Patent ID: 7257209

Claim:
A system for processing a calling party pays call initiated by a first subscriber device to a second subscriber device, the system comprising: a processor; a switch operative to transmit, to the processor, an automatic number identifier (ANI) of the first subscriber device comprising a calling number and a called number; and a database comprising a field comprising the billing preferences of the second subscriber device; wherein the processor is operative to determine that a billing status of the first subscriber device is nonbillable based on a charge party station type (CPST) of the first subscriber device and, in response to that determination, perform at least one of the following: route the call to a voice mail provider or route the call to a billing service provider; and wherein the processor is further operative to determine that the billing preference of the second subscriber is calling party pays and the processor determines that the billing preferences of the second subscriber is calling party pays by examining the field in the database.