Pay phone call completion method and apparatus

Abstract

A method for permitting multiple calls in a toll telecommunications network from a pay telephone comprising the steps of 1) receiving a first call in said toll telecommunications network from said pay telephone, 2) determining, the identity of a single carrier of said telecommunications network associated with the first toll-free call, 3) completing the first call to a called party, 4) during processing of the first call and prior to a caller actuating the switchhook of the pay telephone, providing dial tone for a second call by the single carrier associated with the first call, 5) receiving a second telephone number in said telecommunications network from said caller at said pay telephone, 6) determining the identity of the single carrier associated with the second call, and 7) responsive to the identity of the single carrier being the same single toll carrier for the first and second calls, completing the second call without additional fee to a called party of the second call by the single carrier. Associated network apparatus for performing this method comprises an application server and a database, the server most conveniently incorporating either speech recognition or tone signal receivers and a voice querying or response system.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.