Abstract: 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 period of time has elapsed, thereby allowing consumers of communications services charging on a time of use basis to minimize the charges incurred while using such services. In particular, the present invention allows consumers to minimize fees in connection with communications networks that charge at a first, lower rate for an initial period of time, and a second, higher rate for subsequent periods of time. The present invention is particularly well-suited for use in connection with wireless telephones having service plans that do not charge for the first incoming minute of a telephone call, and in connection with long distance service plans that charge a lower rate for an initial period of time and a higher rate for a subsequent period of time.

Abstract: A personalized call reception prompter (106 for a shared communications reception terminal (104) or for co-located communications reception terminals (104A-104X) enables the users (100-102) of the shared terminal or the co-located terminals to customize and prioritize (200-204) a list of callers, whereupon the prompter alerts the users to incoming calls in a distinctive manner that identifies both the intended recipient and the priority and/or source of the call. A user-programmable table (210) correlates (212) users' IDs (220) with callers' IDs (222) and with corresponding alerting signals or call priorities (224). The prompter uses (308) the caller ID of an incoming call to determine (310) the user ID and alerting signals or priority that are correlated in the table, with that caller ID.