Telephonic communications – With usage measurement – Call charge metering or monitoring
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-20
2001-12-04
Chan, Wing F. (Department: 2643)
Telephonic communications
With usage measurement
Call charge metering or monitoring
C379S115010, C379S220010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06327349
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to identifying location information associated with telephone customers and, more particularly, to identifying location information in a local number portability environment.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Traditionally, a single company operating in a defined service area has provided local telephone service to all users in that service area. In today's competitive telecommunications environment, however, new carriers have begun providing local telephone service in areas formerly served exclusively by a single carrier. To provide local telephone service, each local carrier, also known as a local service provider (LSP), must obtain a block of 10,000 telephone numbers for each rate area they serve. The reason for this is that the LSP uses the customer's telephone number exclusively to determine where the customer is located for billing purposes.
For example, a new carrier may obtain a block of numbers defined by NPA-NXX-XXXX to provide local telephone service, where NPA represents the area code, NXX represents the central office location code and XXXX represents the unique numbers for specific customers. The combination of NPA-NXX, however, provides 10,000 numbers that can only be used to serve customers living within a defined geographic area known as a rate center. The rate center is used for billing purposes. If the LSP wishes to provide service to customers residing in a different rate center, the LSP must obtain another block of numbers defined by a different NPA-NXX to provide service in the other rate center.
A problem with such a system is that the number resource is being exhausted as the competition for local telephone service increases. A need therefore exists for a method to reduce strain on the current numbering resource caused by the increase in LSPs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Systems and methods consistent with the present invention address this need by using a portion of the location routing number (LRN) associated with local number portability (LNP) to identify the geographic location associated with the calling and called parties. In this manner, a resource other than the telephone number may be used to determine the proper billing associated with a telephone call, thereby eliminating the need for an LSP to obtain separate blocks of numbers for each rate center served. The billing entity identifies the rate center information based on the geographic location and is then able to accurately bill a customer for telephone calls.
In accordance with the purpose of the invention as embodied and broadly described herein, a method for assigning a location routing number consistent with the present invention may be implemented in a telephone network supporting local number portability. The method includes providing a telephone number to a customer and assigning a location routing number to the telephone number. A first portion of the location routing number represents routing information and a second portion represents the location of the customer.
In another aspect of the present invention, a system for determining location information for billing a telephone call to a customer includes a memory configured to store data representing telephone numbers and location routing numbers corresponding to each respective telephone number. The system also includes a processor configured to receive an input representing a call, search the memory for the location routing number associated with the call, identify location information associated with the call based on the location routing number, and determine a rate center associated with the call based on the location information.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5910981 (1999-06-01), Bhagat et al.
patent: 5943411 (1999-08-01), Houck et al.
patent: 5949870 (1999-09-01), Hayduk et al.
patent: 6078657 (2000-06-01), Alfieri et al.
Chan Wing F.
GTE Service Corporation
Suchyta Leonard Charles
Taylor Barry W
Weixel James K.
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