Notification of toll free call charging status
US5742667A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 5, 1996 |
| Grant date | Apr 21, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 5, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04M2215/82
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A caller who calls an 800 number is given an audible or visual indication that the call will not incur any charges for services provided on that call by the called party. If such charges will be incurred the caller is warned and may terminate or continue the call. For certain classes of telephone subscribers such as coin stations wherein the caller is not always the same person as the one who pays the bills, calls wherein the caller may incur charges for services provided on the call are automatically routed to an operator; such calls can then be completed using credit or calling cards in order to transfer the charges from the owner of the telephone station to the caller who made the specific call.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.