United States Patent [19]
`Hennessy et al.
`
`US005991376A
`[11] Patent Number:
`[45] Date of Patent:
`
`5,991,376
`*Nov. 23, 1999
`
`[54] SUBSCRIBER REWARD METHOD
`
`[56]
`
`References Cited
`
`[75] Inventors: Linda Hennessy, Madison; Steve L.
`Safran, Whitehouse Station, both of
`
`US' PATENT DOCUMENTS
`4/1996 Hamrick, Jr. ......................... .. 379/144
`
`5,504,808
`
`NJ.
`
`Assigneez
`
`Corp‘, New York,
`
`[ * ]
`
`.
`Notice:
`
`_
`_
`_
`This patent issued on a continued pros-
`ecution application ?led under 37 CFR
`1~53(d)> and is Sublefn to Ah; twsenty Year
`pgté‘egeiltxzterm provisions 0 3
`U.S.C.
`
`[21] Appl' NO‘: 08/858’936
`[22]
`Filed:
`May 20’ 1997
`
`Int. Cl.6 .................................................. .. H04M 15/00
`[51]
`[52] US. Cl. ..................... .. 379/114; 379/93.11; 379/111;
`379/121; 379/125
`of Search ................................... ..
`379/113, 114—115, 121, 124, 126, 130,
`133—134, 139, 140, 143—144, 93.13, 127,
`125
`
`5,608,785
`
`3/1997 Kasday . . . . . . . . . . .
`
`5,639,088
`
`6/1997 Schneider et al.
`
`. . . . . .. 379/90
`
`.. 237/138 2
`
`. . . .. 379/114
`5,675,636 10/1997 Gray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
`.. 379/93.12
`5,729,693
`3/1998 Holda-Fleck
`5,734,838
`3/1998 Robinson et al. .................... .. 395/214
`Primary Examiner_cur?s A_ KuntZ
`Assistant Examiner_Binh K Tieu
`Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Robert B. Levy
`[57]
`ABSTRACT
`
`A subscriber (12) of a communications carrier is rewarded
`upon meeting certain criterion. Upon receipt of the subscrib
`er’s call, the carrier accesses a pro?le for the subscriber
`indicative of the subscriber’s relationship With the carrier.
`Based on the information in the pro?le, as Well as any
`external Criterion the Carrier may impose, the Carrier detep
`mines Whether the Subscriber is eligible for a reward, and if
`so, then provides an announcement of the reWard during the
`ea]]_ The Carrier then provides the reward,
`may be a
`reWard of communications of service.
`
`22 Claims, 1 Drawing Sheet
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`10
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`DATABASE 1
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`16
`1
`ORIG. /
`TOLL
`SWITCH
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`\
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`[6"
`TERM
`TOLL
`SWITCH
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`GTL 1003
`IPR of U.S. Patent 6,636,591
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Nov. 23, 1999
`
`5,991,376
`
`FIG. 1
`
`
`12 .__..
`IPEW
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`2&1 '
`LOCCOAL
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`DATABASE
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`ORIG.
`TOLL
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`

`

`1
`SUBSCRIBER REWARD METHOD
`
`TECHNICAL FIELD
`
`This invention relates to a technique for providing an
`instantaneous reward to a communications subscriber.
`
`BACKGROUND ART
`Today, communications service, and especially, inter
`exchange communications service, has become intensely
`competitive. In the past only a single carrier provided
`inter-exchange service, but noW there are many inter
`exchange carriers, all competing for the same subscribers.
`To increase market share, many inter-exchange carriers
`provide various incentives, including service discounts and
`outright cash payments. Unfortunately, such incentive pro
`grams are expensive, and often lead to “churning” Whereby
`some subscribers enroll With an inter-exchange carrier to
`take advantage of an incentive, and then sWitch to another
`carrier to enjoy the incentive offered by that carrier.
`Given the high cost of acquiring neW subscribers, it is
`generally cheaper to retain existing subscribers. To that end,
`inter-exchange carriers maintain and advertise different loy
`alty programs in an effort to reWard loyal subscribers.
`Advertising, particularly on television, and in print, is
`expensive, and it is often difficult to maintain an ongoing
`campaign for a long period of time because of funding
`constraints and changing priorities. Direct mail advertising
`is also expensive and often may not yield high subscriber
`aWareness of a particular loyalty program.
`Present-day loyalty programs also suffer the disadvantage
`of requiring that the subscriber respond in a particular
`manner to obtain the reWard. For example, some programs
`require that the subscriber make arrangements With their
`inter-exchange carrier in advance via mail or phone before
`the subscriber may enjoy the reWard. To enable their sub
`scribers to take advantage of various reWard programs, the
`inter-exchange carriers must provide the necessary support
`personnel to manage and maintain such programs, increas
`ing overall costs.
`Moreover, some subscribers, for What ever reason, fail to
`redeem the loyalty reWard issued by their inter-exchange
`carrier, especially if the subscriber perceives the redemption
`process as being onerous. While the carrier may derive a
`?nancial bene?t if subscribers fail to redeem their loyalty
`reWard, subscribers Who do not redeem Will not associate
`any bene?t in remaining loyal to the carrier that offered the
`reWard. If subscribers fail to redeem their loyalty reWard, the
`inter-exchange carrier providing the reWards may not
`achieve its goal of retaining such subscribers.
`Another problem With many inter-exchange carrier
`reWard programs is that such programs fail to provide the
`subscriber With instant grati?cation. For example, a reWard
`program that offers subscribers a discount at various mer
`chants provides no immediate grati?cation unless the sub
`scribers intend to purchase something from an eligible
`merchant at that very instant. It is far more likely that a
`subscriber receiving a discount coupon for merchandise Will
`likely store the coupon, and after a brief interval, may even
`forget about its existence.
`Inter-exchange communications carriers may not be the
`only type of communications carrier that may be required to
`offer a reWard program. As local service communications
`carriers begin to compete among themselves for subscribers,
`such carriers may also be forced to institute reWard pro
`grams. Similarly, INTERNET service providers may also be
`forced to institute reWard programs.
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`5,991,376
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`Thus, there is a need for a reWard technique for subscrib
`ers of a communications carrier that requires substantially
`little effort on the part of the carrier and provides immediate
`grati?cation to the subscriber.
`
`BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`Brie?y, in accordance With the invention, a method is
`provided for reWarding loyal subscribers of a communica
`tions carrier, such as an inter-exchange carrier, local service
`provider, or INTERNET service provider, in a manner that
`provides immediate grati?cation. When the subscriber
`makes a call, the communications carrier receives the call in
`its netWork and thereafter establishes a pro?le for the
`subscriber that re?ects the subscriber’s relationship With the
`carrier. In practice, the pro?le may contain information
`indicative of the subscriber’s tenure With the carrier, the
`subscriber’s billing volume, and a record Whether the sub
`scriber received any reWards a during a past interval. Using
`the subscriber’s pro?le, in part, the carrier then determines
`Whether the subscriber is eligible to receive a reWard of
`communications services. For example, a subscriber may be
`eligible for a reWard if the subscriber meets the folloWing
`criterion: (a) a long tenure With the carrier, (b) an average
`bill above a pre-determined threshold; and (c) no receipt of
`any previous reWards Within a past interval, say thirty days.
`Additionally, although not necessarily, the carrier may
`impose other criterion independent of the subscriber’s pro
`?le. For instance, the carrier, for marketing purposes, may
`only offer reWards during speci?c time periods to subscrib
`ers Within a particular geographic region. Also, the carrier
`may only offer a reWard for certain types of calls, say
`international long distance, or domestic long distance, as
`opposed to other types of calls Further, the carrier may
`readily vary the criterion for determining reWard eligibility
`so that one or more previously imposed requirements noW
`may not be necessary. For example, a carrier may issue a
`reWard of communications service even if the subscriber
`lacks tenure With the carrier. In this Way, the neW subscribers
`can be reWarded for acquisition purposes, in addition to, or
`even in place of, reWarding existing customers for loyalty.
`If the subscriber meets the criterion established for a
`reWard, then the carrier alerts the subscriber of the reWard
`via a message played during the call. For example, the
`carrier may chose to reWard the subscriber With communi
`cations services. One Way in Which a carrier could offer such
`a reWard of communication services is for the carrier to
`credit part or all of the cost of the subscriber’s current call.
`Alternatively, the carrier could provide the subscriber With
`a credit toWards the cost of the subscriber’s next call. Other
`reWards could also be offered, in the form of merchandise or
`services provided to the subscriber through a ful?llment
`process. While such reWards aren’t able to be offered
`immediately, in contrast to a reWard of telecommunications
`services, such reWards Would be announced in the manner
`described above, thereby accomplishing the advantage of
`immediate grati?cation as is also achieved by the reWard of
`telecommunications services.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
`
`FIG. 1 illustrates a netWork maintained by a communi
`cations carrier capable of providing a reWard of communi
`cations services to a subscriber placing a call through the
`netWork.
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`DETAILED DESCRIPTION
`FIG. 1 discloses a netWork 10 maintained by a commu
`nications carrier for providing communications service to
`
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`5,991,376
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`10
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`subscribers, represented by telephone sets 12 and 14. In the
`illustrated embodiment, the network 10 provides inter
`eXchange service, and thus, the network is typically main
`tained by an Inter-exchange (IXC) carrier, such as AT&T. To
`carry inter-exchange traf?c, the network 10 includes a
`plurality of toll switching systems 161—16n (where n is an
`integer), each switching system connected to at least one
`other switching system by at least one trunk group 18.
`Additionally, the network 10 also includes a Common
`Channel Signaling System (not shown), such as the AT&T
`Common Channel Signaling System 7, for communicating
`signaling messages between and among the toll switching
`systems 161—16n. While the illustrated network 10 depicts a
`single pair of toll switching systems 161 and 16” (designated
`by the terms Originating and Terminating, respectively), the
`network may include additional toll switching systems for
`carrying calls. In the preferred embodiment, each of the toll
`switching systems 161—16n comprises a mode 4ESS switch
`ing system formerly manufactured by AT&T, although other
`switching systems could be used to practice the invention.
`Each of the subscribers 12 and 14 receives local telephone
`service (i.e., dial tone) via a separate one of local central
`of?ce switching systems 201 and 202, respectively, each
`typically a No. 5ESS central of?ce switch, although other
`switching systems are available for this purpose.
`Traditionally, local service has been the province of the
`Local Exchange Carrier serving each subscriber, and for this
`reason, the central of?ce switching systems 201 and 202 have
`not been depicted as comprising part of the IXC network 10.
`However, as various IXC carriers, including AT&T, provide
`local service to subscribers, such as the subscribers 12 and
`14, one or both of the local switching systems 201 and 202
`may be partly or wholly under the dominion and control of
`the IXC carrier, and under such circumstances, may be
`considered part of the network 10.
`Assuming that the subscribers 12 and 14 reside in differ
`ent Local Access Transport Areas (LATA) for telephone call
`handling purposes, a telephone call initiated by the sub
`scriber 12 to telephone number associated with the sub
`scriber 14 ?rst passes to from the telephone set of the
`subscriber 12 to the local central of?ce switching system
`201. Based on the dialed number, the local telephone switch
`ing system 201 knows that the call is an inter-exchange call
`and must be routed to an inter-exchange network, such as
`network 10 in FIG. 1. Hence, the local telephone switching
`system 201 hands off the call dialed to the subscriber 14 to
`the IXC network 10 for receipt at the toll switching system
`161. The toll switching system 161 receiving the call is
`referred to as the Originating toll switching system because
`the call is deemed to originate therefrom with regard to the
`network 10.
`Assuming that the Originating toll switch 161 posses the
`requisite call processing capability, the switching system 161
`may consult with a data base 24, referred to in the AT&T
`Network as a Network Control Point (NCP) to determine
`55
`what if any special handling is necessary for the call.
`Typically, the switching system 161 queries the data base 24
`via a signaling link 25 comprising part of the Common
`Channel Signaling System referred to previously.
`Thereafter, the toll switching system 161 determines the
`destination for the call and then routes the call, either
`directly, or through one or more via toll switching systems
`(not shown) to the Terminating (destination) toll switching
`system 16” serving the subscriber 14. The toll switching
`system 16” routes the call to the subscriber 14, via the local
`switching system 202. (Note that if the Originating toll
`switching system 161 lacked the requisite call processing
`
`4
`capability to process the incoming call, then the call would
`be handed off to a “hand-off” toll switching system (not
`shown) that would process the call (e.g., make the necessary
`data base inquiry) and thereafter route the call to the toll
`switching system 16”.)
`Upon receipt of the call, the Originating toll switching
`system 161 (or a hand-off switching system as discussed)
`keeps a billing record for the call. The billing record includes
`the identity (i.e., originating number), the destination
`number, the time when the call started and ended. Following
`call completion, the billing information is transferred to an
`Automatic Messaging Accounting (AMA) system 26. The
`AMA system 26 takes the billing record and establishes the
`cost for the call, taking into account the duration of the call,
`the appropriate rating (per-unit charge) together with any
`discount or other call billing information. The call charges
`established by the AMA 26 are billed to the subscriber.
`In accordance with the invention, the network 10, as
`described, can advantageously be utiliZed to provide an
`instantaneous reward to subscribers (e.g., subscribers 12 and
`14) for retention or even acquisition purposes. To facilitate
`rewarding subscribers (as determined from various criterion
`discussed below), the network 10 stores pro?les of its
`subscribers (i.e., the subscribers pre-subscribed to the
`carrier) in the data base 24, or another data base (not shown)
`accessible to the Originating toll switching system 161 (or
`the hand-off toll switching system). It is possible that a
`subscriber may not be pre-subscribed to the carrier but
`nonetheless utiliZe the carrier by dialing the carrier’s access
`code (e.g., 10288 in the case of AT&T). For that reason, it
`may be desirable to maintain a pro?le for subscribers that are
`not pre-subscribed to the carrier but who nonetheless rely on
`the carrier for communications service.
`In practice, each subscriber’s pro?le is cross-referenced
`by the subscriber’s telephone number. As will be discussed,
`when Originating switching system 161 (or the hand-off
`switching system) receives the subscriber’s call, the switch
`ing system also receives number of the telephone set at
`which the call originated via Automatic Number Identi?ca
`tion (ANI) for billing purposes. From a knowledge of the
`subscriber’s telephone number, the carrier can access the
`subscriber’s pro?le, whether or not the subscriber is not
`pre-subscribed. To enable a subscriber making a call from a
`different telephone set (e.g., a pay phone) to be eligible for
`a reward, the carrier could prompt the subscriber to enter
`his/her telephone number to enable the carrier to access the
`pro?le.
`Each subscriber’s pro?le typically includes information
`indicative of the subscriber’s tenure with the carrier, (i.e.,
`how long the subscriber has been pre-subscribed or (PIC’d)
`to the carrier. Each subscriber’s pro?le may also include
`summary billing information, such as a running average
`monthly bill, or a maXimum monthly bill over a particular
`interval (say siX months). The subscribers’ pro?les may
`include other criterion deemed important for reward pur
`poses. For example, a subscriber’s pro?le may include
`summary information regarding the type of calls ( e. g., local,
`domestic long distance, and international long distance) as
`well as their geographic destination.
`Using the information in a subscriber’s pro?le, a carrier
`may target subscribers that have an average monthly billing
`volume at or above a set amount. Alternatively, the carrier
`may want to offer a different reward for those subscribers
`having average or maXimum monthly billing volume above
`a certain threshold as compared to the reward for subscribers
`having a lower billing volume. Indeed, the rewards may be
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`5,991,376
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`5
`tiered to different billing volumes. If desired, the subscriber
`billing volume could be divided into separate categories
`based on the type or even the destination of the call. For
`example, if a subscriber makes a large volume of interna
`tional calls, but feWer domestic inter-exchange calls, such
`information Would be re?ected in the subscriber’s pro?le. In
`this Way, subscribers could be reWarded for different types of
`calls, or calls to a particular location.
`Additionally, the subscriber pro?le Would include infor
`mation Whether the subscriber had previously received a
`reWard of communications services Within a past interval,
`say thirty days. Typically, the carrier providing the reWard
`Will not Want to provide a subscriber With too frequent a
`reWard because of the expense. Moreover, too frequent a
`reWard might lead the subscriber to continually expect such
`reWard that could impair the carrier’s ability to alter or even
`discontinue the program if necessary.
`Using the subscriber pro?les stored in the data base 24 (or
`another data base), the Originating toll sWitching system 161
`(or the hand-off toll sWitching system) can determine, upon
`receipt of the subscriber’s call, Whether the subscriber is
`eligible for a reWard. The carrier Will access the subscriber’s
`pro?le and then compare the information to a set of pre
`scribed reWard criterion. For example, the carrier may
`require the folloWing criterion for reWard eligibility: (a)
`billing volume greater than 120 minutes, (b) tenure greater
`than six months, and (c) no receipt of a reWard Within the last
`thirty days. Obviously, these criteria can be varied,
`Additionally, the carrier may impose other criterion inde
`pendent of the information in the subscriber pro?les. For
`example, the carrier may only Wish to offer reWards during
`a particular time, say evening hours, or on Weekends.
`Moreover, the carrier may only Wish to offer reWards to
`subscribers in a particular geographic area, or to subscriber’s
`placing calls to particular destinations.
`Indeed one or more of the criterion discussed above could
`be eliminated. For example, to retain loyal customers, the
`carrier may impose the requirement that the subscriber be
`pre-subscribed for a period of time (say six months).
`HoWever, the carrier may choose to eliminate this require
`ment and utiliZe the reWard program for acquisition of neW
`customers, either generally, or those Within a particular
`geographic region or Which make certain types of calls.
`Obviously, if the subscriber has no pro?le, then the
`subscriber Will not be eligible for a reWard. HoWever, once
`a subscriber, particularly someone Who is not pre
`subscribed, utiliZes the carrier for the ?rst time, the carrier
`can then establish a pro?le for that subscriber, adding
`information generating during the current call. Moreover, by
`the same token, a carrier could choose to erase a pro?le for
`a subscriber that is inactive.
`In practice, the Originating toll sWitching system 161 (or
`the hand-off sWitching system) determines the eligibility of
`the subscriber 12 upon receipt of the call therefrom but prior
`to actually launching the call to the subscriber 14. In other
`Words, the pro?le of the subscriber 12 is accessed and the
`information contained therein compared to the imposed
`criterion prior to routing the call to the Destination toll
`sWitching system 16”. Should the subscriber 12 be eligible,
`then the Originating toll sWitching system 161 (or the
`hand-off sWitching system) plays an announcement during
`the call advising the subscriber of the reWard. In practice, the
`toll sWitching systems 161—16n each have the capability of
`playing various announcements and the reWard announce
`ment Would simply be another of the announcements
`capable of being provided.
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`Various types of reWards could be provided to a sub
`scriber meeting the eligibility requirement. One type of
`reWard could be providing the eligible subscriber With
`telecommunications services. Such a reWard may be made in
`several different Ways. For example, the subscriber may be
`reWarded by making the cost of the current call free. Rather
`than credit the subscriber With the entire cost of the call, the
`carrier could reWard the subscriber With a certain number of
`free minutes. This approach better quanti?es the ultimate
`cost to the carrier and may stimulate the subscriber extend
`the length of the call, increasing potential revenues.
`As an alternative to providing the subscriber With a
`communications service (e.g., a credit) during the current
`call, the carrier could reWard the customer by providing a
`credit during the next call. Thus, upon determining that the
`subscriber meets the requisite criterion for a reWard, the
`carrier could announce to the subscriber that all or a portion
`of the next call Would be free. The disadvantage of this
`approach is that the subscriber Will likely maximiZe the
`value of the reWard by calling a distant location.
`Other types of reWards could also be provided, such as
`free or discounted goods and/or services. Such goods Would
`be offered via a ful?llment process. HoWever, just like the
`reWard of telecommunications services, the reWard of such
`other goods Would be announced during the call, providing
`the subscriber With instant grati?cation.
`As discussed, determination of the subscriber eligibility
`and announcement of the reWard upon eligibility are made
`prior to launching the call. Thus, the carrier could offer the
`reWard of service to the subscriber and update the subscrib
`er’s pro?le to re?ect the receipt eventhough the call is not
`completed and the subscriber isn’t able to enjoy the reWard.
`Assuming the subscriber is eligible, it may be more desirable
`to announce the reWard upon an indication that called party
`(subscriber 14) has ansWered.
`Depending on the nature of the reWard made to the
`subscriber, the Originating toll sWitching system 161 (or the
`hand-off sWitching system) Will send the appropriate infor
`mation to the AMA system 26 to assure the subscriber’s
`billing record is adjusted appropriately. In this regard, a
`reWard in the form of a currency credit toWards the sub
`scriber’s accumulated charges could be made, rather an offer
`of free call, or a certain number of free minutes. all of Which
`are deemed to be a reWard of communications service in
`accordance With the invention. Obviously, an appropriate
`announcement Would be made during the call to the sub
`scriber if a credit is to be made to that subscriber’s account.
`The foregoing describes a technique for reWarding a loyal
`subscriber of a communications carrier With by announcing
`such a reWard during the course of a call made by that
`subscriber through the carrier. While the reWard technique of
`the invention has been described in the context of an IXC
`netWork, it should be appreciated that the method could
`easily be practiced by a provider of local telecommunica
`tions services. In this regard, each of the local sWitching
`systems 201 and 202 could be provided With a data base (not
`shoWn) for storing subscriber pro?le information to enable
`each sWitch to make a reWard eligibility determination in the
`manner described. Similar, the reWard method of the inven
`tion could also be practiced by an INTERNET service
`provider.
`It is to be understood that the above-described embodi
`ments are merely illustrative of the principles of the inven
`tion. Various modi?cations and changes may be made
`thereto by those skilled in the art Which Will embody the
`principles of the invention and fall Within the spirit and
`scope thereof.
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`5,991,376
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`7
`
`What is claimed is:
`1. A method for uniformly providing rewards to commu
`nication carrier subscribers in accordance With at least a ?rst
`criterion common for all subscribers that place calls With the
`communications carrier, comprising the steps of:
`storing a pro?le containing information about the sub
`scriber’s relationship With the carrier;
`accessing the information in the subscriber’s pro?le upon
`receipt by the carrier of a call placed by the subscriber;
`uniformly determining, in part, from the information
`contained in the subscriber’s pro?le, Whether the
`subscriber, upon using said communications carrier, is
`eligible for a reWard using said ?rst criterion common
`to all subscribers such that each subscriber meeting the
`common criterion receives the reWard With other sub
`scribers meeting the common criterion and if so, then
`announcing to the subscriber during the call that the
`subscriber is being reWarded, and
`providing the subscriber With the reWard.
`2. The method according to claim 1 Wherein the ?rst
`common criterion is Whether the subscriber has a tenure With
`the carrier of a prescribed length and Wherein the subscrib
`er’s pro?le includes information indicative of the subscrib
`er’s tenure With the carrier.
`3. The method according to claim 1 Wherein said ?rst
`common criterion is Whether the subscriber received an
`aWard Within a previous period of time and Wherein the
`subscriber’s pro?le includes information indicative of
`Whether the customer has received a reWard Within a pre
`vious time period.
`4. The method according to claim 1 Wherein the ?rst
`common criterion is Whether the subscriber has a billing
`volume above a prescribed value and Wherein the subscrib
`er’s pro?le includes information indicative of the subscrib
`er’s billing volume.
`5. The method according to claim 4 Wherein the billing
`volume is a maXimum billing volume value.
`6. The method according to claim 4 Wherein the billing
`volume is an average billing volume over a ?Xed interval.
`7. The method according to claim 1 Wherein a second
`criterion common to all subscribers is employed to deter
`mine subscriber eligibility for a reWard.
`8. The method according to claim 7 Wherein said second
`common criterion is Whether the subscriber received an
`aWard Within a previous period of time and Wherein the
`subscriber’s pro?le includes information indicative of
`Whether the customer has received a reWard Within a pre
`vious time period.
`9. The method according to claim 8 Wherein said second
`common criterion is Whether the subscriber has a billing
`volume above a prescribed value and Wherein the subscrib
`er’s pro?le includes information indicative of the subscrib
`er’s billing volume.
`10. The method according to claim 9 Wherein the billing
`volume is a maXimum billing volume value.
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`11. The method according to claim 9 Wherein the billing
`volume is an average billing volume over a ?Xed interval.
`12. The method according to claim 1 Wherein the sub
`scriber is provided a reWard of communications services.
`13. The method according to claim 12 Wherein the sub
`scriber is reWarded With communications services by cred
`iting the customer With all costs for a call currently made by
`the subscriber.
`14. The method according to claim 12 Wherein the sub
`scriber is provided With the reWard of communications
`service by crediting the customer With a portion of all costs
`for a call currently made by the subscriber.
`15. The method according to claim 12 Wherein the sub
`scriber is provided With the reWard of communications
`service by crediting the customer With all costs for a call
`subsequently made by the subscriber.
`16. The method according to claim 12 Wherein the sub
`scriber is provided With the reWard of communications
`service by crediting the customer With a portion of all costs
`for a call subsequently made by the subscriber.
`17. The method according to claim 12 Wherein the sub
`scriber is provided With the reWard of communications
`service by crediting the subscriber on its account a pre
`scribed currency amount.
`18. The method according to claim 12 Wherein the reWard
`of communications services is made only if the call is
`completed.
`19. A method for uniformly providing a reWards to
`communications services subscribers using a common cri
`terion that is unrelated to account information associated
`With each individual subscriber that places and receives
`calls, comprising the steps of
`uniformly determining from at least one ?rst criterion
`common to all subscribers Whether a subscriber, using
`said communications carrier, is eligible for a reWard so
`that each subscriber meeting the common criterion
`receives the reWard With other subscribers meeting the
`common criterion; and if so, then
`announcing to the subscriber during the call that the
`subscriber is being reWarded; and
`providing the subscriber With the reWard.
`20. The method according to claim 19 Wherein the exter
`nal criterion for determining subscriber eligibility includes
`the criterion of Whether the subscriber’s call occurred during
`a prescribed time interval.
`21. The method according to claim 19 Wherein the exter
`nal criterion for determining subscriber eligibility includes
`the criterion of Whether the subscriber’s call originated from
`a particular geographic region.
`22. The method according to claim 19 Wherein the exter
`nal criterion for determining subscriber eligibility includes
`the criterion of Whether the subscriber’s call Was of a
`particular type.
`
`