Verizon Laboratories Inc.

Verizon Services Corporation

Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc.

Cellco Partnership

Verizon Data Services Inc.

James Edward Haley

Douglas Reynold Jones

John Herman Wurster

Susan M Middleswarth

David C Robbins

Vittorio Giuseppe Bucchieri

Robert A Virzi

David Anthony Philbin

Arthur Doskow

Laurence Raphael Brothers

Bernadette Anita Nelson

Yohan Rajan

Carlos A Cazanas

William David Goodman

Michael Alan Weintraub

Allison Jaynes

Paul Herbert Siedelhofer

Eric Andrew Goodheart

Michael Armstrong

Marc Jason Chiaverini

A method is provided for providing customized ring-back tones to callers on a wireline network such as a public switched telephone network having an advanced intelligent network or a VoIP network. When a call request is received from a calling party to connect to a called party through a wireline telephone network it is determined if the calling party is identified in a screening list for the called party. If so, then a customized audible ring-back tone is played to the calling party until the called party is connected to the calling party or until the call request is terminated.

Method for providing custom ring-back tones

The disclosed methods and systems can employ internet messaging protocols to transmit an alphanumeric message to one or more destination addresses in response to a telephone service customer's notification service request. The request can include a string having a feature code trigger and one or more digits. The destination address can be an electronic mail address, an instant messaging address, a pager number, and/or a telephone number.

Internet messaging notification methods and systems

A shutdown notice may indicate that a primary CCF system is expected to shutdown soon. This notice may be received by a CTF system after the CTF system delivers an ACR Start message to the primary CCF system, but before it delivers an ACR Stop message relating to the same chargeable session to the primary CCF system. In response to this shutdown notice, the CTF system may be configured to deliver an ACR Stop message relating to the same chargeable session to the primary CCF system before the primary CCF system shuts down. Also in response to this shutdown notice, the CTF system may be configured to deliver an additional ACR Start message and an ACR Stop message relating to the same chargeable session to a secondary CCF system.

Shutting down primary charge collection function (CCF) without creating incomplete sets of charging data records (DR) in primary and secondary CCFs

A service control point (SCP) () associated with a public-switched telephone network (PSTN) () includes a service logic module (-N+1) and a network interface (). The service logic module (-N+1) enables the service control point (SCP) () to establish a connection with an Internet Protocol (IP) application server () via a transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP) network (). The network interface () communicates via the connection to integrate telephony services between the PSTN () and the TCP/IP network ().

Systems and methods for integrating PSTN and IP application platforms to enable advanced telephony services

Embodiments of the present invention relate to methods and systems for making a call. Such methods and systems may request the call using a network, initiate a first leg to a caller device based on the request, initiate a second leg to a receiver device based on the request, connect the first leg and the second leg to make the call, and bill the call to a account associated with the subscriber.

Methods and systems for making telephone calls

A method and system for administering calls on a voice network allows a user to selectively determine which calls will be accepted and assists the user in placing calls to other users on the network. The user may establish a list of users whose calls will be accepted and may also establish a list of users whose calls will not be accepted. The method and system may provide unwanted callers with an option to speak with the user for a fee. Users may establish 'business card' headers, or profiles, which serve to identify the user to a called party. The user may also maintain profiles for received calls by using the 'business card' header provided by the caller, or by inputting caller profiles. The method and system may also be used in conjunction with a scheduling system, such that calls amongst two or more users will be initiated at an agreed upon time.

Automated communications assistant and method

Methods and systems are disclosed for making a call. In one embodiment, methods and systems may request the call using a network, initiate a first leg to a caller device based on the request, initiate a second leg to a receiver device based on the request, connect the first leg and the second leg to make the call, and bill the call to a account associated with a subscriber.

Methods and systems for administering calls on a voice network allow a user to selectively determine which calls will be accepted. The methods and systems may provide unwanted callers with an option to speak with the user for a fee. The methods and systems may provide an initiator of the communication to accept the fee, to confirm acceptance of the fee and to provide payment information for the fee prior to completing the communication. If the initiator does not accept the fee, the communication can be terminated. The methods and systems may verify the payment information and display a verification notice to the user prior to completing the call. The fee to be paid and the method of payment, or payment information may be prescribed by the user.

Fee collection system and method for call completion

There is provided a method for routing a call through a telecommunications network. The method comprises the steps of receiving a prompt, from one of a plurality of service switching points in a predetermined geographic service area, for a service associated with the call, and determining one of a plurality of tandem switches to which the call will be directed based on a probability distribution. There is also provided a system for routing a call through a telecommunications network.

Growing community of inventors

Aston, PA, United States of America

James Edward Haley