Telephonic communications – Special services – Call diversion
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-13
2004-08-03
Bui, Bing (Department: 2642)
Telephonic communications
Special services
Call diversion
C379S221080, C379S230000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06771762
ABSTRACT:
RELATED APPLICATIONS
NONE
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to Advanced Intelligent Networks (AIN). More particularly, the invention relates to a method for merging calls using the equipment associated with an AIN to free up resources.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
An AIN is a service-independent architectural concept for telecommunication networks. Its objectives include the easy development of new and innovative feature-rich services, reducing the turn-around time for the introduction or modification of these services, reducing developmental costs and to introduce more complex network functions by which users can communicate or manage information. U.S. Pat. No. 5,535,263, which is incorporated by reference to the extent necessary to understand the present invention, illustrates how an AIN can be used to enhance services.
One of the main distinguishing features of an AIN architecture with respect to a conventional switching network is that the intelligence or logic for executing value-added services is removed from the switch and is placed in one or more central computers called service control points (SCPs). AIN-capable switches, called service switching points (SSP), contain the functionality for communicating with the SCP. To make certain services more user-friendly, Intelligent Peripherals (IPe) may be provided, and these can be used to record prompts and announcements, provide voice recognition, voice-to-text functionality, and the like.
Value-added service calls can be originated from a local exchange (LE) or the SSP itself. In an AIN, the value-added service calls, or “trigger calls”, are routed to the SSP which then opens a dialog with the SCP to guide the call to completion. The trigger call denotes the occurrence of a special condition which results in the telephone call being handled in a special way.
For certain types of toll calls and certain value-added services for which a subscriber is charged, an automatic message accounting (AMA) system is used to keep track of duration of the calls, accrued charges and other billing information. Typically, the AMA is resident in, or associated with, the SSP.
Typically, to provide special handling for a trigger call, the SSP suspends normal execution of the call, communicates with another network element to obtain special instructions, and handles the call according to the special instructions. Several types of triggers may be specified in an AIN-equipped switching system. They are classified as Originating Triggers, Mid-Call Triggers and Termination Triggers, depending on whether the special handling of the call is performed based on a triggering event at the time of initiation of a call, during the course of a call, or at the time of termination of a call. An example of an originating trigger is an 800-call trigger. This trigger is also called a Dialed Number trigger (DN trigger). Here, the special handling of the call is triggered by a user dialing the 800-number. In general, such numbers are translated to regular telephone numbers called Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) numbers before they are routed to proper destination points via the traditional methods. Handling an 800-number call within an AIN network is described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,090, which is incorporated herein by reference. Other examples of triggers are the Off-hook Immediate trigger (OHI), the Off-hook Delay trigger (OHD) and specific digits string trigger (SDS).
Communication between the different components of an AIN is performed through established protocols known to those skilled in the art. More particularly, communication within an AIN takes place between a host of switching systems, adjunct computer processors and other communicating components equipped with the capability to communicate using an out-of-band signaling method known as Common Channel Signaling (CCS). CCS is configured to carry network control information to and from various elements of the network. The AIN is described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,247,571, which is incorporated herein by reference. For more information on intelligent telephony networks, see
The Intelligent Network Standards: Their Application to Services
(Igor Faynberg, Ed., McGraw Hill Series on Telecommunications, November, 1996). The details of the usage of CCS to control and manage a telecommunications network are given in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,515,427 and 4,277,649, both of which are incorporated herein by reference. An example of the CCS signaling method is CCS No. 7 which also known as Signaling System 7, or SS7. SS7 is the name given to a suite of layered communication protocols that are used to access telephony databases, establish and maintain telephone calls and for other purposes. The part of the SS7 signaling protocol that is typically used by an AIN-equipped switching system to access telephony databases to obtain special instructions is called the Transaction Capabilities Application Part (TCAP).
FIG. 1
shows a simplified AIN system
100
. System
100
includes a plurality of end users
102
, such as a calling party or a called party, typically connected to an Service Switching Point (SSP)
104
,
106
, either directly or via one or more intermediary switches (IS)
108
. The intermediary switch
108
may be operated by a local exchange carrier or may be a privately owned PBX switch, among others. The SSPs are usually connected to an end user with normal lines and trunks via protocols, such as Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS), Basic Rate Interface (BRI), and Primary Rate Interface (PRI). It should be understood that there may also be intermediary switches between an end user and the SSP, and that the SSP and the IS may belong to different carriers, which can be a local exchange carrier or an interexchange carrier.
When the SSP
104
or
106
encounters an AIN trigger for an incoming call, the SSP communicates with a Service Control Point (SCP)
110
to operate the requested service. The SSP and the SCP may communicate through the CSS7 network
112
which typically includes a number of Service Transfer Points (STPs). For voice-type functionality, one or more Intelligent Peripherals (IPe)
114
are connected to each of the SSPs
104
,
106
, which may also be connected to one another by one or more trunk lines
116
. Each IPe
114
may include recording equipment for voice, fax and other media and is typically connected to a SSP using an ISDN trunk or line via PRI or BRI, or the like. It should also be noted that the IPe and the SSP may share the same platform, e.g., the same computer, but with different processes running on that computer. Communication between the SSP
104
,
106
and the IPe
114
may be done with an AIN GR1129 IPe interface. As is known to those skilled in the art, an AIN GR1129 interface is an interworking between Transaction Capability Application Part (TCAP) protocol and Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) Q.931 protocol, where the SCP
110
communicates with the IPe
114
through the SSP using TCAP, and the IPe communicates with the SSP
104
,
106
using Q.931. Each of the SSPs
104
,
106
thus interworks TCAP and Q.931. Further information about the protocol for dealing with an IPe can be found in the GR-1129-CORE document; specifications for the AIN SSP switch procedures can be found in the GR-1298-CORE document; and information about the protocol between the SSP and the SCP can be found in the GR-1299-CORE document, all available from Telcordia (formerly Bellcore).
Normally, once the SCP helps connect the SSP and the IPe, the Ipe-resident applications are carried out without the IPe having to originate any calls. One option for using an IPe to originate a call, however, is to have the SCP send an AIN Analyze Route message to route the call to a service node, which then completes the connection to the called party. Once the connection to the called party is established, that service node can then merge the SSP-IPe connection with the connection to the called party by, for example, invoking the 2B channel call transfer specification in ac
Chang Hwey
DeFazio Pamela Lilly
Khan Romel R.
Marcus Maura Elizabeth
Munson Gary A.
AT&T Corp.
Bui Bing
LandOfFree
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