At+t Corp.

Thomas C Sharpe

Thomas A Dunn

Mark C Pollman

Howard J Geiger

A system for preventing fraudulent calling activity in a telecommunications network when an Automatic Number Identification failure (ANIF) occurs at a switch attempting to process a call within the network. When an ANIF occurs, an operator obtains information equivalent to an Automatic Number Identification (ANI) from the calling party and the system determines whether the call is of a type that would not have been restricted had the ANIF not occurred. If the call would not otherwise have been restricted had the ANIF not occurred, the system automatically assigns a blanket billing restriction to the call which only allows specific call types (such as what are deemed the safer alternate billing methods of collect or credit card) and blocks other restricted call types.

Growing community of inventors

Conyers, GA, United States of America

Thomas C Sharpe