Communication system and method of routing calls to a terminating end point

• US 20060245573A1
• Filed: 05/02/2005
• Published: 11/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Original Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Inventors: Johnson, Jeffrey Paul, Sheth, Niral, Ku, Bernard Siu-Man
• Granted Patent: US 7,702,092 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/221.130
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4557 Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42297 with number portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/128 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables

Abstract

A method of determining a telephony network node for routing a call is disclosed. The method includes receiving a call request at a service provider node, the call request including a called number to reach a called party. The method further includes sending a combined telephone number mapping (ENUM) and local number portability (LNP) query from the service provider node to a remote ENUM database, the combined ENUM/LNP query including the called number. The method further includes receiving a response to the combined ENUM/LNP query at the service provider node. The response includes one of an internet protocol address that identifies a node of an internet protocol network, a local routing number (LRN) to be used to route the call to a uniquely identified switching node of a circuit-switched network, or a return of the called number to indicate that the called number can be used to route the call to the called party.

Claims

1. A method of determining a telephony network node for routing a call, the method comprising:

receiving a call request at a service provider node, the call request including a called number to reach a called party;

sending a combined telephone number mapping (ENUM) and local number portability (LNP) query from the service provider node to a remote ENUM database, the combined ENUM/LNP query including the called number;

receiving a response to the combined ENUM/LNP query at the service provider node, the response including one of an internet protocol address that identifies a node of an internet protocol network, a local routing number (LRN) to be used to route the call to a uniquely identified switching node of a circuit-switched network, or a return of the called number to indicate that the called number can be used to route the call to the called party.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the called number is an E.164 ten digit number.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the ENUM database makes a query to an LNP database prior to providing the response to the combined ENUMJLNP query from the service provider node.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the query to the LNP database includes the called number and wherein the LNP database maps the called number to the local routing number when the called number is identified as a ported number.

5. A method of routing a call comprising:

receiving a combined telephone number mapping (ENUM) and local number portability (LNP) query from a service provider node at an ENUM database, the combined ENUM/LNP query including a called number;

accessing the ENUM database using the called number to identify an internet protocol address that is associated with the called number;

when the access to the ENUM database does not identify an internet protocol address indicating that the called number is not an internet protocol terminating call, sending a query to a local number portability (LNP) database;

receiving a response from the local number portability database, the response from the local number portability database including either a ported number or an indication that the called number is not a ported number;

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the called number is returned by the local portability number database to indicate that the called number is not a ported number.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising sending a response to the combined ENUM/LNP query to the service provider node after accessing the ENUM database.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising sending the response to the combined ENUM/LNP query after receiving the response from the LNP database at the ENUM database.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the response to the combined ENUM/LNP query includes one of an internet protocol address that identifies a node of an internet protocol network, a local routing number (LRN) associated with detection of a ported number, or an indication that the called number is not a ported number such that the called number can be used to route the call.

10. A communication system comprising:

a service provider network node including a soft switch element, the soft switch element of the service provider network node having an interface to receive a call request, the call request including a called number to reach a called party, the soft switch element including logic to send a combined telephone number mapping (ENUM) and local number portability (LNP) query to a remote ENUM database, the combined ENUM/LNP query including the called number; and

a data network coupled to the service provider network node and to the remote ENUM database;

wherein the soft switch element of the service provider network node includes an interface to receive a response message to the combined ENUM/LNP query, the response message including one of an internet protocol address that identifies a node of an internet protocol network, a local routing number (LRN), the LRN to uniquely identify a switching node of a circuit-switched network, or an indication that the called number is not a ported number such that the called number can be used to route the call to the called party.

11. The communication system of claim 10, wherein the data network is an internet protocol (IP) backbone network.

12. The communication system of claim 10, wherein the response message identifies a ported number via a local routing number and wherein the soft switch uses the local routing number to route the call to the ported number.

13. The communication system of claim 10, wherein the response message identifies the internet protocol address and wherein the soft switch element routes the call using a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) connection to a terminating WP network node identified by the internet protocol address.

14. A communication system comprising:

a local number portability (LNP) database including a plurality of stored local routing numbers that correspond to ported numbers;

a telephone number mapping database coupled to the LNP database via a data connection, such that the ENUM database can send a query to the LNP database to retrieve at least one of the stored local routing numbers.

15. The communication system of claim 14, wherein the ENUM database includes logic to receive a combined telephone number mapping (ENUM) and local number portability (LNP) query from a service provider node, the combined query including a called number, and wherein the ENUM database includes logic to initiate a query to the local number portability database.

16. The communication system of claim 15, wherein the ENUM database further includes logic to receive a response from the local number portability database, the response from the local number portability database including either a ported number or an indication that the called number is not a ported number.

17. The communication system of claim 16, wherein the ENUM database further includes logic to send a response to the combined ENUM/LNP query to the service provider.

18. The communication system of claim 17, wherein the ENUM database sends the response to the combined ENUM/LNP query after receiving the response from the LNP database.

19. The communication system of claim 14, wherein the data connection is a signaling system seven (SS7) link.

20. The communication system of claim 14, wherein the data connection is an IP connection.

21. The communication system of claim 18, wherein the response to the combined ENUMALNP query includes one of an internet protocol address that identifies a node of an internet protocol network, a local routing number (LRN) to route the call to a uniquely identified switching node of a circuit-switched network, or an indication that the called number is not a ported number such that the called number can be used to route the call.