Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc.

Verizon Business Global LLC

Mci, Inc.

Jon E Abel

Gregory Lee Mumford

Richard Garrett Moore

Duraisamy Gunasekar

Shawn Edward Wiederin

Lonnie Scott Clabaugh

Anna Marie Appleby

Kolin G Hogue

Radhika Gunasekar

John M Leslein

David A Fitzgerald

Prepaid services include associating a plurality of users with a prepaid services account. The account is configured to track a prepaid balance associated with the account as well as to allow at least a subset of the plurality of users associated with the account to draw down the prepaid balance at least generally at the same time. Drawing down the prepaid balance includes allocating a portion of the prepaid balance to each respective user, monitoring a provision of service, and repeating, selectively, the allocating and monitoring.

Systems and methods for providing multiple simultaneous calls from the same prepaid account

Methods relating to prepaid services include determining an unlocked status of an account configured to track usage of prepaid services. The methods further include locking the account for a length of time after the determining step. The methods further include providing, for a service period, a service to a user associated with the account subsequent to the locking step, and continuously extending the locking for an additional length of time throughout the service period.

Lease model for avoiding permanent card locking

Prepaid services include a multi-user prepaid services account as well as a prepaid balance associated with the account. A plurality of user records associated with the account each includes a quota. A service monitoring component may be configured to repeatedly draw down the prepaid balance by providing one or more allocations of the prepaid balance during a service period to a user associated with a respective user record.

Prepaid services accounts with multi-user customers and individualized quotas

An approach for providing an on-line directory assistance service system for charging for directory assistance services that are provided over a packet switched network is disclosed. The system includes a server that tracks the number of directory listings that are transmitted to and displayed on a client access device (e.g., non-PC devices) and to prepare billing information based upon the number of directory listings. The system also includes a database that is coupled to the server and that stores the directory listings.

Method for charging on-line directory assistance services

An approach for providing an on-line directory assistance services is disclosed. An on-line directory assistance system includes a server that receives a request message for information over a packet switched network from an access device. The server forwards the information to the access device in response to the request message, wherein the information includes basic content data and optional enhanced content data. The system also includes a database that stores the information. Further, the server selectively receives a modification message to modify the enhanced content data associated with the information from the access device. The server then updates the database based upon the modification message.

On-line directory assistance system

An approach for providing retrieval of information over a packet switched network is disclosed. A client is configured to transmit a request message for information over the packet switched network. A stateless-server is configured to communicate with the client and to forward a portion of the information to the client in response to the request message, wherein the client transmits a selection message specifying whether the remaining portion of the information should be retrieved from the server. The server selectively forwards the remaining portion of the information to the client. The above approach has particular applicability to a communication system providing directory assistance services.

Growing community of inventors

Cedar Rapids, IA, United States of America

Jon E Abel