Method for providing additional service by a communication company
First Claim
1. A method of providing an additional service to a called party having a subscription to a communication company'"'"'s communication service, the method comprising:
- billing a calling party for a call from the calling party to the called party, wherein the call is received by the called party through an exchange of the communication company; and
providing the additional service to the called party based on a communication time of the received call, and in accordance with the subscription,wherein the additional service is a discount of a communication charge of outgoing calls made by the called party using the communication company'"'"'s communication service, the discount calculated in accordance with the communication time.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A communication company accumulates a communication time or the amount of communication for a call when the call is received, and provides additional service such as discount for a called party according to an accumulated communication time or the accumulated amount of communication. Another example of additional service is discount made according to whether a first communication company providing communication service between a called party and a first switching office and a second communication company providing communication service between a calling party and a second switching office are identical.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. A method of providing an additional service to a called party having a subscription to a communication company'"'"'s communication service, the method comprising:
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billing a calling party for a call from the calling party to the called party, wherein the call is received by the called party through an exchange of the communication company; and providing the additional service to the called party based on a communication time of the received call, and in accordance with the subscription, wherein the additional service is a discount of a communication charge of outgoing calls made by the called party using the communication company'"'"'s communication service, the discount calculated in accordance with the communication time. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of providing an additional service to a called party having a subscription to a communication company'"'"'s communication service, the method comprising:
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billing a calling party for a call from the calling party to the called party, wherein the call is received by the called party through an exchange of the communication company; and providing the additional service to the called party based on an amount of communication of the received call, and in accordance with the subscription, wherein the additional service is a discount of a communication charge of outgoing calls made by the called party using the communication company'"'"'s communication service, the discount calculated in accordance with the amount of communication. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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13. An additional-service providing apparatus used by a communication company that provides communication services, comprising:
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informing means for informing a called party, who subscribes to the communication services of the communication company, of a call sent to the called party; an accumulation means for accumulating a time of communication of each call from a calling party the called party receives through the communication services of the communication company, the calling party of each call, not the called party informed of the call, being charged for the call; and providing means for providing an additional service to the called party in accordance with the accumulated time of communication, wherein the additional service is a discount of a communication charge of outgoing calls made by the called party using the communication company'"'"'s communication services. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. An additional-service providing apparatus used by a communication company that provides communication services, comprising:
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sending means for sending a call to a called party who subscribes to the communication services of the communication company; an accumulation means for accumulating an amount of communication of each call from a calling party sent to the called party through the communication services of the communication company, the calling party of each call, not the called party the call is sent to, being charged for the call; and providing means for providing an additional service to the called party in accordance with the accumulated amount of communication, wherein the additional service is a discount of a communication charge of outgoing calls made by the called party using the communication company'"'"'s communication services. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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21. Computer-executable program instructions loadable into the internal memory of a digital computer, comprising program code portions for performing the steps of:
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measuring a communication time of a call from a calling party to a called party through a communication service of a communication company to which the called party subscribes, wherein the calling party of the call, not the called party who receives the call, is charged for the call; accumulating the measured communication time of each call from a calling party to the called party; and providing an additional service to the called party according to the accumulated measured communication time, wherein the additional service is a discount of a communication charge of outgoing calls made by the called party using the communication company'"'"'s communication service.
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22. Computer-executable program instructions loadable into the internal memory of a digital computer, comprising program code portions for performing the steps of:
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measuring the communication amount of a call from a calling party to a called party through a communication service of a communication company to which the called party subscribes, wherein the calling party of the call, not the called party who receives the call, is charged for the call; and accumulating the measured communication amount of each call from a calling party to the called party; and providing an additional service to the called party according to the accumulated measured communication amount, wherein the additional service is a discount of a communication charge of outgoing calls made by the called party using the communication company'"'"'s communication service.
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23. A communication system comprising:
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an accumulator for accumulating at least one of a communication time and an amount of communication of each call from a calling party received by a called party through a communication service of the communication system to which the called party subscribes, wherein the calling party of each call, not the called party, is charged for the call; and
,a discount calculator for calculating. based on the value of the accumulator, a discount on a communication charge to be paid by the called party to a communication company. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26)
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27. A communication system in which a called party is connected to a first exchange and a calling party is connected to a second exchange, the system comprising:
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a third exchange for determining whether said first exchange and said second exchange are operated by the same communication company to which the called party and the calling party subscribe, and wherein a discount on a communication charge is provided to the called party according to the determination made by said third exchange, and wherein the calling party, not the called party, is charged for a call to the called party, and wherein the discount is provided according to the communication time or the communication amount of the call provided to the called party through said first exchange. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30)
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Specification