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Apparatus and method for detecting potentially fradulent telecommunication
| Details |
Inventors: Johnson, Eric A.; Handzel, Mark J.;
Assignee: Lightbridge, Inc. (Burlington, MA)
Primary Examiner: Urban; Edward F.
Assistant Examiner: Sobutka; Philip J.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Foley Hoag LLP
The present invention provides an apparatus for credit based management of a telecommunication system. One embodiment of the apparatus includes an interface for communicating credit information on a particular subscriber and for receiving call records for the particular subscriber that are derived from a switch which establishes connections between telecommunication devices. A credit limit device then utilizes the credit information to establish a credit limit for the subscriber. The apparatus also includes a device for comparing the particular subscriber's call usage to a credit limit established for the subscriber based on information obtained from the credit bureau. An output device is used to provide an indication that the subscriber has exceeded their credit limit. Another embodiment of the apparatus, includes a device for, upon expiration of a predetermined time period, contacting the credit bureau to obtain a new credit score for a subscriber and use this score to update the subscriber's credit limit. |
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A detailed description of an apparatus and method for detecting potentially fraudulent and performing credit based management of telecommunications activity, is set forth below with reference to the figures.
A diagram illustrating a typical cellular telecommunications network is illustrated in FIG.
1A.
Referring to FIG.
1A, each predetermined fixed geographic region is served by a separate Mobile Switching Center (MSC).
Additionally, each MSC region may comprise one or more cells, wherein each cell is served by its own base station connected to the MSC for that region.
In FIG.
1A, Region I is served by a first MSC 101 while Region II is served by a second MSC 102.
Region I comprises four cells each having its own base station 104 connected to the first MSC 101.
Region II comprises three cells each having its own base station 106 connected to the second MSC 102.
When a subscriber originates a call, the cellular telephone 103 communicates via a base station with the particular MSC serving that geographic region by means of wireless radiofrequency transmission.
The subscriber may either remain within the particular cell from which the call was originated or the subscriber may roam across cell and MSC region boundaries.
For example, a cellular call may be originated by a subscriber in Cell A and the call would be handled initially by the first MSC 101.
However, because cellular telephones are mobile, the subscriber could travel from Cell A into Cell B during the course of the call.
Upon crossing from Cell A into Cell B, the call would cease being handled by the first MSC 101 and may be picked up mid-call and handled by the second MSC 102.
Multiple MSCs are dispersed throughout the United States, and much of the world, so that a subscriber may call from any geographic region served by a MSC.
All of the various MSCs around the world are interconnected by a global telecommunications network, so that telecommunications may occur between two cellular telephones, or between a cellular telephone and a physical line telephone, even if they are in different geographic regions
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Cell Phones 
