The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 13, 2009
Filed:
Apr. 19, 2006
Jeffery Mau, Kansas City, MO (US);
Jesse M. Kates, Kansas City, MO (US);
Jeffery Mau, Kansas City, MO (US);
Jesse M. Kates, Kansas City, MO (US);
Sprint Spectrum L.P., Overland Park, KS (US);
Abstract
An improved billing system for communication service is disclosed. A printed and/or online invoice will be generated for a subscriber's account and will be structured to include a visual gauge that depicts the extent of use for the billing period at issue. More particularly, the visual gauge will take the form of a table or listing that shows a continuum of possible time-increment or data-increment-ranges and that shows, for each range, the associated cost. The visual gauge will then include a visual marker that highlights or otherwise points out the increment-range into which the subscriber's use fell in the billing period at issue. Conveniently, the invention thus enables a subscriber to readily visualize where the subscriber's use fell within the continuum of possible increment-ranges.