Interactive value-added telecommunications system and method
First Claim
1. A method of operating a system for billing a caller for value-added charges incurred during a call made over a communication network to a provider of services or products, including the steps of:
- answering a telephone call from said caller;
establishing an additional telephone path onto the existing connection made by answering said call from said caller; and
directing said caller to dial a number to complete initiation of a telephone call over said additional telephone path and said existing connection to a predetermined value-added telephone number.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A interactive value-added telecommunications system including automatic billing at a value-added rate controllable in real time is realized through in-place network carrier system utilities including multiparty switching which verify a calling party by a telephone number, and optionally a PIN number, and provides for calling party authorization of billing at a rate established by the called party. The system enables a method for conducting a business wherein a party calls for a service or product, is identified via one or two separate code sequences, requests a service or product from the called provider who establishes a rate for compliance. The caller authorizes and initiates the established charge to an account associated with one of said code sequences which preferably is a telephone number associated with a credit or debit account by completing a third-party call to a designated value-added number. Confirmation of the authorization and acceptance of the charge is monitored by the provider who proceeds to provide the service or product requested at the established rate which may be changed at any time during the telephone call by the provider followed by appropriate caller authorization.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of operating a system for billing a caller for value-added charges incurred during a call made over a communication network to a provider of services or products, including the steps of:
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answering a telephone call from said caller; establishing an additional telephone path onto the existing connection made by answering said call from said caller; and directing said caller to dial a number to complete initiation of a telephone call over said additional telephone path and said existing connection to a predetermined value-added telephone number. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of operating a system for billing a caller for value-added charges incurred during a call made over a communication network to a provider of services or products, including the steps of:
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answering a telephone call from said caller; establishing an additional telephone path onto the existing connection made by answering said call from said caller; and directing said caller to dial a number to complete initiation of a telephone call over said additional telephone path and said existing connection to a predetermined value-added telephone number which charges the value-added against said callers debit account. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of operating a system for billing a caller for value-added charges incurred during a call made over a communication network to a provider of services, including the steps of:
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procuring value-added telephone services from a telephone carrier switching network supplier, said services including leasing value-added telephone numbers and related answering and billing services; answering a telephone call from said caller; establishing an additional telephone path onto the existing connection made by answering said call from said caller; and directing said caller to dial a number to complete initiation of a telephone call over said additional telephone path and said existing connection to a predetermined value-added telephone number selected from a group of said leased numbers, each of which results in billing at a different rate. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification