Patent ID: 6917678

Claim:
A method far managing a call from a caller to an information assistance service, the method comprising: receiving signals associated with the call which contain a calling telephone number, an account which is associated with the calling telephone number being set up with the information assistance service, and which allows receipt of information assistance and one or more types of call to be made; eliciting from the caller an information assistance request; searching a database for results responsive to the information assistance request, the results including a destination telephone number; determining that a connection is to be made from a local calling area to a second calling area outside the local calling area, the second calling area being indicated by at least a portion of the destination telephone number; determining whether the caller is authorized to have the connection made through the information assistance service based at least on data concerning an area from which the call originates, and the types of call allowed by the account, the data concerning the area being not derivable from the calling telephone number; and making the connection when it is determined that the caller is authorized to have the connection made.