System and method for cellular reseller control of inbound calls to a mobile station
First Claim
1. A method for controlling an inbound call received by a mobile station in a cellular frequency band, wherein use of a cellular telephone number is purchased from a cellular services provider by a reseller and maintained confidential from a user of the station, comprising:
- (a) assigning a unique telephone number for dialing to the station, which is different from the cellular telephone number, and providing the user access to said unique telephone number for an inbound call to the station;
(b) transmitting said unique telephone number to an IN (intelligent network) platform when dialed by an originating caller and determining if said unique telephone number is valid;
(c) commencing authorization and completion of the inbound call, if it is determined that the inbound call is a valid call; and
(d) preventing completion of the inbound call if said unique telephone number is not a valid number.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for making a call from a dual mode mobile station functioning in either a PCS (personal communication service) mode or a cellular mode permits PCS communications if the station receives a beacon of a sufficient strength in a PCS frequency band, and alternatively permits cellular communications if the station does not receive a beacon of a sufficient strength in the PCS frequency band. In order for the dual mode station to perform in both a cellular mode and a PCS mode, a single service provider (reseller) will attempt to provide both types of services. The reseller must ensure that a call can be properly billed to a mobile station user for both a call received at the dual mode mobile station and a call transmitted from the dual mode mobile station. Accordingly, methods and systems are provided for controlling cellular service access to and from the mobile station. For an inbound call to the station, the originating caller is provided an access number that accesses an IN platform, which communicates with the station to authenticate the inbound call, bills the inbound call, and routes the inbound call. For an outbound call from the station, the mobile station transmits an access number, the user-dialed number, and identification information for the station to an IN platform, which handles call billing and routing.
45 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A method for controlling an inbound call received by a mobile station in a cellular frequency band, wherein use of a cellular telephone number is purchased from a cellular services provider by a reseller and maintained confidential from a user of the station, comprising:
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(a) assigning a unique telephone number for dialing to the station, which is different from the cellular telephone number, and providing the user access to said unique telephone number for an inbound call to the station; (b) transmitting said unique telephone number to an IN (intelligent network) platform when dialed by an originating caller and determining if said unique telephone number is valid; (c) commencing authorization and completion of the inbound call, if it is determined that the inbound call is a valid call; and (d) preventing completion of the inbound call if said unique telephone number is not a valid number. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. A method for controlling an inbound call received by a mobile station in a cellular frequency band, wherein use of a cellular telephone number is purchased from a cellular services provider by a reseller and maintained confidential from a user of the station, comprising:
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assigning a destination calling number to the station different from the cellular telephone number and providing the user access to said destination calling number for an inbound call to the station; transmitting said destination calling number to an IN (intelligent network) platform when dialed by an originating caller and determining if said destination calling number is valid; commencing authorization and completion of the inbound call, if it is determined that the inbound call is a valid call, comprising the steps of; using said IN platform to look up said destination calling number to determine whether the inbound call is to a recognized station; preventing completion of the inbound call if said destination calling number is not a valid number; and using said IN platform to look up said destination calling number to determine whether the inbound call is a private dialing plan call to be billed in arrears to a private dialing plan customer or a debit call to be billed in advance to the user of the station in advance of the inbound call. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6)
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7. A system for controlling an inbound call received by a mobile station in a cellular frequency band, wherein use of a cellular telephone number is purchased from a cellular services provider by a reseller and maintained confidential from a user of the station, comprising:
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means for assigning a unique telephone number for dialing to the station, which is different from the cellular telephone number and providing the user access to said unique telephone number for an inbound call to the station; means for transmitting said unique telephone number to an IN (intelligent network) platform when dialed by an originating caller and determining if said unique telephone number is valid; means for commencing authorization and completion of the inbound call, if it is determined that the inbound call is a valid call; and means for preventing completion of the inbound call if said unique telephone number is not a valid number. - View Dependent Claims (8)
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9. A system for controlling an inbound call received by a mobile station in a cellular frequency band, wherein use of a cellular telephone number is purchased from a cellular services provider by a reseller and maintained confidential from a user of the station, comprising:
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means for assigning a destination calling number to the station different from the cellular telephone number and providing the user access to said destination calling number for an inbound call to the station; means for transmitting said destination calling number to an IN (intelligent network) platform when dialed by an originating caller and determining if said destination calling number is valid; means for commencing authorization and completion of the inbound call, if it is determined that the inbound call is a valid call; means for preventing completion of the inbound call if said destination calling number is not a valid number; means for using said IN platform to look up said destination calling number to determine whether the inbound call is to a recognized station; and means for using said IN platform to look up said destination calling number to determine whether the inbound call is a private dialing plan call to be billed in arrears to a private dialing plan customer or a debit call to be billed in advance to the user of the station in advance of the inbound call. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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Specification