Method for billing multiple services on a single account

• US 5,771,282 A
• Filed: 12/04/1996
• Issued: 06/23/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Friedes, Albert
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US08/759,917
• Time in Patent Office: 566 Days
• Field of Search: 379/91.01, 379/92.01, 379/111, 379/112, 379/113, 379/114, 379/115, 379/118, 379/127, 379/121, 379/133, 379/134, 379/144, 379/207, 379/222, 379/229, 379/242, 379/243, 379/245, 379/244
• US Class Current: 379/121.03
• 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 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/75 Account location specifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/765 Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/7655 shared by technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/77 involving multiple accounts per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/772 per service, e.g. prepay or post-pay
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/773 per technology, e.g. PSTN or wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0104 Augmented, consolidated or itemised billing statement, e.g. additional billing information, bill presentation, layout, format, e-mail, fax, printout, itemised bill per service or per account, cumulative billing, consolidated billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/72 Account specifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/724 Linked accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/725 Shared by technologies, e.g. one account for different access technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7254 Multiple accounts per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7263 per service, e.g. prepay and post-pay
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7268 per technology, e.g. PSTN or wireless

Abstract

Aggregated billing for calls originating from separate telephone stations (12-20) may be obtained by accessing a segmentation directory (54) upon the receipt of the call at an originating switch (40₁) within a telecommunications network. The segmentation directory contains a table that associates each of a plurality of common account numbers with telephone stations having telephone numbers assigned to the same subscriber. The common account associated by the segmentation directory for an incoming call is used in creation of the billing record for charges associated with the call. The charges contained in the billing records for calls associated with the common account number can be combined to yield an aggregate bill.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating the aggregation of charges for services, including telecommunications services incurred for calls originating from telephone stations having different identifiers;

storing common account numbers in a data base in a telecommunications network, each common account number associated with a plurality of telephone identifiers common to a single subscriber;

accessing the data base for each call received at an originating switch in the telecommunications network to determine whether the call originated from a telephone station having an identifier associated with a common account number, and if so, then

making a billing record associated with the common account number for telecommunications charges incurred for said call; and

combining the billing records associated with each common account number to yield an aggregate bill containing charges for all calls associated with said each common account number.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the combining step includes the step of combining the billing records for other services associated with each common account number.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein said identifier comprises a telephone number associated with said telephone station.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein said other services include credit call calling services.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein said each call originates from a wired telephone station.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein said each call originates from a wireless telephone station.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the identifier is provided by Automatic Number Identification.