a share request that comprises receiving a share request from a one of the plurality of wireless devices.

19 . The system according to claim 11 , wherein the metering system is configured to receive a share request that comprises receiving a share request from an Internet-based account of one of the plurality of wireless devices.

20 . The system according to claim 11 , wherein the metering system is configured to receive a share request that comprises receiving a share request from an application associated with one of the plurality of wireless devices.

Assignees

• Tracfone Wireless Inc

Inventors

• Collier John

Classifications

• H04M15/80

  Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects · CPC title

• H04W4/24 Primary

  Accounting or billing · CPC title

• H04M15/09

  Third party charged communications · CPC title

• G06Q20/322

  Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices] · CPC title

• H04M15/765

  Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices · CPC title