Automatic number identification
TELEPHONY NETWORK FEATURE SENDING THE TELEPHONE NUMBER OF THE CALLING PARTY ALONG WITH THE CALL
Automatic Number Identification
Automatic number identification (ANI) is a feature of a telecommunications network for automatically determining the origination telephone number on toll calls for billing purposes. Automatic number identification was originally created by AT&T Corporation for internal long distance charging purposes,US Patent 2,265,844: Calling Line Identification CircuitUS Patent 2,300,829: Calling Line Identification System eliminating the need for telephone operators to manually request the number of the calling party for a toll call.