Method and apparatus for implementing a pre-paid card service
First Claim
1. A method of a type in which the costs of telecommunications calls are billed to pre-paid accounts, said method being performed by equipment within a telecommunications network and comprisingrouting an individual one of said calls to a destination telephone number through said network without hair pinning said call through any pre-paid card equipment, andperforming billing for said individual one of said calls to the destination telephone number utilizing messages sent to and received from a database that contains information about a pre-paid account associated with a telecommunications line from which said call was originated, said messages being communicated over a telecommunications signaling network that is distinct from the network on which said call is carried, at least one of said messages being a message to said database including an identification of said telecommunications line,wherein the destination telephone number was dialed by a caller without the caller having been prompted for the destination telephone number and without the caller having first dialed an access telephone number associated with calls that are to be charged to pre-paid accounts.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A pre-paid telecommunications card service in which the card-holder can register the card with a service provider in such a way that the card account becomes associated with the customer'"'"'s home telephone line. Thereafter, toll calls made over that particular telephone line are automatically charged to the pre-paid card account when a destination telephone number is dialed. The card-holder is therefore freed from having to dial an access number or a card number for each call. The call accounting is carried out in a database with which network switches communicate via SS7 or any other desired data messaging protocol.
34 Citations
26 Claims
-
1. A method of a type in which the costs of telecommunications calls are billed to pre-paid accounts, said method being performed by equipment within a telecommunications network and comprising
routing an individual one of said calls to a destination telephone number through said network without hair pinning said call through any pre-paid card equipment, and performing billing for said individual one of said calls to the destination telephone number utilizing messages sent to and received from a database that contains information about a pre-paid account associated with a telecommunications line from which said call was originated, said messages being communicated over a telecommunications signaling network that is distinct from the network on which said call is carried, at least one of said messages being a message to said database including an identification of said telecommunications line, wherein the destination telephone number was dialed by a caller without the caller having been prompted for the destination telephone number and without the caller having first dialed an access telephone number associated with calls that are to be charged to pre-paid accounts.
-
17. A method for use in a switch within a telecommunications network, the method comprising
a) receiving a request to set up a telecommunications call, said request including an identification of a telecommunications line from which said request originated, said identification having been made automatically by equipment within said telecommunications network, said request further including a destination telephone number for said call, b) thereafter determining if said call is to be billed to a pre-paid account, c) if said call is to be billed to a pre-paid account, i) communicating a first message to a pre-paid account database, said message including said telecommunications line identification, ii) receiving from said database, in response to said first message, a second message from which said telecommunications switch can determine a maximum allowed duration for said call, iii) causing said call to be routed through said switch to the destination telephone number without prompting the caller for the destination telephone number, iv) terminating said call while it is in progress if said maximum allowed duration is reached, and v) communicating a third message to said database when said call terminates, said third message indicating the actual duration of said call, vi) each of said messages being carried on a signaling network that is distinct from the network on which said call is carried, and d) if said call is not to be billed to a pre-paid account, i) causing said call to be routed through said switch to the destination telephone number.
-
22. A method for use in a switch within a telecommunications network, the method comprising
a) receiving a request to set up a telecommunications call, said request including an identification of a telecommunications line from which said request originated, said identification having been made automatically by equipment within said telecommunications network, said request further including a destination telephone number for said call, b) thereafter exchanging messages with at least one database to determine whether the call should be charged to a pre-paid account registered to the identified telephone line, c) if it is determined that the call should be charged to such a pre-paid account, i) causing said call to be routed through said switch to the destination telephone number, and ii) causing said call to be billed to the pre-paid account, and d) if it is determined that such a pre-paid account is not registered, i) causing said call to be routed through said switch to the destination telephone number.
Specification