System and method for providing emergency wireline telephone services to residences

• US 8,891,749 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2008
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Geldbach, Erik, Seven Rooks, Kelsyn Donel Sr., Wilmoth, Mark, Smith, Shane M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elahee, Md S
• Application Number:
  US12/070,909
• Publication Number:
  US 20090214011A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,462 Days
• Field of Search: 379/111, 379/114.01, 379/352, 379/67.1, 379/88.22, 379/107.05, 379/201.01, 379/201.12, 455/404.1
• US Class Current: 379/201.12
• 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 15/82 Criteria or parameters used for performing billing operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/78 Metric aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0057 Services where the data services network provides a telephone service in addition or as an alternative, e.g. for backup purposes, to the telephone service provided by the telephone services network

Abstract

A system and method for providing wireline telephone services may include providing wireline telephone services to a residence to enable a user to place telephone calls. In response to receiving an access code, the user may be enabled to place telephone calls. The user may be billed for placing the telephone calls on a per-usage basis.

Claims

1. A method for providing emergency wireline telephone services, the method comprising:

activating an emergency service plan for a wireline telephone line in response to a selection by a user;

providing emergency wireline telephone services to a residence to enable the user to place telephone calls using the wireline telephone line, in response to activation of the emergency service plan, wherein the wireline telephone line does not have an active non-emergency telecommunication service plan;

enabling the user to place emergency telephone calls to emergency services;

enabling the user to place telephone calls to parties other than emergency services in response to receiving an access code while restricting use of the wireline telephone line to emergency calls unless the access code is received;

temporarily assigning a telephone number from among a plurality of available telephone numbers to the user when placing a telephone call; and

billing the user for placing the emergency telephone calls and the telephone calls on a per-usage basis.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein billing the user includes not billing the user for anything other than placing the emergency telephone calls and the telephone calls.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein billing the user includes billing the user a nominal charge for maintaining the wireline telephone service.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

offering the emergency service plan to the user to maintain the emergency wireline telephone services as an emergency telephone service in response to the user requesting to cancel a wireline telephone service.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

enabling the user to place the emergency telephone calls without having to dial the access code.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising;

establishing the access code that limits the emergency wireline telephone services to be used to call the parties in response to the user selecting the access code.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the telephone number is temporarily assigned to the user for a time period.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein billing the user on a per-usage basis includes billing the user a minimum amount for each telephone call plus additional charges based on a call type.

9. A system for providing emergency wireline telephone service, the system comprising:

a storage unit;

at least one data repository stored on the storage unit; and

a processing unit in communication with the storage unit and configured to communicate with said at least one data repository, said processing unit further configured to;

activate an emergency service plan for a wireline telephone line in response to a selection by a user, wherein the wireline telephone line has no active non-emergency telecommunication service plan;

receive a call request from the user in response to the emergency service plan being activated,

implement the call request through a telecommunications network in response to the call request being associated with emergency services;

request an access code to enable the user to access the telecommunications network in response to the call request being associated with parties other than the emergency services;

implement the call request in response to determining that the access code is associated with the user as stored in said at least one data repository;

restrict access to the wireline telephone line to emergency telephone calls unless the access code is received;

wherein said processing unit is further configured to temporarily assign a telephone number from among a plurality of available telephone numbers in said at least one repository to the user when placing a telephone call; and

bill the user for the call request on a per-usage basis.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the processing unit is further configured to bill the user for each call request.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein said processing unit is further configured to not bill the user for anything other than placing telephone calls.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein the processing unit is further configured to bill the user a nominal charge for maintaining the emergency wireline telephone service.

13. The system according to claim 9, wherein said processing unit is further configured to enable the user to place an emergency telephone call without having to dial the access code.

14. The system according to claim 9, wherein the processing unit is further configured to establish the access code that limits the emergency wireline telephone service to be used to call the parties other than the emergency services in response to the user entering the access code.

15. The system according to claim 9, wherein said processing unit is further configured to bill the user a minimum amount for each telephone call plus additional charges based on a call type.

16. A method for providing backup wireline telephone services, the method comprising:

activating a backup service plan for a wireline telephone line, in response to a selection by a user, wherein the wireline telephone line has no active non-emergency telecommunication service plan;

providing wireline telephone services to a residence to enable a user to place emergency telephone calls in response to the user selecting to activate the backup service plan;

restricting use of the wireline telephone line to emergency telephone calls unless an access code is received;

temporarily assigning a telephone number to the backup service plan for a time period in response to a telephone call being placed; and

billing the user exclusively for placing telephone calls.