System and Method for Determining and Associating Tariff Rates for Institutional Calls

Abstract

A telecommunications method for call forwarding including storing information regarding a called party in at least one local database, where the information regarding the called party is stored in a user account and making a telephone call by dialing a telephone number with a telephone, where the telephone is contained in a telephone management system. The method also includes determining whether the telephone number is associated with the user account and transferring, via the switchboard, the call to the called party if the telephone number is associated with the user account, where the telephone management system is in communication with a revenue management system, and also where the revenue management system contains at least one local database.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A telecommunication management system for a controlled environment, the telecommunication management system comprising:
 a telephone located in the controlled environment configured to receive from an inmate of the controlled environment a dialed telephone number associated with a called party and to initiate a call to the dialed telephone number;   an account database for storing account information of a plurality of registered users, the plurality of registered users including the inmate;   a caller database for storing call permissions for the inmate;   a revenue management system configured to determine whether the dialed telephone number is billable, the determination including:
 accessing the caller database to determine whether the dialed telephone number is blocked; 
 accessing the account database to determine whether the plurality of registered users includes the called party; and 
 when the plurality of registered users includes the called party, determining whether an account associated with the called party has sufficient funds. 
   
     
     
         2 . The telecommunication system of  claim 1 , wherein the telephone is further configured to receive a directive from the inmate as to whether the call should be collect or debit, and
 wherein the telephone is configured to provide the directive to the revenue management system.   
     
     
         3 . The telecommunication system of  claim 2 , wherein the revenue management system is configured to perform the determining of whether the called number is billable only when the directive indicates that the call should be collect. 
     
     
         4 . The telecommunication system of  claim 1 , wherein the determining of whether the dialed telephone number is billable further includes, when the revenue management system determines that the plurality of registered users does not include the called party, sequentially querying a plurality of remote databases for the dialed telephone number. 
     
     
         5 . The telecommunication system of  claim 4 , wherein the sequential querying of the plurality of remote databases continues until the dialed telephone number is located in one of the plurality of remote databases, or until all of the plurality of remote databases have been queried. 
     
     
         6 . The telecommunication system of  claim 5 , wherein the revenue management system is configured to cause the call to be terminated and not completed when the dialed telephone number is not located in any of the plurality of remote databases. 
     
     
         7 . The telecommunication system of  claim 1 , wherein the revenue management system is configured to cause the call to be completed when the revenue management system determines that the dialed telephone number is not blocked and that the plurality of registered users includes the called party. 
     
     
         8 . The telecommunication system of  claim 1 , wherein the revenue management system is configured to determine whether the account associated with the called party has sufficient funds by comparing funds associated with the called party account to a predetermined threshold. 
     
     
         9 . The telecommunication system of  claim 7 , wherein the revenue management system is configured to determine whether the account associated with the called party has sufficient funds by comparing funds associated with the called party account to a predetermined threshold. 
     
     
         10 . The telecommunication system of  claim 9 , wherein when the revenue management system determines that the account associated with the called party has insufficient funds, the revenue management system is configured to cause a warning message to be played for the called party at the beginning of the completed call. 
     
     
         11 . A method for managing billing of a called party by a telecommunication management system for a controlled environment, the method comprising:
 receiving from an inmate of the controlled environment a dialed telephone number associated with a called party;   initiating a call to the dialed telephone number;   storing account information of a plurality of registered users in an account database, the plurality of registered users including the inmate;   storing call permissions for the inmate in a caller database;   conditionally determining whether the dialed telephone number is billable, the determination including:
 querying the caller database to determine whether the dialed telephone number is blocked; 
 querying the account database to determine whether the plurality of registered users includes the called party; and 
 when the plurality of registered users includes the called party, determining whether an account associated with the called party has sufficient funds. 
   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising receiving a directive from the inmate as to whether the call should be collect or debit. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the determining of whether the called number is billable is only performed when on the condition that the directive indicates that the call should be collect. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising sequentially querying a plurality of remote databases for the dialed telephone number when it is determined that the plurality of registered users does not include the called party. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the sequential querying of the plurality of remote databases continues until the dialed telephone number is located in one of the plurality of remote databases, or until all of the plurality of remote databases have been queried. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising terminating and not completing the call when the dialed telephone number is not located in any of the plurality of remote databases. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising completing the call when it is determined that the dialed telephone number is not blocked and that the plurality of registered users includes the called party. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the determining of whether the account associated with the called party has sufficient funds is performed by comparing funds associated with the called party account to a predetermined threshold. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the determining of whether the account associated with the called party has sufficient funds is performed by comparing funds associated with the called party account to a predetermined threshold. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein when it is determined that the account associated with the called party has insufficient funds, completing the call and playing a warning message for the called party at the beginning of the completed call.