Method and system for least call routing for one or more telephone calls

• US 20060079237A1
• Filed: 10/11/2005
• Published: 04/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: MINO Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: MINO Holdings Incorporated
• Inventors: Liu, Jing, Qin, Xiaolei
• Application Number:
  US11/248,683
• Publication Number:
  US 20060079237A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/445
• 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 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/42 Least cost routing, i.e. provision for selecting the lowest cost tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/74 Rating aspects, e.g. rating parameters or tariff determination apects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/745 Least cost routing, e.g. Automatic or manual, call by call or by preselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A method for determining a least cost routing method for a predetermined telephone call. The method includes providing a predetermined telephone number from a handset from a geographic location and identifying more than one service provider from a plurality of service providers in a database having an access number associated geographic location to provide a first set of service providers. The method also includes identifying a destination location associated with the predetermined telephone number and determining more than one of the identified service providers have termination capability for the destination location associated with the predetermined telephone number to form a second set of service providers. The method includes determining at least one of the service providers in the second set of service providers having a selected cost information and a selected quality information associated with the predetermined telephone number from the geographic location. The method includes selecting the service provider and initiating a call based upon the predetermined telephone number using the selected service provider.

Claims

1. A method for determining a least cost routing method for a predetermined telephone call, the method comprising:

providing a predetermined telephone number from a handset from a geographic location;

identifying more than one service provider from a plurality of service providers in a database having an access number associated geographic location to provide a first set of service providers;

identifying a destination location associated with the predetermined telephone number;

determining more than one of the identified service providers have termination capability for the destination location associated with the predetermined telephone number to form a second set of service providers;

determining at least one of the service providers in the second set of service providers having a selected cost information and a selected quality information associated with the predetermined telephone number from the geographic location;

selecting the service provider; and

initiating a call based upon the predetermined telephone number using the selected service provider.

2. A method for determining a least cost routing method using an indirect call feature for a predetermined telephone call, the method comprising:

providing a predetermined telephone number from a handset from a geographic location to initiate a call through a telephone network;

transferring the predetermined telephone number from the handset to a server device coupled to the telephone network;

identifying a first route using a first service provider for connecting the handset from the geographic location to a second geographic location;

identifying a second route using a second service provider for connecting the handset from the second geographic location to the predetermined telephone number;

initiating a call based upon the predetermined telephone number using the second service provider and the second route; and

connecting the handset using the first route to the second route using a call back process from the first service provider to the handset.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the handset comprise a origination phone number, a mobile application, and a user interface.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein predetermined phone number is a destination phone number of a receiver device.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the mobile handset comprises a cellular phone, a PDA, a paging unit, or a remote computer.

6. The method of claim 2 further comprising determining if the call from the mobile handset to the predetermined telephone number uses a single route or multiple routes before the identifying the first route.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein the second route is characterized by a least cost route from a plurality of routes.

8. The method of claim 2 further comprising determining that a service provider for the first route does not exist for the handset at the geographic location and thereafter performing the steps of identifying the first route, identifying the second route, initiating the call, and connecting the handset using the first route and the second route using the call back feature.

9. The method of claim 2 wherein the call back process connects the handset from the second geographic region to the geographic region.

10. The method of claim 2 wherein the geographic location is any region in the world having a cellular phone network, the second geographic location is a region in the United States of America, and the predetermined phone number is associated with any region in the word having a telephone network.

11. The method of claim 2 wherein the transferring of the predetermine telephone number occurs using a data network coupled between the handset and the server device.

12. The method of claim 2 wherein the call back process using a telephone network between a switch coupled to the server device and the handset.

13. The method of claim 2 wherein the server device comprises:

a least route calling module;

a billing module; and

a customer management module.

14. A method for operating a mobile handset through more than one calling route, the method comprising:

providing a mobile hand set comprising a user interface, an origination phone number, and a mobile application, the mobile handset being coupled to a telephone network;

entering a predetermined phone number through the user interface;

determining a destination location of the predetermined phone number, the destination location being associated with a receiver device;

determining a calling location of the mobile handset;

identifying cumulative cost information being numbered from 1 through N for a plurality of routes numbered respectively from 1 through N associated with the predetermined phone number, where N is an integer greater than 1, each of the plurality of routes including one or more sub-routes;

outputting a least cumulative cost information associated with the predetermined phone number to a user of the mobile handset for at least one of the routes numbered from 1 through N; and

initiating a connection between the mobile handset and the receiver device at the destination location.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the identifying the cumulative cost information comprising:

processing the origination phone number and the predetermined phone number; and

selecting at least one service provider from one of a plurality of different service providers in the database based upon at least the least cumulative cost information.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the identifying the cumulative cost information comprising:

processing the origination phone number and the predetermined phone number;

identifying a best quality route based upon the plurality of routes in a database using at least the origination phone number and the predetermined phone number; and

selecting at least one service provider from one of a plurality of different service providers in the database based upon at least the best quality route.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the identifying the cumulative cost information comprising:

processing the origination phone number and the predetermined phone number;

identifying a best quality route based upon a plurality of routes in a database using at least the origination phone number and the predetermined phone number; and

selecting at least one service provider from one of a plurality of different service providers in the database based upon at least the best quality route;

wherein the database comprises a first field listing the plurality of service providers, a second field listing the plurality of routes; and

a third field listing the plurality of quality grades associated with each service provider and each route.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the mobile handset is selected from a PDA, a cellular phone, a paging unit, and a remote computer.

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising outputting a cancel feature while or before initiating the connection between the mobile handset and receiver device.

20. The method of claim 14 further comprising outputting a cancel feature while or before initiating the connection between the mobile handset and receiver device;

selecting the cancel feature to terminate any connection between the mobile handset and the receiver device.

21. The method of claim 14 wherein the telephone network comprises a cellular network, a wired network, or a VoIP network.

22. The method of claim 14 mobile handset further comprises an operating system.

23. The method of claim 14 wherein the mobile application comprises the user interface.

24. The method of claim 14 wherein the identifying of the cumulative cost information is provided in a server coupled to the telephone network.

25. The method of claim 14 wherein the identifying of the cumulative cost information is provided in a server coupled through an IP network and wherein the mobile application is adapted to communicate between the mobile handset and the server through the IP network from the mobile handset and the server.

26. The method of claim 14 wherein the cumulative cost information is a cost to a user of the mobile handset for a call associated between the origination number and the predetermined number for one of the routes numbered from 1 through N.

27. The method of claim 14 wherein the cumulative cost information is a cost to a user of the mobile handset for a call associated between the origination number and the predetermined number for one of the routes numbered from 1 through N;

wherein the cumulative cost information comprises a cost per unit time.

28. The method of claim 14 wherein the outputting of the cumulative cost information is provided using the user interface via the mobile application.

29. The method of claim 14 wherein the initiating of the connection is provided through a selected service provider from a plurality of service providers.

30. The method of claim 14 further comprising connecting the mobile handset and the receiver device.

31. The method of claim 14 further comprising connecting the mobile handset and the receiver device.