Patent ID: 7099653

Claim:
A method for providing pre-connection call authorization within a telephony network comprising the steps of: receiving at a destination switch a telephony connectivity request for establishing a telephony voice channel between an originating device and a receiving device, said receiving device connected to said destination switch; identifying said receiving device specified by said connectivity request; accessing receiving device specific information from a call authorizer connected to said destination switch and remote from said receiving device, wherein said device specific information includes an authorization requirement; sending an authorization request via a ringback channel from said destination switch to said originating device without traversing a data channel; sending a digitally encoded signal specifying an authorization code from said originating device in response to the authorization request, said signal being conveyed within at least one pre-connection transmission channel, the pre-connection-transmission channel being distinct from the ringback channel and utilized to convey information before a telephony connection is established with the originating device; determining whether said authorization code satisfies said authorization requirement; and, establishing said telephony voice channel between said originating device and said receiving device responsive to said determining step, wherein said identifying, accessing, and determining steps occur after the originating device provides the telephony connectivity request and before a telephony voice channel involving the originating device is established.