Technique for selecting a profile to use to service a call

• US 20050117725A1
• Filed: 11/13/2003
• Published: 06/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Grape Technology Group Incorporated (KGB)
• Original Assignee: Metro One Telecommunications, Inc.
• Inventors: Baker, Nathan Bryant
• Granted Patent: US 7,289,613 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/114.10
• 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 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/765 Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/77 involving multiple accounts per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8033 location-dependent, e.g. business or home
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0104 Augmented, consolidated or itemised billing statement, e.g. additional billing information, bill presentation, layout, format, e-mail, fax, printout, itemised bill per service or per account, cumulative billing, consolidated billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0164 Billing record, e.g. Call Data Record [CDR], Toll Ticket[TT], Automatic Message Accounting [AMA], Call Line Identifier [CLI], details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/202 VoIP; Packet switched telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/724 Linked accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7254 Multiple accounts per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7435 Location dependent, e.g. Bussiness or home

Abstract

A telephone call may have more than one identifier, e.g., a billing telephone number and a caller'"'"'s telephone number, within its signaling stream. Each identifier may have an associated call servicing profile. The invention determines which of several call profiles associated with identifiers within the call signaling stream should be used to service the call. The invention involves reading the identifiers, retrieving the profiles associated with the identifiers, if they exist, and selecting one of the profiles to use based on data in the profiles and a profile priority scheme. The invention may be realized in relation to an information assistance service.

Claims

1. A method for selecting a profile to use in servicing a call, the method comprising:

receiving a signaling stream associated with the call, the signaling stream including at least first and second identifiers, the first identifier containing data concerning an account to which the call is to be billed;

maintaining first and second profiles identifiable by the first and second identifiers, respectively;

retrieving the first profile based on the first identifier; and

based on data in the first profile, determining whether to use the first profile or the second profile.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data precludes the use of the second profile.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data allows the use of the second profile.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising selecting the first profile to service the call if the second identifier is the same as the first identifier.

5. The method according to claim 3, further comprising selecting the first profile to service the call if the second identifier differs from the first identifier, but no second profile exists.

6. The method according to claim 3, further comprising selecting the second profile to service the call if the second identifier differs from the first identifier and the second profile exists.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the signaling stream is formatted in accordance with an SS7 protocol.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the content of the call is formatted according to a VoIP protocol and the signaling stream is formatted according to a session initiation protocol (SIP).

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein an information assistance service services the call.

10. A system for selecting a profile to use in servicing a call, comprising:

an interface for receiving a signaling stream associated with the call, the signaling stream including at least first and second identifiers, the first identifier containing data concerning an account to which the call is to be billed;

a database for maintaining first and second profiles identifiable by the first and second identifiers, respectively; and

a processor for retrieving the first profile based on the first identifier and, based on data in the first profile, for determining whether to use the first profile or the second profile.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the data precludes the use of the second profile.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein the data allows the use of the second profile.

13. The system according to claim 12, further comprising selecting the first profile to service the call if the second identifier is the same as the first identifier.

14. The system according to claim 12, further comprising selecting the first profile to service the call if the second identifier differs from the first identifier, but no second profile exists.

15. The system according to claim 12, further comprising selecting the second profile to service the call if the second identifier differs from the first identifier and the second profile exists.

16. The system according to claim 10, wherein the signaling stream is formatted in accordance with an SS7 protocol.

17. The system according to claim 10, wherein the content of the call is formatted according to a VoIP protocol and the signaling stream is formatted according to a session initiation protocol (SIP).

18. The system according to claim 10, wherein an information assistance service services the call.