Method and system for billing remote calls as if made from a primary line

A system for billing for a call made between a selected calling line and a destination calling line as if the call were made from a predetermined calling line, the system comprising:

• a first network element operative:
• to receive a communication directed to an access code,
• with respect to the communication, to receive information related to the predetermined calling line and the destination calling line,
• to create a string of data containing the information, and
• to cause the string of data to be transmitted to a second network element;
• the second network element operative:
• to receive the string of data,
• to manipulate the string of data to create a call structure including a code and,
• to transmit the call structure to a third network element;
• the third network element having an active trigger provisioned thereon with respect to the predetermined calling line, the third network element being operative to transmit the call structure to a fourth network element when triggered;
• and
• the fourth network element operative to recognize the code in the call structure and further operative to reassemble the call structure;
• whereby reassembling the call structure causes the third network element to route the call to the destination calling line and bill the call to the predetermined calling line included in the call structure.

In a communications system including a service switching point functionally connected to an intelligent network element, a method for providing a service of billing costs of a call between a selected number and a destination number to a predetermined number other than the selected number, comprising:

• A. provisioning a trigger on the predetermined number at a service switching point (SSP) serving the predetermined number;
• B. at the SSP, receiving a call from a selected number and directed to the predetermined number, and receiving a destination number for the call;
• C. in response to receipt of the call, and based on the trigger on the predetermined number, causing the SSP to query an intelligent network element to obtain instructions regarding the call;
• D. at the intelligent network element, in response to receipt of the query, determining the call is to be accorded the billing service, and directing the SSP to route the call to the destination number and to bill costs of the call to the predetermined number;
• and
• E. at the SSP, in response to the directions from the intelligent network element, causing the SSP to route the call to the destination number and to bill the costs of the call to the predetermined number,
• whereby the trigger on the predetermined number results in involvement of the intelligent network element to cause routing of the call to the destination number rather to the predetermined number, and to cause billing of the costs of the call to the predetermined number.

In a telecommunications system, a method to provide a billing service to allow costs of a communication to be billed to a predetermined number even though the call does not originate from the predetermined number, comprising:

• A. at a service switching point serving the predetermined number (SSP-PN), provisioning a trigger on the predetermined number;
• B. at an intelligent network element (INE), receiving a call from an originating number other than the predetermined number with the call being directed to a special access number (SAN), and with regard to the call, causing the INE to obtain the predetermined number and the destination number, and then to initiate a billing call directed to a feature access code (FAC) with the billing call including the predetermined number and the destination number;
• C. at a service switching point serving the INE (SSP-INE), in response to the billing call being directed to the FAC, querying a service control point serving the SSP-INE (SCP-SSP-INE) about the billing call, the query including the FAC, the predetermined number, and the destination number of the call;
• D. at the SCP-SSP-INE, based on the FAC in the query, instructing the SSP-INE to route the billing call to the predetermined number with the instructions including a special code;
• E. at the SSP-INE, based on the instructions received from the SCP-SSP-INE, routing the billing call to the predetermined number;
• F. at the SSP-PN, receiving the billing call, and having the billing call trigger on the predetermined number by the receipt of the billing call as directed to the predetermined number, and in response to the triggering, questioning a service control point serving the SSP-PN (SCP-SSP-PN) about the billing call with the question including the special code;
• G. at the SCP-SSP-PN, based on inclusion of the special code in the question, determining the call is to be accorded the billing service directing the SSP-PN to route the billing call to the destination number, and billing the costs to the predetermined number;
• and
• H. at the SSP-PN, based on the instructions from the SCP-SSP-PN, routing the billing call to the destination number so as to provide a communication path from the originating number to the destination number, and billing the costs of the communication to the predetermined number.