Telephonic communications – With usage measurement
Reexamination Certificate
2002-08-19
2003-06-03
Tieu, Binh (Department: 2643)
Telephonic communications
With usage measurement
C379S112080, C379S114280, C379S121030, C379S201020
Reexamination Certificate
active
06574316
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to telecommunication systems and more particularly to a method and system for preserving telephone numbers by eliminating the need for assigning a unique telephone number for each and every telephone line in service.
2. Background of the Invention
The expansion of telecommunications services and equipment such as telephones, fax machines, pagers, cellular telephones, and modems, has resulted in a rapid growth in the demand for telephone numbers. In addition, the Internet has created a further demand for an even greater number of telephone numbers.
In the United States alone, new telephone numbers are increasing at a rate of about 12% per year, while the population is growing at a rate of only about 4%. This phenomenon is due in part to many subscribers often having multiple telephone numbers. For example, one person could well have as many as six telephone numbers: a first number for a home telephone, a second number for a home fax machine, a third number for an office telephone, a fourth number for an office fax machine, a fifth number for a cellular telephone, and a sixth number for a pager. A seventh number might be necessary if he or she chooses to have dedicated Internet access. In addition to the above-described personal demand for telephone numbers, certain commercial entities, such as telemarketers, are also adding more telephone numbers for their businesses.
Under the current infrastructure of United States telecommunication systems, a telephone number is required for every telephone line in service. A person with, e.g., six telephone lines would therefore have six telephone numbers. A telemarketing company with 50 telephone lines may have 50 telephone numbers. The assignment of a specific telephone number to a specific telephone line is necessary because the telephone number serves as an “address” for the corresponding telephone line. The telephone number also identifies the caller as the person to whom the telephone company would charge the associated telecommunication services.
The ten-digit telephone number system of the United States contains three main components: the first three digits are the “area code,” the next three digits are the “exchange code,” and the remaining four digits specify a particular telephone line. The area code identifies the general geographical areas of the United States. For example, all telephone lines with the “202” area code are located physically in Washington, D.C. Similarly, all telephone numbers with the “404” area code are physically located in the Atlanta area of Georgia. Within each area code, there are multiple exchange codes. For example, within the geographical boundaries served by the “404” area code, there are many active exchange codes including, e.g., “659,” “249,” “628,” “444,” and “680.” Also within each area code, there is one or more exchange codes that have been reserved from being issued to subscribers. In the “404” area code region, for example, reserved exchange code “203” is not available for assignment of telephone numbers. If this reserved exchange code were to be made available for telephone number assignment, then up to 10,000 additional telephone numbers would be available for telephone line subscribers located within the “404” area code region. These telephone numbers would range sequentially from “404-203-0000” to “404-203-9999.”
The conventional solution to satisfy the demand for even more telephone numbers (as thousands of telephone lines are being put to service every day) is to add new area codes. Each new area code adds 1,000 additional exchange codes. As explained above, each additional exchange code adds 10,000 telephone numbers. As a result, the addition of one new area code provides 10,000,000 additional telephone numbers. This conventional solution, however, has many disadvantages. For example, the introduction of multiple area codes in a single city requires complex operation overhead, and could result in consumer confusion, as well as result in additional expenses to the telephone company. Furthermore, we could eventually run out of the three-digit area codes which would then create the need for creating four-digit or larger area codes.
FIG. 1
is a schematic diagram of an advanced intelligent network structure. Advanced intelligent network structures are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,701,301, which is hereby incorporated by reference. In the example shown in this schematic diagram, Subscriber A has a regular telephone line
10
that is capable of two-way communications, namely, initiating and receiving communications. Regular telephone line
10
has been assigned a unique telephone number, e.g., “404-777-1000.” Subscriber B of regular telephone line
20
has been issued a different unique telephone number, e.g., “404-888-2000.” These subscriber data, along with other subscriber data such as their billing rates and mailing addresses, are contained in customer record database
12
. Customer record database
12
can easily update service management system (SMS)
13
to enable changes in service control point (SCP)
14
a
's data. In a preferred embodiment, telephone line
10
also has either an off-hook immediate or an off-hook delay trigger assigned to it.
When Subscriber A dials “404-888-2000” using a telecommunication device
1
such as a telephone that is connected to regular telephone line
10
, a service switching point (SSP)
11
is triggered via, e.g., an off-hook immediate trigger, to send query
17
to a service control point
14
a
via a signaling transfer point (STP)
15
of the SS7 signaling system provided with the advanced intelligent network. Query
17
contains information such as Subscriber A's unique telephone number “404-777-1000” (calling party ID number) and the recipient's unique telephone number “404-888-2000” (dialed number) as well as the originating point code of service switching point
11
, e.g., “252-112-001.” In essence, query
17
is a question from service switching point
11
asking service control point
14
a
how to process the telephone call. When service control point
14
a
receives query
17
, it consults database (DB)
14
b
that in turns recognizes “404-777-1000.” As a result, service control point
14
a
responds to query
17
with instruction
18
directing service switching point
11
to route the call to Subscriber B. Normal processing of the call from Subscriber A to Subscriber B would require that Subscriber A's telephone number be used for billing purposes and be recorded at SSP
11
, along with Subscriber B's telephone number as the destination address. In addition, either subscriber may establish communication with Internet service provider (ISP)
16
or Internet service provider
26
by dialing “404-123-4567” or “404-765-4321,” the unique telephone numbers of Internet service provider
16
and Internet service provider
26
, respectively.
In summary, routing a call requires a unique destination address and an originating billing information to properly complete the call.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention recognizes that not all telephones lines are being used to both initiate and terminate communications. For example, an increasing number of subscribers use additional telephone lines for outbound-only purposes such as access to the Internet. Many corporations use telephone lines exclusively for making outbound-only calls, e.g., telemarketing calls. As these telephone lines do not receive calls, they do not require unique telephone numbers to serve as addresses. As long as a method exists for the telephone company to identify the calling party for billing purposes, several outbound-only telephone lines could be assigned the same telephone number within a single area code.
The telecommunication system of the present invention allows a single telephone number to be used repeatedly for multiple outbound-only telephone lines located within a common area code region. For example, in an area code region with 50 service switching points, a sing
BellSouth Intellectual Property Corporation
Shaw Pittman LLP
Tieu Binh
LandOfFree
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