Patent ID: 7925558
Filing Date: 2011-04-12
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method for commoditizing browsing time by a user in a self-service system that provides a voice store for a communication carrier, wherein the method is performed by the self-service system and wherein the user is a subscriber to a service plan with the communication carrier that provides the user with a certain amount of time each month to use for telecommunications, the method comprising: communicating with the user; enabling the user to browse the voice store via phone; tracking the amount of time the user spends browsing the voice store via phone; subtracting from the tracked time an amount, if any, of free time that the user is allotted to browse the store; and in response to the user finishing browsing the voice store, reporting to the communication carrier any tracked time that exceeds the amount of free time allotted to the user, wherein the communication carrier charges the user for the reported time by treating the reported time as used time for communications under the user's service plan.