Importance

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Abstract

The collect call party identification service disclosed enables a service provider to identify a person who makes an assistance-free collect call and to transmit the caller's identity on the called phone regardless of the phone number from which the call is made and before any charges are incurred. The service provider, in a database controlled by the service provider, lists and identifies each person in a defined group with a personal identification number such as his/her phone number, social security number or the like. The Collect Calling Party Identification service is invoked by using a prefix such as *99. A person listed in the service provider's database and having been assigned a personal identification number can make a collect call without the assistance of an operator by dialing *99 plus his/her personal identification number. Upon confirmation from the database that the caller is listed in the database, the caller making the collect call then inputs the number that he/she is attempting to reach. When the call is received by the called party, the identification of the person making the collect call is displayed on the receiving telephone for viewing by the called person before any charges are incurred. Thus, the called party can identify the calling party regardless of the location of the calling phone prior to deciding whether or not to answer the phone.

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First Claim