Method and apparatus for the billing of value-added communication calls

US5003584A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• AT&T Bell Laboratories · US

Inventors

• Irving Benyacar · Englishtown, US
• Elizabeth V. Courte · Fair Haven, US
• Albert Friedes · East Brunswick Township, US
• Thomas P. Howe · Whitehouse Station, US
• David D. Kaufman · Atlanta, US
• James R. Magura · Berkeley Heights, US
• Rachelle E. Rees · Holmdel, US
• Pamela A. Steinert · Farmingdale, US
• Mohan Venkataramana · Tinton Falls, US
• Yong-Xing Zhou · San Jose, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 16, 1990
• Grant date: Mar 26, 1991
• Expiry date: Apr 16, 2010

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S379/903
• WIPO field: Telecommunications
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A call billing method and apparatus specifies, on a call-by-call basis, the calling charges incurred by a caller during a call to a sponsor-provided value-added service. The method provides the sponsor real time access to rate tables to specify call billing parameters needed to rate calls made to a sponsor number. A billing number is determined and validated and used to identify the party to receive a billing record for the call. A separate billing record is created for each call to the sponsor's number which includes sponsor-specified charges determined using the call billing parameters. Another feature enables the caller or called party to provide call billing parameters for billing and identificaiton purposes.