Patent ID: 6167124
Filing Date: 2000-12-26
Classification: H04L,H04M,H04Q

Abstract:
A method for routing a toll-free call presented to a central office switch to a first carrier of a plurality of carriers by means of an auction process in which a moderating computer collects economic incentive data from each carrier of the plurality of carriers designating the economic incentive a carrier will charge to carry a call from an originating point to a terminating point, processes the economic incentive data, and distributes processed data to at least a portion of the plurality of carriers and to an 800 database, thereby enabling the toll-free call to be routed to the first carrier based on an economic choice and then to an 800 customer at the terminating point, the method comprising:a. in the moderating computer, processing the economic incentive data to produce carrier selection data relating to designation of the first carrier to carry the toll-free call;b. transmitting the carrier selection data to the 800 database and storing the carrier selection data in a memory;c. in the central office switch, launching a query to the 800 database requesting an instruction as to which carrier of the plurality of carriers the toll-free call should be routed;d. in the 800 database, accessing the memory for the carrier selection data and transmitting the carrier selection data to the switch; ande. in the switch, routing the toll-free call to the first carrier for transmission from the originating point to the terminating point.