Methods and apparatus to manage collect phone calling limits

• US 7,409,051 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2006
• Issued: 08/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SBC Knowledge Ventures LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Link, Michael P.
• Primary Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US11/559,735
• Publication Number:
  US 20070121858A1
• Time in Patent Office: 630 Days
• Field of Search: 379/111, 379/112.01, 379/112.04, 379/112.03, 379/112.08, 379/120, 379123-124, 379/127.01, 379/127.06, 379130-132, 379/144.02, 379/184, 379/188, 379/194, 379199-200, 379/207.03
• US Class Current: 379/144.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/08 Metering calls to called party , i.e. B-party charged for the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/854 Available credit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/88 Provision for limiting connection, or expenditure
• 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 2215/0116 Provision for limiting expenditure, e.g. limit on call expenses or account
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/62 Called party billing, e.g. reverse billing, freephone, collect call, 0800 or 0900
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8166 Available credit

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to manage collect phone calling limits are disclosed. A disclosed example method comprises: determining if collect calls from one or more predetermined locations to a terminating phone number have exceeded a collect calls limit; and determining a future date when collect calls will be permitted from the one or more predetermined locations to the terminating phone number if the collect calls limit has been exceeded.

Claims

1. A method of managing collect phone calling limits comprising:

determining whether collect calls from one or more locations to a terminating phone number placed in a first time period have exceeded a first collect calls limit;

when the first collect calls limit has been exceeded, blocking collect calls from the one or more locations to the terminating phone number until a first future date;

determining whether collect calls from the one or more locations to the terminating phone number placed in the first time period combined with collect calls from the one or more locations to the terminating phone number placed in a second time period have together exceeded a second collect calls limit; and

when the second collect calls limit has been exceeded, blocking collect calls from the one or more locations to the terminating phone number until a second future date.

2. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising identifying the first future date or the second future date to a person associated with the terminating phone number.

3. A method as defined in claim 2 wherein identifying the first or second future date to the person associated with the terminating phone number comprises placing a call to the terminating phone number to play an automated message identifying the first or second future date.

4. A method as defined in claim 3 wherein the automated message indicates that collect calls from the one or more locations will be blocked until the first or second future date.

5. A method as defined in claim 2 wherein identifying the first or second future date to the person associated with the terminating phone number comprises playing an automated message identifying the first or second future date to the person associated with the terminating phone number.

6. A method as defined in claim 5 wherein playing the automated message comprises playing the automated message during a last permitted call.

7. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising storing the first or second future date in a service representative accessible database to enable manual identification of the first or second future date in response to an inquiry from a person associated with the terminating phone number.

8. A method as defined in claim 7 further comprising identifying the first or second future date in response to an inquiry from a person associated with the terminating phone number.

9. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein determining whether collect calls from the one or more locations to the terminating phone number have exceeded the second collect calls limit further comprises:

determining call tolls for collect calls placed to terminating phone numbers from the one or more locations on the first time period; and

allocating the call tolls to the terminating phone numbers on a time period-by-time period basis.

10. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the first collect calls limit is a number of calls or a number of call attempts made in the first time period.

11. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the one or more locations includes at least one correctional institution, hospital, school or military base.

12. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the first time period comprises a day.

13. An apparatus to manage collect phone calling limits comprising:

a collect call limiter to determine whether collect calls from one or more locations to a terminating phone number placed in a first day have exceeded a first collect calls limit, and to determine whether collect calls from the one or more locations to the terminating phone number placed in the first day combined with collect calls from the one or more locations to the terminating phone number placed in a second day have exceeded a second collect calls limit; and

a block duration calculator to determine a future date when collect calls will be permitted from the one or more locations to the terminating phone number based on whether the first collect calls limit or the second collect calls limit has been exceeded.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 13 further comprising an automated outbound message dialer to place a call to the terminating phone number to play an automated message identifying the future date.

15. An apparatus as defined in claim 14 wherein the automated message indicates that collect calls from the one or more locations will be blocked until the future date.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 13 further comprising an automated message device to play an automated message identifying the future date to a person associated with the terminating phone number.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 16 wherein the automated message device plays the message during a last permitted call.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 13 further comprising a service representative accessible database storing the future date to enable manual identification of the future date in response to an inquiry from a person associated with the terminating phone number.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 13 further comprising an automated inbound interactive voice response unit to identify the future date in response to an inquiry from a person associated with the terminating phone number.

20. An apparatus as defined in claim 13 wherein the collect call limiter further comprises:

a call rating engine to determine call tolls for collect calls placed to terminating phone numbers from one or more locations, and to allocate the call tolls to the terminating phone numbers on a time period-by-time period basis.

21. An apparatus as defined in claim 13 wherein the first collect calls limit is a number of calls or a number of call attempts in the first day.

22. An apparatus as defined in claim 13 wherein the one or more predetermined locations include at least one correctional institution, hospital, school or military base.

23. An apparatus as defined in claim 22 further comprising:

a vendor server associated with at least one of the correctional institutions; and

a line information database identifying termination numbers which are blocked from receiving calls from the at least one of the correctional institutions.

24. An apparatus as defined in claim 23 wherein the vendor server provides call records to the collect call limiter.

25. An apparatus as defined in claim 24 wherein the collect call limiter and the block duration calculator are associated with the vendor server.

26. An apparatus as defined in claim 24 wherein the vendor server provides the call records to the collect call limiter in real time, quasi-continuously, or periodically.

27. A machine accessible medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to:

determine whether collect calls from one or more locations to a terminating phone number placed in a first time period have exceeded a first collect calls limit;

when the first collect calls limit has been exceeded, to determine a first future date until which collect calls from the one or more locations to the terminating phone number will be blocked;

determine whether collect calls from the one or more locations to the terminating phone number placed in the first time period combined with collect calls from the one or more locations to the terminating phone number placed in a second time period have together exceeded a second collect calls limit; and

when the second collect calls limit has been exceeded, to determine a second future date until which collect calls from the one or more locations to the terminating phone number will be blocked.

28. A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 27, wherein, when executed, the machine accessible instructions further cause a machine to place a call to the terminating phone number to play an automated message identifying the first or second future date.

29. A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 27, wherein, when executed, the machine accessible instructions further cause a machine to store the first or second future date in a service representative accessible database to enable manual identification of the first or second future date in response to an inquiry from a person associated with the terminating phone number.

30. A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 27 wherein the first collect calls limit is a number of calls or a number of call attempts made in the first time period.