Patent ID: 6917671

Claim:
In a telecommunications network, a method for providing a network-based notification service to a calling party during processing of a telephone call of the calling party to a called party, comprising the step of: storing in a database in the telecommunications network calling plan information for subscribers including calling plan information associated with the originating address of the calling party; receiving a request for a communications connection from an originating address of the calling party to a terminating address of the called party; verifying that the originating address of the calling party is to receive the notification service for the received request; retrieving the stored calling plan information associated with the originating address of the calling party; determining a minimum cost period which is al least one of a time of day, a day of a week, and a plurality of days for completing the communications connection based on the calling plan information for the originating address; while the communications connection is being established within the telecommunications network and before completing the connection of the calling party an the called party transmitting from the telecommunications network to the calling party an audible notification message including the minimum cost period to the calling party from the telecommunications network; prompting the calling party to abandon the telephone call after transmitting the minimum cost period; completing the connection of the calling party to the called party if the telephone call is not abandoned by the calling party; and deactivating the transmission of the notification message after receiving a deactivation request.