Methods and systems for providing on-line bills for use in communications services

A communications system for providing a service, wherein a plurality of parties may be members of an account with the system to receive the service, the system comprising:

• an interface configured to:
• receive a call from one of a plurality of members of an account, the call including a request for a service, wherein a common bill is provided for services rendered to the members of the account;
• receive from the one party among the plurality of members an identifier to be used to identify the one party from among the plurality of members;
• and
• a processor coupled to the interface, the processor being programmed to:
• provide the common bill for services rendered to the plurality of members of the account, to a communications device via the network;
• and
• provide in the common bill an indicator of the one party requesting the service, in association with a respective entry for the requested service in the bill.

A method of operating a communications system, wherein the system stores contact information for a plurality of first parties associated with an account in a contacts folder in a database, the method comprising:

• identifying a respective first party requesting the service with respect to a second party;
• inserting information related to the second party in the respective folder;
• preparing a bill for the account for a service provided to a first party with respect to a second party;
• and
• if the folder does not include contact information related to the second party, storing contact information related to the second party in the folder.

A communications system for providing a service for a first party among a plurality of first parties with respect to a second party, the first parties being associated with an account with the system, the system comprising:

• a database to store contacts information of accounts with the system in a folder associated with a respective account;
• and
• a processor coupled to the interface and to the database, the processor being programmed to:
• identify the respective first party requesting the service with respect to the second party based, at least in part, on a voiceprint of the first party received when the request was made and a voiceprint sample of the respective first party stored by the system;
• and
• insert contact information related to the second party in the folder for the respective first party;
• prepare a bill for services provided to the account with respect to a second party;
• and
• if the folder does not include contact information related to the second party, store contact information related to the second party in the folder.

A method of operating a communications system, comprising:

• processing a communication between a first communications device of a first party initiating a communication with a second communications device of a second party, the first party being one of a plurality of members of an account, wherein a common bill is provided for services rendered to the members;
• receiving a first identifier to be used to identify the first party from among the plurality of members;
• generating an event record related to the communication, including an indicator of the second party, during processing of the communications connection;
• and
• providing the common bill for the communication to a communications device via a network, the bill being based, at least in part, on the event record and including the first indicator of the first party and the second the indicator of the second party.

A communications system for establishing a communication, the system comprising:

• an interface to:
• receive signals from a first communications device of a first party to process a communication with a second communications device of a second party, the first party being one of a plurality of members of an account, wherein a common bill is provided for the members of the account;
• receive a first identifier to be used to identify the first party from among the plurality of members;
• and
• access a network;
• and
• a processor programmed to:
• generate an event record including a second indicator of the second party, during processing of the communication;
• and
• provide the common bill for the communication to a third communications device via a network, the bill being based, at least in part, on the event record and including the at least one indicator the first indicator of the first party and the second indicator of the second party.