MXPA98001034A - Long distance service center - Google Patents

Abstract

A long-distance service center helps subscribers select a long-distance composition for a long-distance or fare call. The long distance service center includes a table memory of rates and a logical element of service. The memory of the table of the rates stores the data of the rates, representing the rates charged by various long distance companies, and the data of the subscriber's preference, representing the preferences of a subscriber for certain long distance companies among several. The logical element of service controls the memory of the table of the rates. The service logic element communicates periodically with the various long distance carriers to retrieve the changes in the rate data, stores the data changes of the fees in the table of rates and copies only the changes of the rates. data of the rates to the subscriber's local team during the periods of inactivity of the local suscript team

Description

LONG DISTANCE SERVICE CENTER DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The systems and methods compatible with the present invention are directed to a long distance service center that periodically requests the long distance carriers, information of the current rate and stores the information of the company preference by the user to automatically determine , or to allow a user to determine to use a long distance company for a long distance or a particular rate call. Traditionally, users selected long distance carriers for their long distance or fare calls in one of two ways. In the first, a user could designate an implicit long distance company through which all the user's telephone calls were automatically distributed. This type of selection was inherently insufficient since it did not take into account the different rates offered by other long distance companies when the user made the telephone call. In the second, a user could manually select a long distance company through which to direct the user's telephone call. Such manual selection of a long distance company allowed the user to choose, for example, the long distance company that offered the least expensive long distance call rate at the time the user made the telephone call. Although it allows greater freedom of choice, the manual selection of the long distance company presents several problems for the user. For example, choosing a long distance company other than that designated implied long distance company, the user must manually select each phone call. In addition, to maximize the effectiveness of manual selection of the long distance company, the user must either be well informed about the various long distance parameters, or have ready access to such information. To select the long distance company that offers the least expensive rate, for example, the user must know all the available long distance carriers, as well as their different rates. To complicate the matter, the long distance rates for a particular long distance company vary not only from one day to another, but also from one hour to another. Several recent systems address these additional problems. For example, U.S. Patent No. 5,420,914 issued to Blumhardt describes a system for real-time selection of a long distance company. The system employs an advanced intelligent network that has a service control point that retrieves the information of the company's rate, such as the rates for long distance calls charged for days and hours of private calls, for several long distance companies. from a network database. When a user makes a call, telephone, the service control point determines the long distance company that has the least expensive long distance call rate for the day and time of the telephone call, and automatically distributes the call using that The long-distance company The Blumhardt patent system has two inherent problems: it lacks flexibility and does not provide reliable information about the company's rate, flexibility is a problem because the selection of the least expensive company will not always be the The company that the user wants for a particular call, since, for example, not all long distance companies offer the same quality of connection Functionality is a problem due to Blumhardt that does not provide any mechanism to update the database of the company's rate in such a way that the approximate information of the company's rate is outdated due to to the variable nature of the rates of the various long distance companies.

A system addressing one of these problems is that of U.S. Patent No. 4,751,728 issued to Treat. This patent describes a device for monitoring, measuring and selecting telephone call that shows the rates offered by various long distance companies to a user, in such a way that the user can select the company of his choice. The device requires the user to manually enter the identity of the various companies and their numbers and access rate so that the device can display such information when the user wishes to make a telephone call. Because this system depends on the manual entry of the rate information, however, the user must continuously update the information about the rate to the current information. Another system addressing this problem is that of U.S. Patent No. 5,400,395 issued to Berenato. This patent describes a telephone line selector that requests information to bring the current rate closer to the various long distance companies each time a user makes a telephone call. When the user dials a long-distance telephone number, the telephone line picker temporarily suspends the user's call while calling each long distance company to obtain current information about the rate. Once the telephone line selector determines the lowest cost long distance company, it distributes the user's telephone call to the lowest cost carrier, using the dialed telephone number. Because this system updates all information about the rate for long distance companies every time the user makes a phone call, the system however, tends to be undesirably slow. In light of the above systems, there is a need to provide users with speedy current rate information while also allowing the automatic selection of the company for private calls.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The systems and methods compatible with the present invention address this need by providing a long-distance service center that provides users with speedy information about the rates offered by the various long distance carriers, allows the Users choose their long distance companies on a per-call basis and automatically select the long distance companies for particular rate calls according to the user's preferences.

In accordance with the purpose of the invention, such as is modalized and broadly described herein, the long distance service center compatible with the principles of the present invention includes a rate table memory and a logic element of service. The table memory of the rates stores the data of the rates, representing the tariffs for long distance call charged by several long distance companies and the data of the preference of the subscriber representing the preferences of a subscriber for certain long distance companies. among several. The logical element of service controls the memory of the table of the rates. The service logic element communicates periodically with the various long distance companies to retrieve the changes in the data of the rates, store the changes of the data of the rates in the memory of the rate table and copy only the data changes of the fees to the subscriber's local team during the periods of inactivity of the subscriber's local team.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate the systems and methods compatible with this invention and, together with the description, explain the objects, advantages and principles of the invention. In the drawings: Figure 1 is a diagram of a communications network containing the long distance service center compatible with the present invention; Figure 2 is a diagram of the components of the long distance service center in the mode of the communication network illustrated in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a flowchart of an operation compatible with the present invention to maintain a table of minimum current rates in an ADSI compatible telephone; Figure 4 is a flow chart of a process compatible with the present invention by which the subscriber makes a telephone call; Figure 5 is a diagram of a communications network containing the long-distance service center compatible with the present invention; Figure 6 is a diagram of the components of the long distance service center in the alternative mode of the communication network illustrated in Figure 5; Figure 7 is a flowchart of an operation compatible with the present invention for setting and maintaining the memory of the subscriber profile and the memory of the table of rates, shown in Figure 6; Figure 8 is a flowchart of a process compatible with the present invention by which the subscriber makes a telephone call.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The following detailed description of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings which illustrate the preferred embodiments compatible with the principles of this invention. Other modalities are possible and changes to the modalities can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The following detailed description does not limit the invention. In contrast, the scope of the invention is defined only by the appended claims. The long distance service center compatible with the principles of the present invention quickly provides a subscriber of the long distance service center with the information of the rates offered by various long distance carriers, taking into account the preferences of the subscriber and allowing the manual or automatic selection of a company at the discretion of the subscriber based on the information of the rates and preferences of the subscriber.

I. CONNECTION THROUGH THE LOCAL SWITCH A. ELEMENTS OF THE NETWORK Figure 1 is a diagram of a communications network containing the long distance service center of the present invention. Subscribers communicate with the Long Distance Service Center (LDSB) 1100 through a local branch office / PBX switch, such as the 1200 switch. For purposes of simplicity only, the Figure 1 shows an individual subscriber that has a 1300 telephone compatible with the Analog Display Services Interfaces (ADSI). The ADSI-compatible telephone 1300 has an internal 1310 processor and the 1320 memory, the 1330 handset, the 1340 keypad, the 1350 visual display, and the selective 1360 keys. A conventional ADSI compatible telephone is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,416,831. Issued to Chewning. III et al ADSI-compatible 1300 telephone is connected to switch 1200 using a conventional ADSI connection, typically, a bidirectional protocol based on Dual Tone Frequency Frequency (DTMF) and modem 202 signaling. Switch 1200 is connected to LDSB 1100 using a T1_UTT connection. LDSB 1100 connects to the Operating Support Systems (OSS) of the long distance companies, such as the OSS 1400 of the company 1 through the OSS 1500 of the company n, through - a telecommunications network, such like the X.25 1600 network, to ask long distance companies about their long distance rates. Figure 2 shows the elements in LDSB 1100, including the service logic element 2100 and the memory 2200 of the rate memory. The service logic element 2100 includes a conventional processor executing software to facilitate communication with the ADSI compatible 1300 telephone and the company's 1400 operation support systems through 1500. The 2200 memory of the rate table includes a large capacity memory device, such as a disk array, for storing rate information, subscriber preference data and special plan data for all subscribers of the long distance service center. The information about the rates includes the rates for long distance calls charged by the various long distance companies to call a particular location on a certain day and at a certain time. Subscriber preference data includes the subscriber's preferences for a particular long distance carrier for certain situations or for certain telephone numbers dialed. For example, subscriber preference data may include the subscriber's desire to always use a certain long distance company for a particular long distance telephone number or other information, such as, for example, "always use XYZ company unless get savings greater than 3 cents per minute "or" never use the ABC company ". Special plan data can Include special rates or savings plans offered by long distance companies. The service logic element 2100 communicates with the company's OSS 1400 through 1500 to update the information of the rates and special plan data stored in the 2200 memory of the rates table. The service logic element 2100 communicates with the ADSI-compatible telephone 1300 while the ADSI telephone handset 1330 is hung to store a table of minimum rates in the ADSI telephone 1320 memory. The ADSI telephone memory 1320 stores only a subset of the information in the 2200 memory of the rate table due to the limited capacity of the memory. Preferably, the table of minimum rates includes information about the rates only for areas that are routinely called and possibly a "wildcard" zone for numbers that are called infrequently. An area is an area served by one or more long-distance carriers, for example, the east and west coasts of the United States, Ottawa, and the United Kingdom could constitute zones. The 1310 processor of the ADSI telephone determines which zones constitute the routine calling zones, based on the calling pattern of the subscriber. Alternatively, the subscriber can designate the routine call zones through the selective keys or keyboard input.

B. PROCESSING OF THE NETWORK Figure 3 is a flowchart of an operation compatible with this invention to maintain a current minimum rate table in the 1300 ADSI compatible telephone. Subscriber subscribes to the service offered by LDSB 1100 (Figure 1) [stage 3100]. In this initial subscription stage, LDSB 1100 records the subscriber's name, telephone number and information regarding any long-distance savings plans to which the subscriber belongs in the 2200 memory of the rate table. Also at this time, the subscriber informs LDSB 1100 about the subscriber's long distance carrier preferences. Based on the information received from the subscriber and information retrieved from OSS 1400 of company 1 through OSS 1500 of company n, LDSB 1100 generates a table of minimum rates for the subscriber [stages 3200]. The table of minimum rates contains information about the rates for the subscriber's routine call zones, the subscriber's preference data and any special plan data offered by the long distance carriers. The table of minimum rates is configured as an observation table using criteria such as the call zone, the day of the week and the time of day. Once LDSB 1100 generates the table of minimum rates, LDSB 1100 copies the phone to 1300 compatible with ADSI. LDSB 1100 copies the table of minimum rates when the ADSI telephone handset 1330 is hung, so that the 1300 ADSI-compatible telephone is not being used by the subscriber [step 3300]. LDSI 1100 Uses a Utility Test Trunk Line (UTT) for this automatic copying. LDSB 1100 periodically asks the OSS of company 1 through OSS of company n to update the 2200 memory of the rate table [step 3400]. After each inquiry, LDSB 1100 determines which tables of minimum rates are affected by the update, updates the tables of minimum rates associated with the affected subscribers [step 3500]. As with the initial copying of the minimum rate table, LDSB 1100 updates the subscriber's minimum rate table during the 1300 ADSI-compliant phone idle periods using a conventional UTT. Figure 4 is a flow chart of a process compatible with this invention by which the subscriber makes a telephone call. After the subscriber lifts the ADSI telephone handset 1330 and dials a telephone number using the 1340 keypad [step 4100], the ADSI telephone processor 1310 detects the dialed digits and determines whether the subscriber dialed a long distance telephone number or local [stage 4200]. . The processor 1310 can make this determination by detecting the number of digits dialed or detecting whether the first digit dialed is a "1". If the 1310 processor determines that the subscriber dialed a local telephone number, then it distributes the call over the local company [step 4300]. If the subscriber frames a long-distance telephone number, the processor 1310 determines whether the dialed telephone number is a preferred telephone number, that is, a telephone number for which the subscriber has pre-selected a preferred carrier [step 4400]. The processor 1310 makes this determination by comparing the dialed telephone number with the subscriber preference data stored in the table of minimum rates in the memory 1320. If the subscriber dialed a preferred telephone number, the 1310 processor determines the identity of the preferred carrier. pre-selected from the table of minimum rates and distributes the call to the preferred company by prefixing the digits marked with the code of the long distance company [stage 4500]. If the subscriber did not dial a preferred telephone number, the processor 1310 determines the zone for which the call must be distributed based on the dialed digits [step 4600]. For example, if the subscriber dialed 1-202-123-1234, the 1310 processor will determine based on the first "1" dialed that the subscriber dialed a long distance number, and based on the following three numbers that the subscriber dialed a number telephone in the area of the east coast. Once the processor 1310 determines the zone to which the call was made, the processor 1310 determines which long distance carriers serve the calling area. Processor 1310 then determines whether the minimum rate table stores subscriber preference data or any special plan data associated with these long distance carriers to compile a list of long distance carriers that can provide long-distance telephone service. distance.

The 1310 processor presents the list of long distance carriers to the subscriber to help the subscriber select a long distance carrier [stage 4700]. Preferably, the processor 1310 displays on the ADSI telephone 1350 visual screen the available long distance carriers and their rates corresponding to the day and time at which the subscriber's telephone call is made [step 4700]. Based on the information shown, the subscriber selects a long distance company for the telephone call using the selective keys 1360 of the ADSI telephone [stage 4800]. "The 1310 processor then directs the call to the selected company by prefixing the digits marked with the company code of the selected long distance company [step 4900]. Alternatively, the 1310 processor can present the available long distance carriers and their rates to the subscriber through voice messages on the ADSI telephone handset 1330. The subscriber can then select the long distance company for the telephone call using the 1340 ADSI telephone keypad or simply by speaking through the 1330 handset. The 1310 processor It will detect the selection of the subscriber using a conventional tone detection or voice detection system.

II. CONNECTION THROUGH PE THE PE NETWORK COMMUNICATIONS A. ELEMENTS OF THE REP Figure 5 shows a communications network containing a long distance service center in an alternative mode compatible with the principles of the present invention. The subscriber again connects to the long distance service center (LDSB) 5100 using the 5200 ADSI compatible telephone. However, unlike the network of the mode shown in Figure 1, the 5200 ADS-I compatible telephone is connected to the LDSB 5100 through a telecommunications network, such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN) 5300, by conventional means, as described in the previous one. LDSB 5100 connects to OSS 5400 of company 1 through company OSS 5500 n over PSTN 5300 to request these long distance carriers updated rate information. Figure 6 shows the components of LDSB 5100, including service logical element 6100, memory 6200 of the rate table and memory 6300 of the subscriber profile. The service logic element 6100 includes conventional processor execution software for processing telephone calls from subscribers and for facilitating communication with the ADSI compatible 5200 telephone and the company's OSS 5400 to 5500. The service logic element may communicate with a subscriber using an interactive voice response unit or by detecting in-band DTMF tones. The memory 6200 of the rate table preferably includes a large capacity memory device, such as a disk arrangement for storing rate information and special plan data. The information of the rates includes rates for long distance call charged by the different long distance companies to call a particular area on a certain day and at a certain time. Special plan data may include special rates or savings plans offered by long distance companies. The 6300 memory of the subscriber profile includes a large capacity memory device that records subscriber preference data for all subscribers of the long distance service center. Subscriber preference data includes the subscriber's preferences for a particular long distance carrier for certain situations or for certain telephone numbers dialed, as described above. The service logic element 6100 communicates with the company's OSS 5400 to 5500 to update the information of the rates and special plan data stored in the 6200 memory of the rate table.

B. PROCESSING OF THE NETWORK Figure 7 is a flow diagram of an operation compatible with this invention for setting and maintaining the memory 6300 of the profile of the subscriber and the memory 6200 of the rate table. Again, the subscriber subscribes to the long distance service center by conventional means [stage 7100]. • During this initial subscription stage, the subscriber informs the LDSB 5100 about any company preferences from which LDSB 5100 formulates the subscriber profile data to store in Subscriber Profile memory 6300 [step 7200]. Once LDSB 5100 generates the subscriber profile data, LDSB 5100 is ready to serve the subscriber. To ensure that the 6200 memory of the rate table has information of the rates of the current companies, LSDB 5100 periodically consults OSS 5400 of company 1, OSS 5500 of company n to update the information of the rates in memory 6200 of the rate table.

Figure 8 is a flowchart of a compatible process answered invention by which the subscriber makes a telephone call. The subscriber preferably accesses the LDSB 5100 by dialing its special 800 long distance number [stage 8100]. Alternatively, the subscriber can set the 5200 ADSI-compatible telephone to automatically connect to the LDSB 5100, which is done by voice activated dialing. LDSB 5100 requests subscriber identification of the subscriber from the caller so that LDSB 5100 can retrieve subscriber profile and service preferences from subscriber profile 6300 memory [stage 8200]. Alternatively, LDSB 5100 can detect the subscriber identification of the person making the call from the number to which the call is made by the subscriber. Once LDSB 5100 retrieves the subscriber profile and service preferences, LDSB 5100 requests the subscriber the long-distance telephone number to which the subscriber wishes to call [stage 8300]. After receiving the digits dialed through in-band DTMF tones, LDSB 5100 formulates the company's rate information based on the subscriber's profile and service preferences from subscriber profile 6300 memory and rate information and the data of special plans from the table of fees 6200 [stage 8400]. Alternatively, the LDSB 5100 may request OSS 5400 from company 1 to OSS 5500 from company n, updated rate information or special rates to be used in the formulation of the company's rate information. LDSB 5100 copies the company's rate information to the ADSI-compatible 5200 phone [stage 8500]. The information of the company's rates is sufficient to allow the subscriber to choose and make a long distance call using any of the companies for which the information of the rates was provided, or using an implicit company. The LDSB 5100 can be disconnected at this point or it can remain connected until the subscriber makes a selection to provide help or other information. Based on information from the company's rates, the subscriber selects a company to launch the long distance telephone call [stage 8600]. Once the subscriber selects the company, the 5200 ADSI-compatible telephone is automatically released, that is, it hangs for more than 1.55 seconds, after which a call is originated by prefixing the company code selected for the dialed digits. Alternatively, the subscriber can set the subscriber profile in memory 6300 of the subscriber profile to automatically select a company and have the 5200 ADSI compatible telephone automatically launch the call.

III. CONCLUSION The long distance service center according to the principles of the present invention, provides the subscriber with great flexibility to select a long distance company from the presentation to the subscriber of a list of possible companies and their corresponding rates until the automatic selection of a company based on the preferences of the subscriber. The above description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form described. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or can be made from the practice of the invention. For example, the subscriber has been described connecting to the network using an ADSI compatible telephone. How, this does not need to be the case. The subscriber can, for example, use a personal computer or a specialized telephone to connect to the network, receive information about the company's rates and launch the call.

The scope of the invention is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims (54)

1. A method for making a rate call, comprising the steps, executed by a processor, of: receiving a dialed telephone number; determine if the dialed telephone number is a predetermined telephone number; direct the call over a predetermined long distance company when the dialed telephone number is the predetermined telephone number; and direct the call over a selected long distance company when the dialed telephone number is the predetermined telephone number; and directing the call over a selected long distance company when the dialed telephone number is not the predetermined telephone number, the stage of directing the call over the selected long distance company including the sub-steps of presenting the information of the rates offered by the carriers long distance, and receive a selection of long distance companies.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that it also comprises the steps of determining whether the dialed telephone number represents a tariff call; and direct the call over a local company when the dialed telephone number is not a rate call.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises the step of determining that the dialed telephone number represents a tariff call; and determine an area for which the tariff call is directed.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that the sub-stage of presentation comprises the sub-step of presenting the information of the rates only for the long distance companies that provide service to the determined area.

5. The method in accordance with the claim 1, characterized in that the step of directing the call over the predetermined long distance company comprises the sub-step of prefixing the telephone number dialed with a company code corresponding to the predetermined long distance company.

6. The method in accordance with the claim 1, characterized in that the step of directing the call over the predetermined long distance company comprises the sub-step of prefixing the telephone number dialed with a company code corresponding to the selected long distance company.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the sub-stage of presentation includes the sub-step of displaying the information of the rates offered by the long distance companies.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that it also comprises the step of updating the information of the rates presented in the sub-stage of presentation to the information of the current rates offered by the long distance companies during the periods of inactivity of the processor.

9. An apparatus for making a tariff telephone call comprising: ~ memory means for storing the data of the long distance company and the data of the corresponding rates; means of exit to present a subset of the company's data and the corresponding rate data; updating means for receiving updated rate data during periods of inactivity of the apparatus and for storing the data of the rates in the memory means; means detecting when a user has dialed a fare telephone number corresponding to a fare telephone call; means to make • the output means present the subset of the company's data and the data of the corresponding fees when the dial-up telephone number is detected; means to receive a selection of a long distance company from the subset of company data presented; and means for directing the tariff telephone call on the selected long distance company.

10. The apparatus in accordance with the claim 9, characterized in that it further comprises means for determining whether the dial-up telephone number is a predetermined telephone number; and means for directing the tariff telephone call over a predetermined long distance company when the dial-up telephone number is the predetermined telephone number.

11. The apparatus in accordance with the claim 10, characterized in that the means for directing the tariff telephone call over the predetermined long distance company comprises means for prefixing the tariff telephone number marked by a company code corresponding to the predetermined long distance company.

12. The apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that it further comprises means for determining whether the dialed rate telephone number is one of a plurality of predetermined telephone numbers; and means for directing the tariff telephone call over a predetermined long distance company when the dialed rate telephone number is one of a plurality of the predetermined telephone numbers.

13. The apparatus in accordance with the claim 9, characterized in that it further comprises means for determining that a call is a local telephone call when the sensing means detects that the user has not dialed a tariff telephone number; and means to direct the local telephone call about a local company.

14. The apparatus in accordance with the claim 9, characterized in that the detector means include means for determining an area to which the tariff telephone call is directed.

15. The device in accordance with the claim 14, characterized in that the means of egress include means for presenting company data and data of the corresponding rates for only the long distance companies that serve the determined area.

16. The apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that the addressing means include means for prefixing the tariff telephone number dialed with a company code corresponding to the selected long distance company.

17. The apparatus in accordance with the claim 9, characterized in that the output means comprise a screen for displaying a subset of the company's data and the corresponding rate data.

18. A telephone device for making a rate telephone call comprising: an earphone; a keyboard having a plurality of numbered keys; a memory to store data of the long distance company and the data of the corresponding rates; an output element to present a subset of the company's data and the corresponding rate data; and a processor for controlling the memory and the output element, the processor comprising: a receiving element configured to receive a telephone number entered through the keyboard, a determining element configured to determine whether the dialed telephone number is a predetermined telephone number , a presentation element configured to cause the output element to present the subset of the company's data and the corresponding rate data, a receiving element configured to receive a selection of long distance carriers, and an addressing element configured to direct the tariff telephone call over a predetermined long distance carrier when the dialed telephone number is the predetermined telephone number, and to direct the tariff telephone call over a selected long distance carrier when the dialed telephone number is not the telephone number dialed. number te default speakerphone.

19. The telephone device according to claim 18, characterized in that it also comprises a set of selective keys; and wherein the receiving element configured to receive the selection of long distance carriers comprises means for receiving the long distance company selection through the set of selective keys.

20. The telephone device according to claim 18, characterized in that the output element is a visual screen configured to show the subset of the company's data and the data of the corresponding rates.

21. The telephone device according to claim 18, characterized in that the processor further comprises a detection element configured to detect whether the dialed telephone number represents a tariff telephone call or a local telephone call; and wherein the addressing element includes means for directing the local telephone call over a local company.

22. The telephone device according to claim 18, characterized in that the processor further comprises a detective element configured to detect that the dialed telephone number represents a tariff telephone call, and a zone determining element configured to determine a zone to the which is the fare telephone call.

23. The telephone device according to claim 22, characterized in that the presentation element includes means for making the output element present the company's data and the data of the corresponding rates only for the long distance companies that provide service to the determined area.

24. The telephone device according to claim 18, characterized in that the addressing element includes means for prefixing the dialed telephone number corresponding to the predetermined long distance company when the dialed telephone number is the predetermined telephone number.

25. The telephone device according to claim 18, characterized in that the addressing element includes means for prefixing the telephone number dialed with a company code corresponding to the selected long distance company when the dialed telephone number is not the predetermined telephone number .

26. The telephone device according to claim 18, characterized in that the processor further comprises an update element configured to update the data of the rates presented by the output element to the data of the current rates for the data of the long distance company during periods when the handset is hung.

27. A long distance service center comprising: a rate table memory for storing the data of the rates representing the rates charged by several long distance carriers and the subscriber preference data representing a user's preferences for certain carriers long distance among several; and a logical element of service to control the memory of the table of the rates, the logical element of service that includes means to communicate periodically with the various companies of long-distance to recover the changes of the data of the rates, means to store the changes of the data of the rates in the memory of the table of rates, and means to copy only the changes of the data of the rates to the local equipment of the user.

28. The long distance service center according to claim 27, characterized in that the memory of the rate table also stores special plan data representing special rates offered by the various long distance carriers; wherein the means that are periodically communicated include means to periodically communicate with the various long distance companies to recover the new special rates; and wherein the storage means includes means for storing the new special rates in the memory of the rate table.

29. The long-distance service center according to claim 28, characterized in that the means of copying include means for copying the new special rates to the local computer of the -user.

30. The long distance service center according to claim 27, characterized in that the service logic element further comprises means for generating a table of minimum rates, the table of minimum rates that include data of the rates for the routine call zones of the user and the subscriber's preference data corresponding to the user.

31. The long distance service center according to claim 30, characterized in that the service logic element further comprises means for initially copying the table of minimum rates to the user's local equipment.

32. The long distance service center according to claim 27, characterized in that the copying means includes means for copying the changes of the data of the rates during the periods of inactivity of the user's local equipment.

33. A method for assisting a user in selecting a long distance carrier for a tariff call, comprising the steps of: receiving the subscriber's preference data representing the user's preferences for certain long-distance carriers from among several; communicate periodically with the various long distance companies to retrieve the data of the rates representing the rates charged by the various long distance companies; generate information about the company including the subscriber's preference data and the data of the rates; copy the company's information to the user's local computer; and periodically update the information of the company with the data of the current rates.

34. The method according to claim 33, characterized in that the stage of communicating periodically includes the sub-step of communicating periodically with the various long distance companies to retrieve the data of the special rates representing the special rates offered by the various long-distance carriers; and wherein the generating stage includes the sub-step of generating information of the country including the subscriber's preference data, the data of the rates and the data of special rates.

35. The method according to claim 33, characterized in that the step of copying includes the sub-step of copying the information of the company during the periods of inactivity of the user's local equipment.

36. The method according to claim 33, characterized in that the step of periodically updating includes the sub-step of copying the data of the current rates to the user's local equipment.

37. The method according to claim 36, characterized in that the sub-step of copying the data of the current rates includes the sub-step of copying the data of the current rates during the periods of inactivity of the user's local computer.

38. A network for directing a tariff telephone call, comprising: a user's telephone; a switch, connected to the user's telephone, to direct telephone calls; a plurality of long-distance company systems; and a long-distance service center, connected to the user's telephone through the switch and to the plurality of the systems of the long distance company, which comprises means for periodically communicating with the systems of the long distance company to recover the changes to their offered rates, and means to copy only the changes of the rates to the user's telephone during the periods of user's telephone inactivity.

39. The network according to claim 38, characterized in that the means that are periodically communicated comprise means for periodically communicating with the systems of the long distance company to recover the new special rates offered by the systems of the long distance company; and wherein the copying means comprises means for copying the new special rates to the user's telephone during periods of inactivity of the user's telephone.

40. A method for facilitating the selection of a long distance carrier for a tariff call, comprising the steps of, executed by a network server: receiving a telephone call from a user requesting the long distance carrier's fees for a rate call; retrieve the user's profile data corresponding to the user, the user's profile data indicating the preferences of the user's long distance company; generate company information based on the rates of the current companies offered by various long distance carriers and user profile data; Copy the company's information to the user's local team to facilitate the selection of a long distance company.

41. The method according to claim 40, characterized in that it further comprises the step of requesting the user a user identification number; and wherein the recovery step comprises the sub-step of retrieving the user's profile data using the user's identification number.

42. The method according to claim 40, characterized in that it further comprises the step of detecting a user identification number from the signals in the user's telephone call; and wherein the recovery step comprises the sub-step of recovering the user profile data using the user identification number.

43. The method of compliance are the claim 40, characterized in that it also comprises the step of requesting from the user a telephone number corresponding to the tariff call; and where the generation stage comprises the sub-steps of determining an area to which the tariff call is directed, and generating the information of the company based on the astual company rates offered by the long distance companies that provide service to the determined area, and the user's profile data.

44. The method of compliance is claim 40, characterized in that the generation step comprises the sub-steps of communicating periodically and routinely with the various long-distance carriers to obtain the current company rates, and using the current company rates to generate the information of the company.

45. A long distance service provider comprising: a table of fees to store the data of the rates representing the rates charged by various long distance companies; a subscriber profile memory for storing subscriber preference data representing the preferred long distance carriers for certain situations and dialed telephone numbers, subscriber preference data being designated by a subscriber of the long distance service center; and a logical service element for controlling the memory of the rate table and the memory of the subscriber profile, the logical element of service comprising means for periodically communicating with the various long distance carriers to retrieve the data of the current rates, means for storing the data of the current rates in the memory of the table of the rates, means for receiving a telephone call from the subscriber requesting the rates for a tariff call of the long distance company-, means for generating a list of long distance companies from the data of the subscriber preference rates and data, and means to communicate the generated list to the local subscriber's team.

46. The long distance service center according to claim 45, characterized in that the memory of the rate table also stores the data of special plans representing special rates and savings plans offered by various long-distance companies; where the means that are communicated periodically include means to communicate periodically with the diverse long distance companies to recover the new special rates and the plans of saving; wherein the storage means include means for storing the new special rates and the savings plans in the memory of the rate card; and wherein the means of generation includes means for generating the list of long distance companies from the data of the rates, the data of the special plans and the data of the subscriber's preference.

47. The long distance service center according to claim 45, characterized in that the service logic element further comprises means for requesting from the subscriber a subscriber identification number; and wherein the generating means includes means for recovering the subscriber's preference data from the subscriber profile memory using the subscriber identification number.

48. The long distance service center according to claim 45, characterized in that the service logic element further comprises means for detecting a subscriber identification number from signals in the subscriber's telephone call; and wherein the generating means includes means for recovering subscriber preference data from the subscriber profile memory using the subscriber identification number.

49. The long distance service center according to claim 45, characterized in that the service logic element further comprises means for requesting from the subscriber a telephone number corresponding to the tariff call; and wherein the means of generation includes means for determining an area to which the tariff call is directed, and means for including only the long distance carriers serving the determined area in the list of long distance carriers.

50. A network for directing a tariff call comprising: a user telephone; a telecommunications system connected to the user's telephone to direct telephone calls from a user of the user's telephone; a plurality of long distance company systems; and a long distance service center, connected to the user's telephone and the plurality of systems of long distance companies through the telecommunications system, which includes means to periodically communicate with the systems of the long distance company to recover the rates current offerings, means for storing the subscriber's preference data representing the preferred long distance carriers for certain situations and dialed telephone numbers, means for receiving a telephone call from the user requesting the rates for a long-distance rate call distance, means to generate a list of long distance companies from the current offered rates and subscriber preference data, and means to communicate the generated list to the user's telephone.

51. The network according to claim 50, characterized in that the means that are communicated periodically include means to periodically communicate with the systems of the long distance company to recover the new special rates and savings plans; and wherein the means of generation include means for generating the list of long distance carriers from the current offered rates, the new special rates and the savings plans, and the subscriber preference data.

52. The network according to claim 50, characterized in that the long distance service center further comprises means for requesting the user a user identification number; and wherein the generating means includes means for recovering the subscriber's preference data from the storage means using the user's identification number.

53. The network according to claim 50, characterized in that the long distance service center further comprises means for detecting a user identification number from the signals in the user's telephone call; and wherein the generating means includes means for recovering the subscriber's preference data from the storage means using the user's identification number.

54. The network according to claim 50, characterized in that the long distance service center further comprises means for requesting from the user a telephone number corresponding to the tariff call; and wherein the means of generation includes means to determine an area to which the tariff call is directed, and means to include only the long distance carriers that serve the area determined in the list of the long distance carriers. .