At+t Corp.

Michael Davitt

Leonard Matulewski

Louis N Delery

Christine Patricia Peterson

Christos I Vaios

A Helen McGrath

Alan B Moshinsky

Ronald Nemeth

Steven L Cohen

Michael Neal

Edgar J Grijalva

Paula M Goldstein

Alan N Dunn

Steve L Cohen

Usha Rao

Kathleen T Quinn

Subscribers ( ) may receive combined pre-paid and calling card service offered via a telecommunications network ( ) by dialing a telephone number ( ) of a platform ( ) within the network. The platform stores account information for each subscriber, including a pre-paid balance amount and overflow treatment indicator. Upon receipt of a call, the platform verifies the subscriber's eligibility for service and provides the service while decrementing the subscriber's pre-paid balance. When the subscriber's pre-paid balance falls below a prescribed value, the platform determines whether the subscriber is entitled to automatic billing of continuing service costs or whether the subscriber must enter information to facilitate billing of such costs based on the overflow indicator. Thereafter, the platform effects continuing call treatment and billing for such continuing call treatment when effected billing in accordance with the overflow indicator.

Combination pre-paid and calling card

A telephone system provides personalized announcements to calling parties in support of branded products and services of the system and others during call processing to called parties. A processor coupled to the system includes a database of designated calling parties receiving personal announcements. Record means stored in the processor for each designated calling party define the parameters for each personalized announcement. Call processing means responsive to the processor initiate a call from the calling party to a called party according to the parameters for the calling party defined in the record means. In one form, audio means under control of the processor play the personalized announcement to the calling party during the pre-answer period of the call or until the call is abandoned or the line is busy.

Telephone system and method for personalized announcements

Subscribers (12.sub.1 -12.sub.n) may receive combined pre-paid and calling card service offered via a telecommunications network (20) by dialing a telephone number (32) of a platform (26) within the network. The platform stores account information for each subscriber, including a pre-paid balance amount and overflow treatment indicator. Upon receipt of a call, the platform verifies the subscriber's eligibility for service and provides the service while decrementing the subscriber's pre-paid balance. When the subscriber's pre-paid balance falls below a prescribed value, the platform determines whether the subscriber is entitled to automatic billing of continuing service costs or whether the subscriber must enter information to facilitate billing of such costs based on the overflow indicator. Thereafter, the platform effects continuing call treatment and billing for such continuing call treatment when effected billing in accordance with the overflow indicator.

A communication system includes a network switch coupled through a telephone line uniquely associated with each customer for budgeted telephone calling time and amount, either pre-paid or post-paid, the budgeted amount being recorded in the system for calling purposes. A server is coupled to the switch for automated control of the budgeted telephone calls and costs. The server includes a control processor having access to databases for recorded budgeted amounts and call routing. A voice response unit is coupled to the processor and sends messages to the calling customer at the beginning of each budget telephone call indicating remaining budgeted telephone calling time and amount available to the calling purposes. The processor debits the customer account by an amount reflecting the call costs as the call proceeds. A voice message advises the calling customer when the available time and costs for the budgeted telephone call will terminate. Depending upon customer preference, the call may (i) terminate when the budget amount is exceeded or (ii) continue subject to a warning that the call budget has been exceeded with a prompt to obtain additional prepaid budgeted calling time and cost or (iii) continue the call and subsequent calls subject to later payment by the calling customer. Calls are placed directly to the calling party without accessing a special toll number or providing a credit card number.

Communications system and method with call expenditure control

Easily accessed and widely available language interpretation services are provided in a public switched telephone network by a common platform adjunct which automatically connects an interpretation services subscriber with a selected language interpreter associated with a language interpretation platform in the network. A subscriber dials, for example, an international telephone number which includes a code indicating that the call is an international call, a country code, a city code, and a local destination number. The ANI of the subscriber is detected and the call is routed to the adjunct which further verifies and validates the subscriber. The adjunct places a call through the public switched telephone network to the language interpretation platform. The call is answered either by an automatically preselected interpreter or by a human operator who causes the call to be manually transferred to a desired interpreter. The international call is completed to the destination and the calling subscriber, the interpreter, and the called party are bridged together.

On demand language interpretation in a telecommunications system

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Basking Ridge, NJ, United States of America

Michael Davitt