Preferred billing rate pre-paid telephone calling card

• US 6,404,869 B1
• Filed: 01/12/1999
• Issued: 06/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: WorldCom, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Ford, Charles David, Henderson, Karl, Bond, James Duke, Mir, Kamran
• Primary Examiner(s): Tieu, Binh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Taylor, Barry W
• Application Number:
  US09/229,021
• Time in Patent Office: 1,246 Days
• Field of Search: 379/207, 379/144, 379/112, 379/114, 379/115.02, 379/144.01, 379/114.24, 379/121.22, 455/405, 455/406
• US Class Current: 379/144.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/745 Customizing according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. friends or family
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• 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 2215/0108 Customization according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. customer preferences, friends and family, selecting services or billing options, Personal Communication Systems [PCS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0168 On line or real-time flexible customization or negotiation according to wishes of subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0184 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions, volume discounts, cell discounts, group billing, frequent calling destination(s) or user history list
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0192 Sponsored, subsidised calls via advertising, e.g. calling cards with ads or connecting to special ads, free calling time by purchasing goods

Abstract

System and a method for facilitating the use of a preferred, discount rate pre-paid telephone calling card. The system and method include and involved a data storage system for storing data corresponding to a pre-paid telephone calling card and at least one location identifier related to the pre-paid telephone calling card. The location identifier(s) corresponding to at least one telephone call service rate. The system and method also include and involve a pre-paid telephone calling card processing system that is coupled to the data storage system and which is configured to receive the location identifier(s) during a setup call over a telephone network and to cause the location identifier(s) to be stored in the data storage system during the setup call. During an access telephone call, such as one in which an outbound telephone call may be made in accordance with a pre-paid telephone calling card to a terminating telephone number based on at least one location identifier, a calling party may realize preferred, discounted telephone service rates. Such rates may be used to bill calls against available call usage units, etc. based on a selected location identifier.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating the use of a preferred telephone rate for at least one location selected from substantially any location having public telephone service by a pre-paid telephone calling card, comprising:

a data storage system for storing data corresponding to a pre-paid telephone calling card and including at least one location identifier corresponding to said location selected from said locations having multiple discounted telephone call service rates for public telephone service, said at least one location identifier related to said pre-paid telephone calling card, and said at least one location identifier establishing a discounted telephone call service rate when calls chargeable to said pre-paid telephone card are made to said at least one location, said discounted telephone call service rate applying regardless of the location from which the call originates; and

a pre-paid telephone calling card processing system coupled to said data storage system and configured to receive said at least one location identifier representative of said at least one selected location during an initial setup call over a telephone network and to cause said at least one location identifier to be stored in said data storage system during said setup call.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said data storage system and said pre-paid telephone calling card processing system are remotely located.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said data corresponding to said pre-paid telephone calling card includes a quantity corresponding to a number of service units available to be used to make at least one call in relation to said pre-paid telephone calling card.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein said at least one call is a long distance telephone call.

5. The system according to claim 3, wherein said service units correspond to telephone call service minutes.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein said pre-paid telephone calling card processing system causes said at least one location identifier representative of said selected location to be stored within said data storage system in accordance with a card identifier corresponding to said pre-paid telephone calling card.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one location identifier is at least one country code corresponding to at least one country to which telephone calls may be made based on said at least one telephone call service rate.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one location identifier is a two-digit string of characters.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one location identifier is a three-digit string of characters.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one location identifier is a telephone number spoken by a caller during said setup call.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein said data corresponding to the pre-paid telephone calling card includes a quantity corresponding to a number of service units available to be used to make at least one call in relation to the pre-paid telephone calling card.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein said service units correspond to telephone call service minutes.

11. A method for managing data associated with a pre-paid telephone calling card providing access to substantially any location having public telephone service, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a geographic location identifier during an initial setup call over a telephone network, said geographic location identifier corresponding to selected locations of said locations having multiple discounted telephone call service rates for public telephone service to which telephone calls may be made at a discounted telephone call service rate which is different than the standard pre-paid telephone calling card

service rate in place for the other locations having public telephone service, said discounted telephone call service rate applying regardless of the location from which the call originates; and

storing said geographic location identifier in relation to data corresponding to the pre-paid telephone calling card.

14. A method of using a pre-paid telephone calling card to provide preferred service rates to at least one location selected from substantially any location having public telephone service, the method comprising the steps of:

accessing a pre-paid telephone calling card processing system during a pre-paid telephone calling card setup call via a telephone network;

entering a card identifier corresponding to data addressable by said pre-paid telephone calling card processing system;

entering a geographic location identifier corresponding to said at least one location selected from said locations having multiple discounted telephone call service rates for public telephone service to which telephone calls may be made at a discounted telephone call service rate, said discounted telephone call service rate providing a cost advantage to said at least one location over the remaining ones of said locations, said discounted telephone call service rate applying regardless of the location from which the call originates; and

storing said geographic location identifier.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein said telephone network is a publicly switched telephone network (PSTN).

16. A system for facilitating the use of a pre-paid telephone calling card having access to public telephone service, comprising;

a data storage system for storing data corresponding to a pre-paid telephone calling card including at least one location identifier representative of a selected location of said locations having multiple discounted telephone call service rates for public telephone service and corresponding to at least one telephone call service rate; and

a pre-paid telephone calling card processing system coupled to said data storage system and configured to receive a request to make an outbound telephone call to said selected location represented by said at least one location identifier and chargeable to the pre-paid telephone calling card at a discounted rate over other ones of said locations having public telephone service during an access call over a telephone network, said discounted telephone call service rate applying regardless of the location from which the call originates.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein said data storage system and said pre-paid calling card processing system are remotely located.

18. The system according to claim 16, wherein said data corresponding to the pre-paid telephone calling card includes a quantity corresponding to a number of service units available to be used to make at least one call in relation to the pre-paid telephone calling card.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein said at least one call is a long distance telephone call.

20. The system according to claim 18, wherein said service units correspond to telephone call service minutes.

21. A method for facilitating the use of a pre-paid telephone calling card providing access to locations having public telephone service, the method comprising the steps of:

storing data corresponding to the pre-paid telephone calling card including a location identifier corresponding to selected location of said locations having multiple discounted telephone call service rates for public telephone service locations to which telephone calls can be made, said location identifier establishing a discounted telephone service rate; and

receiving a request to make an outbound telephone call based on said location identifier and chargeable to said pre-paid telephone calling card at said discounted telephone service rate during an access call over a telephone network, said discounted telephone call service rate applying regardless of the location from which the call originates.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein said data corresponding to the pre-paid telephone calling card includes a quantity corresponding to a number of service units available to be used to make said outbound telephone call in relation to the pre-paid telephone calling card.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein said service units correspond to telephone call service minutes.

24. A method of using a pre-paid telephone calling card, the method comprising the steps of:

accessing a pre-paid telephone calling card processing system during a telephone service access call via a telephone network;

entering a card identifier corresponding to data addressable by said pre-paid telephone calling card processing system, said data addressable by said pre-paid telephone calling card processing system including a location identifier corresponding to a location of a plurality of locations having multiple discounted telephone call service rates for public telephone service to which telephone calls can be made, said location identifier corresponding to a discounted telephone service rate;

entering a terminating telephone number corresponding to said location identifier; and

automatically initiating an outbound telephone call based on said terminating telephone number and causing said outbound telephone call to be billed at said discounted telephone service rate regardless of the location from which the call originates.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein said location identifier is a country code.

26. The method according to claim 24, wherein said discount telephone service rate is less than a normally charged telephone service rate for calls made to a location corresponding to said location identifier.