Telephonic communications – Plural exchange network or interconnection – With interexchange network routing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-11
2004-01-06
Hong, Harry S. (Department: 2642)
Telephonic communications
Plural exchange network or interconnection
With interexchange network routing
C379S201010, C379S230000, C379S030000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06674851
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to using an Intelligent Peripheral in a network. In particular, the present invention relates to systems and methods for using applications and features that are driven by an Intelligent Peripheral in a telephone-network environment.
BACKGROUND
Intelligent Peripherals (IP) are devices that perform services such as playing an announcement, collecting digits, recognizing voice commands, converting text to speech, recording and deleting a user-specific announcement, and verifying digits, for example, for callers who connect to a network through a switch. IP's can have bearer and signaling communication paths to switches, and have signaling communication paths to databases.
FIG. 1
is an example of how an IP might be configured within a network. In this figure, IP
101
is connected to switch
102
via a signaling and bearer connection. Switch
102
is connected to database
103
via a signaling connection. The signaling connection can, for example, be part of the GR1129 protocol. Calling party
104
can dial a telephone number. This can result in a call-request received by switch
102
, which can then signal database
103
with information about the caller. If database
103
determines that certain services are required (e.g., play announcement and collect caller digits), then database
103
can contact IP
101
, via switch
102
, asking IP
101
to perform the services. For example, the database can cause the IP to perform its particular function.
The capabilities of this embodiment are limited in that the switch and IP must use the same protocol (typically, the GR1129 and the GR1299 protocol). Additionally, in this embodiment, database
103
can only talk to IP
101
through switch
102
, unnecessarily tying up switch
102
.
FIG. 2
is another example of how an IP might be configured within a network. In this figure, IP
201
is connected to switch
202
for connection control only, but is connected directly to database
203
via a signaling connection for service control. The features of this embodiment are extremely limited, however, because a switch that uses the ITU-T protocol can not be an advanced intelligent network (AIN) switch. Thus, the services offered by the embodiment in
FIG. 2
are limited to ITU-T services.
Regardless of the protocols used, it is thought that network performance might be improved if the IP-database-switch interaction were implemented in a way that is substantially protocol independent, and in a way that allows for direct communication between various components.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To alleviate the shortcomings in known systems, an embodiment of the present invention provides IP-database-switch interaction in a substantially protocol-independent way, while allowing for direct communication between the IP and the database.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a method provides communication service in an Advanced Intelligent Network environment, the communication service utilizing at least a database, an AIN switch and an intelligent peripheral (IP). An alert message is sent from the database to the IP. The alert message includes a parameter identifying an arbitrary protocol that is used for the IP and the database to communicate. The IP can have the ability to understand multiple protocols so that the AIN switch, the database and the IP can communicate in an efficient and flexible way. Once the IP is contacted, and a protocol is decided upon, the IP can establish a bearer connection with the switch. The IP can then receive instructions from the database to perform a service. Alternatively, the database and IP can send and receive instructions to perform the service prior to creating the bearer connection.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5802146 (1998-09-01), Dulman
patent: 5841854 (1998-11-01), Schumacher et al.
patent: 6240174 (2001-05-01), Silver
patent: 6374102 (2002-04-01), Brachman et al.
patent: 6377673 (2002-04-01), Cho et al.
Brush Wesley A.
Carnazza James M.
Khan Romel
AT&T Corp.
Brendzel Henry T.
Hong Harry S.
Knowlin Thjuan P
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