Method for providing equal access dialing for pre-paid telecommunication services

• US 6,195,422 B1
• Filed: 11/17/1998
• Issued: 02/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bell Atlantic Network Services, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Jones, Douglas R., Farris, Robert D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US09/193,246
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• Field of Search: 379/111, 379/112, 379/114, 379/115, 379/120, 379/121, 379/124, 379/127, 379/143, 379/144, 379/219, 379/220
• US Class Current: 379/127.05
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/47 Fraud detection or prevention means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/88 Provision for limiting connection, or expenditure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/00 Prepayment of wireline communication systems, wireless communication systems or telephone systems using a coded card to authorise calls from a telephone set H04M1/675
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/10 Account details or usage
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/103 using SIMs (USIMs) or calling cards
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/106 using commercial credit or debit cards
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/20 with provision for recharging the prepaid account or card, or for credit establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2017/12 using calling, telephone credit/debit cards
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2017/14 using commercial credit/debit cards, e.g. VISA, AMEX
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2017/26 with real-time recharging of account/card, e.g. if limit is reached during connection user is asked if he wants to recharge or not
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0116 Provision for limiting expenditure, e.g. limit on call expenses or account
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0148 Fraud detection or prevention means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/42 Least cost routing, i.e. provision for selecting the lowest cost tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/745 Least cost routing, e.g. Automatic or manual, call by call or by preselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/82 Advice-of-Charge [AOC], i.e. notify subscriber of charges/cumulative charge; meter at the substation

Abstract

To provide toll services but limit the amount of such services, toll calls from a party'"'"'s line are routed to selected calling card type processing equipment. However, so that such calling party'"'"'s have equal access to multiple carriers and need not dial additional digits, the communications network supplies calling and dialed number information to the processing equipment. The network preferably identifies the call as requiring a special application (without user input of billing number or PIN information). The processing equipment performs all necessary account related screening, e.g. to determine the remaining amount of funds available for the caller'"'"'s toll services, to route the call and to continuously rate the call cost for the duration of the call. If there are no remaining funds, the call is disallowed. If the funds run-out during the call, the calling card type processing equipment interrupts the call and informs the caller. The invention may be implemented using switch-based PIC functionality to route the calls to the selected service provider'"'"'s equipment. The preferred embodiment, however, utilizes intelligent network processing, to select one provider'"'"'s equipment, route the call to that provider'"'"'s equipment, and supply the necessary information to the equipment, in order to facilitate the account processing without further input from the caller. The caller need only dial a 1+ the 10-digit number to place a toll call, in the normal manner.

Claims

1. A method for providing a restricted value telephone toll service through a telephone network serving a plurality of subscriber lines, comprising:

identifying in profile logic in the network, for a subscriber line designated for receiving the toll limited service, a subscriber'"'"'s selection of one of a plurality of providers of toll-restricted service;

receiving a toll call made from said designated subscriber line by dialing from that line only a number for a toll call to a called line;

selecting one calling card type system from among a plurality of calling card type systems coupled to the network corresponding to the subscriber'"'"'s selected service provider;

routing the toll call from said designated subscriber line to the one selected calling card type system; and

supplying necessary information, comprising the number for the toll call and an identification associated with the designated subscriber line, to the one selected calling card type system to facilitate prepaid toll call account processing without further input from the caller.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein:

the one selected calling card type system uses said necessary information to process said toll call to complete a connection from the designated subscriber line to the called line; and

the one selected calling card type system limits the duration of said toll call in accord with credit on account for the designated subscriber line.

3. A method as in claim 1, wherein the supplying step sends said necessary information via common channel signaling to the one selected calling card type system.

4. A method as in claim 3, wherein the number dialed is transmitted via a Generic Address Parameter (GAP) field of a common channel signaling message.

5. A method as in claim 4, wherein, said Generic Address Parameter field is transported in Integrated Services Digital Network signaling to the selected calling card type system.

6. A method as in claim 5, wherein said Integrated Services Digital Network signaling comprises an Initial Address Message.

7. A method as in claim 1, further including the step of routing said toll call from said one selected calling card type system to a network of a subscriber selected Preferred Interexchange Carrier.

8. A method as in claim 7, wherein said toll call is routed to said one selected calling card type system by PIC functionality of a central office switch of the network.

9. A method as in claim 8, wherein said PIC functionality causes the central office switch to supply said necessary information to said one selected calling card type system in order to facilitate account processing without further input from the caller.

10. A method as in claim 1, wherein said toll call is routed to said one selected calling card type system based on control information obtained from a service control point of the network via common channel signaling.

11. A method as in claim 10, wherein:

said one selected calling card type system receives calls using a different routing number for a different billing service;

said one selected calling card type system selectively executes an application for the restricted value telephone toll service in response to the toll call routed using the routing number; and

said one selected calling card type system selectively executes a different billing application in response to any call routed using the different routing number.

12. A method as in claim 10, wherein the control information obtained from the service control point causes the network to route the toll call to the one selected calling card type system using a first predetermined number assigned to the restricted value telephone toll service as a routing number.

13. A method for providing a service through a telephone network serving a plurality of subscriber lines comprising:

identifying in profile logic in the network a subscriber line designated for receiving a toll limited service;

receiving a toll call made from said designated subscriber line by dialing from that line only a number for a toll call to a called line;

routing the toll call from said designated subscriber line to one calling card type system, wherein the routing of the toll call utilizes PIC functionality of a central office switch of the network to select the one calling card type system from among a plurality of calling card type systems based on a pre-selection by the subscriber;

supplying necessary information, comprising the number for the toll call and an identification associated with the designated subscriber line, to the one selected calling card type system to facilitate prepaid toll call account processing without further input from the caller;

receiving a non-toll call made from said designated subscriber line; and

routing the non-toll call through the network without routing to the calling card type system.

14. A method for providing a service through a telephone network serving a plurality of subscriber lines, comprising:

identifying in profile logic in the network a subscriber line designated for receiving a toll limited service;

receiving a toll call made from said designated subscriber line by dialing from that line only a number for a toll call to a called line;

routing the toll call from said designated subscriber line to the a calling card type system;

supplying necessary information, comprising the number for the toll call and an identification associated with the designated subscriber line, to the one selected calling card type system to facilitate prepaid toll call account processing without further input from the caller;

receiving a non-toll call made from said designated subscriber line; and

routing the non-toll call through the network without routing to the calling card type system, wherein the step of routing the toll call comprises;

(a) accessing a call processing record stored in a services control point of the network to select the calling card type system from among a plurality of calling card type systems based on a pre-selection by the subscriber; and

(b) based on information from the call processing record, causing a central office switch of the network to route the toll call to the selected calling card type system.

15. A method as in claim 14, wherein the step of routing the non-toll call comprises:

accessing the call processing record to recognize that processing of the non-toll call does not require routing to a calling card type system; and

based on information from the call processing record, causing a central office switch of the network to route the non-toll call in accord with a caller dialed destination number of the non-toll call.