Telephonic communications – Telephone line or system combined with diverse electrical... – Remote indication over telephone line
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-15
2003-12-09
Eng, George (Department: 2643)
Telephonic communications
Telephone line or system combined with diverse electrical...
Remote indication over telephone line
C379S201030
Reexamination Certificate
active
06661881
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention generally relates to a method and system for providing communications between a server or a remote customer station and a telephone switch that allows a server or customer station to control functionality of the telephone switch and receive status and confirmation information from the telephone switch.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to the present invention that are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Suppressed ringing communication methods allow for a variety of data communications applications between an enhanced service provider, or server, and customer premises equipment, (CPE), generally a customer computer or similar electronic device or telephone. However, these known communication methods and systems have disadvantages because the network and data capability between the server or the CPE and the telephone switch is configured to meet the needs of the server or the CPE at the time the service is established (service provisioning) or during the call set up. There is no way to dynamically change this configuration during the call. Changing the communications configuration is even more challenging if the service provider is not local to the server, creating operational difficulties.
The data communication capabilities between the server and the CPE are defined by the server and telephone switch when the service is initially set up. Unfortunately, the needs of the server or of the CPE frequently change over time or may change in real time as a result of the application. Currently, changes are made manually in response to oral or written requests to the telephone company that controls the network switch. However, this method is cumbersome, inefficient and prone to human error and delay. It is also not responsive to real time events that may require immediate changes in the operations.
Suppressed ringing communication methods between a service provider and an end user are known in the art. For example, a suppressed ringing communication method for communicating with utility meters is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,189,694, entitled “Telemetry Access Arrangement”, which issued on Feb. 23, 1993 to Garland, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Suppressed ringing communications are communications that are initially set up without ringing the user's telephone and are not affected by preset switch activated, or user selected, features impacting communication in either direction. After being initially set up, only data messages are sent or received by the service provider. After completion of the suppressed ringing call, the preset line features are returned their original end user set up state. Configuration parameters and features may not be modified during the call.
Referring to
FIG. 1A
, a prior communication system
10
has a server
12
, such as a personal computer or workstation, connected through either a trunk
14
, preferably a digital T
1
trunk, to a central office switch (CO)
16
. The CO
16
includes a protocol interface
18
, preferably software-based, associated with a switch unit
20
, such as a multiport telephonic CO switch. An exemplary CO switch is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,054, entitled “Communication Switching System” and which issued on Apr. 16, 1996 to Garland, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. The CO
16
is interfaced to the CPE
22
, via a regular, twisted-pair, plain-old-telephone service (POTS) line
24
and a suitable modem (not shown). Alternative transmission media may be employed, such as coax or fiber or digital communication services to the CPE.
In accordance with known protocol for establishing suppressed ringing data communications, the server
12
goes off-hook and transmits a wink start and some information. The information typically transmitted includes a key pulse signal (KP), CPE Transmission Indicator (CTI) information, billing number identification (ANI) information, a start signal (ST) and a four, five seven or ten digit directory number. The CTI is used by the CO
16
to identify the type and kind of devices that comprise the CPE
22
. The ANI indicates the telephone billing number of the trunk
14
. The KP signal indicates the start of a data string and the ST indicates the end of a data string. The switch unit
20
responds to this information by creating a communications link or path to the CPE
22
without ringing the line
24
or being affected by the features associated with the line
24
.
The switch unit
20
translates the received directory number to identify the CPE
22
and sets up a connection between the trunk
14
and the line
24
. The connection is made with suppressed ringing functionality. The server
12
transmits an alert signal to the CPE
22
requesting that data communications be established. In response, the CPE
22
sends an off-hook signal to the switch unit
20
and the switch unit
20
so notifies the server
12
. All of this communication is merely to set up the communication path between the server
12
and CPE
22
. A similar method may be used to alert the CPE to become active without requiring the CPE
22
to return an off-hook signal to the switch unit
20
, commonly known as on-hook data transmission.
During the course of the single communication link, there is no flexibility or capability for features of the service to be modified, as discussed in previously cited U.S. Pat. No. 5,189,694. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,054, entitled “Communication Switching System” to Garland, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference, a telemetry function indicator (TFI) is disclosed which indicates control information to the switch. In that system, the CTI information indicated whether the CPE was using on-hook or off-hook data transmission. TFI provides a vehicle for the server
12
to tell the switch unit
20
to connect to, for example, a busy line on a barge-in basis. The server
12
may thus require that the switch unit
20
alert the CPE
22
regardless of whether the line
24
is on-hook or off-hook.
The switch unit
20
receives information that a particular feature, or function, is to be performed and is given information (auxiliary data) to be used to perform the particular function, such as a ‘load broadcast list’ function. For a load broadcast list function, the switch unit
20
is preloaded with a list of telephone numbers on a broadcast list to call in response to receipt of the broadcast function. In this manner, the server
12
is able to connect to CPE associated with a plurality of different end users by having the switch unit
20
automatically setup a plurality of suppressed ringing communication paths.
In addition, the server
12
disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,054 could request that the switch unit
20
perform some functions. This could only be performed on a per call basis because multiple cells could not be handled in a single call setup. In these prior systems, call features, provided by the network switch, cannot be dynamically modified during a cell because the functional paths are predefined and are followed without variation. Once a call is set up, there can be no change to the switch operation effected by the server
12
or the CPE
22
.
Accordingly, there is a need for a system and method for establishing suppressed ringing communications between a server and a CPE wherein the call features, provided by the switch, may be modified during the duration of the call.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A system and method in accordance with the present invention overcomes the aforedescribed limitations of prior systems wherein a remote customer station or server provides control signals to the switch to control selec
Garland Stuart Mandel
Smith David B.
Eng George
Lucent Technologies - Inc.
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