Telephonic communications – Special services – Locating using diverse technology
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-01
2001-01-16
Black, Thomas G. (Department: 2771)
Telephonic communications
Special services
Locating using diverse technology
C379S114030, C379S211010, C379S212010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06175618
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
This invention relates in general to telecommunications and, more particularly, to devices for providing enhanced services.
2. Description of the Related Art
The features provided by telecommunications over the last decade has been rapidly increasing. While in past years the telephone network was solely dedicated to providing connections between phones, today's telephone network provides many enhanced services to facilitate communications. Such features include voice mail, call forwarding, caller ID, fax on demand, voice response services and many others.
The ability to provide enhanced features has come largely from the emergence of AIN (Advanced Intelligent Network). In order to connect to the AIN, intelligent AIN-compatible switches are used.
While there is significant enthusiasm to provide the enhanced features supported by the AIN, the cost of providing these features can be prohibitive, since telephone service providers have a significant investment in older, non-AIN compatible switches. These switches mainly set up and tear down phone calls and do not support connection to the AIN.
Accordingly, the need has arisen for a technology to provide enhanced services in conjunction with existing non-AIN compatible switches.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the present invention, calls are routed by receiving a code indicative of the calling party in a switch, passing the code to an external database engine coupled to said switch, retrieving routing information based on said code in the database engine and sending said routing information to said switch.
The present invention provides significant advantages over the prior art. Switches are inherently limited in the routing choices they can make. Using an external database engine, such as a service node with SCF functions, a virtually unlimited number of routing choices can be provided for, based on calling number, destination number, type of call, carrier, or other criteria. Similarly screening of calls could be provided as well. This ability allows a long distance company to provide services to other long distance providers with flexibility in services.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5425090 (1995-06-01), Orriss
patent: 5469500 (1995-11-01), Satter et al.
patent: 5680446 (1997-10-01), Fleischer, III et al.
patent: 6014379 (2000-01-01), White et al.
Chopra, M., “Exploring Intelligent Peripheral Configurations,” International Conference on Universal Personal Communications, Sep. 27, 1994, pp. 635-639.
Daniel Lynn C.
Kannan Comandur S.
Shah Tasvir
Shen Hu
Alcatel USA Sourcing L.P.
Anderson, Levine & Lintel LLP
Black Thomas G.
Trinh William
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