Technique for eliminating free paging in a personal mobile communication system

• US 5,805,991 A
• Filed: 06/30/1995
• Issued: 09/08/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Goldman, Shelley B., Foladare, Mark Jeffrey, Silverman, David Phillip
• Primary Examiner(s): Best, Dwayne D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEGREE, TRACY MICHELLE
• Application Number:
  US08/497,060
• Time in Patent Office: 1,166 Days
• Field of Search: 379/57, 379/58, 379/59, 455/31.2, 455/31.3, 455/458, 455/459, 455/460, 455/31.1, 455/406, 455/408, 455/407, 455/403, 455/414, 348/825.44
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/022 Paging systems personal calling arrangements or devices G08B3/1008; selective calling networks H04W84/022
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/00 Metering arrangements; Time controlling arrangements; Time indicating arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42229 Personal communication services, i.e. services related to one subscriber independent of his terminal and/or location diverting calls from one subscriber to another subscriber, i.e. two different subscriptions H04M3/54; selecting arrangements in intelligent networks H04Q3/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/48 Arrangements for recalling a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

A system and method for processing telephone calls to a personal telephone number, such calls being of the type in which a call to a called party'"'"'s personal telephone number results in a page to a pager of a called party and the caller'"'"'s call is held in the network to be bridged to a return telephone call of the called party, employs type-ahead for faster perceived system response while not permitting free paging. In particular, although type-ahead is permitted, the page is not immediately initiated upon receipt of the last character of a valid command string prior to the end of the announcement that is played to the caller upon his call reaching a bridging and signaling unit. Instead, the bridging and signaling unit is arranged to respond so that it appears to have accepted and executed the command, and moves into the next phase of operation, e.g., music on hold. However, the page is not initiated until it is determined that both 1) the entire time for the announcement has elapsed from the receipt of the caller'"'"'s call, i.e., the time of commencement of billing has arrived, and 2) the caller remains on the call at that time.

Claims

1. A method for use in completing a telephone call from a caller that is placed to the personal telephone number of a called party, said telephone call placed by said caller to be bridged to a return telephone call originated by said called party in response to receipt of a paging signal by a pager of said called party, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving said telephone call;

playing an interruptible announcement to said caller;

receiving a command from said caller interrupting said announcement, said command indicating that the caller desires to be connected to said called party as soon as possible;

stopping the playing of said announcement upon receipt of said command from said caller;

determining whether or not said caller is still connected on said telephone call at a time at which said announcement would have completed playing had it not been interrupted; and

initiating the broadcasting of said paging signal to said pager only when the result of said determining step is that said caller is still connected on said telephone call.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 further including the steps of:

opening a billing record for said telephone call; and

retaining said billing record with a non-zero charge for said telephone call only when said page is broadcast.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1 further including the steps of:

opening a billing record for said telephone call; and

retaining said billing for said telephone call only when said page is broadcast.

4. The invention as defined in claim 1 further including the step of opening a billing record for said telephone call when said page is broadcast.

5. The invention as defined in claim 4 wherein said billing record is initialized to zero.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein said billing record is initialized to a period of time equal to the time for which it would take to play the announcement in its entirety.

7. A method for use in generating a billing record for a telephone call placed by a caller to the personal telephone number of a called party, said telephone call placed by said caller to be bridged to a return telephone call originated by said called party in response to receipt of a paging signal by a pager of said called party, the method comprising the steps of:

playing an interruptable announcement to said caller;

receiving a command from said caller interrupting said announcement, said command indicating that caller desires to be connected to said called party as soon as possible;

stopping the playing of said announcement upon receipt of said command from said caller;

waiting substantially until the time at which said announcement would have completed playing had it not been interrupted and then determining if said caller'"'"'s telephone call remains in existence;

initiating transmission of said paging signal only when it is determined that said caller'"'"'s telephone call remains in existence at the time at which said announcement would have completed playing had it not been interrupted; and

storing information for billing said caller'"'"'s telephone call only when transmission of said paging signal is initiated.

8. The invention as defined in claim 7 wherein said a time of said call stored in said billing information record is initialized to the length of time to play said announcement in its entirety.

9. The invention as defined in claim 7 wherein said a time of said call stored in said billing information record is initialized to zero.

10. A method for use in generating a billing record for a telephone call placed by a caller to the personal telephone number of a called party, said telephone call placed by said caller to be bridged to a return telephone call originated by said called party in response to receipt of a paging signal by a pager of said called party, the method comprising the steps of:

playing an interruptable announcement to said caller;

receiving a command from said caller interrupting said announcement, said command indicating that caller desires to be connected to said called party as soon as possible;

stopping the playing of said announcement upon receipt of said command from said caller;

waiting substantially until the time at which said announcement would have completed playing had it not been interrupted and then determining if said caller'"'"'s telephone call remains in existence;

initiating transmission of said paging signal only when it is determined that said caller'"'"'s telephone call remains in existence at the time at which said announcement would have completed playing had it not been interrupted; and

rendering a bill for said caller'"'"'s telephone call only if said initiating step is executed.

11. The invention as defined in 10 wherein said bill includes a charge for the entire length of said call.

12. The invention as defined in 10 wherein said bill includes a charge for the entire length of said call less the length of time to play said announcement in its entirety.

13. A method for use in generating a billing record for a telephone call placed by a caller to the personal telephone number of a called party, said telephone call placed by said caller to be bridged to a return telephone call originated by said called party in response to receipt of a paging signal by a pager of said called party, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving said telephone call;

opening a billing record for said telephone call;

playing an interruptable announcement to said caller;

receiving a command from said caller interrupting said announcement, said command indicating that caller desires to be connected to said called party as soon as possible;

stopping the playing of said announcement upon receipt of said command from said caller;

waiting substantially until the time at which said announcement would have completed playing had it not been interrupted and then determining if said caller'"'"'s telephone call remains in existence;

discarding said billing record only when it is determined that said caller'"'"'s telephone call no longer remains in existence at the time at which said announcement would have completed playing had it not been interrupted; and

initiating the transmission of a page only when only when it is determined that said caller'"'"'s telephone call remains in existence at the time at which said announcement would have completed playing had it not been interrupted.

14. A method for use in generating a billing record for a telephone call placed by a caller to the personal telephone number of a called party, said telephone call placed by said caller to be bridged to a return telephone call originated by said called party in response to receipt of a paging signal by a pager of said called party, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving said telephone call;

opening a billing record for said telephone call;

playing an interruptable announcement to said caller;

receiving a command from said caller interrupting said announcement, said command indicating that caller desires to be connected to said called party as soon as possible;

stopping the playing of said announcement upon receipt of said command from said caller;

waiting substantially until the time at which said announcement would have completed playing had it not been interrupted and then determining if said caller'"'"'s telephone call remains in existence;

marking said billing record so as not to generate a charge only when it is determined that said caller'"'"'s telephone call no longer remains in existence at the time at which said announcement would have completed playing had it not been interrupted; and

initiating the transmission of a page only when only when it is determined that said caller'"'"'s telephone call remains in existence at the time at which said announcement would have completed playing had it not been interrupted.

15. A method for use in billing a telephone call placed by a caller to the personal telephone number of a called party, said telephone call placed by said caller to be bridged to a return telephone call originated by said called party in response to receipt of a paging signal by a pager of said called party, the method comprising the steps of:

supplying an interruptable prompt to said caller;

receiving a command from said caller interrupting said prompt, said command indicating that caller desires to be connected to said called party as soon as possible;

stopping the playing of said announcement upon receipt of said command from said caller;

waiting substantially until the time at which said announcement would have completed playing had it not been interrupted and then determining if said caller'"'"'s telephone call remains in existence;

initiating transmission of said paging signal only when it is determined that said caller'"'"'s telephone call remains in existence at the time at which said announcement would have completed playing had it not been interrupted; and

storing information for billing said caller'"'"'s telephone call only when transmission of said paging signal is initiated.

16. A method for use in billing a telephone call placed by a caller to the personal telephone number of a called party, said telephone call placed by said caller to be bridged to a return telephone call originated by said called party in response to receipt of a paging signal by a pager of said called party, the method comprising the steps of:

supplying an interruptable prompt to said caller;

receiving a command from said caller interrupting said prompt, said command indicating that caller desires to be connected to said called party as soon as possible;

stopping the playing of said announcement upon receipt of said command from said caller;

waiting substantially until the time at which said announcement would have completed playing had it not been interrupted and then determining if said caller'"'"'s telephone call remains in existence;

initiating transmission of said paging signal only when it is determined that said caller'"'"'s telephone call remains in existence at the time at which said announcement would have completed playing had it not been interrupted; and

rendering a bill for said caller'"'"'s telephone call only if said initiating step is executed.