Telecommunications – Radiotelephone system – Zoned or cellular telephone system
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-30
2001-05-01
Hunter, Daniel S. (Department: 2684)
Telecommunications
Radiotelephone system
Zoned or cellular telephone system
C455S414200, C379S913000, C379S201060, C379S207030
Reexamination Certificate
active
06226516
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates generally to intelligent telecommunication networks and, more particularly, to an intelligent telecommunication network which achieves dynamically modifiable advanced subscriber services through the use of downloadable script files as triggers therefor.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the field of telecommunications, an “intelligent network” is characterized by the placement of service logic in an external database located outside the switch. The use of such a database, commonly referred to as a service control platform (or “SCP”) became popular because, by placing the service logic at a central location, services could be deployed and/or modified without having to re-program every switch in the network. Both wireline and wireless switches using call processing triggers to initiate accesses to the SCP which provides advanced subscriber services. Perhaps the best known of these call processing triggers is the “1-800” trigger. When a switch receives a string of digits to an 800 number, for example, 1-800-4NORTEL, the switch recognizes the first four digits of the number as a trigger and, in response to the receipt thereof, issues a query to an SCP asking that the SCP identify a telephone number which corresponds to “4NORTEL”, the digits which followed the trigger. The SCP returns a telephone number which the switch uses to complete the requested connection. Of course, a multitude of other advanced subscriber services, for example, the various calling card services, are also accomplished by trigger-actuated accesses of a SCP by a switch receiving a string of digits matching a trigger.
Presently, detectable triggers are confined to a static set of criteria, all of which are defined by various standards committees. As a result, there are only a limited number of triggers presently in use. Furthermore, to place a new trigger into use requires a lengthy approval process which can delay commercial availability of the trigger by two or more years. While a service provider is free to independently provide triggers recognizable by the switch or switches operated thereby, such independently provided triggers cannot be recognized outside the service provider's system. For example, if the service provider is a cellular or PCS system which uses independently selected triggers, i.e., triggers that actuate upon an occurrence of a criteria not approved by the governing standards committee, to provide advanced subscriber features to their customers, those customers would be unable to use such subscriber features outside the service provider's system, for example, when the customer “roams” outside its home system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the past, a user requested a calling feature or other advanced subscriber service by dialing a specified string of digits. When detected by a switch, the string of digits caused the switch to take an action, for example, the generation of a message to a service control point where information necessary to provide the requested calling feature resides. Traditionally, switches had only contained a limited number of triggers, each incorporated into the switch after successfully undergoing a time consuming approval process by a standards committee followed by a lengthy development process. In contrast with prior techniques, the present invention greatly enhances the ability to add, delete or otherwise modify calling features and other advanced subscriber services for users of an intelligent telecommunications network by enabling any number of additional triggers to be provided at the switch.
Such flexibility is achieved by providing downloadable script files, each containing programming script needed to initiate a calling feature or other advanced subscriber service and a criteria statement used for triggering execution of the programming script at a database located at a central office or at a home location register. While the programming script may include the information necessary for the switch to provide the calling feature or other advanced subscriber service, generally, execution of the programming script causes the switch to transmit a message to a device containing the information needed to provide the calling feature or other advanced subscriber service, for example, by sending an appropriate message to an off-board SCP. The criteria statement may include both a description of the type of trigger and/or the trigger criteria which must be met in order to initiate the execution of the programming script. Whenever a trigger criteria of an indicated type of trigger is received, for example, by a caller transmitting a string of N digits to a switch to which the script files were previously downloaded, the switch compares the type of trigger (string of N digits) and the trigger criteria (the specific string of digits received) to the trigger type and criteria of the criteria statement for each of the script files downloaded thereto. If a match is detected, the switch executes the programming script contained in the script file having the matching criteria statement or, in an alternate embodiment, the switch could execute a corresponding set of instructions previously stored thereby and pointed to by the criteria statement. By periodically downloading, to a switching device, criteria statements which trigger calling features or other advanced subscriber services when matched to a trigger criteria received by a switching device, great flexibility as to available calling features is achieved. Specifically, a user interface coupled to the central office or home location register from which the script files are downloaded may be used to add, delete or modify the script files maintained thereat.
The invention is suited for use in a variety of intelligent telecommunication network applications. For example, in a wireless intelligent telecommunication network, the script files may be stored in a home location register for a subscriber. While held in the home location register, the script files may be readily edited by a user interface thereto. When a subscriber roams outside its home system, the registration process with the visited mobile switching center includes a download of the script files to a visitor location register thereof. When the subscriber transmits a trigger criteria to a mobile switching center to which it previously registered, the mobile switching center compares the trigger type and the received trigger criteria to appropriate portions of criteria statements held in the visitor location register (if the mobile switching center is outside the home system for the subscriber) or the home location register (if the mobile switching center is within the home system for the subscriber) and, if a matching criteria statement is located, the mobile switching center executes the programming script contained in the script file containing the matching criteria statement. Application of the invention within a wireline intelligent network is similar. Here, however, the script files in a database located at the home office where they may be modified through a user interface coupled thereto.
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Cohn Daniel
Gupta Rohit
Visser John
Gantt Alan T.
Haynes and Boone LLP
Hunter Daniel S.
Northern Telecom Limited
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