At+t Corp.

Other

At&t Intellectual Property I, L.p.

Antoinette Rule

Tejanand Sarju

Romel R Khan

Michael Koptiw

Hwey Chang

Devinne H Brown

Edite M Hanlon

Steven T Heinsius

Rise J Frankel

Gary D Walden

Sandra L Bish

Thomas W Blickle

Frank Y Liao

Mrinalini Natarajan

Embodiments of the present invention relate to billing for services in an Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) environment. A first call is received at a service node from a service switching point located in the AIN. A second call is established through the service switching point to a called party. The first call is bridged with the second call and the bridged call is monitored for signaling information. The bridged call is processed based on the monitored signaling information. A billing module is created for the processed call at the service node. The billing module may include service values related to billing information for the processed call. The processed call may be merged back into the service switching point and the created billing module for the processed call may be sent to the service switching point for ultimate delivery to a billing system.

Method and system for providing billing capability for a service node in an advanced intelligent network environment

A re-directing party (14) may transfer call-specific data to a target party (16) via a telecommunications network (10) in connection with the re-direction of a telephone call by the network between the parties. To transfer the call-specific data, the re-directing party transmits an out-of-band message containing the data to the network. The network forwards the data in an out-of-band message to the target party. The message may be one that effects call set-up to the target party or call termination by the re-directing party. Alternatively, the message may be of the type that effects data transfer during the call itself.

Method for transferring call-specific data between called parties

Calls made to a toll-free 800 service subscriber are routed to a subscriber's primary location via a telephone network switch operating in conjunction with a specially configured adjunct processor. The adjunct processor routes the call from the calling party to the primary location through a first call leg extending between the calling party, switch and adjunct processor. A second call leg is extended from the adjunct processor, through the switch to an alternate destination. The first and second call legs are bridged within the adjunct processor for completing the call from the calling party to the alternate location. After the called is bridged, the two call legs are released to and from the adjunct processor while merging the two legs within the switch so as to conserve adjunct processor resources for further incoming calls. The described system also provides for five different redirection features: 1) blind transfer, 2) soft transfer, and 3) conference--consultation for human agents; and 4) blind and 5) soft transfer for voice response units (VRU's).

System and method for redirecting a telephone call with call merging

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Trenton, NJ, United States of America

Antoinette Rule