Telephone billing with customer-defined budgeting

• US 5,987,108 A
• Filed: 03/19/1997
• Issued: 11/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jagadish, Hosagrahar V., Mumick, Inderpal S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Loomis, Paul
• Assistant Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US08/825,547
• Time in Patent Office: 972 Days
• Field of Search: 379/114, 379/144, 379/145, 379/121, 379/131, 379/133, 379/112, 379/124, 379/126, 379/130, 379/140
• US Class Current: 379/114.01
• 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

Abstract

A method and system of telephone call processing that provides direct control of telephone usage based on customer established budgets. According to one aspect of the present invention, customer specific information including pricing data and budget parameters for a customer are stored, as is summary information relating to customer telephone usage. A call setup query is received from a network switch. A call setup response is generated based on the budget parameters and the summary information and the call setup response is transmitted to the network switch. In order to generate the stored summary information, a plurality of records are received wherein each record describes a telephone call. A priced call value for each call is determined using the record and the customer specific information. Summary information for the customer is determined using the record, the priced call values and the budget parameters. The summary information is then stored. According to another aspect of the present invention, a network switch receives a telephone call from a caller and transmits a call setup query identifying the caller to a billing analysis system. The network switch receives a call setup response indicating whether summary information of the caller exceeds at least one budgetary limit of the caller and determines whether to complete the call based on the call setup response.

Claims

1. A method of telephone call processing comprising the steps of:

storing customer specific information including pricing data and budget parameters for a customer, the budget parameters specifying a plurality of budgetary categories, a plurality of budgetary limits for each specified budgetary category, a call disposition corresponding to each budgetary limit, and corresponding summary information that is to be generated;

generating summary information relating to telephone usage of the customer as specified by the budget parameters;

storing the generated summary information;

receiving a call setup query from a network switch;

determining a budgetary category based on the call setup query and the customer specific information;

accessing summary information for the budgetary category;

comparing the accessed summary information to each budgetary limit; and

generating a call setup response indicating whether the summary information exceeds any budgetary limit, the call setup response including a call disposition corresponding to a budgetary limit that has been exceeded;

transmitting the call setup response to the network switch;

completing the call, if the call setup response indicates that no budgetary limit of the caller is exceeded;

playing a first message to the caller and completing the call, if the call setup response indicates that a first budgetary limit of the caller is exceeded; and

playing a second message to the caller and rejecting the call, if the call setup response indicates that a second budgetary limit of the caller is exceeded.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each call disposition is defined by the customer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the budget parameters are defined by the customer.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the budget parameters are defined based on a request from the customer.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the performing step comprises the steps of:

completing the call, if the call setup response indicates that no budgetary limit of the caller is exceeded; and

rejecting the call, if the call setup response indicates that at least one budgetary limit of the caller is exceeded.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of:

playing a message to the caller, if the call is rejected.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the performing step comprises the steps of:

completing the call, if the call setup response indicates that no budgetary limit of the caller is exceeded;

playing a first message to the caller and completing the call, if the call setup response indicates that a first budgetary limit of the caller is exceeded; and

playing a second message to the caller and rejecting the call, if the call setup response indicates that a second budgetary limit of the caller is exceeded.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the budgetary categories specified by the budget parameters specify at least one budgetary category selected from the following:

(a) a total cost of calls made each day;

(b) a total cost of calls made to a selected set of telephone numbers;

(c) a total cost of calls made to a selected set of area codes;

(d) a total cost of calls made to a selected set of cities;

(e) a total cost of calls made to a selected set of states;

(f) a total cost of calls made to a selected set of countries; and

(h) a total cost of collect calls made at a selected time of day.

9. A system for telephone call processing comprising:

a first database storing customer specific information including pricing data and budget parameters for a customer, the budget parameters specifying a plurality of budgetary categories, a plurality of budgetary limits for each specified budgetary category, a call disposition corresponding to each budgetary limit, and corresponding summary information that is to be generated;

a second database, coupled to the first database, storing summary information generated as specified by the budget parameters; and

a billing analysis system, coupled to the first database and the second database, comprising;

a receiver receiving a call setup query from a network switch,

a response generator generating a call setup response based on the budget parameters and the summary information by performing the steps of;

determining a budgetary category based on the call setup query and the customer specific information;

accessing summary information for the budgetary category;

comparing the accessed summary information to each budgetary limit; and

generating a call setup response indicating whether the summary information exceeds any budgetary limit, the call setup response including a call disposition corresponding to a budgetary limit that has been exceeded;

a transmitter transmitting the call setup response to the network switch; and

a call completion device performing the call disposition indicated by the call setup response.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein each call disposition is defined by the customer.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the budget parameters are defined by the customer.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the budget parameters are defined based on a request from the customer.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the call completion device performs the call disposition by:

completing the call, if the call setup response indicates that no budgetary limit of the caller is exceeded; and

rejecting the call, if the call setup response indicates that at least one budgetary limit of the caller is exceeded.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the call completion device performs the call disposition by further:

playing a message to the caller, if the call is rejected.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the call completion device performs the call disposition by:

completing the call, if the call setup response indicates that no budgetary limit of the caller is exceeded;

playing a first message to the caller and completing the call, if the call setup response indicates that a first budgetary limit of the caller is exceeded; and

playing a second message to the caller and rejecting the call, if the call setup response indicates that a second budgetary limit of the caller is exceeded.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the call setup response indicates a call disposition and the call completion device performs the call disposition indicated by the call setup response.

17. The system of claim 9, wherein the budgetary categories specified by the budget parameters specify at least one budgetary category selected from the following:

(a) a total cost of calls made each day;

(b) a total cost of calls made to a selected set of telephone numbers;

(c) a total cost of calls made to a selected set of area codes;

(d) a total cost of calls made to a selected set of cities;

(e) a total cost of calls made to a selected set of states;

(f) a total cost of calls made to a selected set of countries; and

(h) a total cost of collect calls made at a selected time of day.

18. A system for telephone call processing comprising:

means for storing customer specific information including pricing data and budget parameters for a customer, the budget parameters specifying a plurality of budgetary categories, a plurality of budgetary limits for each specified budgetary category, a call disposition corresponding to each budgetary limit, and corresponding summary information that is to be generated;

means for generating summary information relating to telephone usage of the customer as specified by the budget parameters;

means for storing summary information;

means for receiving a call setup query from a network switch;

means for generating a call setup response based on the budget parameters and the summary information;

comprising means for determining a budgetary category based on the call setup query and the customer specific information, means for accessing summary information for each budgetary category, means for comparing the accessed summary information to the budgetary limit, and means for generating a call setup response indicating whether the summary information exceeds any budgetary limit, the call setup response including a call disposition corresponding to a budgetary limit that has been exceeded;

means for transmitting the call setup response to the network switch; and

means for performing the call disposition indicated by the call setup response.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the call disposition is defined by the customer.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the budget parameters are defined by the customer.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the budget parameters are defined based on a request from the customer.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the means for performing a call disposition comprises:

means for completing the call, if the call setup response indicates that no budgetary limit of the caller is exceeded; and

means for rejecting the call, if the call setup response indicates that at least one budgetary limit of the caller is exceeded.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the means for performing a call disposition further comprises:

means for playing a message to the caller, if the call is rejected.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the means for performing a call disposition comprises:

means for completing the call, if the call setup response indicates that no budgetary limit of the caller is exceeded;

means for playing a first message to the caller and completing the call, if the call setup response indicates that a first budgetary limit of the caller is exceeded; and

means for playing a second message to the caller and rejecting the call, if the call setup response indicates that a second budgetary limit of the caller is exceeded.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the call setup response indicates a call disposition and the means for performing a call disposition performs the call disposition indicated by the call setup response.

26. The system of claim 18, wherein the budgetary categories specified by the budget parameters specify at least one budgetary category selected from the following:

(a) a total cost of calls made each day;

(b) a total cost of calls made to a selected set of telephone numbers;

(c) a total cost of calls made to a selected set of area codes;

(d) a total cost of calls made to a selected set of cities;

(e) a total cost of calls made to a selected set of states;

(f) a total cost of calls made to a selected set of countries; and

(h) a total cost of collect calls made at a selected time of day.