Patent EP0212654A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0212654A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Method and apparatus for disallowing the extension of a call through a network
Assignee: AT&T Inc
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Filing: 1986-08-26
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2006-08-26
Abstract
Abstract Method and apparatus is disclosed for selectively disallowing and allowing the connection of a call originated by a calling customer (l0l) through a toll telecommunications network (l05, l06, l07) when the billing number involved with the call has a predetermined billing status such as delinquent payment. The toll network includes a toll office (l05) for switching calls between local telephone networks. The toll network also includes a data base (l08) having a list of delinquent payment billing numbers. In response to a call originated by a calling customer, the toll office sends the billing number involved with the call received from the local network (l03) to the data base. When the billing number involved with the call is in a list of billing numbers having a delinquent payment status, a "deny call" reply message is returned to the toll office to disallow the connection of the call through the toll network. The toll office also announces to the calling customer the disallowance of the call to discourage further attempts through the network. The toll office may include or utilize a remotely located operator system to process calls by offering calling customers alternate billing arrangements when the call is disallowed. A "call allow" reply message from the data base is returned to the operator system to process an operator assisted call.
Inventors
- 👤 Joseph Vito Fodale
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 18:20
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04Q; H04Q3/00; H04Q3/0016; H04Q3/0029; H04M; H04M15/00; H04M3/00; H04M3/42; H04M3/4228; H04Q2213/00; H04Q2213/1313; H04Q2213/13515; H04Q2213/13541
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 36
Claim 1
Independent Claim
103 words
For use with a telecommunications network serving a plurality of customers and having a data base having the status of a plurality of billing numbers, a method of disallowing the extension of a call originated by a calling one of said customers through said network when the billing number involved with said call has a predetermined status, comprising the steps of: determining the status of the billing number involved with said call from said data base in response to said call; and disallowing the extension of said call through said network when the billing number involved with said call has said predetermined status.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
103 words
For use with a telecommunications network serving a plurality of customers and having a data base having the status of a plurality of billing numbers, a method of disallowing the extension of a call originated by a calling one of said customers through said network when the billing number involved with said call has a predetermined status, comprising the steps of: determining the status of the billing number involved with said call from said data base in response to said call; and disallowing the extension of said call through said network when the billing number involved with said call has said predetermined status.
Claim 3
Independent Claim
90 words
The method of claim l wherein said step of determining comprises the steps of: sending the billing number involved with said call to said data base in response to said call; interrogating said data base for the status of the billing number involved with said call in response to the receipt of the billing number involved with said call; and sending a reply message from said data base to disallow the extension of said call through said network when the billing number involved with said call has said predetermined status.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
35 words
The method of claim l further comprising the step of announcing to said calling customer the disallowance of said call through said network when the billing number involved with said call has said predetermined status.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
32 words
The method of claim l further comprising the step of allowing the extension of said call through said network when the billing number involved with said call has a second predetermined status.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
44 words
The method of claim l further comprising the step of allowing the extension of said call through said network when the extension of said call through said network is disallowed and a second billing number involved with said call has a second predetermined status.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
102 words
For use with a telecommunications network serving a plurality of customers and having a data base having a list of billing numbers having a delinquent payment status, a method of disallowing the extension of a call originated by a calling one of said customers through said network when the billing number involved with said call has said delinquent payment status, comprising the steps of: searching said list for the billing number involved with said call in response to said call; and disallowing the extension of said call through said network when the billing number involved with said call is in said list.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
102 words
For use with a telecommunications network serving a plurality of customers and having a data base having a list of billing numbers having a delinquent payment status, a method of disallowing the extension of a call originated by a calling one of said customers through said network when the billing number involved with said call has said delinquent payment status, comprising the steps of: searching said list for the billing number involved with said call in response to said call; and disallowing the extension of said call through said network when the billing number involved with said call is in said list.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
53 words
The method of claim 6 for said network wherein said network has a system having a plurality of terminations for receiving calls from said customers and wherein said method further includes the step of allowing the extension of said call through said network when said call is received on certain of said terminations.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 6 wherein said method further includes the step of allowing the extension of said call through said network when the billing number involved with said call is a predetermined number.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
59 words
The method of claim 6 for said network wherein each of said customers has a communication line having an identification number and wherein said method further includes the step of allowing the extension of said call through said network to a called one of said customers when the communication line of said called customer has a predetermined identification number.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
33 words
l0. The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of allowing the extension of said call through said network when the billing number involved with said call is not in said list.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
49 words
The method of claim l0 for said network wherein said network includes a switching system for switching calls through said network and wherein said method further comprises the step of switching said call through said network when the billing number involved with said call is not in said list.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of announcing to said calling customer the disallowance of said call through said network when the billing number involved with said call is in said list.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
59 words
The method of claim 6 further comprising the steps of: searching said list for a second billing number involved with said call when the first-recited billing number involved with said call is in said list; and allowing the extension of said call through said network when the second billing number involved with said call is not in said list.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
113 words
For use with a telecommunications network serving a plurality of customers and having a data base having the status of a plurality of billing numbers, a method for controlling the disallowance of the extension of a call originated by a calling one of said customers through said network when the billing number involved with said call has a predetermined status, comprising the steps of: interrogating said data base for the status of the billing number involved with said call in response to said call; and controlling from said data base the disallowance of the extension of said call through said network when the billing number involved with said call has said predetermined status.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
113 words
For use with a telecommunications network serving a plurality of customers and having a data base having the status of a plurality of billing numbers, a method for controlling the disallowance of the extension of a call originated by a calling one of said customers through said network when the billing number involved with said call has a predetermined status, comprising the steps of: interrogating said data base for the status of the billing number involved with said call in response to said call; and controlling from said data base the disallowance of the extension of said call through said network when the billing number involved with said call has said predetermined status.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
44 words
The method of claim l4 wherein said step of controlling includes the step of sending a reply message from said data base to disallow the extension of said call through said network when the billing number involved with said call has said predetermined status.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
35 words
The method of claim l4 further comprising the step of controlling the allowance of the extension of said call through said network when the billing number involved with said call has a second predetermined status.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
41 words
The method of claim l6 wherein said allowance controlling step includes the step of sending a reply message to allow the extension of said call through said network when the billing number involved with said call has said second predetermined status.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
114 words
For use with a toll telecommunications network having a system for processing calls between local networks serving a plurality of customers, said toll network also having a data base having the status of a plurality of billing numbers, a method of disallowing the extension of a call originated by a calling one of said customers through said toll network when the billing number involved with said call has a predetermined status, comprising the steps of: determining the status of said billing number involved with said call from said data base in response to said call; and disallowing the extension of said call through said toll network when said billing number has said predetermined status.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
114 words
For use with a toll telecommunications network having a system for processing calls between local networks serving a plurality of customers, said toll network also having a data base having the status of a plurality of billing numbers, a method of disallowing the extension of a call originated by a calling one of said customers through said toll network when the billing number involved with said call has a predetermined status, comprising the steps of: determining the status of said billing number involved with said call from said data base in response to said call; and disallowing the extension of said call through said toll network when said billing number has said predetermined status.
Claim 23
Independent Claim
29 words
The method of claim l8 further comprising the step of allowing the extension of said call through said toll network when said billing number has a second predetermined status.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
125 words
For use with a telecommunications network serving a plurality of customers and having a system for processing calls through said network and also a data base having the status of a plurality of billing numbers, a method of disallowing the extension of a call originated by a calling one of said customers through said network when the billing number involved with said call has a predetermined status, comprising the steps at said system of: sending the billing number involved with said call to said data base in response to said call; and disallowing the extension of said call through said network in response to a reply message received from said data base indicating that the billing number involved with said call has said predetermined status.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
125 words
For use with a telecommunications network serving a plurality of customers and having a system for processing calls through said network and also a data base having the status of a plurality of billing numbers, a method of disallowing the extension of a call originated by a calling one of said customers through said network when the billing number involved with said call has a predetermined status, comprising the steps at said system of: sending the billing number involved with said call to said data base in response to said call; and disallowing the extension of said call through said network in response to a reply message received from said data base indicating that the billing number involved with said call has said predetermined status.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
48 words
2l. The method of claim 20 wherein said method further comprises the steps of allowing the extension of said call through said network in response to a second reply message from said data base indicating that the billing number involved with said call has a second predetermined status.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
66 words
An interconnect carrier network comprising: means for serving a plurality of switching systems processing calls for a plurality of customers; and data base means responsive to a call originated by a calling one of said customers for extension through said network for obtaining the status of a billing number involved with said call to selectively allow and disallow the extension of said call through said network.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
66 words
An interconnect carrier network comprising: means for serving a plurality of switching systems processing calls for a plurality of customers; and data base means responsive to a call originated by a calling one of said customers for extension through said network for obtaining the status of a billing number involved with said call to selectively allow and disallow the extension of said call through said network.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
78 words
A data base serving a plurality of systems processing calls for a plurality of customers, comprising: means responsive to a billing number involved with a call originated by a calling one of said customers and received from one of said systems for obtaining the status of the billing number involved with said call, and means responsive to said obtaining for effecting the disallowance of said call when the billing number involved with said call has a predetermined status.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
78 words
A data base serving a plurality of systems processing calls for a plurality of customers, comprising: means responsive to a billing number involved with a call originated by a calling one of said customers and received from one of said systems for obtaining the status of the billing number involved with said call, and means responsive to said obtaining for effecting the disallowance of said call when the billing number involved with said call has a predetermined status.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
34 words
The data base of claim 23 further comprising means responsive to said obtained status for effecting the allowance of said call when the billing number involved with said call has a second predetermined status.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
62 words
Apparatus for disallowing the extension of a call through a telecommunications network when the billing number involved with said call has a predetermined status, comprising: means for storing the status of the billing number involved with said call, and means for disallowing the extension of said call through said network when the billing number involved with said call has said predetermined status.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
62 words
Apparatus for disallowing the extension of a call through a telecommunications network when the billing number involved with said call has a predetermined status, comprising: means for storing the status of the billing number involved with said call, and means for disallowing the extension of said call through said network when the billing number involved with said call has said predetermined status.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
20 words
The apparatus of claim 25 further comprising means for changing the status of the billing number involved with said call.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
107 words
For use with a telecommunications network serving a plurality of customers and having a data base, a method of disallowing the extension of a call originated by a calling one of said customers through said network when the billing number involved with said call has a predetermined status, comprising the steps of: storing in said data base the status of a plurality of billing numbers, determining the status of the billing number involved with said call from said data base in response to said call; and disallowing the extension of said call through said network when the billing number involved with said call has said predetermined status.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
107 words
For use with a telecommunications network serving a plurality of customers and having a data base, a method of disallowing the extension of a call originated by a calling one of said customers through said network when the billing number involved with said call has a predetermined status, comprising the steps of: storing in said data base the status of a plurality of billing numbers, determining the status of the billing number involved with said call from said data base in response to said call; and disallowing the extension of said call through said network when the billing number involved with said call has said predetermined status.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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