Patent ID: 7492881

Claim:
A method for processing calling records for collection, said method comprising: providing call connections between calling parties on an originating carrier network and called parties on destination carrier networks, wherein costs for the call connections are to be billed to third parties, the third parties being other than the calling parties; generating a third party call record for each call connection; storing each of the third party call records in a queue; assigning a queue time to each of third party call records stored in the queue, the queue time representing a time at which the third party call records will be forwarded to a third party for payment; calculating an accumulated balance for each third party, the accumulated balance representing a total unbilled amount for the third party's call records stored in the queue; monitoring an amount of each third party's accumulated balance with respect to a threshold amount; adjusting the queue time of at least one third party call record when the accumulated balance amount meets or exceeds the threshold amount; and releasing one or more third party calling record from said queue to a billing process when the queue time expires.