Method and apparatus for establishing a collect call originated through a packet based network

Abstract

A method and apparatus for establishing a collect call originated through a packet based network is provided. In accordance with various embodiments of the invention, a system is described that facilitates voice communication between a calling party and a party to be called while the costs of the communication session are charged to the called party. In one embodiment, the called party is queried as to whether they wish to accept the costs associated with the pending voice communication session, prior to the two parties being placed in voice communication with each other.

1 - 20 . (canceled)  
     
     
         21 . An apparatus comprising: 
 a storage medium having stored therein a plurality of programming instructions to implement a set of communications services on the apparatus for establishing and facilitating on behalf of an offeror client computer system, a voice call between the offeror client computer system and a PSTN extension associated with an offeree, the offeree having received an offer to engage in voice communication with the offeror and to accept charges associated with the voice call;    wherein the communications services comprise services for selecting one from a plurality of Internet/PSTN changeover servers capable of establishing voice communications between said offeror and said offeree partly over a data network and partly over PSTN, for causing said selected changeover server to establish a voice link with said offeree over PSTN network to transmit said offer to said offeree, to receive on behalf of the offeror, a notification from the offeree denoting the offeree's acceptance of the offer to engage in voice communication with the offeror and to accept the charges associated with the voice call, and, upon receiving said notification, to subsequently establish a voice link with the offeror client computer system and to bridge said two voice links; and    an execution unit, coupled to the storage medium, to execute the plurality of programming instructions.    
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein said offer to engage in voice communication with the offeror and to accept charges associated with the voice call comprises an automated voice solicitation from said selected changeover server.  
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein said notification from the offeree denoting the offeree's acceptance of the offer is received via a voice link established between the offeree and the selected changeover server.  
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 23 , wherein said notification from the offeree denoting the offeree's acceptance of the offer is received in the form of a voice notification.  
     
     
         25 . The apparatus of  claim 23 , wherein said notification from the offeree denoting the offeree's acceptance of the offer is received in the form of a DTMF based notification.  
     
     
         26 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein said services further comprise services for causing said selected changeover server to transmit to the offeree on behalf of the offeror, the offer to engage in voice communication with the offeror and to accept charges associated with the voice call.  
     
     
         27 . The apparatus of  claim 26 , wherein the offer is transmitted to the offeree in response to the selected changeover server receiving a request from the offeror, said request identifying at least the PSTN extension associated with the offeree.