Financing party payment for calls with a wireless subscriber

• US 20040058670A1
• Filed: 09/25/2002
• Published: 03/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fintegraph, LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Inventors: Perunovich, Alan, Trichon, Scott R., Pohutsky, Joseph, Lorello, Timothy J.
• Granted Patent: US 6,788,927 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/09 Third party charged communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/745 Customizing according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. friends or family
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8038 Roaming or handoff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/90 using Intelligent Networks [IN] or Advanced Intelligent Networks [AIN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/00 Prepayment of wireline communication systems, wireless communication systems or telephone systems using a coded card to authorise calls from a telephone set H04M1/675
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0108 Customization according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. customer preferences, friends and family, selecting services or billing options, Personal Communication Systems [PCS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/016 Billing using Intelligent Networks [IN] or Advanced Intelligent Networks [AIN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0188 Network monitoring; statistics on usage on called/calling number
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/34 Roaming
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/66 Third party billing, i.e. third party can also be the predetermined telephone line of the caller if he is calling from another telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7442 Roaming
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A telecommunication call service is provided that directs incoming and/or outgoing cellular call charges to be billed to another payment party when placed to a telephone number specified by the payment party. The payment party has pre-established a list of telephone numbers with call direction authorized to be placed with the wireless number and identifies payment means in a payment account to be directly debited by the financed payment manager application for the authorized wireless calls. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, an originating telephone switch detecting a specific prepaid wireless subscriber/other party telephone number pair directs the call to an Integrated Service Control Point (ISCP) for call handling under the financed payment service feature. The ISCP checks the validity of the feature for the prepaid wireless subscriber/other number pair, authorized direction of the call with respect to the wireless number and verifies a valid payment method in the payment party account to determine whether or not to complete the call. The intelligent network service checks are performed without an interactive communication set-up procedure and all billing, in the event the call is completed, is accomplished without other network communication or outside billing solutions.

Claims

1. A database to allow a financing party to a phone call the automatic ability to pay charges of another party associated with said phone call, comprising:

a plurality of financing party phone numbers each associated with a different financing party; and

one or more financed party phone numbers associated with each of said plurality of financing party phone numbers;

wherein call charges associated with a call between any one of said plurality of financing party phone numbers and any of said one or more financed party phone numbers associated therewith are assigned to said one of said plurality of financing party phone numbers without requiring real time user input by said financed party.

2. The database to allow a financing party to a phone call the automatic ability to pay charges of another party associated with said phone call according to claim 1, wherein said charges of said another party comprise:

airtime associated with said another party.

3. The database to allow a financing party to a phone call the automatic ability to pay charges of another party associated with said phone call according to claim 1, wherein said charges of said another party comprise:

roaming charges.

4. The database to allow a financing party to a phone call the automatic ability to pay charges of another party associated with said phone call according to claim 1, wherein said charges of said another party comprise:

airtime charges of said second party;

roaming charges of said second party; and

applicable long distance toll charges associated with said call.

5. The database to allow a financing party to a phone call the automatic ability to pay charges of another party associated with said phone call according to claim 1, wherein:

said phone numbers are mobile ID numbers.

6. The database to allow a financing party to a phone call the automatic ability to pay charges of another party associated with said phone call according to claim 1, wherein said database further comprises:

a phone call direction qualifier with respect to each of said one or more financed party phone numbers associated with each of said plurality of financing party phone numbers.

7. The database to allow a financing party to a phone call the automatic ability to pay charges of another party associated with said phone call according to claim 1, wherein:

said financed payment manager is within a prepaid application.

8. The database to allow a financing party to a phone call the automatic ability to pay charges of another party associated with said phone call according to claim 7, wherein:

said prepaid application is operated within a service control point.

9. The database to allow a financing party to a phone call the automatic ability to pay charges of another party associated with said phone call according to claim 1, wherein:

said financed payment manager is operated within a service control point.

10. A method of allowing a first party to a telephone call to pre-establish authorization for payment of charges associated with a second party to said telephone call, comprising:

establishing a database associating said first party with said second party with respect to pre-established authorization for payment of said second party'"'"'s call charges by said first party; and

automatically assigning said second party'"'"'s call charges with respect to only said telephone call to said first party after a call between said first party and said second party has been terminated.

11. The method of allowing a first party to a telephone call to pre-establish authorization for payment of charges associated with a second party to said telephone call according to claim 10, wherein:

said assignment is a charge of costs associated with said second party for said telephone call to a prepaid account of said first party.

12. The method of allowing a first party to a telephone call to pre-establish authorization for payment of charges associated with a second party to said telephone call according to claim 11, wherein:

said costs associated with said second party include air time of said second party.

13. The method of allowing a first party to a telephone call to pre-establish authorization for payment of charges associated with a second party to said telephone call according to claim 11, wherein:

said second party also maintains a prepaid account.

14. Apparatus for allowing a first party to a telephone call to pre-establish authorization for payment of charges associated with a second party to said telephone call, comprising:

means for establishing a database associating said first party with said second party with respect to pre-established authorization for payment of said second party'"'"'s call charges by said first party; and

means for automatically assigning said second party'"'"'s call charges associated only with said telephone call to said first party after a call between said first party and said second party has been terminated.

15. The apparatus for allowing a first party to a telephone call to pre-establish authorization for payment of charges associated with a second party to said telephone call according to claim 14, wherein:

said means for assigning charges costs associated with said second party to a prepaid account of said first party.

16. The apparatus for allowing a first party to a telephone call to pre-establish authorization for payment of charges associated with a second party to said telephone call according to claim 15, wherein:

said costs associated with said second party include air time of said second party.

17. The apparatus for allowing a first party to a telephone call to pre-establish authorization for payment of charges associated with a second party to said telephone call according to claim 14, wherein:

said second party also maintains a prepaid account.

18. A method for a telecommunication prepaid application to bill another party for wireless telephone call charges, comprising:

storing a Mobile Identification Number as a prepaid wireless subscriber;

establishing an account for a financing party in a financing party payment database;

routing a prepaid wireless subscriber'"'"'s call to a prepaid application;

determine if said prepaid wireless subscriber is valid;

terminating said prepaid wireless subscriber'"'"'s call if said prepaid wireless subscriber is not valid, or if said prepaid wireless subscriber is valid, confirming said prepaid wireless subscriber'"'"'s call is applicable for a financing party payment service in accordance with said established financing party payment database;

re-routing said wireless subscriber'"'"'s call if said call is not applicable for said financing party payment service;

verifying that said financing party has pre-payment sufficient to pay charges of said prepaid wireless subscriber associated with said prepaid wireless subscriber'"'"'s call;

terminating said prepaid wireless subscriber'"'"'s call if said financing party'"'"'s prepaid account does not have sufficient pre-payment, or connecting said call if said financing party'"'"'s prepaid account does have sufficient pre-payment; and

billing said prepaid wireless subscriber'"'"'s call charges to said financing party'"'"'s prepaid account.

19. The method for a telecommunication prepaid application to bill another party for wireless telephone call charges according to claim 18, comprising:

said storing, establishing, routing, re-routing, verifying and billing is performed in an Advanced Intelligent Network.

20. The method for a telecommunication prepaid application to bill another party for wireless telephone call charges according to claim 18, wherein:

said confirming that said prepaid wireless subscriber'"'"'s call is applicable for a financing party payment service does not require an interactive communication procedure with said prepaid wireless subscriber.