System and method for determining characteristics of international calls

• US 20040032942A1
• Filed: 01/22/2003
• Published: 02/19/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SBC Properties, L.P.
• Original Assignee: SBC Properties, L.P.
• Inventors: Halpern, Jackie A., Berelian, Elias, Baker, Lesley A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,110,513 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/06 Recording class or number of calling , i.e. A-party or called party , i.e. B-party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/16 according to connection obtained
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/43 Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/206 composed of PSTN and wireless network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0152 General billing plans, rate plans, e.g. charge rates, numbering plans, rate centers, customer accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0164 Billing record, e.g. Call Data Record [CDR], Toll Ticket[TT], Automatic Message Accounting [AMA], Call Line Identifier [CLI], details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/00 Arrangements for interconnection between switching centres
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13097 Numbering, addressing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13102 Common translator
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13141 Hunting for free outlet, circuit or channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/66 Traffic distributors

Abstract

A system for providing termination information for an international telephone number includes a centralized database of terminating characteristics. The system may also include request processing logic that receives an international telephone number from a user. In response to receiving the telephone number, the request processing logic may automatically query the centralized database to obtain information that indicates whether the telephone number uses wireless termination. In response to obtaining the information from the centralized database, the request processing logic may automatically transmit to the user a response that indicates whether the telephone number uses wireless termination. The system may also include a database engine that uses a tree structure of linked nodes to perform a longest matching prefix search on the telephone number in response to the request processing logic querying the centralized database.

Claims

1. An automated method of providing information for an international telephone number, the method comprising:

receiving an international telephone number from a user via a secure network connection;

in response to receiving the international telephone number, consulting a table of prefixes in a centralized database of characteristics to identify a longest matching prefix for the international telephone number;

in response to identifying the longest matching prefix, automatically consulting a location table in the centralized database to retrieve location information associated with the longest matching prefix; and

in response to retrieving the location information associated with the longest matching prefix, automatically transmitting the location information to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the location information comprises two or more characteristics selected from the group of characteristics consisting of:

service type;

country identifier;

city identifier; and

carrier name.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the centralized database includes prefixes for telephone numbers for multiple nations outside the North American Numbering Plan (NANP).

4. A system for providing information for an international telephone number, the system comprising:

a centralized database of telephone characteristics;

a tree structure of multiply-linked nodes in the centralized database, wherein the tree structure serves as a prefix table;

request processing logic that performs operations comprising;

receiving an international telephone number from a user;

in response to receiving the international telephone number, automatically querying the centralized database to obtain location information about the international telephone number; and

in response to obtaining the location information from the centralized database, automatically transmitting the location information in a response to the user; and

a database engine that uses the tree structure to perform a longest matching prefix search on the international telephone number in response to the request processing logic querying the centralized database.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the location information comprises two or more characteristics selected from the group of characteristics consisting of:

service type;

country identifier;

city identifier; and

carrier name.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the centralized database includes prefixes for telephone numbers for multiple nations outside the North American Numbering Plan (NANP).

7. A program product for providing information for an international telephone number, the program product comprising:

a computer-usable medium; and

computer instructions encoded in the computer-usable medium, wherein the computer instructions perform operations comprising;

receiving an international telephone number from a user;

in response to receiving the international telephone number, automatically querying a centralized database of characteristics to obtain location information about the international telephone number; and

automatically transmitting the location information in a response to the user; and

wherein the operation of automatically querying the centralized database comprises;

automatically consulting a table of prefixes in the centralized database to identify a longest matching prefix for the international telephone number, wherein the centralized prefix database includes prefixes for telephone numbers for multiple nations outside the North American Numbering Plan (NANP); and

in response to identifying the longest matching prefix, automatically consulting a location table in the centralized prefix database to retrieve the location information associated with the longest matching prefix.

8. The program product of claim 7, wherein the location information comprises two or more characteristics selected from the group of characteristics consisting of:

service type;

country identifier;

city identifier; and

carrier name.

9. The program product of claim 7, further comprising the centralized database, encoded in the computer-usable medium.

10. The program product of claim 9, further comprising:

a prefix table implemented as a tree structure of multiply-linked nodes in the centralized database; and

wherein the computer instructions encoded in the computer-usable medium further comprise a database engine that uses the tree structure to find the longest matching prefix for the international telephone number.

11. The program product of claim 9, wherein the centralized database of characteristics includes prefixes for telephone numbers for multiple nations outside the North American Numbering Plan (NANP).