Internationally accessible communications

• US 20040151297A1
• Filed: 02/03/2003
• Published: 08/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Cope, Warren B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,127,055 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13512 800 - freefone
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13533 multivendor and hybrid, e.g. public/private, networks, inc. international
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

A call processing system that is configured to communicate with a plurality of remote processors, wherein the call processing system comprises a routing system configured to receive signaling for a call wherein the signaling indicates a called number including an international country code, and a processing system configured to process the international code to select one of the remote processors from the plurality of remote processors. The processing system is further configured to transfer a remote processor query to the one remote processor and process a remote processor response from the one remote processor to transfer a routing instruction for the call to the routing system.

Claims

1. A method of operating a call processing system that is configured to communicate with a plurality of remote processors, the method comprising:

receiving signaling for a call wherein the signaling indicates a called number including an international country code;

processing the international country code to select one of the remote processors from the plurality of remote processors;

transferring a remote processor query to the one remote processor;

receiving a remote processor response from the one remote processor; and

processing the remote processor response to transfer a routing instruction for the call.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the call processing system comprises a routing system and a Service Control Point (SCP), wherein the SCP is configured to communicate with the plurality of remote processors, and wherein receiving the signaling for the call and processing the international country code to select the one remote processor comprises:

in the routing system, receiving a signaling message including the called number and the international country code and processing the international country code to transfer an SCP query including the international country code; and

in the SCP, receiving the SCP query and processing the international country code to select the one remote processor.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein receiving the signaling for the call comprises receiving the signaling in the SCP.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein transferring the remote processor query and receiving the remote processor response comprises transferring the remote processor query from the SCP and receiving the remote processor response in the SCP.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein processing the remote processor response to transfer the routing instruction comprises processing the remote processor response in the SCP to transfer an SCP response including the routing instruction, and further comprising:

in the routing system, receiving the SCP response; and

in the routing system, processing the routing instruction to route the call.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving the remote processor query in the one remote processor, processing the remote processor query in the one remote processor, and transferring the remote processor response from the one remote processor.

7. A call processing system that is configured to communicate with a plurality of remote processors, the call processing system comprising:

a routing system configured to receive signaling for a call wherein the signaling indicates a called number including an international country code; and

a processing system configured to process the international country code to select one of the remote processors from the plurality of remote processors, transfer a remote processor query to the one remote processor, and process a remote processor response from the one remote processor to transfer a routing instruction for the call to the routing system.

8. The call processing system of claim 7 wherein the processing system comprises an SCP configured to process the international country code to select the one remote processor.

9. The call processing system of claim 8 wherein the routing system is further configured to process the international country code to transfer an SCP query to the SCP including the international country code.

10. The call processing system of claim 9 wherein the SCP is further configured to transfer the remote processor query to the one remote processor, and process the remote processor response from the one remote processor to transfer the routing instruction for the call to the routing system.

11. The call processing system of claim 7 further comprising the one remote processor configured to receive the remote processor query from the processing system, process the remote processor query, and transfer the remote processor response to the processing system.

12. The call processing system of claim 11 wherein the remote processor response includes the routing instruction for the call.

13. A software product for a call processing system wherein the call processing system is configured to receive signaling indicating a called number including an international country code, transfer a remote processor query to one of a plurality of remote processors, receive a remote processor response from the one remote processor, and transfer a routing instruction, the software product comprising:

software configured to process the international country code to select the one remote processor from the plurality of remote processors, and process the remote processor response to generate the routing instruction; and

a storage system that stores the software.

14. The software product of claim 13 wherein the call processing system comprises an SCP.

15. The software product of claim 13 wherein the storage system comprises an SCP.