Telephone networking system

Details Telephone networking system Telephone networking system

1998-06-22

2002-01-29

Matar, Ahmad F. (Department: 2642)

Telephonic communications

Plural exchange network or interconnection

Interexchange signalling

C379S221080, C379S221090

Reexamination Certificate

active

06343124

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates in general to telecommunication networks, and, more particularly, to an intelligent network architecture for voice networks.
A major advance in telecommunication networks of the past decade has been the introduction of the intelligent network (IN) and the advanced intelligent network (AIN). Previous telecommunications networks consisted of switching systems interconnected by transmission facilities. The AIN enhances the capabilities of such systems by providing service control points (SCPs), intelligent peripherals (IPs) and service nodes (SNs). The SCPs, IPs, and SNs are configured to communicate or exchange information over the AIN via switching service points (SSPs). An SSP performs switching functions to route a call. An SCP includes a database that contains customer records defining how each customer's calls are to be handled. The IPs and SNs provide customized features and specialized call handling, including querying customers for additional information for controlling calls. For example, an IP may be configured to play an audio announcement and collect digits entered in response to the audio announcement. The IPs and the SNs therefore operate to increase the functionality of the AIN.
The IPs and the SNs are each connected to an associated switching system over both audio and data facilities while the SCPs are connected to the switching system over a data signaling network. The data signaling network is typically a common channel signaling network using the signaling system 7 (SS7) protocol promulgated by the Consultative Committee for International Telegraph and Telephone (CCITT) or by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
The intelligent and advanced intelligent networks are used, for example, to route
800
/
888
calls. Such calls lack a dial address that directly allows the telecommunications network to determine a terminating designation. Instead, upon receipt of an
800
/
888
number, an SSP queries an SCP to obtain information as to where to route the call. For a simple
800
/
888
call, the SCP returns a conventional plain old telephone service (POTS) number. A POTS number is a number that directly identifies the designation and is used by the SSP to route the call in a conventional way.
For some
800
/
888
calls, the
800
/
888
number itself is not sufficient to establish a call as the service may be set-up to route the call to a number of different designations depending on the customer's purpose. For example, the same
800
/
888
number may be used to contact a company's customer service department, ordering department, or shipping department, all of which may or may not be in the same building or geographic location. In these and other situations, the SCP needs additional information before a POTS number can be generated. The SCP sets up a transaction for the call and requests additional information through a series of messages exchanged between the SCP and the SSP. The messages from the SCP instruct the SSP to request and collect additional information from the customer. The collected information is then sent to the SCP to build state information concerning the call. Each transaction typically requires a number of operations with each operation resulting in the exchange of messages between the SSP and the SCP. The SCP executes a single operation at a time such that the SCP may request additional information a number of times before the POTS number can be determined and the transaction completed.
There are a number of disadvantages with such a system. If the SCP fails while a transaction is in progress, the entire call is lost because the state information of the call is built and stored in the SCP. Further, the duration of each transaction is relatively long as the SCP only performs one operation at a time for each transaction. Additionally, the SCP must wait while the SSP gathers the additional information such that latency in the SCP is improved.
Accordingly, there is a need for telephone networking systems where much of the functionality of the SCP is transferred closer to the edge of the network so as to increase the reliability and the speed of the network. Preferably, such a system would be relatively easy to manage and maintain and would be less complex than prior art networking systems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention meets this need by providing a telephone networking system in which the equivalent of the SCP customer record is retrieved from a database and transmitted across the network to be executed by an edge device having the capability to store information and perform logical operations. The equivalent SCP customer record is written in the form of an executable program which is executed by the edge device. For the
800
/
888
example, the executable program instructs the edge device to request and gather additional information. The additional information is then used by the executable program to generate the POTS number which is transmitted to the SSP to complete the call.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a telephone networking system comprises a switching system, an input device, and a service logic database comprising a plurality of executable programs. The input device is configured to transmit input data corresponding to at least the digits of a dialed number to the switching system. The switching system is programmed to access the service logic database to retrieve one of the plurality of executable programs in response to the input data. The executable program is then transmitted to a network edge device for execution to complete routing of a call.
Preferably, each of the plurality of executable programs comprises an applet. The executable programs from the service logic database may be configured to request at least one set of additional input data from the input device. The executable programs may also be configured to generate routing data in response to the set of additional input data. The executable programs are preferably configured to cause the routing data to be transmitted to the switching system for routing of the call. The executable programs may be configured to request a plurality of sets of additional input data from the input device. The executable programs are then configured to generate routing data in response to the plurality of sets of additional input data. The executable programs may also be configured to cause the network edge device to interface with the switching system only after receiving the plurality of sets of additional input data.
The networking system may further comprise a service control point with the executable programs being configured to request data from the service control point in response to the set of additional input data. The executable programs may be configured to generate routing data in response to the data from the service control point and the set of additional input data. Preferably, the service control point is configured to generate routing data in response to the data from the service control point and the set of additional input data.
The networking system may further comprise a plurality of substantially identical service logic databases. Preferably, the input device is microprocessor controlled customer premises equipment, such as a microprocessor controlled telephone. The network edge device is preferably configured to determine whether the input device is microprocessor controlled customer premises equipment or non-microprocessor controlled customer premises equipment. The network edge device is selected from the group consisting of the switching system, the input device, an intelligent peripheral and a service node. The switching system preferably comprises a service switching point.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a telephone networking system comprises a switching system, an input device transmitting input data corresponding to at least the digits of a dialed number to the switching system, a service logic database comprising a f

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