Subscriber-initiated automated third party billing feature

• US 6,381,317 B1
• Filed: 04/06/2001
• Issued: 04/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wang, Shaoqing, Westrich, Robert S., Bala, Srinivas
• Primary Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US09/826,885
• Time in Patent Office: 389 Days
• Field of Search: 379/114.05, 379/114.23, 379/114.26, 379/121.01, 379/121.03, 379/127.01, 379/127.03, 379/127.05, 379/127.06, 379/130, 379/144.01, 379/114.21
• US Class Current: 379/114.23
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/09 Third party charged communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/48 Secure or trusted billing, e.g. trusted elements or encryption
• 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 2215/0156 Secure and trusted billing, e.g. trusted elements, encryption, digital signature, codes or double check mechanisms to secure billing calculation and information
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0168 On line or real-time flexible customization or negotiation according to wishes of subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/66 Third party billing, i.e. third party can also be the predetermined telephone line of the caller if he is calling from another telephone set

Abstract

Accordingly to one embodiment of the present invention, a method for providing caller initiated third party billing in a telecommunication system is disclosed. First, a predetermined number is dialed by the subscriber to access the third party billing feature. The subscriber is then prompted to enter proper identification and the telecommunication system authenticates the subscriber identification. Once the subscriber'"'"'s identification has been authenticated, the system retrieves the subscriber'"'"'s account information. The system then determines the phone number of the selected telephone the subscriber wants to make calls from. The system then sends the subscriber'"'"'s account information and the phone number the subscriber wants to make the calls from to a billing server. The billing server then sends the subscriber'"'"'s account information to a local exchange carrier responsible for the selected telephone. The calls made from the selected telephone are then billed to the subscriber'"'"'s account.

Claims

1. A method for providing caller initiated third party billing in a telecommunications system, comprising the steps of:

receiving a predetermined number for accessing the third party billing feature from a caller;

retrieving account information of the caller;

receiving a phone number of a telephone terminal from which the caller is initiating a call;

transmitting said account information and the initiating phone number to a billing server;

transmitting said account information from the billing server to a local exchange carrier responsible for said initiating telephone terminal; and

billing charges generated from an interexchange network made from the initiating telephone to said caller'"'"'s account.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving a telephone call for deactivating the third party billing feature.

3. The method according to claim 1, comprising the step of:

deactivating the third party billing after a predetermined period of time.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

deactivating the third party billing after a predetermined number of calls.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

deactivating the third party billing after a predetermined amount of money has been billed to the caller'"'"'s account.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step prompting the caller to enter the phone number of the telephone the caller wants to use with the third party billing.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the selected is the phone number the caller uses to call the predetermined number to access the third party billing.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of automatically determining the phone number of the selected telephone.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of prompting the caller to enter identification for authorizing the caller information.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of validating the caller entered identification.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the step, if caller entered identification is invalid, transfer the caller to a fraud control center.

12. The method according to claim 6, wherein the step of prompting the system prompts the caller by tone.

13. The method according to claim 6, wherein the step of prompting the system prompts the caller by synthesized voice.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving a telephone number entered by said caller associated with an account to which said call is to be billed.