| US 7,602,891 B2 | ||
| System and method for determining characteristics of international calls | ||
| Jackie A. Halpern, Oxford, Conn. (US); and Elias Berelian, Stratford, Conn. (US) | ||
| Assigned to AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P., Reno, Nev. (US) | ||
| Filed on Aug. 13, 2002, as Appl. No. 10/217,743. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2004/0203650 A1, Oct. 14, 2004 | ||
| Int. Cl. H04M 15/00 (2006.01); H04M 1/00 (2006.01); H04M 3/42 (2006.01); H04W 24/00 (2009.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 379—115.03 [379/355.08; 455/456.6; 455/414.1] | 11 Claims |

| 1. An automated method of determining characteristics of a terminating number for an international call, the method comprising:
receiving a request for termination information from a remote user via a secure network connection, wherein the request includes
a terminating number for an international call;
in response to receiving the request for termination information, automatically consulting a telephone number prefix table
in a centralized database of termination characteristics to identify a match for the terminating number, wherein the centralized
database includes terminating numbers for multiple nations outside the North American Numbering Plan (NANP);
in response to identifying the match for the terminating number, automatically consulting the centralized database to retrieve
location information associated with the match, wherein the location information indicates whether the terminating number
uses wireless termination or wireline termination, and wherein the location information includes a carrier name for at least
one of the terminating numbers that use wireless termination;
responding to the request for termination information with a response that indicates whether the terminating number uses wireline
termination or wireless termination, such that the response enables the remote user to distinguish between calls with wireline
termination and calls with wireless termination for rating purposes; and
including the carrier name in the response when the location information associated with the match includes the carrier name.
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