| 摘要 |
<p>An apparatus and method are described for Internet Protocol ('IP')-based telephony in a third party and called party billing scenario. IP servers act as gateways for callers and perform administrative and ministerial actions to allow the called or a third party to be billed. In an exemplary international collect calling scenario, a user calls a first gateway from a telephone to initiate the collect call, whereupon the user is greeted with an automated message requesting the number the user is calling and the user's name or other identification for recordation and recognition. The gateway then encodes and packetizes the user's name for transmission across the Internet to a remote gateway, which checks for a billable called number having an available pre-paid balance or available credit. The remote gateway then places a call through a switch network to the called number, which, when answered, is informed of the calling party's name by replay of the recording. The called party may refuse or accept the call, initiating the forwarding of billing information to the proper local exchange carrier, alternative billing arrangements by the caller, or termination of the call.</p> |
