Telephonic communications – Plural exchange network or interconnection
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-07
2004-09-21
Deane, Jr., William J. (Department: 2642)
Telephonic communications
Plural exchange network or interconnection
C379S218010, C379S265010, C379S260000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06795543
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to automated handling of telephone calls or the like initiated by a service request, which normally signifies an explicit request for an operator, for example by dialing of a 0 without more digits (0− call). Certain aspects of the invention relate to intelligent network type handling of such calls, for example, by triggering access to a control resource on a signaling network in response to the operator request and then processing the call through a front-end platform to automate selective processing of such calls.
ACRONYMS
The written description uses a large number of acronyms to refer to various services, messages and system components. Although generally known, use of several of these acronyms is not strictly standardized in the art. For purposes of this discussion, acronyms therefore will be defined as follows:
Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN)
Automated Alternate Billing Service (AABS)
Automatic Number Identification (ANI)
Call Completion (CC) operator
Call Processing Record (CPR)
Central Office (CO)
Common Channel Interoffice Signaling (CCIS)
Common Channel Signaling (CCS)
Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC)
Data and Reporting System (DRS)
Directory Assistance (DA)
Generic Data Interface (GDI)
IntereXchange Carrier (IXC)
Integrated Service Control Point (ISCP)
Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
Intelligent Peripheral (IP)
Line Identification Data Base (LIDB)
Local Access and Transport Area (LATA)
Local Exchange Carrier (LEC)
Multi-Services Application Platform (MSAP)
Operate Services Position System (OSPS)
Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS)
Point in Call (PIC)
Point of Presence (POP)
Prefix Digit Interpreter Table (PDIT)
Primary Rate Interface (PRI)
Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP)
Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)
Service Control Point (SCP)
Service Creation Environment (SCE)
Service Management System (SMS)
Service Switching Point (SSP)
Signaling System 7 (SS7)
Signaling Point (SP)
Signaling Transfer Point (STP)
Simplified Message Desk Interface (SMDI)
Traffic Operator Position Switch (TOPS)
Transaction Capabilities Applications Part (TCAP)
Trunk (TR)
BACKGROUND
Although modern technological developments offer an increasing variety of sophisticated data communications, the plain old telephone service (POTS) call remains the most common form of human-to-human communication. Many types of telephone calls originally required assistance from a live network operator. Many of these services have been automated. For example, if a caller dials a 0 followed by a ten-digit destination number, the telephone network typically routes the call to an automated alternate billing service (AABS). The AABS platform provides a prompt and collects additional information to facilitate one of several available automated billing procedures. The AABS platform and its automated handling can provide collect call processing, bill to third party processing or credit/calling card billing.
Originally, such services required live operator assistance. Today, however, the 0+ dialing pattern routinely signifies a request for automated processing and no longer can be viewed as involving an explicit request for an operator service. Typically, the caller reaches an operator only in the default situation in which the automated handling is unsuccessful for some reason.
In the modern competitive telecom environment, many different carriers provide competing toll services. In many cases, the customer subscribes with one service provider for intra-LATA tolls, for example with the local exchange carrier; but the subscriber receives inter-LATA service from a different carrier (often identified as an inter-exchange carrier or IXC). Although there is some increasing competition for the intra-LATA toll call services, most often these calls can still go to the AABS equipment of the LEC. However, there are many different companies that provide the inter-LATA service, most of which now deploy their own AABS type systems. If the caller dials 0+ ten digits, the end office examines the dialed digits of the destination, determines if the call is an inter-LATA or an intra-LATA call, and then routes the call to the preferred carrier that has been pre-selected or picked for the particular type of toll call. Consequently, 0+ calls from any one geographic area must be routed to many different AABS systems and/or operators of the different carriers, based on subscriber selections of carriers for the relevant types of services.
The telephone industry also has developed a variety of systems providing automated directory assistance. This is not an operator service request but a request for directory service. The caller dials a number such as 411 for the directory assistance system. The network connects the caller's station to a computer system, which receives speech or dialed inputs identifying the city and name of the desired party. A specially trained directory assistance operator may come on-line at some point to refine the search. An operator may select the listing from a directory database based on the caller inputs, but with little or no actual conversation with the caller. In some advanced systems, the computer automatically looks up the listing corresponding to the input information in the directory. In either case, the automated equipment provides a synthesized speech announcement of the telephone number of the desired party.
Many of the automated directory assistance systems also offer an automated call completion service. In such a case, when the system announces the destination number, the system also prompts the caller asking if the caller would like for the system to complete the call. The caller assents by dialing a specified digit, by saying “yes” or by simply staying on the line for a set interval. Upon detecting assent to the call completion service, the directory assistance system automatically routes the call through the telephone network using the identified destination number obtained from the directory database.
Although AABS systems and automated directory assistance systems have eliminated live-operator handling on many common types of calls, many users still initiate calls by simply dialing a 0. A call in which the customer dials 0 and waits for a network action is referred to as a “0−” (zero minus) call. In existing telephone networks today, when a customer picks up the handset of the telephone and dials a 0 only, the telephone service provider's network routes the call to an operator switch. The operator switch in turn routes the call to an operator position station. The operator position includes telephone equipment to allow a live operator to answer the voice call and converse with the calling customer. The operator position also includes data terminal equipment to allow the operator to perform related functions, such as busy verification or looking information up in a database of services that the provider offers to its customers.
Quite often, the customer makes a 0− call because the customer does not really know how to make a particular type of call in accord with the more modem procedures. The 0− caller may be seeking to make a collect call, credit card call or a bill to third party call but be unfamiliar with the 0+ dialing procedure for using the AABS system. Although the operator can handle such calls in some cases, the 0− dialing process prevents the use of the AABS equipment on the call. Also, the normal 0− routing directs the call to the operator provided by the local exchange carrier (LEC). If the caller desires to make a special toll call, the call needs to go through the operator and/or billing system and network of the preferred carrier picked by the calling subscriber, which may or may not be the LEC. The LEC operator must transfer the call if a carrier network other than the LEC network would provide the toll service, for example, if the call is an inter-LATA call.
In a similar manner, many people seeking directory assistance use a 0− call, with
Cartier Veronica Ann
Malagon Margaret
Manuel James A.
Deane, Jr. William J.
Rader Fishman & Grauer
Suchtya, Esq. Leonard
Verizon Services Corp.
Wall, Esq. Joel
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