Telephone network control system and method

• US 20040028203A1
• Filed: 08/04/2003
• Published: 02/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Services Corporation (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Wurster, John H., Hamilton, Barbara Ann
• Granted Patent: US 7,616,747 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/207.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4281 when the called subscriber is connected to a data network using his telephone line, e.g. dial-up connection, Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53383 Message registering commands or announcements; Greetings
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/54 Arrangements for diverting calls for one subscriber to another predetermined subscriber based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; to voice mail H04M3/53308

Abstract

A method of providing a user the option to accept an incoming call, play a prerecorded message to the incoming party, ignore the incoming call or forward the incoming call to a separate telephone number is disclosed for use when the user is connected, via the same telephone line, to the Internet. The disclosed invention reduces the number of times the incoming call is transferred which reduces the number of reserves used in processing the incoming call. This reduction frees up system resources and allows overall system resources to be used more efficiently.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a telecommunications network comprising the steps of:

recognizing a condition;

initiating a call including a special calling party number;

detecting an AIN trigger when said call reaches a point in the telecommunications network;

transmitting a query message including said special calling party number;

receiving said query message including said special calling party number; and

storing an indicator of said condition in response to receiving said special calling party number.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

recognizing a change of said condition;

initiating another call including another special calling party number;

detecting an AIN trigger when said other call reaches a point in the telecommunications network;

transmitting another query message including said other special calling party number;

receiving said other query message including said other special calling party number; and

updating said indicator of said condition in response to receiving said other special calling party number.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said special party numbers are different.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein said step of updating said indicator includes a step of updating said indicator to a status existing prior to said step of storing.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of recognizing a condition includes a step of determining a status associated with a subscriber telephone number and said step of initiating a call includes a step of calling said subscriber telephone number.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of detecting an AIN trigger is performed at a terminating switch serving a subscriber telephone line.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said step of initiating a call includes calling a telephone number of said subscriber telephone line.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of storing an indicator of said condition in response to receiving said special calling party number includes a step of setting a flag as part of a call processing record of an associated subscriber.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising a step of transmitting a disconnect request.

10. A telecommunications system comprising:

a switched telephone network including a plurality of a service switching points (SSPs) (i) interconnected by a plurality of trunks for carrying customer traffic and (ii) connected to a private operations data network for communicating control messages;

a database storing call processing records associated with respective subscribers of said switched telephone network, said database responsive to a special calling party number to set a service status flag of one of said subscribers.

11. The telecommunications system of claim 10 further comprising a server configured to detect a condition and, in response, initiate a call including said special calling party number.

12. The telecommunications system of claim 10 further comprising a server configured to detect a condition associated with said one subscriber and, in response, initiate said call to said one subscriber including said special calling party number, said special calling party number being indicative of said condition.

13. The telecommunications system of claim 10 wherein said service status flag is also associated with said one subscriber.

14. The telecommunications system of claim 10 wherein said private operations data network is configured to transmit said special calling party number to said database and said database is configured to set said service status flag as part of a call processing record associated with said one subscriber.

15. The telecommunications system of claim 10 wherein an SSP serving said one subscriber is configured to selectively route an incoming call in response to a message from said database, said message reflecting a status of said service status flag.

16. The telecommunications system of claim 10 wherein said database comprises a service control point connected to said private operations data network.

17. The telecommunications system of claim 10 wherein said private operations data network comprises a common channel signaling network.

18. A switched telephone network comprising:

(i) a plurality of a service switching points (SSPs) configurable to provision triggers associated with telephone lines of designated ones of subscribers served by respective ones of said SSPs and responsive to incoming calls to respective ones of said designated subscribers to initiate a query message;

(ii) a plurality of trunks for carrying customer traffic between said SSPs;

(iii) at least one signaling transfer point (STP) connected to receive said query message from said SSPs;

(iv) a private operations data network connecting said SSPs to said at least one signaling transfer point (STP); and

(v) a service control point (SCP) connected to said at least one STP for receiving said query message and storing service status indicators associated with each of said designated subscribers and responsive to a special calling party number to set one of said service status indicators associated with one of said designated subscribers.

19. The telecommunications system of claim 18 wherein said SSP is configured to transmit a query message including said special calling party number to said SCP.

20. A method of processing an incoming call from a calling party to a telephone line serving a called party, comprising the steps of:

identifying a connection status of said telephone line of said called party to a data network including

(a) initiating a call to said called party using a special calling party number, and

(b) in response to said special calling party number, setting a status indicator of said telephone line; and

processing the incoming call in response to said status indicator.