Dial-up telephone network equipment for requesting an identified selection

A telecommunications network comprising:

• a first switching office responsive to a number for controlling establishment of a call from a caller requesting video programming identified by said number,
• a network routing database system serving at least one other switching office and said first office and responsive to said number for providing a routing message for said first office to route said call to network services equipment,
• said network services equipment serving at least one other switching office and said first office and including means for requesting number information identifying said caller and means responsive to said identifying number information for compiling a data message including the identity of said identified programming and said identifying number information,
• means responsive to said data message for verifying entitlement of said caller to receive said identified programming.
• distribution means responsive to said data message for deriving a program delivery message and a charging message for said identified programming,
• means responsive to said program delivery message for supplying said identified programming to said caller, and
• means responsive to said charging message for compiling charge data for said identified programming.

A telecommunications network comprising:

• network services equipment serving a plurality of switching systems and including means responsive to a call routed thereto from one of said switching systems by a network routing database system serving said one switching system and at least one other switching system and initiated in response to service number signals from a caller served by said one switching system and requesting a selected service identified by said service number signals,
• means responsive to said service call for supplying an acknowledgment to said caller, and
• means responsive to number information identifying said caller for accessing service vendor equipment;
• and
• said service vendor equipment comprising means responsive to said service number signals and said identifying number information for compiling a service delivery message and a charging message,
• means for communicating said service delivery and charging messages to a local service facility serving said caller for enabling the delivery of said identified service, and
• means for verifying the entitlement of said caller to receive said identified service.

A method of ordering a selection through a telecommunications network comprising the steps of:

• receiving at a first switching system serving said network a number for controlling establishment of a call to network services equipment serving said network and for identifying said selection,
• translating at a routing database system serving said first switching system and another switching system said number into a routing message including information for identifying said selection for said first switching system to route said call to said network services equipment.
• routing said call to said network services equipment in response to said routing message,
• obtaining information for identifying said caller, and
• compiling in response to said information for identifying said selection and said caller at said network services equipment serving another switching system and said first switching system a data message for vendor facilities to supply said selection to said caller.

A call processing method comprising

• extending a call ordering a video program from a calling station to network services equipment serving a plurality of switching office via one of said switching offices under control of a call routing database system serving said one switching office and at least one other switching office,
• supplying an advisory signal on said extended to call to said calling station,
• deriving at said network services equipment an identity of a chargeable entity for said call,
• verifying an entitlement of said chargeable entity to receive said video program in response to said derived identity, and
• supplying said video program to a designated station in response to said entitlement of said chargeable entity to receive said video program.

A telecommunications network responsive to a number identifying a video program from a telephone office for deriving routing information for a call identified by said number comprising

• routing database means serving a plurality of switching offices for translating said number to routing information for said call,
• network services equipment for serving said switching offices and processing said call for video programming supply facilities, and
• one of said offices being responsive to said routing information for extending said call to said network services equipment,
• said equipment comprising means responsive to information identifying a caller for compiling a data message for said supply facilities to identify said video program and said caller.

Video supply processing equipment comprising:

• means responsive to a data message specifying caller identification information and a dial-a-view number specifying a video service requested by a caller via a telephone network for verifying whether or not said caller is entitled to receive said video service,
• means responsive to a determination by said verification means that said caller is entitled to receive said video service for producing a service delivery message for a video supply facility to provide said video service to said caller,
• means responsive to a determination by said verification means that said caller is not entitled to receive said video service for supplying information advising said caller that said caller is not entitled to receive said requested service, and
• means responsive to billing information from said caller for verifying said billing information.