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).

  • Publication number: 20110275346
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: May 5, 2011
    Publication date: November 10, 2011
    Inventors: Jeffrey B. Fraser, Kenneth W. Sonberg, Kishore Rajasekharuni, Arun Kumar
  • Patent number: 7486945
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignee: Boston Communications Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul Senn, Thomas Erskine, John Cooper, Kenneth W. Sonberg
  • Patent number: 7218912
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2007
    Assignee: Boston Communications Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Erskine, Kenneth W. Sonberg, Luther Rudisill
  • Patent number: 7206569
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2007
    Assignee: Boston Communications Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Erskine, Kenneth W. Sonberg, Luther Rudisill
  • Patent number: 7197321
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2007
    Assignee: Boston Communications Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Erskine, Kenneth W. Sonberg, Luther Rudisill
  • Publication number: 20040192297
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2004
    Publication date: September 30, 2004
    Inventors: Thomas Erskine, Kenneth W. Sonberg, Marco A. Terry, John R. Cooper, John W. Hayes
  • Publication number: 20040171368
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2004
    Publication date: September 2, 2004
    Applicant: Boston Communications Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul Senn, Thomas Erskine, John Cooper, Kenneth W. Sonberg
  • Publication number: 20040166878
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2004
    Publication date: August 26, 2004
    Applicant: Boston Communications Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Erskine, Kenneth W. Sonberg, Luther Rudisill
  • Patent number: 6704563
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2004
    Assignee: Boston Communications Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul Senn, Thomas Erskine, John Cooper, Kenneth W. Sonberg
  • Patent number: 5440614
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 8, 1995
    Assignee: Electronic Data Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth W. Sonberg, Timothy A. Bein
  • Patent number: 5335265
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 2, 1994
    Assignee: Electronic Data Systems Corporation
    Inventors: John R. Cooper, Kenneth W. Sonberg
  • Patent number: 5142654
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 1990
    Date of Patent: August 25, 1992
    Assignee: Appex Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth W. Sonberg, Timothy A. Bein