METHOD FOR BILLING IN A TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORK
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention is directed to a method for placing a call between a client in one network and a client in another network. The IP network includes a SIP server and a network gateway configured to provide access to a public switched network. The method includes receiving a SIP call request message from the first client. The SIP call request message is authenticated to thereby identify an authentic originating client. Subsequently, a database is searched to find client billing tag corresponding to the authentic originating client. The call is completed if the client billing tag is obtained, and not completed if the client billing tag cannot be obtained. Thus, the present invention provides an efficient method for billing phone calls that are placed from SIP enabled devices to a telephone connected to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). The method of the present invention also substantially eliminates certain types of fraud.
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Citations
90 Claims
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1-68. -68. (canceled)
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69. A method, comprising:
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receiving, from a first device, a SIP call request message for establishing a call with a second device; identifying a profile associated with the second device; identifying, within the profile, a call feature that is enabled for the second device; identifying, based on the identified call feature, an authentic originating client as a party responsible for paying for the call; searching a database to identify a client billing tag that corresponds to the authentic originating client; and modifying the SIP call request message to include the client billing tag when the database includes the client billing tag. - View Dependent Claims (70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78)
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79. A computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing a method for placing a call between a first device and a second device, the computer-readable medium comprising:
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one or more instructions to receive, from the first device, a SIP call request message for establishing a call with the second device; one or more instructions to identify a call feature that is enabled for the second device, the call feature identifying a third device to receive the call; one or more instructions to identify, based on the identified call feature, a party associated with the second device as a party responsible for paying for the call; one or more instructions to determine whether a database includes a client billing tag that corresponds to the party associated with the second device; one or more instructions to permit the call to be established when the database includes the client billing tag; and one or more instructions to deny the call when the database does not include the client billing tag. - View Dependent Claims (80, 81, 82, 83, 84)
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85. A network gateway, comprising:
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a communications interface for establishing a call with a circuit switched network; and a processor coupled to the communications interface, the processor being programmed to; receive a SIP call request message, check the SIP call request message for existence of a security header appended to the SIP call request message, the security header including a server identifier identifying a server that sent the SIP call request message to the network gateway, and establish the call based on the existence of the security header including the server identifier. - View Dependent Claims (86, 87)
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88. A system, comprising:
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a SIP server to; receive a SIP call request message that requests that a call be established from a first device to a second device, identify a calling feature that is enabled for the second device, determine an authentic originating client based on the calling feature, obtain a client billing tag that identifies the authentic originating client as a party responsible for paying for the call; and a network gateway, coupled to the SIP server, to provide at least one of the first device or the second device conditional access to a public switched telephone network. - View Dependent Claims (89, 90)
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Specification