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Methods and systems for using a communication to execute a transaction with respect to an account. A communication is received on a calling line associated with a calling line number. An account number and a transaction amount are obtained from the communication. The account number corresponds to an

Methods and systems for using a communication to execute a transaction with respect to an account. A communication is received on a calling line associated with a calling line number. An account number and a transaction amount are obtained from the communication. The account number corresponds to an account with respect to which a transaction is to be conducted. The transaction amount may be a number of units, a dollar amount, etc. A validation may be carried out to determine whether the caller or calling line number is authorized with respect to the conduct of the transaction. In an exemplary embodiment, a billing message is created to include the account number, the transaction amount, and the calling line number. The account number and the transaction amount from the billing message are used to execute the transaction with respect to the account corresponding to the account number. The transaction may be executed by crediting the account by the transaction amount such as by at least the number of units or by at least the dollar amount and by debiting the calling line number account by at least the number of units or by at least the dollar amount. The communication may be provided with an announcement regarding the execution of the transaction.

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I claim: 1. In a telecommunications system functionally interconnecting a service switching point, a service control point, and an intelligent network element, and the telecommunications system including a billing system functionally connected at least to the service control point for retrieval of

I claim: 1. In a telecommunications system functionally interconnecting a service switching point, a service control point, and an intelligent network element, and the telecommunications system including a billing system functionally connected at least to the service control point for retrieval of billing messages, the billing system including telecommunications accounts for charging fees to subscribers with respect to telecommunications services provided to the subscribers, a method for using a communication to conduct a transaction with respect to a telecommunications account, comprising: receiving the communication at the service switching point, the communication being associated with a calling line number associated with a first telecommunications account; causing the service switching point to route the communication to the intelligent network element; causing the intelligent network element to obtain a telecommunications account number and a transaction amount from the communication, the telecommunications account number corresponding to a second telecommunications account with respect to which the transaction is conducted in the billing system; in response to obtaining the telecommunications account number and the transaction amount, causing the intelligent network element to provide the telecommunications account number, the transaction amount, and a calling line number associated with the second telecommunications account and the communication to the service control point; in response to receipt of the telecommunications account number, the transaction amount, and the calling line number associated with the second telecommunications account, causing the service control point to make an assignment of the telecommunications account number, the transaction amount, and the calling line number associated with the second telecommunications account to a billing message for billing telephone service usage with respect to the calling line number by reusing a plurality of fields in the billing message to hold at least the telecommunications account number, the transaction amount, and the calling line number; and causing the billing system to retrieve the billing message from the service control point, to note the assignment of the telecommunications account number, the transaction amount, and the calling line number associated with the second telecommunications account, and based on the assignment, to conduct the transaction in the billing system with respect to the second telecommunications account associated with the telecommunications account number by crediting or debiting the telecommunications account by at least the transaction amount, wherein the plurality of fields in the billing message are designed for holding information for billing telephone service usage, and wherein the telecommunications system reuses the plurality of fields to hold transaction information that is not pertinent for billing telephone service usage. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction amount comprises a number of units or a dollar amount; and wherein the billing system conducts the transaction by crediting or debiting the telecommunications account by at least the number of units or by at least the dollar amount. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the telecommunications account number comprises a different account number from a calling line number account corresponding to the calling line number associated with the communication received at the service switching point; and wherein the billing system conducts the transaction in the billing system by crediting or debiting the calling line number account by at least the transaction amount. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to causing the service control point to make the assignment of the telecommunications account number, the transaction amount, and the calling line number, the method further comprising causing the service control point to carry out a validation whose result comprises a determination that the calling line number is authorized with respect to conduct of the transaction. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the intelligent network element obtains a personal identification number (PIN) from the communication, and wherein the validation comprises comparing the PIN for correspondence to a stored PIN associated with the calling line number. 6. The method of claim 4, wherein the validation comprises comparing the telecommunication account number for correspondence to a stored telecommunications account number associated with the calling line number. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: causing the service control point to provide a confirmation regarding the conduct of the transaction to the intelligent network element; and in response to receipt of the confirmation, causing the intelligent network element to provide an announcement to the communication. 8. A method for executing a transaction with respect to an account, comprising: receiving a communication on a calling line associated with a calling line number; obtaining an account number and a transaction amount from the communication, the account number corresponding to an account with respect to which a transaction is to be conducted, the account associated with a recipient other than a subscriber associated with a calling line number account associated with the calling line number; creating a billing message for billing telephone service usage with respect to the calling line number; reusing a plurality of fields in the billing message to hold elements of transaction information, the transaction information including the account number, the transaction amount, and the calling line number; and using the account number and the transaction amount from the billing message to execute the transaction with respect to the account corresponding to the account number, wherein the plurality of fields in the billing message are designed for holding information for billing telephone service usage, and wherein the plurality of fields are reused to hold transaction information that is not pertinent for billing telephone service usage. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the communication is directed to a special access code. 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the transaction amount comprises a number of units or a dollar amount; and wherein the account number, and the number of units or the dollar amount, are used to execute the transaction by crediting the account by at least one number of units or by at least the dollar amount and by debiting the calling line number account by at least the number of units or by at least the dollar amount. 11. The method of claim 8, further comprising: charging the calling line number account associated with the calling line number a fee for the transaction. 12. The method of claim 8, further comprising: providing the communication with an announcement regarding the transaction. 13. The method of claim 8, wherein prior to obtaining the account number and the transaction amount from the communication, the method further comprises making a validation whose result comprises a determination that the calling line number is authorized with respect to conduct of the transaction. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the validation comprises obtaining a personal identification number (PIN) from the communication, and checking that the PIN corresponds to a stored PIN associated with the calling line number. 15. The method of claim 13, wherein the validation comprises comparing the account number for correspondence to a stored / number associated with the calling line number. 16. In a system for billing fees to subscribers for provision of telecommunication services, each subscriber having a telecommunications account in the system, the telecommunications account being associated with at least one calling line number, a method to conduct a transaction with respect to a telecommunications account in the system, comprising: obtaining a billing message generated as a result of a telecommunications service performed with respect to a calling line number, wherein at least one field of the billing messages for billing telephone service usage with respect to the calling line number are reused to hold transaction information; in response to obtaining of the billing message, making a determination that the billing message includes an indication that a transaction is conducted with respect to a telecommunications account in the system, the telecommunications account associated with a recipient other than the subscriber associated with a calling line number account associated with the calling line number; and in response to the determination, conducting the transaction with respect to the telecommunications account, wherein the plurality of fields in the billing message are designed for holding information for billing telephone service usage, and wherein the plurality of fields are reused in the obtaining step to hold transaction information that is not pertinent for billing telephone service usage. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein conducting the transaction with respect to the telecommunications account comprises crediting the telecommunications account by at least a number of units or a dollar amount, and/or debiting a different telecommunications account by at least the number of units and/or by at least the dollar amount, the different telecommunications account being associated with the calling line number receiving the telecommunications service that generated the billing message. 18. The method of claim 16, wherein the indication comprises the transaction information; and wherein conducting the transaction comprises using the transaction information with respect to the telecommunications account. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the transaction information comprises a number of units and/or a dollar amount; and wherein conducting the transaction comprises using the number of units and/or the dollar amount with respect to the telecommunications account. 20. The method of claim 16, further comprising: generating an invoice for the telecommunications account, the invoice indicating conduct of the transaction with respect to the telecommunications account. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the invoice further indicates a message relating to the transaction conducted with respect to the telecommunications account. 22. The method of claim 20, further comprising: generating a different invoice for the different telecommunications account, the different invoice indicating the conduct of the transaction with respect to the telecommunications account. 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the different invoice further indicates a different message relating to the transaction conducted with respect to the telecommunications account. 24. In a telecommunications system wherein a billing message is created with respect to a communication, wherein the billing message is further created with respect to a calling line number account corresponding to a calling line number associated with the communication, and wherein the billing message is obtained by a billing system having access to the calling line number account and to other accounts, a method for execution of a transaction in the billing system between the calling line number account and one of the other accounts to which the billing system has access comprising: providing that the billing message includes an indication for the execution of the transaction, wherein the indication is contained in at least one field of the billing message that is reused to contain transaction information; causing the billing system to make a recognition of the indication in the billing message; and in response to an indication in the billing message, causing the billing system to execute the transaction between the calling line number account associated with a subscriber and the one of the other accounts associated with a recipient other than the subscriber, wherein the at least one field of the billing message is designed for holding information for billing telephone service usage, and wherein the at least one field is reused in the providing step to hold transaction information that is not pertinent for billing telephone service usage. 25. The method of claim 24, wherein causing the billing system to execute the transaction comprises crediting the one of the other accounts by at least a number of units or a dollar amount, and/or debiting the calling line number account by at least the number of units and/or by at least the dollar amount. 26. The method of claim 25, wherein causing the billing system to execute the transaction comprises debiting the calling line number account by a service fee for the transaction. 27. The method of claim 24, wherein the billing system executes the transaction between the calling line number account and the one of the other accounts by using the transaction information. 28. The method of claim 24, further comprising: causing the billing system to generate an invoice for the one of the other accounts, the invoice indicating execution of the transaction with respect to the one of the other accounts. 29. The method of claim 28, wherein the invoice further indicates a message relating to the transaction conducted with respect to the one of the other accounts. 30. The method of claim 28, further comprising: generating a different invoice for the calling line number account, the different invoice indicating the execution of the transaction with respect to the one of the other accounts. 31. The method of claim 30, wherein the different invoice further indicates a different message relating to the transaction conducted with respect to the oen of the other accounts. 32. The system of claim 1, wherein the billing message is a Structure Code 223, Automatic Messaging Accounting (AMA) billing record. 33. The method of claim 8, wherein the billing message is a Structure Code 223, Automatic Messaging Accounting (AMA) billing record. 34. The system of claim 16, wherein the billing message is a Structure Code 223, Automatic Messaging Accounting (AMA) billing record. 35. The system of claim 16, wherein the transaction is a voting transaction. 36. The system of claim 16, wherein the transaction is a registration transaction. 37. The system of claim 16, wherein the transaction is a voucher transaction. 38. The system of claim 24, wherein the billing message is a Structure Code 223, Automatic Messaging Accounting (AMA) billing record. 39. The system of claim 24, wherein the transaction is a voting transaction. 40. The system of claim 24, wherein the transaction is a registration transaction. 41. The system of claim 24, wherein the transaction is a voucher transaction. 42. In a telecommunications system functionally interconnecting a service switching point, a service control point, and an intelligent network element, and the telecommunications system including a billing system functionally connected at least to the service control point for retrieval of billing messages, the billing system including accounts for conducting transactions, a method for using a communication to conduct a transaction with respect to an account, comprising: receiving the communication at the service switching point, the communication being associated with a calling line number; causing the service switching point to obtain instructions regarding the account from a service control point; based on the instructions from the service control point, causing the service switching point to obtain an account number and a transaction amount from the communication, the account number corresponding to an account with respect to which the transaction is to be conducted in the billing system, the account associated with a recipient other than a subscriber associated with a calling line number account associated with the calling line number; in response to obtaining the account number and the transaction amount, causing the service switching point to provide the account number, the transaction amount, and the calling line number associated with the communication to the service control point; in response to receipt of the account number, the transaction amount, and the calling line number, causing the service control point to make an assignment of the account number, the transaction amount, and the calling line number to a billing message for billing telephone service usage with respect to the calling line number by reusing a plurality of fields in the billing message to hold elements of transaction information, the transaction information including the account number, the transaction amount, and the calling line number in the billing message and by posting the billing message for obtaining the billing system; and causing the billing system to retrieve the billing message from the service control point, to note the assignment of the account number, the transaction amount, and the calling line number to the billing message, and based on the assignment, to conduct the transaction in the billing system with respect to the account associated with the account number by crediting or debiting the account by at least the transaction amount, wherein the plurality of fields in the billing message are designed for holding information for billing telephone service usage, and wherein the plurality of fields are reused in the causing step to hold transaction information that is not pertinent for billing telephone service usage. 43. The system of claim 42, wherein the billing message is a Structure Code 223, Automatic Messaging Accounting (AMA) billing record. 44. A method for executing a transaction, comprising: receiving the a communication associated with a calling line number; obtaining a transaction amount from the communication; coding the transaction amount and the calling line number into a billing message for billing telephone service usage with respect to the calling line number by reusing at least one field of the billing message to hold transaction information; posting the billing message; obtaining the billing message, and decoding the transaction amount and the calling line number from the billing message; and crediting or debiting an account by the transaction amount, the account associated with a recipient other than a subscriber associated with the calling line number, wherein the at least one field of the billing message is designed for holding information for billing telephone service usage, and wherein the at least one field is reused in the coding step to hold transaction information that is not pertinent for billing telephone service usage. 45. The method of claim 44, wherein the billing message is a Structure Code 223, Automatic Messaging Accounting (AMA) billing record. 46. A system for allowing a user to initiate a transaction and have the transaction conducted, comprising: a service switching point (SSP) for receiving a communication from the user, and for obtaining and acting on instructions regarding the communication; a service control point (SCP) for providing the instructions regarding the communication to the SSP, the instructions instructing the SSP to retrieve transaction information and to forward the transaction information to the SCP, for including the transaction information in a billing message for billing telephone network service usage to the user by assigning the transaction information to at least a field of the billing message by reusing the at least a field of the billing message, and for posting the billing message for retrieval by a billing system; and the billing system for retrieving the billing message, for recognizing the transaction information in the billing message, and based on the recognition, for conducting the transaction based on the transaction information, wherein: the SCP is operative to code the transaction amount into a field of the billing message and the account number into another field of the billing message; the billing system is operative to decode the transaction amount from the field of the billing message and account number from the another field, and to credit or debit an account by the transaction amount, the account associated with a recipient other than the user; and the fields of the billing message are designed for holding information for billing telephone service usage; and the system reuses at least one field to hold transaction information that is not pertinent for billing telephone service usage. 47. The system of claim 46, wherein the billing message is a Structure Code 223, Automatic Messaging Accounting (AMA) billing record. 48. A computer-readable medium containing processor-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to execute a method for executing a transaction with respect to an account, the method comprising: receiving a communication on a calling line associated with a calling line number; obtaining an account number and a transaction amount from the communication, the account number corresponding to an account with respect to which a transaction is to be conducted, the account associated with a recipient other than a subscriber associated with a calling line number account associated with the calling line number; creating a billing message for billing telephone service usage with respect to the calling line number; reusing a plurality of fields in the billing message to hold elements of transaction information, the transaction information including the account number, the transaction amount, and the calling line number; and using the account number and the transaction amount from the billing message to execute the transaction with respect to the account corresponding to the account number, wherein the plurality of fields in the billing message are designed for holding information for billing telephone service usage, and wherein the plurality of fields are reused to hold transaction information that is not pertinent for billing telephone service usage. 49. The medium according to claim 48, wherein the communication is directed to a special access code. 50. The medium according to claim 48, wherein the method further comprises: charging the calling line number account associated with the calling line number a fee for the transaction. 51. The medium according to claim 48, wherein the method further comprises: providing the communication with an announcement regarding the transaction. 52. The medium according to claim 48, wherein the method further comprises: making a validation whose result comprises a determination that the calling line number is authorized to conduct the transaction, wherein said making a validation is performed prior to obtaining the account number and the transaction amount. 53. The medium according to claim 52, wherein said making a validation comprises at least one validation procedure selected from the group consisting of: obtaining a personal identification number (PIN) from the communication and checking that the PIN corresponds to a stored PIN associated with the calling line number; and comparing the account number for correspondence to a stored account number associated with the calling line number. 54. A computer-readable medium containing processor-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to execute a method to conduct a transaction with respect to a telecommunications account in a telecommunications system, the method comprising: obtaining a billing message generated as a result of a telecommunications service performed with respect to a calling line number, wherein at least one field of the billing message for billing telephone service usage with respect to the calling line number is reused to hold transaction information; in response to obtaining the billing message, making a determination that the billing message includes an indication that a transaction is conducted with respect to a telecommunications account in the system, the telecommunications account associated with a recipient other than the subscriber associated with a calling line number account associated with the calling line number; and in response to the determination, conducting the transaction with respect to the telecommunications account, wherein the plurality of fields in the billing message are designed for holding information for billing telephone service usage, and wherein the plurality of fields are reused in the obtaining step to hold transaction information that is not pertinent for billing telephone service usage. 55. The medium according to claim 54, wherein conducting the transaction with respect to the telecommunications account comprises: crediting the telecommunications account by at least a number of units or a dollar amount and/or debiting a different telecommunications account by at least the number of units and/or by at least the dollar amount, the different telecommunications account being associated with the calling line number receiving the telecommunications service that generated the billing message. 56. The medium according to claim 54, wherein the indication comprises the transaction information, and wherein said conducting the transaction comprises using the transaction information with respect to the telecommunications account. 57. The medium according to claim 54, wherein the method further comprises: generating an invoice for the telecommunications account, the invoice indicating conduct of the transaction with respect to the telecommunications account. 58. The medium according to claim 57, wherein the method further comprises: generating a different invoice for the different telecommunications account, the different invoice indicating the conduct of the transaction with respect to the telecommunications account. 59. A computer-readable medium containing processor-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to execute a method for executing a transaction, comprising: receiving a communication associated with a calling line number; obtaining a transaction amount from the communication; coding the transaction amount and the calling line number into a billing message for billing telephone service usage with respect to the calling line number by reusing at least one field of the billing message to hold transaction information; posting the billing message; obtaining the billing message, and decoding the transaction amount and the calling line number from the billing message; and crediting or debiting an account by the transaction amount, the account associated with a recipient other than a subscriber associated with the calling line number, wherein the at least one field of the billing message is designed for holding information for billing telephone service usage, and wherein the at least one field is reused in the coding step to hold transaction information that is not pertinent for billing telephone service usage. 60. The medium according to claim 59, wherein the communication is directed to a special access code. 61. The medium according to claim 59, wherein the method further comprises: charging the calling line number account associated with the calling line number a fee for the transaction. 62. The medium according to claim 59, wherein the method further comprises: providing the communication with an announcement regarding the transaction. 63. The medium according to claim 59, wherein the method further comprises: making a validation whose result comprises a determination that the calling line number is authorized to conduct the transaction, wherein said making a validation is performed prior to obtaining the account number and the transaction amount. 64. The medium according to claim 63, wherein said making a validation comprises at least one validation procedure selected from the group consisting of: obtaining a personal identification number (PIN) from the communication and checking that the PIN corresponds to a stored PIN associated with the calling line number; and comparing the account number for correspondence to a stored account number associated with the calling line number. 65. Apparatus of a telephony system to permit a user to initiate a transaction and have the transaction conducted, the apparatus comprising: a control node to provide instructions regarding a user communication to a second node, the instructions to instruct the switching node to retrieve transaction information and to forward the transaction information to the control node, the control node further to include the transaction information in a billing message for billing telephone network service usage to the user by assigning the transaction information to at least a field of the billing message by reusing the at least a field of the billing message, and for posting the billing message for retrieval by a billing system, wherein the control node is operative to code the transaction amount into a field of the billing message and the account number into another field of the billing message; wherein an account associated with a recipient other than the user is to be credited or debited by the transaction amount; wherein the fields of the billing message are designed for holding information for billing telephone service usage; and wherein at least one field of the billing message is to be reused to hold transaction information that is not pertinent for billing telephone service usage. 66. The apparatus according to claim 65, wherein said control node includes a service package application to perform the transaction. 67. An apparatus forming part of a telephony system to permit a user of a calling line number to initiate a transaction and have the transaction conducted, the apparatus comprising: a billing system to obtain a billing message to be generated as a result of a telecommunications service associated with the calling line number, wherein at least one data field of the billing message for billing telephone service usage with respect to the calling line number is to be reused to hold transaction information; to make a determination, in response to obtaining the billing message, that the billing message includes an indication that the transaction is to be conducted with respect to an account of the system, the account being associated with a party other than a party associated with the calling line number; and to conduct the transaction, in response to the determination, wherein one or more data fields of the billing message are designed to hold information for billing telephone service usage, and wherein at least some of those data fields are reused to hold transaction information that is not pertinent for billing telephone service usage. 68. The apparatus according to claim 67, wherein the transaction is selected from the group consisting of: a transaction to transfer funds from one account to another; an order transaction; a voting transaction; a registration transaction; and a voucher transaction.