Compensating recipients of calls

• US 6,996,216 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2001
• Issued: 02/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Winters, Scott Lee, Paolini, Michael A., Brown, Michael Wayne, Weaver, James Mark, McIntyre, Joseph Herbert
• Primary Examiner(s): CANGIALOSI, SALVATORE A
• Application Number:
  US10/022,159
• Publication Number:
  US 20030115070A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,513 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/26, 705/64, 705/67, 705/400, 455/405, 455/406, 370/352, 379/114.01, 379/114.21, 379/114.22, 379/114.23, 379/114.25, 379/114.24, 379/114.1
• US Class Current: 379/114.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A method, system, and program for compensating recipients of calls are provided. A request to bill a caller a tariff for a call is initiated, wherein the caller originates the call. The caller is prompted to accept payment of the tariff to receive access to a destination line during the call. Responsive to negotiating for the payment of the tariff from the caller, the caller is connected with the destination line, such that the caller pays for access to the destination line. In particular, the caller may pay for access to a particular callee at the destination line.

Claims

1. A method for billing for a call, said method comprising:

responsive to detecting a call originated by a caller to a destination line, accessing a caller profile for said caller, wherein said caller profile specifies a limit for automatic acceptance of a tariff payment request for said call;

responsive to detecting a callee answer said call at said destination line, accessing a callee profile for said callee, wherein said callee profile designates a first cost for access to said callee during a current time period and a second cast for access by said caller to said callee;

initiating a request to bill said caller a tariff for said call, wherein said tariff is calculated from said first cost and said second cost in said callee profile;

responsive to said caller limit for automatic acceptance exceeding or matching said tariff, automatically initiating negotiation of payment of said tariff;

responsive to said tariff exceeding said limit for automatic acceptance, prompting said caller to accept payment of said tariff to initiate negotiation of payment of said tariff to receive access to a destination line during said call; and

responsive to negotiating said payment of said tariff from a caller account provided specified in said caller profile to a callee account provider specified in said callee profile, connecting said caller with said destination line, such that said caller pays for access to said destination line.

2. The method for billing for a call according to claim 1, further comprising:

authenticating an actual identity of a callee answering a call at said destination line;

prompting said caller to accept payment of said tariff to communicate with said callee identified by said authenticated actual identity, wherein said caller is able to determine prior to accepting payment of said tariff with whom said caller is paying to communicate.

3. The method for billing for a call according to claim 1, further comprising:

authenticating an actual identity of said caller; and

loading a billing profile for said authenticated actual identity of said caller, wherein said billing profile specifies an account from which said payment of said tariff is to be negotiated.

4. The method for billing for a call according to claim 1, wherein said request to bill a caller is initiated in response to a tariff offer in a caller profile.

5. The method for billing for a call according to claim 1, wherein said request to bill a caller is received in response to a requirement in a line subscriber profile for said destination line.

6. The method for billing for a call according to claim 1, wherein said request to bill a caller is received in response to a requirement in a callee profile for a callee answering said call at said destination line.

7. The method for billing for a call according to claim 1, wherein said request to bill a caller is received in response to an entry by a callee answering said call at said destination line.

8. The method for billing for a call according to claim 1, wherein said tariff comprises at least one from among a monetary amount, a point amount, an electronic voucher, and an electronic coupon.

9. The method for billing for a call according to claim 1, further comprising:

negotiating payment of said tariff from a caller account provider.

10. The method for billing for a call according to claim 9, wherein said caller account provider is accessible within a trusted telephone network.

11. The method for billing for a call according to claim 9, wherein said caller account provider is accessible outside a trusted telephone network.

12. The method for billing for a call according to claim 9, wherein said caller account provider is accessed according to an authenticated identity of said caller.

13. The method for billing for a call according to claim 1, further comprising:

only completing payment of said tariff if said callee performs to meet at least one condition of said tariff in addition to answering said call.

14. The method for billing for a call according to claim 1, further comprising:

initating said request to bill said caller said tariff, responsive to said callee entering a command to forward said call to an alternate destination device.

15. The method for billing for a call according to claim 1, further comprising:

refunding at least a portion of said tariff to said caller.

25. The system for billing for a call according to claim 9, wherein said caller account provider is accessible within said trusted telephone network.

26. The system for billing for a call according to claim 9, wherein said caller account provider is accessible outside said trusted telephone network.

27. The system for billing for a call according to claim 9, wherein said caller account provider is accessed according to an authenticated identity of said caller.

16. A system for billing for a call, said system comprising:

a billing controller communicatively connected to a trusted telephone network;

means, responsive to detecting a call via said trusted telephone network originated by a caller to a destination line, for said billing controlleraccessing a caller profile for said caller, wherein said caller profile specifies a limit for automatic acceptance of a tariff payment request for said call;

means, responsive to detecting a callee answer said call at said destination line, for said billing controller accessing a callee profile for said callee, wherein said callee profile designates a first cost for access to said callee during a current time period and a second cost for access by said caller to said callee;

means for initiating a request for said billing controller to bill said caller a tariff for said call, wherein said tariff is calculated from said first cost and said second cost in said callee profile;

said billing controller for automatically initiating negotiation of payment of said tariff responsive to said caller limit for automatic acceptance exceeding or matching said tariff;

said billing controller for prompting said caller to accept payment of said tariff to initiate negotiation of payment of said tariff to receive access to a destination line during said call, responsive to said tariff exceeding said limit for automatic acceptance; and

means responsive to said billing controller negotiating said payment of said tariff from a caller account provided specified in said caller profile to a callee account provider specified in said callee profile, for connecting said caller with said destination line.

17. The system for billing for a call according to claim 16, said billing controller further comprising:

means for authenticating an actual identity of a callee answering a call at said destination line; and

means for prompting said caller to accent payment of said tariff to communicate with said callee identified by said authenticated actual identity, wherein said caller is able to determine prior to accepting payment of said tariff with whom said caller is paying to communicate.

18. The system for billing for a call according to claim 16, said billing controller further comprising:

means for authenticating an actual identity of said caller; and

means for loading a billing profile for said authenticated actual identity of said caller, wherein said billing profile specifies an account from which said payment of said tariff is to be negotiated.

19. The system for billing for a call according to claim 16, wherein said request to bill a caller is initiated in response to a tariff offer in a caller profile.

20. The system for billing for a call according to claim 16, wherein said request to bill a caller is received in response to a requirement in a line subscriber profile for said destination line.

21. The system for billing for a call according to claim 16, wherein said request to bill a caller is received in response to a requirement in a callee profile for a callee answering said call at said destination line.

22. The system for billing for a call according to claim 16, wherein said request to bill a caller is received in response to an entry by a callee answering said call at said destination line.

23. The system for billing for a call according to claim 16, wherein said tariff comprises at least one from among a monetary amount, a point amount, an electronic voucher, and an electronic coupon.

24. The system for billing for a call according to claim 16, said billing controller further comprising:

means for negotiating payment of said tariff from a caller account provider.

28. The system for billing for a call according to claim 16, said billing controller further comprising:

means for only completing payment of said tariff if said callee performs to meet at least one condition of said tariff in addition to answering said call.

29. The system for billing for a call according to claim 16, said billing controller further comprising:

means for initiating said request to bill said caller said tariff, responsive to said callee entering a command to forward said call to an alternate destination device.

30. The system for billing for a call according to claim 16, said billing controller further comprising:

means for refunding at least a portion of said tariff to said caller.

31. A computer program product for billing for a call, said computer program product comprising:

a recording medium;

means, recorded on said recording medium, for accessing a caller profile for a caller, responsive to detecting a call originated by said caller to a destination line, wherein said caller profile specifies a limit for automatic acceptance of a tariff payment request for said call;

means, recorded on said recording medium, for accessing a callee profile for a callee, responsive to detecting said callee answer said call at said destination line, wherein said callee profile designates a first cost for access to said callee during a current time period and a second cost for access by said caller to said callee;

means, recorded on said recording medium, for initiating a request to bill said caller a tariff for said call, wherein said tariff is calculated from said first cost and said second cost in said callee profile;

means, recorded on said recording medium, for automatically initiating negotiation of payment of said tariff, responsive to said caller limit for automatic acceptance exceeding or matching said tariff;

means, recorded on said recording medium, for prompting said caller to accept payment of said tariff to initiate negotiation of payment of said tariff to receive access to a destination line during said call, responsive to said tariff exceeding said limit for automatic acceptance; and

means, recorded on said recording medium, connecting said caller with said destination line, such that said caller pays for access to said destination line responsive to negotiating said payment of said tariff from a caller account provided specified in said caller profile to a callee account provider specified in said callee profile.

32. The computer program product for billing for a call according to claim 31, further comprising:

means, recorded on said recording medium, for authenticating an actual identity of a callee answering a call at said destination line; and

means, recorded on said recording medium, for prompting said caller to accept payment of said tariff to communicate with said callee identified by said authenticated actual identity, wherein said caller is able to determine prior to accepting payment of said tariff with whom said caller is paying to communicate.

33. The computer program product for billing for a call according to claim 31, further comprising:

means, recorded on said recording medium, for authenticating an actual identity of said caller; and

means, recorded on said recording medium, for loading a billing profile for said authenticated actual identity of said caller, wherein said billing profile specifies an account from which said payment of said tariff is to be negotiated.

34. The computer program product for billing far a call according to claim 31, further comprising:

means, recorded on said recording medium, for negotiating payment of said tariff from a caller account provider.

35. The computer program product for billing for a call according to claim 31, further comprising:

means, recorded on said recording medium, for only completing payment of said tariff if said callee performs to meet at least one condition of said tariff in addition to answering said call.

36. The computer program product for billing for a call according to claim 31, further comprising:

means, recorded on said recording medium, for initiating said request to bill said caller said tariff, responsive to said callee entering a command to forward said call to an alternate destination device.

37. The computer program product for billing for a call according to claim 31, further comprising:

means, recorded on said recording medium, for refunding at least a portion of said tariff to said caller.