Patents by Inventor Kenneth W. Sonberg
Kenneth W. Sonberg has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Publication number: 20110275346Abstract: An advertising subsidized communication service is provided that can be utilized by eligible subscribers in instances designated by mobile operators or advertisers. An eligible subscriber that meets certain criteria, such as having a low pre-paid balance, can opt-in to an advertising subsidized service initiated through an SCP proxy for the advertising service platform. The subscriber receives advertising through selected channels, such as voice injection, text messaging or other media, which advertising subsidizes subscriber communication service. The subsidized service may be limited in some regard to number of calls, call duration or incoming calls, as examples. The subscriber may be automatically opted-out of the subsidized service upon payment being applied to a pre-paid for post-paid service account. The opt-in process for subsidized service occurs in real-time and may be prompted through a number of channels, such as voice or text messages.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 5, 2011Publication date: November 10, 2011Inventors: Jeffrey B. Fraser, Kenneth W. Sonberg, Kishore Rajasekharuni, Arun Kumar
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Patent number: 7486945Abstract: Systems and methods for preparing communication events, such as telephone calls, for prepaying customers are described. The systems and methods permit, at the beginning of a communication event, the determination of a time limit for the event based on the available balance in a prepayment account associated with the event.Type: GrantFiled: March 8, 2004Date of Patent: February 3, 2009Assignee: Boston Communications Group, Inc.Inventors: Paul Senn, Thomas Erskine, John Cooper, Kenneth W. Sonberg
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Patent number: 7218912Abstract: A system for controlling wireless phone usage enables a supervisor to establish user profiles for supervised users of wireless phones across a range of parameters which are stored in a user profile database. Such parameters may include one or more locations at which use of the wireless phone is restricted or permitted. In addition, restrictions on phone use may be provided based upon total phone usage within a specified control period, time periods, dates or days of the week during which phone use is restricted or permitted. One or more lists including numbers that are always-accessible may be provided and one or more lists including numbers that are never-accessible may also be provided. In the event a call does not satisfy predefined criteria, the call is blocked. Predetermined messages may be played to the called or calling party as applicable when a call is blocked.Type: GrantFiled: March 9, 2006Date of Patent: May 15, 2007Assignee: Boston Communications Group, Inc.Inventors: Thomas Erskine, Kenneth W. Sonberg, Luther Rudisill
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Patent number: 7206569Abstract: A system for controlling wireless phone usage enables a supervisor to establish user profiles for supervised users of wireless phones across a range of parameters which are stored in a user profile database. Such parameters may include one or more locations at which use of the wireless phone is restricted or permitted. In addition, restrictions on phone use may be provided based upon total phone usage within a specified control period, time periods, dates or days of the week during which phone use is restricted or permitted. One or more lists including numbers that are always-accessible may be provided and one or more lists including numbers that are never-accessible may also be provided. In the event a call does not satisfy predefined criteria, the call is blocked. Predetermined messages may be played to the called or calling party as applicable when a call is blocked.Type: GrantFiled: March 9, 2006Date of Patent: April 17, 2007Assignee: Boston Communications Group, Inc.Inventors: Thomas Erskine, Kenneth W. Sonberg, Luther Rudisill
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Patent number: 7197321Abstract: A system for controlling wireless phone usage enables a supervisor to establish user profiles for supervised users of wireless phones across a range of parameters which are stored in a user profile database. Such parameters may include one or more locations at which use of the wireless phone is restricted or permitted. In addition, restrictions on phone use may be provided based upon total phone usage within a specified control period, time periods, dates or days of the week during which phone use is restricted or permitted. One or more lists including numbers that are always-accessible may be provided and one or more lists including numbers that are never-accessible may also be provided. In the event a call does not satisfy predefined criteria, the call is blocked. Predetermined messages may be played to the called or calling party as applicable when a call is blocked.Type: GrantFiled: February 23, 2004Date of Patent: March 27, 2007Assignee: Boston Communications Group, Inc.Inventors: Thomas Erskine, Kenneth W. Sonberg, Luther Rudisill
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Publication number: 20040192297Abstract: A system and method for allowing wireless carriers to implement intelligent spending-limited products to their post-paid subscribers. The system and method can be deployed separate from but cooperative with legacy billing environments or integrated with a carrier's billing and customer care suite. The system reduces latency in collecting and rating event-related data for roaming and local spending limits subscribers, enables selective deployment of real-time subscriber management based upon a carrier-definable threshold matrix, provides proactive messaging premised upon various account-related metrics, and enables the acceptance and immediate crediting of subscriber payments.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 12, 2004Publication date: September 30, 2004Inventors: Thomas Erskine, Kenneth W. Sonberg, Marco A. Terry, John R. Cooper, John W. Hayes
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Publication number: 20040171368Abstract: Systems and methods for prerating communication events, such as telephone calls, for prepaying customers are described. The systems and methods permit, at the beginning of a communication event, the determination of a time limit for the event based on the available balance in a prepayment account associated with the event.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 8, 2004Publication date: September 2, 2004Applicant: Boston Communications Group, Inc.Inventors: Paul Senn, Thomas Erskine, John Cooper, Kenneth W. Sonberg
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Publication number: 20040166878Abstract: A system for controlling wireless phone usage enables a supervisor to establish user profiles for supervised users of wireless phones across a range of parameters which are stored in a user profile database. Such parameters may include one or more locations at which use of the wireless phone is restricted or permitted. In addition, restrictions on phone use may be provided based upon total phone usage within a specified control period, time periods, dates or days of the week during which phone use is restricted or permitted. One or more lists including numbers that are always-accessible may be provided and one or more lists including numbers that are never-accessible may also be provided. In the event a call does not satisfy predefined criteria, the call is blocked. Predetermined messages may be played to the called or calling party as applicable when a call is blocked.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 23, 2004Publication date: August 26, 2004Applicant: Boston Communications Group, Inc.Inventors: Thomas Erskine, Kenneth W. Sonberg, Luther Rudisill
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Patent number: 6704563Abstract: Systems and methods for prerating communication events, such as telephone calls, for prepaying customers are described. The systems and methods permit, at the beginning of a communication event, the determination of a time limit for the event based on the available balance in a prepayment account associated with the event.Type: GrantFiled: August 11, 1999Date of Patent: March 9, 2004Assignee: Boston Communications Group, Inc.Inventors: Paul Senn, Thomas Erskine, John Cooper, Kenneth W. Sonberg
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Patent number: 5440614Abstract: Disclosed is a system and method for enabling a cellular telephone subscriber located in a foreign service area to designate how calls placed to the subscriber should be handled by entering selections (such as call forwarding, caller notification) from the keyboard of his mobile telephone set. When these selections are received by a foreign service MTSO, the foreign service MTSO validates the roaming subscriber and the services that are available to the subscriber and then notifies the home MTSO how calls received at the home site should be handled. If the caller is to receive calls in the foreign service area (either forwarded calls or direct calls to the foreign service area), the foreign MTSO assigns a temporary roaming number to the subscriber for use in the foreign service area after the subscriber has been validated.Type: GrantFiled: August 25, 1994Date of Patent: August 8, 1995Assignee: Electronic Data Systems CorporationInventors: Kenneth W. Sonberg, Timothy A. Bein
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Patent number: 5335265Abstract: This apparatus operates to discern temporal and spatial anomalies in the use of subscriber numbers in the cellular mobile telephone system. The detection of such anomalies is typically indicative of attempted fraudulent access to the cellular mobile telephone system via cloning of valid subscriber numbers. The detection of a bogus subscriber unit is accomplished by recording the call origination and termination patterns associated with the subscriber number. The cloning detection apparatus makes use of call origination data to identify concurrent call originations or receptions for a single subscriber number. However, such events represent only a small portion of the fraudulent calls and a more extensive analysis is typically required to identify subscriber number cloning. This further analysis includes a spatial analysis of successive call activity for a subscriber number.Type: GrantFiled: June 30, 1993Date of Patent: August 2, 1994Assignee: Electronic Data Systems CorporationInventors: John R. Cooper, Kenneth W. Sonberg
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Patent number: 5142654Abstract: Disclosed is a system and method for enabling a cellular telephone subscriber located in a foreign service area to designate how calls placed to the subscriber should be handled by entering selections (such as call forwarding, caller notification) from the keyboard of his mobile telephone set. When these selections are received by a foreign service MTSO, the foreign service MTSO validates the roaming subscriber and the services that are available to the subscriber and then notifies the home MTSO how calls received at the home site should be handled. If the caller is to receive calls in the foreign service area (either forwarded calls or direct calls to the foreign service area), the foreign MTSO assigns a temporary roaming number to the subscriber for use in the foreign service area after the subscriber has been validated.Type: GrantFiled: August 9, 1990Date of Patent: August 25, 1992Assignee: Appex CorporationInventors: Kenneth W. Sonberg, Timothy A. Bein