Methods and systems for billing and routing local toll-free communications

• US 20070071196A1
• Filed: 06/30/2006
• Published: 03/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ward, Jonathan
• Granted Patent: US 7,443,969 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/114.30
• 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 15/08 Metering calls to called party , i.e. B-party charged for the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/51 for resellers, retailers or service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8033 location-dependent, e.g. business or home
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8061 Selecting least cost route depending on origin or type of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/90 using Intelligent Networks [IN] or Advanced Intelligent Networks [AIN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0152 General billing plans, rate plans, e.g. charge rates, numbering plans, rate centers, customer accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/016 Billing using Intelligent Networks [IN] or Advanced Intelligent Networks [AIN]
• 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 2215/0184 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions, volume discounts, cell discounts, group billing, frequent calling destination(s) or user history list
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/42 Least cost routing, i.e. provision for selecting the lowest cost tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/54 Resellers-retail or service providers billing, e.g. agreements with telephone service operator, activation, charging/recharging of accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/62 Called party billing, e.g. reverse billing, freephone, collect call, 0800 or 0900
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7435 Location dependent, e.g. Bussiness or home
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/745 Least cost routing, e.g. Automatic or manual, call by call or by preselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7471 Select route depending on origin or type of service, e.g. route TDMA voice calls differently than VoIP calls

Abstract

A system routes local toll-free communications to a toll-free communications address via local switches and/or local network onto interconnecting local providers with local access settlement rates, thereby allowing a local rather than toll cost structure of the communication. When an originating communications address is identified as an LCA, intraLATA, or otherwise local communications address, the system routes the local toll-free call from the network to participating local switches that service the subscriber'"'"'s terminating communications. According to exemplary embodiments, the originating communications are separated between the LCA and the rest of the LATA based upon the NPA-NXXs that are considered local to the subscriber'"'"'s terminating number. The system also provides for communicating and routing local toll free communications and for reporting each local toll free communication to the subscriber.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving information related to a toll-free communication from an originating communications address to a terminating communications address;

comparing a geographical location of the originating communications address information to a geographical location of the terminating communications address information; and

if the comparison is within a common communications service area, determining that the communication is a local toll-free communication and routing the local toll-free communication to at least one participating local switch serving the terminating communications address, and completing the local toll-free communication to the terminating communications address.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the NPA-NXX of the originating communications address is compared with the NPA-NXX of the terminating communications address.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the NPA-NXX-XXXX of the originating communications address is compared with the NPA-NXX of the terminating communications address.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the call record contains information for the local toll free communication, the call record comprising at least one of geographic location of the originating communications address, geographic location of the terminating communications address, minutes of use, routing, call features, and troubleshooting information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the participating local switch that processes the local toll-free call completes the associated call record.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein multiple local toll-free call records are combined into a billing block.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the originating communications address comprises a portable telephone communications address.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the terminating communications address comprises a portable communications address.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the terminating communications address is selected from a plurality of subscriber locations serving the originating communications address.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting an interactive subscriber interface, the interactive subscriber interface for accessing and configuring a local toll-free database of at least one terminating communications address, a geographic location associated with one or more originating communications addresses, a geographic location associate with the terminating communications address, a call volume feature, a time of day, and a routing preference.

11. A system comprising:

means for receiving information related to a toll-free communication from an originating communications address to a terminating communications address;

means for comparing a geographical location of the originating communications address information to a geographical location of the terminating communications address information; and

if the comparison is within a common communications service area and if there is at least one participating local switch, means for determining that the communication is a local toll-free communication and for routing the local, toll-free communication to at least one participating local switch serving the terminating communications address, and means for completing the local toll-free communication to the terminating communications address.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising billing means for producing bills based upon the geographical location of the originating communications address placed to the local toll-free communications address.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the routing means is connected by a local network to the subscriber'"'"'s long distance carrier (IXC).

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the originating communications address further comprises a portable telephone communications address.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein the terminating communications address is selected from a plurality of geographic locations serving the originating communications address.

16. A method for discriminating among toll-free calls to identify each communication that originates and terminates within a common geographic area in order to bill the communication at a selected rate, the method comprising:

receiving an identifier associated with an origination point in which the communication originates;

determining a destination point associated with the destination to which the communication is directed; and

analyzing the origination point and the destination point to determine whether the communication may be routed via a local communications service provider.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the selected rate is derived from a call volume of communications routed via the local telecommunications service provider to the destination point.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the selected rate is derived from a subscription term for participating over an amount of time for communications routed via the local telecommunications service provider to the destination point.

19. A method comprising:

receiving information related to a nonbillable communication from an originating communications address to a terminating communications address;

comparing a geographical location of the originating communications address information to a geographical location of the terminating communications address information; and

if the comparison is within a common communications service area, determining that the communication is a nonbillable communication and routing the nonbillable communication to at least one participating communications service provider serving the terminating communications address, and completing the nonbillable communication to the terminating communications address.