Telecommunications – Radiotelephone system – Auxiliary data signaling
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-10
2004-04-06
D'Agosta, Stephen (Department: 2684)
Telecommunications
Radiotelephone system
Auxiliary data signaling
C455S464000, C455S414100, C455S412200, C379S015020, C379S211010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06718178
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to telecommunications services and more particularly to a method and system for sending messages in response to network activity.
2. Description of Related Art
Advances in telecommunications have enabled a number of special services to be made available to telecommunications subscribers. Examples of such services include abbreviated dialing, which allows a subscriber to reach a party by dialing less than the entire telephone number of that party, call forwarding, in which calls directed to the subscriber may be forwarded to another line, terminating call screening, which allows the subscriber to specify certain times during which incoming calls are to be rejected, and originating call screening, in which calls to certain telephone numbers are barred. In general, special telecommunications services (“services”) encompass those service features that do more than simply place or terminate telephone calls as dialed.
In the past, special telecommunications services were governed and provided for exclusively by the network switches or other entities that routed calls from one location to another. Such switches or other entities are usually at least part of a “serving system” that provides service for a plurality of subscribers. A typical switch would include a database of control information and call processing logic in addition to its basic switching capabilities. In response to a call placed to or from a subscriber, the switch would then apply services defined by this call processing logic. For example, the service logic may indicate that all unanswered calls to a particular subscriber should be redirected to a particular voice mail server.
This approach was viewed as unwieldy, however, because a telecommunications provider needed to update the software and databases on all of its many switches in order to update services or add new services throughout its telecommunications network. And to further complicate matters, the software needed to program switches from different vendors often differed greatly.
To overcome these limitations, many telecommunications networks have now adopted an intelligent network (“IN”) approach. According to the IN approach, much of the control information and call processing logic resides in a central network location or “central control point” instead of in the multitude of switches. Each switch is then programmed with a relatively minimal set of service logic that causes the switch to query the central control point at predefined “trigger points” during call processing, providing the central control point with parameters such as an identification of the calling and called parties, for example. When the central control point receives the query message, it may execute an appropriate set of service logic and/or consult appropriate databases in order to obtain information and instructions needed to provide a special service to the call. In turn, the central control point may return a response message to the switch, instructing the switch how to handle the call.
By applying the IN approach, the call processing information that is maintained locally for reference by the switch can be minimized, since most of the service logic and feature information for the subscriber can be maintained by the central control point instead. In this way, the telecommunications switches can be quite generic but still able to carry out a variety of services. Further, changes made to service logic at the central control point can apply to a large number of switches, which makes changing or activating services and adding new services much easier and reduces the problem of differences in switches from different vendors.
An IN network typically employs a standardized set of messages for communication between the switches (or other such entities) and the central control point, in order to allow for a variety of services. This standardized set of messages may be conveyed, for instance, over an out-of-band common channel interoffice signaling (CCIS) network, according to an established signaling protocol. The most well known such protocol is Signaling System #7 (“SS7”). According to SS7, predefined messages may be coded as Transaction Capabilities Application Part (“TCAP”) messages and routed via a signaling transfer points (“STPs”) between the switches and the central control point.
The particular message set may vary depending on the type of network. For instance, traditional landline IN networks may operate according to standards embodied in Bellcore's AIN Release 0.1 and AIN Release 0.2. Typical wireless networks, on the other hand, may operate according to other standards, such as Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA)/Electronics Industry Association (EIA) Interim Standard IS-41 (“Cellular Radiotelecommunications Intersystem Operations”) and Interim Standard IS-771 (“Wireless Intelligent Network”). The entirety of each of these standards (as well as all revisions thereof) is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
In general, the trigger points and other control information about call processing for a given subscriber or group of subscribers can be defined and recorded in a database that is maintained for reference by the serving system during call processing. This set of parameters is considered a type of profile for the subscriber, or a subscriber profile. When the switch receives a request to complete a call to or from a subscriber, the switch may consult the subscriber's profile to determine whether it needs to query a central control point for call-handling instructions and/or whether it should carry out certain call processing logic itself.
A subscriber profile may define various types of trigger points and control information. At a basic level, for instance, a profile may define a so-called “all-digits trigger,” which tells the serving system to query the central control point whenever the serving system receives a call origination attempt from the subscriber. Similarly, a profile may define a termination-attempt trigger, which tells the serving system to query the central control point whenever the serving system receives a request to connect a call to the subscriber. Such global triggers can be usefully employed to give the central control point extensive control over the services that will be provided to the subscriber. For example, upon receipt of a TCAP query that is generated upon call origination, the central control point may determine that the calling subscriber has subscribed to a pre-paid call accounting service; in response, the central control point may initiate logic that will time the subscriber's call and decrement a pre-paid account balance accordingly.
The profile can define more specific triggers as well. For example, the profile may define a call origination trigger indicating that the serving system should further reference the subscriber profile to determine whether the subscriber is attempting to call a restricted destination, e.g., that the subscriber is blocked from calling a dialed number. Such a calling restriction may be desirable for group calling plans such as private branch exchange (“PBX”) or Centrex service, or for parental control, for instance. If the number is blocked, standard local service logic may direct the serving system to respond with a recorded message or other appropriate action, or the trigger may indicate that the serving system should query the central control point for guidance.
As still another example, the profile may define a call termination trigger that indicates that if the called subscriber's line is busy or there is no answer, the call should be forwarded to a particular number that is recorded in subscriber's profile. Alternatively, the termination trigger may indicate that, in response to a busy or no answer condition, the switch should query the central control point for processing instructions. In that event, the central control point may apply a set of service logic for the subscriber and d
McConnell Von K.
Sladek Thomas M.
D'Agosta Stephen
Sprint Spectrum L.P.
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