Method and apparatus for billing of wireless telephone calls
US6169891A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 26, 1999 |
| Grant date | Jan 2, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 26, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04M2215/66
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The airtime charge for a receiving wireless telephone station is assigned to an account that is not associated with the wireless telephone station receiving the call. For example, for a telephone call placed from a conventional home wired telephone station to a wireless telephone station, the airtime charge for the receiving wireless telephone station of the call is billed to the account associated with the home wired telephone station. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the airtime charge for a receiving wireless telephone station is transferred by a) receiving signaling from the caller that the airtime charge for the receiving wireless telephone station is to be billed to an account specified by the caller that is other than the account associated with the receiving wireless telephone station; b) marking the airtime charge record by the wireless telephone service provider serving the receiving wireless telephone station as one to be billed by another provider of telephone service; c) incorporating the wireless airtime charge of the receiving wireless telephone as part of the charges for the call billed by the other provider of telephone service to the account specified …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.