摘要:
A billing center for a mobile communication system is provided which allows groups of subscribers sharing a single account to be identified both during the call rating procedure, during which call detail records are related to add a charge to the call detail record, and/or to add a usage of a pre-paid usage allocation to be added to the call detail records, and during the production of billing details at the end of the billing period. A relational database holds usage allocation records which pertain either to a single subscriber, or to a group of subscribers. The group of subscribers may consist of any of 2 to 50, or more, subscribers, depending on the subscription type held by the group.
摘要:
A method and system in which calls made by customers who are members of a group of customers having a group calling plan, but who have separate billing accounts, are priced based on the group calling plan and on the usage by other members of the group. Typical groups may include customers in specific geographic locations, such as residents in an apartment building or in a residential neighborhood, and offices and stores in a commercial building. Other groups may include customers in widely separated geographic locations, such as members of a nation-wide club or organization, alumni association members, etc. In order to price a call made over a network by a customer of the network, the customer being a member of a billing group, information specifying a group billing plan of the billing group is stored. A call made by a member of the billing group is priced based on the group billing plan. Information specifying a plurality of members of a billing group, the members selected from among the customers of the network, is also stored. The call is then priced by generating a record that describes the call, receiving the record at a billing analysis system; and determining a priced call value for the call based on the record, the information specifying members of the billing group, and the information specifying the group billing plan based on the group billing plan.
摘要:
Techniques for establishing a connection between a calling party and a called party using the processing of a controller located on a customer premises and served by two incoming telephone loops or ISDN-type channels so as to minimize telephone costs, preserve privacy, and provide heretofore unavailable services. After a first telephony connection is established with the calling party over the secondary loop/channel, the calling party provides control information to the controller. The controller utilizes the control information to establish a connection over the primary loop/channel, and the primary and secondary loops/channels are bridged so that the calling party may monitor the call progression on the primary loop/channel and provide supplemental control information, as needed.
摘要:
A method and system in which calls made on two or more phone lines of a customer are aggregated for billing and discount billing plans to which the customer subscribes are applied to the aggregated phone usage of the customer. In order to price a call made over a network by a customer of the network, information specifying a billing plan of the customer and information specifying a plurality of telephone lines to which the billing plan applies are stored. A call made from one of the plurality of telephone lines is received at a network switch and record that describes the call is generated. The record is received at a billing analysis system and a priced call value for the call is determined based on the record and the information specifying the customer billing plan. The record that describes the call comprises an identifier of the telephone line from which the call was made and priced call value for the call is determined by accessing the information specifying the customer billing plan using the identifier in the received record.
摘要:
A information fulfillment system and method for providing information to a caller having a wireless communication device. Upon receipt of sensory prompting and manual or automatic input of access codes to the wireless communication device, the caller's identity and the input access code are verified. Thereafter, the call is connected through the PWN and along the PSTN to the system messaging or fulfillment center for automatic or live-operator delivery of the requested information. Automatic verification, connection, and billing modification processes are provided for implementation of the system and method.
摘要:
A telephone communication system having a plurality of pay telephones operatively connected to a local telephone carrier, which in turn, is connected to a long distance carrier. The pay telephones are located in booths that contain advertising materials of business locations. The advertising materials have predetermined telephone numbers that are only associated with the selected advertised business location. The advertised telephone numbers are free from the pay telephone, which can be a conventional pay telephone or a smart pay telephone. All of the telephone calls to the selected business locations are monitored which information is used to render a statement and a monetary bill for the advertising and telephone calls to the business location.
摘要:
A method of optimizing the cost of toll calls in a communication system comprised of providing a plurality of toll call plan costing agents, each representing a call completion plan having parameters relating to a minimal call cost and to the minimization of a total system cost of calling, detecting that a toll call is to be made and the parameters of the toll call, the call plan costing agents each calculating an estimate of a minimizing system toll call cost increment in the event its toll call plan is implemented for the call, bidding for the toll call by each of the costing agents by providing the estimated cost of the call and of the increment, selecting a suitable bid based on minimization of total system calls, and indicating to a call processor agent parameters of the selected toll call plan whereby the call can be completed in accordance with the selected plan.
摘要:
A communication system service billing arrangement is described that adapts to system loading in realtime. As system loading varies, one or more individual subscribers units (ISU) of a communication system are provided with realtime information on the current cost of the communication service. The system determines the locations of the ISUs and the current loading there between and calculates a calling rate based at least on the current loading. This calling rate is sent to at least one of the ISUs whose operator can choose to connect or not connect the call between the ISUs based on the current realtime variable rate.
摘要:
A method receives a call from a device of a caller destined to a device of a subscriber of a communication network. The method connects the call to the device of the subscriber and then receives from the device of the subscriber an indication that the call is an undesirable call. The indication further includes a description of the call. The method then provides a reward to the subscriber when the indication further includes the description of the call.
摘要:
A short message service (SMS) node detects that at least one request to deliver a plurality of short messages (SM) originates from a single user. Information (MSISDN, ISMI) related to recipients of the plurality of short messages is combined in a signaling message, and the signaling message is transmitted to a charging function (OFCS, OCS).