Patent ID: 8112062

Claim:
A method for notifying a mobile station user of reaching of a notification threshold level of data usage via a wireless communication network, an account of the mobile station user having a maximum data plan limit defined by a user's plan and a data usage balance reflecting an amount of data usage remaining under the plan, the method comprising steps of: responsive to one or more data sessions of the user's mobile station, receiving requests for allocation of a slice of data usage from the data usage balance under the user's plan, from a node of a mobile wireless communication network, wherein data communication of the user's mobile station are routed through and monitored through the node; in response to each request, determining if data usage corresponding to the requested slice would cross the notification threshold level of data usage; for a request where the data usage corresponding to the requested slice would not cross the notification threshold level of data usage, allocating the requested data slice, and notifying allocation of the requested slice to the node as a quota for data usage of the mobile station; for a request where the data usage corresponding to the requested slice would cross the threshold level of data usage, allocating a reduced data slice equal to the difference between a starting value of previously consumed data under the user's plan and the threshold, and notifying allocation of the reduced data slice to the node as a quota for data usage of the user's mobile station during a respective data session; upon receiving a message from the node indicating that data usage of the user's mobile station during the respective data session has consumed the reduced data slice, so that data usage of the user's mobile station has reached the threshold, sending a notification of reaching the threshold to the mobile station in real time.