Bizarre Patents
Neuroimaging as a Marketing Tool
Neuroimaging as a means for validating whether a stimulus such as advertisement, communication, or product evokes a certain mental response such as emotion, preference, or memory, or to predict the consequences of the stimulus on later behavior such as consumption or purchasing.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7499533 | System and method for caller controlled time demarcation A method and system for providing a caller-controlled demarcation service is described. An embodiment of the present invention is advantageously implemented as an advanced service in an intelligent telecommunications network. An embodiment of the present invention a... | 03/03/2009 |
| 7437144 | Method of managing prepaid subscription information A method, a telecommunications system and a network node are provided for managing subscription information of a prepaid subscription in a telecommunications system. According to the present invention, a first time limit indicating when the subscription will expire ... | 10/14/2008 |
| 7366287 | DTMF lockout utility epoch time stamp A current time and a current Gregorian date are converted into an epoch time stamp. A number of seconds that have elapsed since a predetermined date up until the current year is determined. A number of seconds that have elapsed since the beginning of the current yea... | 04/29/2008 |
| 7313230 | General charging method The present invention provides a general charging method applicable to a charging system in the communication field, comprising steps of establishing a charging strategy and performing the charging based upon the charging strategy. The charging strategy comprises a ... | 12/25/2007 |
| 7305073 | Rate modelling A method and apparatus are provided for generating a rate model (115) for use in determining a rate to be applied with respect to an instance of a product or service, system or process. The rate may relate for example to utilisation of a resource, for example... | 12/04/2007 |
| 7283624 | Idle detection for answer supervision A network device has the capability of monitoring voice over data networks calls. The network device includes a voice activity detector that detects voice activity on a voice channel. If no voice activity is detected, the network device disconnects the call. The net... | 10/16/2007 |
| 7274375 | Timekeeping system and method for graphically tracking and representing activities A timekeeping system and method is provided for enabling users to graphically represent one or more activities, as well as the time that has been allocated to each. A graphical display uniquely identifies activities or events based on different visual indicators (e.... | 09/25/2007 |
| 7272217 | Telecommunications call time slicing system and method A telecommunications system and method provides a time slicing capability whereby alternate services, such as advertising, can be provided to a party while being kept on hold. Thus, charges associated with portions of the call during which alternate services are pro... | 09/18/2007 |
| 7184749 | System and method for analyzing wireless communication data In general, a system and method for analyzing wireless communication data for determining an optimal wireless communication service plan is disclosed. A transceiver is configured to receive billing information associated with a subscriber of a telecommunications ser... | 02/27/2007 |
| 7152238 | Enabling mobility for point to point protocol (PPP) users using a node that does not support mobility Methods and apparatus for sending a registration request packet on behalf of a node that supports PPP but does not support Mobile IP is implemented in a Foreign Agent. The method comprises accepting a call from the node and receiving authentication information assoc... | 12/19/2006 |
| 7139374 | System and method for gathering information related to a geographical location of a callee in a public switched telephone network In a telecommunication system having at least two communicants (i.e., a caller and a callee), a system and method are presented for collecting information associated with the geographical location of either of the communicants. In one embodiment, the approach entail... | 11/21/2006 |
| 7127488 | System and method for gathering information related to a geographical location of a caller in an internet-based communication system In a telecommunication system having at least two communicants (i.e., a caller and a callee), a system and method are presented for collecting information associated with the geographical location of either of the communicants from a server. In one embodiment, the a... | 10/24/2006 |
| 7085358 | Visual caller identification A visual caller identification system and method are provided. A caller identification device of a called party's telephone, whether integrated with the telephone or stand-alone, includes a series of colored lights for visually alerting the called party to an incomi... | 08/01/2006 |
| 7068996 | Banded billing system for telecommunication service A banded billing system for telecommunication service is disclosed. A carrier's billing system maintains in data storage a banded-pricing schedule that divides a continuum of minutes of use into a series of contiguous, mutually-exclusive minute-ranges and that speci... | 06/27/2006 |
| 6973046 | User fee charging system in which traffic is determined through sampling operation A communication fee charging system includes a switching apparatus a measuring unit a summing unit and a generating unit. The switching apparatus connects a subscriber terminal with at least one counter terminal. The measuring unit measures one of a number of channe... | 12/06/2005 |
| 6947723 | Postpay spending limit using a cellular network usage governor The usage limited postpay service, for mobile wireless communication customers, utilizes a governor platform that estimates all appropriate usage charges and applies those charges in substantially real-time against a pre-set spending cap or limit for each customer. ... | 09/20/2005 |
| 6895235 | Adaptive load and coverage management system and method Methods and systems are provided for use in a wireless network that includes a base station and a mobile station. Service may be provided by the base station to the mobile station based on the traffic load on the network. When a request for a service is received at ... | 05/17/2005 |
| 6597774 | System and method for providing an alert during communications The present invention provides an alert to a user after a predetermined amount of time has elapsed for a particular communication. The timing for the alert may be set by the user at the beginning of each call, or may be automatically configured during the... | 07/22/2003 |
| 6556668 | Consumer contact toll optimizer An consumer contact toll optimizer providing for the automatic disconnection and reconnection of communication links between communications devices and/or services is provided. The system allows communication links to be terminated before a specified peri... | 04/29/2003 |
| 6542588 | Method and system for global communications network management and display of market-price information A system and method for flexibly routing communications transmissions in an efficient manner is disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, service providers submit information to a centralized server node which comprises cost and service parameter data for rou... | 04/01/2003 |
| 6532284 | Method and system for optimizing bandwidth cost via caching and other network transmission delaying techniques Methods and systems for optimizing bandwidth pricing for a data transmission system electronically connected to a source of bandwidth spot prices, where the data transmission system transmits data as packets to a predetermined destination, are provided. I... | 03/11/2003 |
| 6442258 | Method and system for global telecommunications network management and display of market-price information A system and method for flexibly routing telecommunications in an efficient manner using resources that are traded in a market are disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, service providers and requesters submit service offers and requests to a server node. ... | 08/27/2002 |
| 6424704 | Method of charging a subscriber for communication service according to the usage time in a telecommunication switching system A communication switching system comprising a first time counter for registering a starting time of a communication service, the first time counter adapted to change the present reference time according to a request given during the communication service,... | 07/23/2002 |
| 6345089 | Method for call set-up and a telecommunication system The invention relates to a method for call set-up and a telecommunication system. The telecommunication system comprises service database means (10, 20, 30 and 40) comprising teleservice price data. The service database means (10, 20, 30 and 40) are conne... | 02/05/2002 |
| 6298126 | Method and apparatus for controlling rating of calls to pay services A telecommunications toll network system employs a central database computer to provide routing and calling rate instructions to toll switches. To allow sponsors of pay services, such as 900 number information services, to control the kinds of calls they ... | 10/02/2001 |
| 6226365 | Method and system for global communications network management and display of market-price information A system and method for flexibly routing communications transmissions in an efficient manner is disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, service providers submit information to a centralized server node which comprises cost and service parameter data for rou... | 05/01/2001 |
| 6205211 | Internet telephony call pricing center The present invention discloses a call pricing center that assists gateway operators in defining preferences, including call prices for terminating an IP telephony call. A centralized routing engine associated with a clearinghouse uses the preferences to ... | 03/20/2001 |
| 5930343 | Toll call rate provider Using designated special telephone numbers each associated with a particular language to provide rate information by a telecommunication switching system that responds to those special telephone numbers. When a caller calls one of the special numbers, the... | 07/27/1999 |
| 5881139 | Apparatus and method for optimizing the use of long distance telephone services An apparatus for placing a toll telephone call using a lowest cost long distance carrier includes a telephone input for operatively connecting to a telephone or other dialing equipment at a user's location, and a line output for operatively connecting to ... | 03/09/1999 |
| 5825858 | Collaborative conference bridges A method and apparatus for executing a conference call session between parties provides collaboration between nodes having separate conference-bridging capabilities, so that selection from a number of alternative connectivity schemes can be based upon bri... | 10/20/1998 |
| 5809120 | Telecommunications network circuit usage measurement A system and method is provided for using underused or unused local telephone company local loops to subscriber premises for providing to such premises a connection to an alternate service provider. The use of the local loop is leased to the ultimate serv... | 09/15/1998 |
| 5799072 | Telecommunications call management system A call management system is disclosed that may interface with an existing PBX or may be utilized as a separate unit. In a preferred embodiment, the call management system includes a tariff data server, a local client computer and one or more line units. T... | 08/25/1998 |
| 5799071 | Telecommunications cost-minimizing system The present invention features an automatic telecommunications system which includes a method for selecting the most economical carrier for the placement of a dialed telephone call. The telecommunications system attaches to a telephone number input device... | 08/25/1998 |
| 5793852 | Method of processing information charge discount rates for service subscribers in premium-rate service A method of processing information charge discount rates for service subscribers in a premium-rate service. Information charge discount rate data for each service subscriber is registered and a service subscriber number and a calling number are received f... | 08/11/1998 |
| 5790642 | Competitively bidding service centers A plurality of service centers, disbursed throughout a telecommunications network such as the public switched telephone system (PSTN), competitively bid for the rights to service a particular call to be serviced from one of the service centers. After comp... | 08/04/1998 |
| 5790643 | Pricing method for telecommunication system A telephone charging system prices calls made by customers in a telecommunications network. The system includes a local exchange which provides a call record for each call, a database containing details of the customers of the network, a database which co... | 08/04/1998 |
| 5751799 | Method and device for charging during data communication time in a data switching network A method and device for performing a charging operation during data communication in a data switching network such as a public packet exchange, a public frame relay switching network, or an ATM switching network. A charge rate is graduated in accordance w... | 05/12/1998 |
| 5745556 | Interactive and information data services telephone billing system Billing for information and/or interactive services provided to a user over the Internet by an information service provider (ISP) is arranged by the user by placing a billing telephone call to a 900 telephone number associated with the ISP for such billin... | 04/28/1998 |
| 5712907 | Pro-active message delivery system and method A pro-active message delivery system which routes digitally-encoded messages via public-switched telephone networks and wide area networks to most cost-effectively deliver the messages, subject to security, privacy, and availability considerations. In a p... | 01/27/1998 |
| 5638433 | Best rate telecommunication access code and data transceiver/facilitator (BRTF) An automated transparent programmable telecommunication access call facilitator and dialing memory device for use by connection to a consumer telephone, fax or modem system which electronically, via outside data input, stores a combination of access codes... | 06/10/1997 |
