Abstract:
Disclosed is a method of and apparatus employing the method for automatically enabling long-distance calls on the land-line public telephone switched network and debiting the wireless subscriber&#39;s account an amount for the long-distance call. The method includes the steps of providing a predetermined telephone number having means for answering the call; answering the call, receiving a password entered by a user; comparing the entered password to a stored password to enable access to the landline public telephone switched system. The method also includes accepting a long-distance telephone number to be called, initiating a call on the land-line network at the entered long-distance telephone number. If the receiving instrument answers, the call is timed. Upon termination of the call, data is stored corresponding to the elapsed time of the call and the subscriber&#39;s account is debited an amount for the call.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
   The present invention relates in general to telecommunications and, in particular, to methods and systems for charging land-line long distance calls to a wireless subscriber&#39;s account. 
   BACKGROUND 
   Many wireless telephone subscription plans provide the ability to make long-distance telephone calls from a wireless telephone for no additional charges beyond the normal number of minutes used during the call. However, often a wireless subscriber will desire to use a land-line telephone on the public telephone switched network (PSTN) to make a long-distance call, for example, when the subscriber is using a telephone at work or otherwise does not have access to his or her wireless telephone. In such cases, the subscriber will need to either use a long-distance calling card or charge the charges to his or her home telephone number or credit card. However, often these numbers are long and difficult to remember and enter. Furthermore, the cost of making long-distance calls using a calling card may be undesirably high. Using a calling card may be particularly distasteful to a wireless telephone subscriber used to not paying any additional amount for long-distance calls, beyond the number of minutes of airtime. 
   There exists a need for a system allowing a wireless telephone subscriber to make long-distance calls from a land-line, and to automatically debit his or her wireless account for the long-distance call, by either deducting a certain number of minutes from the airtime account and/or deducting an amount of money correlated to the length of the long-distance call. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In one embodiment, the present invention comprises a method operable in a computer system for automatically enabling long-distance calls on the land-line public telephone switched network and debiting the wireless subscriber&#39;s account an amount for the long-distance call. In this embodiment it comprises providing a predetermined telephone number having means for answering the call, answering the call, receiving a password entered by a user and, if the stored password matches the entered password, enabling access to the land-line public telephone switched system and debiting the wireless subscriber&#39;s account for the call. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and its advantages, reference will now be made in the following Detailed Description of the accompanying drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram depicting components and their operation where the method is initiated by a call to a common number for multiple subscribers; 
       FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram depicting components and their operation where the method is initiated by a call to the wireless subscriber&#39;s wireless telephone number; and 
       FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram depicting components and their operation where the method is initiated by a call to the wireless subscriber&#39;s wireless telephone number and the call forwarding feature of the wireless telephone is used. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   Turning now to the drawings in detail, and initially to  FIG. 1  thereof, a schematic block diagram of a computer system  10  for implementing an embodiment of the invention where the method is initiated by a call to a common number for multiple subscribers is depicted. The system  10  includes an answering instrument  12  connected to a PSTN local exchange system  14  to which a user desiring to make a call on a land-line telephone instrument  16  is connected. Answering instrument  12  has a predetermined telephone number or numbers associated with it and is accessible through the PSTN local exchange  14  by dialing its telephone number or numbers in the normal manner from land-line telephone instrument  16 . In this embodiment, the telephone number of answering instrument  12  can be a toll-free telephone number that is used by multiple wireless subscribers. 
   Upon receiving a call at its predetermined number, answering instrument  12  answers the call. At this point, the system proceeds to the next step  18 , which is receiving an input of a unique wireless telephone account number of the wireless subscriber. This unique wireless account number may be the subscriber&#39;s wireless telephone number, or any other number uniquely identifying that subscriber&#39;s wireless account. The system at step  18  may prompt the caller to enter his or her account number, although this is not required. 
   In the next step  20 , the system checks the entered number against a list of valid account numbers stored in memory  22 . Validity can be defined to include any one or more conditions, such as that the account number exists and/or that the account is current (i.e., that it is not in arrears) and/or that there are remaining airtime minutes for the month on the account, etc. If it is determined that the account number is not valid, the system terminates the call at step  21 . Of course, the system may also permit limited multiple opportunities to re-enter a valid account number before terminating the call. 
   If the account number is determined to be valid, the system proceeds to step  24 . In this step, the system receives an input of a password, also called a personal identification number (PIN). The system at step  24  may prompt the caller to enter his or her PIN number, although this is not required. 
   In the next step  26 , the entered PIN number is compared to the PIN number stored in memory  22  for this subscriber&#39;s account. The system checks the entered number against the stored PIN number. If it is determined that the PIN does not match the stored PIN number, the system terminates the call at step  27 . Of course, the system may also permit limited multiple opportunities to re-enter a correct PIN number before terminating the call. 
   If the PIN number is determined to be valid, the system proceeds to the next step  28 , which is to receive the long-distance telephone number that the user wishes to call and has entered in his or her land-line telephone instrument. The system then enables the call in step  31  and accesses a long-distance carrier&#39;s long-distance carrier  30  connecting to a remote PSTN local exchange  54  and from there to the telephone instrument  34  that the user has dialed. 
   When the system detects that the telephone instrument has been answered at step  32 , the system begins timing the call at step  36 . When the system detects that the call has been terminated at step  33 , the timer is stopped at step  37  and the elapsed time for the call is transmitted to memory  22 . In addition to the elapsed time of the call, the system may also store other information associated with the call, such as the number from where the call was dialed, the number called, the time of day, etc. 
   In step  38 , the subscriber&#39;s wireless account is debited an amount for the call. The debiting may be based upon debiting all, part or a multiple of the time spent on the long-distance call to the subscriber&#39;s airtime, or otherwise based upon some numerical function applied to the number of minutes. Alternatively, the long-distance call may be debited by converting the elapsed time into an amount of money based upon some numerical function, and added to the subscriber&#39;s monthly charges. The number of minutes or seconds may also be rounded up or down, as desired. 
   Turning now to  FIG. 2 , a schematic block diagram of a computer system  10 ′ for implementing another embodiment of the invention is depicted, where the method is initiated by a call from the land-line to the subscriber&#39;s own wireless telephone number. The system  10 ′ also includes an answering instrument  12  connected to the PSTN local exchange system  14  to which a user desiring to make a call on a land-line telephone instrument  16  is connected. In this case, answering instrument  12  is connected to a voice mail system  13 . 
   When the caller does not answer his or her wireless telephone number, the voice mail system  13  answers. At this point, the voice-mail system  13  permits the caller to enter a code indicating which of various choices is desired, such as leaving a voice-mail, playing back previously stored voice-mails, changing the voice-mail message, etc. At this point, the system of the present invention is adapted to receive a code, usually a number, entered by the caller indicating a desire to make a long-distance call. 
   In the next step  20 , if the code for making a long-distance call has been entered, the system proceeds to optional step  40 . If not, the system terminates the long-distance calling system at step  22 . Of course, the system at that point may provide other services in response to the entry of different codes, but such need not be described herein. 
   In step  40 , as will be apparent, because the subscriber&#39;s own wireless telephone number has been called, there is no need to separately enter the wireless subscriber&#39;s account number to tell the system which account is to be debited. Nevertheless, it may be desirable (though not necessary) to check the account for validity conditions such as that the account is current (i.e., that it is not in arrears) and/or that there are remaining airtime minutes for the month on the account, etc. If it is determined in step  40  that the account number is not valid, the system terminates the long-distance calling system at step  41 . 
   If the account is determined to be valid, the system proceeds to step  24 . In this step, the system receives an input of a password, also called a personal identification number (PIN). The system at step  24  may prompt the caller to enter his or her PIN number, although this is not required. If the PIN number is determined to be valid, the system proceeds to the next step  28 , which is to receive the long-distance telephone number that the user wishes to call and has entered in his or her land-line telephone instrument. The system then accesses a long-distance carrier&#39;s long-distance communication channel  30  connecting to a remote PSTN local exchange  54  and from there to the telephone instrument  34  that the user has dialed. The operation of the remainder of the system  10 ′ is the same as described for system  10  depicted in  FIG. 1  and need not be further described. 
   Turning now to  FIG. 3 , a schematic block diagram of a computer system  10 ″ for implementing yet another embodiment of the invention is depicted. In this case, the method is initiated by a call to the subscriber&#39;s own telephone number, but which can make use of the call forward feature available for wireless telephones to make the long-distance call from a land-line. The system  10 ″ includes an answering instrument  12  connected to the PSTN local exchange system  14  to which a user desiring to make a call on a land-line telephone instrument  16  is connected. In this case, answering instrument  12  is connected to a voice-mail system  13 . 
   When the caller does not answer the telephone call to his or her wireless telephone number, the voice-mail system  13  answers. At this point, the voice-mail system  13  permits the caller to enter a code indicating which of various choices is desired, such as leaving a voice-mail, playing back previously stored voice-mails, changing the voice-mail message, activating call forwarding, etc. At this point, the system of the present invention is adapted to receive a code, usually a number, entered by the caller on the land-line indicating a desire to forward calls to his/her wireless number to another number. 
   In the next step  19 , if the code for forwarding calls has been entered, the system proceeds to optional step  40 . If not, the system terminates the long-distance system at step  23 . Of course, the system at that point may provide other services in response to the entry of different codes, but such need not be described herein. 
   In step  40 , as will be apparent, because the subscriber&#39;s own wireless telephone number has been called, there is no need to separately enter the wireless subscriber&#39;s account number to tell the system which account is to be debited. Nevertheless, it may be desirable (though not necessary) to check the account for validity conditions such as that the account is current (i.e., that it is not in arrears) and/or that there are remaining airtime minutes for the month on the account, etc. If it is determined in step  40  that the account number is not valid, the system terminates the long-distance system at step  41 . 
   If the account is determined to be valid, the system proceeds to step  24 . In this step, the system receives an input of a password, also called a personal identification number (PIN). The system at step  24  may prompt the caller to enter his or her PIN number, although this is not required. If the PIN number is determined to be valid, the system proceeds to the next step  29 , which is to receive the number to which the caller wishes to forward calls, which in this case will be the long-distance telephone number that the user wishes to call, which will be entered in his or her land-line telephone instrument. 
   In an embodiment, in step  50 , the call to the wireless telephone number is then automatically disconnected, upon which the call forwarding to the entered number is set in step  51 , and then the system automatically calls the wireless subscriber&#39;s number in step  53 . With the call forwarding now set, this call is routed to the forwarding number, which is the long-distance number desired. Of course, the call to the wireless telephone number may also be manually disconnected by the caller, to set the call forwarding to the entered number. Then the caller can manually call his/her wireless telephone number. With the call forwarding now set, this call is routed to the forwarding number, which is the long-distance number desired, as before. 
   In the next step, the system accesses a long-distance carrier&#39;s long-distance communication channel  30  connecting to a remote PSTN local exchange  54  and from there to the telephone instrument  34  that the user has dialed. From that point until step  33 , the operation of the system  10  is the same as described for system  10 ′ depicted in  FIG. 1  and need not be further described. 
   In step  33 , after the call is terminated, the call forwarding to that number normally would still be active. Thus, if a third party were to call the user&#39;s wireless number, that call would be forwarded to the previously called long-distance number, which may be undesirable. Accordingly, to prevent this, this embodiment includes a step  39 , which restricts further call forwarding. The restriction on call forwarding can cause cancellation of the call forwarding. The restriction can also be less restrictive, such as restricting call forwarding to only those calls originating from the telephone number from which the user called to activate the call forwarding. In the latter case, as long as the user called from the same telephone, to his/her wireless telephone number, the call would be forwarded to the desired long-distance number without the need to reenter it. 
   It is understood that the present invention can take many forms and embodiments. Accordingly, several variations may be made in the foregoing without departing from the spirit or the scope of the invention. For example, specific features such as the location-based services may be extracted without negating the novelty or usefulness of other aspects of the invention. Likewise, the system architecture was designed to easily add new services and features, including, but not limited to, additional servers to provide greater functionality or further take advantage of other existing products. 
   Having thus described the present invention by reference to certain of its preferred embodiments, it is noted that the embodiments disclosed are illustrative rather than limiting in nature and that a wide range of variations, modifications, changes, and substitutions are contemplated in the foregoing disclosure and, in some instances, some features of the present invention may be employed without a corresponding use of the other features. Many such variations and modifications may be considered obvious and desirable by those skilled in the art based upon a review of the foregoing description of preferred embodiments. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the invention.