Methods, apparatus and data structures for managing distributed communication systems

• US 20070115922A1
• Filed: 10/19/2005
• Published: 05/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Original Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Inventors: Dudley, David, Schneider, Marco, Cunetto, Philip
• Granted Patent: US 7,924,987 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for authorizing and allocating outdial communication services are disclosed. A disclosed system comprises an application server to initiate an outdial communication service, a gateway to transport the outdial communication service from the application server to an access network via a shared communication facility, and a policy server to selectively authorize the initiated outdial service and, if the outdial service is authorized, to allocate a portion of the shared communication facility to the authorized outdial service.

Claims

1. A messaging system for use in a telecommunications network, comprising:

an operations data structure having enterprise information associated with an enterprise having a set of subscribers, and having network information specifying a communication network communicatively coupling a plurality of message centers to the set of subscribers; and

a plurality of directory data structures associated with respective ones of the plurality of message centers, wherein the operations data structure includes message center identification information linking the enterprise to selected ones of the plurality of message centers, wherein the plurality of directory data structures include subscriber linking information indicative of which of the set of subscribers is associated with each of the selected ones of the plurality of message centers, wherein a first portion of the enterprise information stored in the operations data structure is stored in each of the plurality of directory data structures which are linked with the enterprise, and wherein each directory data structure includes message center-specific information different from other message center-specific information stored in others of the plurality of directory data structures.

2. A messaging system as defined in claim 1, wherein the operations data structure includes an access number data structure to store call forwarding numbers associated with the set of subscribers.

3. A messaging system as defined in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of directory data structures includes a plurality of subscriber groups, wherein each of the plurality of subscriber groups is associated with a common subscriber characteristic, and wherein each subscriber in the sets of subscribers is assigned to one of the plurality of subscriber groups based on the common subscriber characteristics.

4. A messaging system as defined in claim 3, wherein the common subscriber characteristic includes a business division name.

5. A messaging system as defined in claim 1, further comprising an administrator table, a group table, and a permission table to indicate access rights of administrators to at least one of the operations data structure or the plurality of directory data structures based on linkings of administrator identifications, group identifications, and permission identifications.

6. A messaging system as defined in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of message centers comprise at least one application server and a respective one of the plurality of directory data structures, wherein the application server uses the directory data structure associated with the respective one of the plurality of message centers to determine a group identifier associated one of the set of subscribers.

7. A messaging system as defined in claim 1, wherein the operations data structure is co-located with the plurality of message centers at a first site.

8. A messaging system as defined in claim 7, further comprising a second site comprising a second operations data structure and at least one message center.

9. A messaging system as defined in claim 8, wherein the operations data structure and the second operations data structure are communicatively coupled to share configuration information common to the operations data structure and the second operations data structure.

10. A messaging system as defined in claim 1, wherein the operations data structure is located at a first site and the plurality of message centers are located at a second site.

11. A messaging system as defined in claim 1, wherein the operations data structure is co-located with the plurality of message centers at a first site, and further comprising a second plurality of message centers at a second site, wherein the operations data structure comprises network information specifying a second communication network communicatively coupling the second plurality of message centers to a second set of subscribers.

12. A message center comprising:

an application server; and

a directory data structure, wherein the application server uses information contained in the directory structure to associate a subscriber with an identifier representative of a group of subscribers, wherein the application server is communicatively coupled to a communication device to provide a communication service associated with the subscriber, and wherein the communication device uses the identifier to determine at least one of an authorization or a route for the communication service.

13. A message center as defined in claim 12, wherein the identifier is at least one of an access number, an outdial resource group, a call tree access number, a call tree number, or a call forwarding number.

14. A message center as defined in claim 12, wherein the communication device is at least one of a policy server, a gateway or a gatekeeper.

15. A message center as defined in claim 12, wherein the communication device is communicatively coupled to an operations data structure containing information associated with the identifier.

16. A message center as defined in claim 12, wherein the directory structure is associated with an operations data structure, wherein the operations data structure contains information to determine at least one of an authorization or a route for the communication service based on the identifier.

17. A message center as defined in claim 12, further comprising a second application server, wherein the second application server uses information contained in the directory structure to associate the subscriber with the identifier representative of the group of subscribers, wherein the second application server is communicatively coupled to the communication device to provide a second communication service associated with the subscriber, and wherein the communication device uses the identifier to determine at least one of an authorization or a route for the second communication service.

18. A message center as defined in claim 12, further comprising a second application server, wherein the second application server uses information contained in the directory structure to transfer a communication service from the second application server to the application server.

19. A method of provisioning a communications and message system, comprising:

selecting a message center;

obtaining communications network configuration information to provide services to subscribers assigned to the message center;

storing at least some of the communications network configuration information in an operations database coupled to the message center; and

storing subscriber information in the message center, wherein the subscriber information is associated with the subscribers assigned to the message center, wherein the subscriber information groups the subscribers into a plurality of subscriber groups based on respective ones of a plurality of group categories, and wherein the subscriber information and the communications network configuration information enable the message center to provide communication services to the subscribers.

20. A method as defined in claim 19, wherein each of the grouping categories is associated with a different business function.

21. A method as defined in claim 19, further comprising:

assigning a range of telephone numbers to at least some of the subscribers; and

assigning a call forwarding number to the range of telephone numbers, wherein the call forwarding number is associated with forwarding telephone calls associated with the subscribers to the message center.

22. A method as defined in claim 21, further comprising configuring at least one of a public switched telephone network of a voice over internet protocol network with the call forwarding number.

23. A method as defined in claim 19, further comprising storing administrator permissions in the operations database to enable an administrator to manage subscriber services associated with the message center.

24. An article of manufacture storing machine readable instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to:

select a message center;

obtain communications network configuration information to provide services to subscribers assigned to the message center;

store at least some of the communications network configuration information in an operations database coupled to the message center; and

store subscriber information in the message center, wherein the subscriber information is associated with the subscribers assigned to the message center, wherein the subscriber information groups the subscribers into a plurality of subscriber groups based on respective ones of a plurality of group categories, and wherein the subscriber information and the communications network configuration information enable the message center to provide communication services to the subscribers.

25. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 24, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to:

assign a range of telephone numbers to at least some of the subscribers; and

assign a call forwarding number to the range of telephone numbers, wherein the call forwarding number is associated with forwarding telephone calls associated with the subscribers to the message center.

26. A message center comprising:

an application server, wherein the application server determines an access number from a call setup; and

a communication device communicatively coupled to the application server to provide a communication service for a subscriber, wherein the communication device uses the access number to determine at least one an admittance, an authorization or a route for the communication service.

27. A message center as defined in claim 26, wherein the communication device is at least one of a policy server, a gateway or a gatekeeper.

28. A message center as defined in claim 26, wherein the communication device is communicatively coupled to an operations data structure containing information associated with the access number.

29. A message center as defined in claim 28, wherein the operations data structure contains information to authorize the communication server based on the access number.

30. A message center as defined in claim 28, wherein the operations data structure contains information to determine the route based on the access number.

31. A message center as defined in claim 26, further comprising a second application server communicatively coupled to the communication device to provide a second communication service associated with the subscriber, and wherein the communication device uses the access number to determine a route for the second communication service.

32-60. -60. (canceled)