Method of operating and configuring a telecommunication system; dispatcher software for identifying a client therein and telecommunication apparatus containing same

• US 20050243720A1
• Filed: 03/16/2005
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tenovis GmbH & Company KG (Avaya Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Tenovis GmbH & Company KG (Avaya Incorporated)
• Inventors: Rodewald, Frank, Rauth, Hermann, Kayser, Udo
• Granted Patent: US 7,924,994 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/382 using authorisation codes or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42272 whereby the subscriber registers to the terminals for personalised service provision
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/44 Additional connecting arrangements for providing access to frequently-wanted subscribers, e.g. abbreviated dialling at the subscriber's set H04M1/27; automatic redialling H04M3/424
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13097 Numbering, addressing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1322 PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13222 PBX circuits in public exchange, centrex
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13288 Closed user groups, CUG
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13384 Inter-PBX traffic, PBX networks, e.g. corporate networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/54533 Configuration data, translation, passwords, databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/62 for connecting to private branch exchanges

Abstract

A telecommunications system has a plurality of mutually independent clients each having a plurality of terminal devices connecting to the telecommunication system and provided in groups. A client specific identification KID and a group specific identification ZID are assigned. A dispatcher number storage can serve to assign the KID and ZID from an E.164 incoming call for routing purposes and to determine whether calls will be executed internally or externally.

Claims

1. A method of operating a telecommunications system which can be used by a plurality of mutually independent clients each having a plurality of terminal devices connected to the telecommunications system, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) assigning to each of said clients a client-specific client identification KID;

(b) forming for each client the terminal devices thereof into at least one terminal group, each terminal group having assigned thereto an unambiguous terminal-group access identification ZID; and

(c) providing call number schemes individual to each client with said call number scheme featuring client-terminal-group device call number schemes identical in part and expanded by said access identification ZID at least in part.

2. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising determining at a dispatcher a respective KID and a respective ZID from evaluation-relevant parts of a call number.

3. The method defined in claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a call;

determining a client identification KID from a called number from said received call;

assigning the call to the determined client identification KID; and

determining a respective access identification from the same called number.

4. The method defined in claim 3, further comprising the step of determining whether the called terminal device and a terminal device initiating said call belong to the same terminal device group.

5. The method defined in claim 4, further comprising the step of determining whether communication should be established between the called terminal device and the calling terminal device internally within the telecommunications system.

6. The method defined in claim 3, further comprising the step of deriving a sender KID and a sender ZID from an E.164 call number of the sender, and a target KID and a target ZID from an E.164 call umber number of a targeted device.

7. The method defined in claim 6 wherein the determination of the KID is effected with the aid of Dispatcher numbers stored in telecommunications equipment of the telecommunications system in the form of such parts of E.164 call numbers of subscribers connected to the telecommunications system which yield the KID and ZID assigned to the subscriber and based upon parts of a call number obtained for said call.

8. The method defined in claim 3 wherein telecommunications traffic over boundaries of a terminal device group is charged at a rate individual to that terminal device group.

9. The method defined in claim 3 wherein telecommunications traffic within a terminal device group is charged at a rate individual to that terminal device group.

10. The method defined in claim 3 wherein the telecommunications system has telecommunications equipment enabling the calling of an associated telecommunications apparatus for noninternal traffic beyond boundaries of a terminal device group, and wherein both the KID and ZID of caller and called devices are determined.

11. A method of configuring a telecommunications system which can be used by a plurality of mutually independent clients each having a plurality of terminal devices connected to the telecommunications system, said method comprising the following steps automatically effected in telecommunications equipment of the telecommunications system:

(a) assigning a client identification number KID to each of said clients;

(b) assigning an access identification number ZID to a group of said terminal devices;

(c) storing as dispatch numbers evaluation-relevant parts of E.164 call numbers of subscribers connected to the telecommunications system which are required to determined the ZID and KID thereof; and

(d) assigning the ZIDs and KIDS to the dispatch numbers.

12. The method defined in claim 11, further comprising the step of:

creating a table which shows for each value of a combination of a KID with a ZID whether internal traffic between subscribers within the telecommunications system is permissible.

13. Dispatcher software for use in a telecommunications system and programming at least one computer forming part of telecommunications equipment in said system which can be used by a plurality of mutually independent clients each having a plurality of terminal devices connected to the telecommunications system and wherein the terminal devices are combined in a plurality of terminal device groups, said software being configured to identify each client and each terminal device group by a client identification number KID assigned to the client and an access identification number ZID assigned to the terminal device group, to identify the client and the terminal device group with the aid of dispatch numbers stored in the telecommunications equipment utilizing a call number transmitted with a call, with the dispatch number being those parts of E. 164 numbers that are necessary for determination of KID and ZID.

14. A telecommunications apparatus containing the dispatcher software of claim 13.

15. A telecommunications system embodying the software of claim 13 and which contains a table of combinations of KID and ZID of calling and called subscribers providing information as to whether a connection can be made internally of the system or through an open net to which the system is connectable.