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Method for providing a preferential routing and billing arrangement for a call placed between a calling party and a called party

  • US 6,999,575 B1
  • Filed: 11/13/2002
  • Issued: 02/14/2006
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2002
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A method of routing a call from a calling party to a called party over a communication network comprising the steps of:

  • receiving the call at a switch located in a network associated with a first area code of the calling party, the switch operated by a service provider that provides telecommunications services to the called party, the service provider not operating equipment directly connected to a line of the calling party, the received call resulting from the calling party dialing a number within the first area code;

    recognizing that the dialed number associated with the received call is a special number;

    sending a query to a database for routing instructions;

    receiving a routable number associated with the called party'"'"'s telephone line, the routable number comprising a second area code, the second area code associated with said called party'"'"'s telephone line and not associated with a local service area of the calling party;

    routing the call to called party'"'"'s telephone line over a communication network operated by the service provider; and

    creating a billing record for the call in which an indicator is provided that indicates that the call should be billed at a special billing rate to the calling or called party.

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