Methods and apparatus to manage collect phone calling limits

• US 20060098796A1
• Filed: 11/09/2004
• Published: 05/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SBC Knowledge Ventures
• Original Assignee: SBC Knowledge Ventures
• Inventors: Link, Michael P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,164,757 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/114.21
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/08 Metering calls to called party , i.e. B-party charged for the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/854 Available credit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/88 Provision for limiting connection, or expenditure
• 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 2215/0116 Provision for limiting expenditure, e.g. limit on call expenses or account
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/62 Called party billing, e.g. reverse billing, freephone, collect call, 0800 or 0900
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8166 Available credit

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to manage collect phone calling limits are disclosed. A disclosed example method comprises: determining if collect calls from one or more predetermined locations to a terminating phone number have exceeded a collect calls limit; and determining a future date when collect calls will be permitted from the one or more predetermined locations to the terminating phone number if the collect calls limit has been exceeded.

Claims

1. A method of managing collect phone calling limits comprising:

determining if collect calls from one or more predetermined locations to a terminating phone number have exceeded a collect calls limit; and

determining a future date when collect calls will be permitted from the one or more predetermined locations to the terminating phone number if the collect calls limit has been exceeded.

2. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising identifying the future date to a person associated with the terminating phone number.

3. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein identifying the future date to the person associated with the terminating phone number comprises placing a call to the terminating phone number to play an automated message identifying the future date.

4. A method as defined in claim 3 wherein the automated message indicates that collect calls from the one or more predetermined locations will be blocked until the future date.

5. A method as defined in claim 2 wherein identifying the future date to the person associated with the terminating phone number comprises playing an automated message identifying the future date to the person associated with the terminating phone number.

6. A method as defined in claim 5 wherein playing the automated message comprises playing the automated message during a last permitted call.

7. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising storing the future date in a service representative accessible database to enable manual identification of the future date in response to an inquiry from a person associated with the terminating phone number.

8. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising identifying the future date in response to an inquiry from a person associated with the terminating phone number.

9. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein determining if collect calls from the one or more predetermined locations to the terminating phone number have exceeded the collect calls limit further comprises:

determining call tolls for collect calls placed to terminating phone numbers from the one or more predetermined locations; and

allocating the call tolls to the terminating phone numbers on a time period-by-time period basis.

10. A method as defined in claim 9 wherein the collect calls limit is referenced to a predetermined time period.

11. A method as defined in claim 10 wherein the predetermined time period is a number of hours, a number of days, a number of weeks, or a number of months.

12. A method as defined in claim 1 I wherein the predetermined time period is a rolling time period.

13. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the collect calls limit is a number of calls or a number of call attempts in a predetermined time period.

14. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the one or more predetermined locations includes at least one correctional institution, hospital, school or military base.

15. An apparatus to manage collect phone calling limits comprising:

a collect call limiter to determine if collect calls from the one or more predetermined locations to a terminating phone number have exceeded a collect calls limit; and

a block duration calculator to determine a future date when collect calls will be permitted from the one or more predetermined locations to the terminating phone number if the collect calls limit has been exceeded.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 15 further comprising an automated outbound message dialer to place a call to the terminating phone number to play an automated message identifying the future date.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 16 wherein the automated message indicates that collect calls from the one or more predetermined locations will be blocked until the future date.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 15 further comprising an automated message device to play an automated message identifying the future date to a person associated with the terminating phone number.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 18 wherein the automated message device plays the message during a last permitted call.

20. An apparatus as defined in claim 15 further comprising a service representative accessible database storing the future date to enable manual identification of the future date in response to an inquiry from a person associated with the terminating phone number.

21. An apparatus as defined in claim 15 further comprising an automated inbound interactive voice response unit to identify the future date in response to an inquiry from a person associated with the terminating phone number.

22. An apparatus as defined in claim 15 wherein the collect call limiter further comprises:

a call rating engine to determine call tolls for collect calls placed to terminating phone numbers from one or more predetermined locations, and to allocate the call tolls to the terminating phone numbers on a time period-by-time period basis.

23. An apparatus as defined in claim 22 wherein the collect calls limit is referenced to a predetermined time period.

24. An apparatus as defined in claim 23 wherein the predetermined time period is a number of hours, a number of days, a number of weeks, or a number of months.

25. An apparatus as defined in claim 23 wherein the predetermined time period is a rolling time period.

26. An apparatus as defined in claim 15 wherein the collect calls limit is a number of calls or a number of call attempts in a predetermined time period.

27. An apparatus as defined in claim 15 wherein the one or more predetermined locations include at least one correctional institution, hospital, school or military base.

28. An apparatus as defined in claim 27 further comprising:

a vendor server associated with at least one of the correctional institutions; and

a line information database identifying termination numbers which are blocked from receiving calls from the at least one of the correctional institutions.

29. An apparatus as defined in claim 28 wherein the vendor server provides call records to the collect call limiter.

30. An apparatus as defined in claim 29 wherein the collect call limiter and the block duration calculator are associated with the vendor server.

31. An apparatus as defined in claim 29 wherein the vendor server provides the call records to the collect call limiter in real time, quasi-continuously, or periodically.

32. A method of determining a future time period in which collect calls to a terminating number will be permitted comprising:

determining sub-totals of collect call tolls respectively incurred in a series of time periods by the terminating number for calls from at least one predetermined location;

determining a number of sequential time periods in the series of time periods wherein a sum of the sub-totals corresponding to the sequential time periods exceeds a toll limit, the sequential time periods being inclusive of a first time period; and

identifying a time period occurring immediately after expiration of a number of time periods in the series of time periods less the number of sequential time periods as the future time period.

33. A method as defined in claim 32 wherein each of the time periods is a day.

34. A machine accessible medium storing machine readable instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to:

determine if collect calls from one or more predetermined locations to a terminating phone number have exceeded a collect calls limit; and

determine a future date when collect calls will be permitted from the one or more predetermined locations to the terminating phone number if the collect calls limit has been exceeded.

35. A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 34 wherein, when executed, the machine readable instructions further cause a machine to identify the future date to a person associated with the terminating phone number.

36. A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 35 wherein the machine readable instructions cause the machine to identify the future date to the person associated with the terminating phone number by playing an automated message identifying the future date to the person associated with the terminating phone number.

37. A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 36 wherein playing the automated message comprises playing the automated message during a last permitted call.

38. A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 34 wherein the machine readable instructions cause the machine to store the future date in a service representative accessible database to enable manual identification of the future date in response to an inquiry from a person associated with the terminating phone number.

39. A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 34 wherein the machine readable instructions cause the machine to determine if collect calls from the one or more predetermined locations to the terminating phone number have exceeded the collect calls limit by:

determining call tolls for collect calls placed to terminating phone numbers from the one or more predetermined locations; and

allocating the call tolls to the terminating phone numbers on a time period-by-time period basis.

40. A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 39 wherein the collect calls limit is referenced to a predetermined time period.

41. A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 40 wherein the predetermined time period is a number of hours, a number of days, a number of weeks, or a number of months.

42. A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 41 wherein the predetermined time period is a rolling time period.

43. A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 34 wherein the collect calls limit is a number of calls or a number of call attempts in a predetermined time period.

44. A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 34 wherein the one or more predetermined locations includes at least one correctional institution, hospital, school or military base.

45. A method of managing collect phone calling limits comprising:

determining if a sum of collect calls from one or more predetermined locations to two or more terminating phone numbers associated with a same street address have exceeded a collect calls limit; and

determining a future date when collect calls will be permitted from the one or more predetermined locations to the terminating phone numbers if the collect calls limit has been exceeded.