Method and system for charging a set activation fee for pay telephone usage

• US 7,133,509 B1
• Filed: 12/30/1999
• Issued: 11/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Conley, W David
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, QUOC DUC
• Application Number:
  US09/475,531
• Time in Patent Office: 2,504 Days
• Field of Search: 379/111, 379/112.01, 379/114.1, 379/114.14, 379/114.15, 379/114.19, 379/114.2, 379/126, 379/127.01, 379/127.02, 37912703-12704, 379133-134, 379/143, 379/144.03, 379/144.05, 379/144.06, 379/144.07
• US Class Current: 379/144.01
• 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 15/68 Payment of value-added services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/765 Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/77 involving multiple accounts per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8005 Flat-fee
• 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 17/02 Coin-freed or check-freed systems , e.g. mobile- or card-operated phones, public telephones or booths
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0196 Payment of value-added services, mainly when their charges are added on the telephone bill, e.g. payment of non-telecom services, e-commerce, on-line banking
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/724 Linked accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7254 Multiple accounts per user

Abstract

A set activation fee pay telephone permits a telephone customer to place a telephone call from a pay telephone if the customer presents valid billing information, and charges the customer a fixed fee for the call, plus any other applicable network charges. The set activation pay telephone accepts two inputs: a telephone number the customer desires to call and billing information. The set activation fee pay telephone stores the telephone number locally and transmits the billing information to a network element. A determination is made as to whether the billing information is valid. Typically, the determination is made by querying a billing database. If the billing information is valid, then an approval signal is transmitted to the set activation fee pay telephone. Once the set activation fee pay telephone receives the approval signal, it passes the telephone number stored in memory to the PSTN and the call is placed normally. Once the customer terminates the call, a set activation fee is added to the customer'"'"'s bill reflecting the cost for the use of the set activation fee pay telephone in addition to any other applicable network charges.

Claims

1. A method for providing access to a public switched telephone network by offsetting the service cost through charging a set activation fee, comprising:

receiving billing information from a set activation fee pay telephone, the set activation fee pay telephone associated with an originating telephone number;

determining whether the billing information is valid;

if the billing information is valid, then

providing a dial tone to the set activation fee telephone from the public switched telephone network if the billing information is valid;

causing a telephone call to be connected to a telephone number received from the set activation fee pay telephone;

identifying the telephone call as having the originating telephone number associated with the set activation fee telephone; and

based on the identification, charging the set activation fee for the telephone call.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the telephone call as having the originating telephone number, comprises:

querying a database for the presence of the originating telephone number associated with the set activation fee pay telephone, the database comprising a plurality of originating telephone numbers associated with a plurality of set activation fee pay telephones; and

if the query is positive, then determining that the telephone call originated from the set activation fee pay telephone.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the database is associated with a Service Control Point (SCP).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the billing information is valid comprises:

querying a database for the presence of the billing information, the database comprising a plurality of numbers associated with a plurality of entries associated with a plurality of valid billing accounts.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the database is associated with a Service Control Point.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the set activation fee is the same for every telephone call placed from the set activation fee telephone.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein:

determining whether the billing information is valid includes determining if an account is active, without determining the funds available.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

adding the set activation fee and the charge for the telephone call to a customer bill.

9. A method for calculating a charge for a telephone call directed to a called telephone number, comprising:

monitoring a telephone call placed to the called telephone number to determine call parameters for the telephone call;

determining whether the telephone call originated from a telephone having an originating telephone number that corresponds to an entry in a database;

if so, then determining that a set activation fee applies to the telephone call; and

calculating the charge for the telephone call by using the call parameters to calculate a first portion of the charge; and

adding the set activation fee as a second portion of the charge by a network element, so that the set activation fee is independent of the first portion of the charge

prior to placing the telephone call to the called telephone number, determining whether billing information for the telephone call is valid.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the call parameters include call length, call origination time, and the called telephone number.