Patent ID: 9655114
Date: 2017-05-16
CPC Classifications: H04L,H04M,H04W

Claim:
1. A method to allocate bandwidth between subscribers of a communications network, the method comprising: projecting, by executing an instruction with a processor of a network service provider, that a first network data usage of a first subscriber of the network service provider will exceed a first data allotment for a first network access account of the first subscriber within a time period; identifying, by executing an instruction with the processor, a second subscriber of the network service provider who is included in a subscriber group with the first subscriber and projected to have a second network data usage that is below a second data allotment for a second network access account of the second subscriber within that time period, the second subscriber having a different billing address than the first subscriber; requesting assent from the second subscriber to transfer a portion of the second data allotment to the first subscriber; in response to receiving the assent from the second subscriber, transferring, by executing an instruction with the processor, the portion of the second data allotment from the second network access account to the first network access account; sending a first message to a device of the first subscriber, the first message causing the device to indicate that the first network data usage is projected to exceed the first data allotment; and receiving a second message from the device, the requesting of the assent being in response to the second message.