Abstract There is disclosed a system for providing an economical telephone toll service in which a telephone subscriber selects the economical service by, for example, sending an appropriate signal, and then dials his directory assistance call or other telephone toll call. After the caller's options are determined and typically before signaling for the call is commenced, a recorded-announcement of an aural or visual nature is connected to the subscriber's line, the announcement consisting of at least one advertisement. The advertisements are selected from a databank according to some predetermined technique of selection, which may include any number of factors or features to make the service attractive to subscribers and of a nature to make the service also sufficiently rewarding to advertisers. After the initial delay, usually after the advertising announcement is completed, the toll call and/or directory assistance call is processed as usual but at a reduced rate of charge or with automatic credit being given to the customer's account.
A telephone toll system of the type in which a local telephone station is connected to the telephone network through at least one telephone switching system including means (ANI) for automatically establishing identification of the calling number and means for automatically determining charges for at least one toll service, comprising means (13) including subscriber test equipment for determining whether the calling number should receive a reduced rate or credit with respect to receiving recorded advertising and including billing equipment for generating the corresponding billing or credit, and means responsive to a positive signal from the subscriber test equipment of the determining means indicating that the calling party should receive said reduced rate or credit for delaying access to the toll service for a predetermined period and means for delivering the recorded advertising to the local telephone station (11); said system being characterized in that the subscriber test equipment includes means for generating in addition to the positive signal a signal selecting the type of recorded advertising to be received responsive to a preference specific to the calling number.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
178 words
A telephone toll system of the type in which a local telephone station is connected to the telephone network through at least one telephone switching system including means (ANI) for automatically establishing identification of the calling number and means for automatically determining charges for at least one toll service, comprising means (13) including subscriber test equipment for determining whether the calling number should receive a reduced rate or credit with respect to receiving recorded advertising and including billing equipment for generating the corresponding billing or credit, and means responsive to a positive signal from the subscriber test equipment of the determining means indicating that the calling party should receive said reduced rate or credit for delaying access to the toll service for a predetermined period and means for delivering the recorded advertising to the local telephone station (11); said system being characterized in that the subscriber test equipment includes means for generating in addition to the positive signal a signal selecting the type of recorded advertising to be received responsive to a preference specific to the calling number.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
27 words
A telephone toll system of the type claimed in claim 1 further caracterized in that the selecting signal generating means is interactive with the local telephone station.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
23 words
A telephone toll system of the type claimed in claim 2 further characterized in that the telephone toll service is directory assistance calling.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
21 words
A telephone toll system of the type claimed in claim 2 characterized in that the telephone toll service is long-distance calling.