Method and System for Message Routing

• US 20070121806A1
• Filed: 10/03/2006
• Published: 05/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bedingfield, James
• Granted Patent: US 8,059,792 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/67.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/206 composed of PSTN and wireless network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5322 for recording text messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/537 Arrangements for indicating the presence of a recorded message , whereby the presence information might include a preview or summary of the message
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/54 Arrangements for diverting calls for one subscriber to another predetermined subscriber based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; to voice mail H04M3/53308
• 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 2213/13175 Graphical user interface [GUI], WWW interface, visual indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13345 Intelligent networks, SCP
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13377 Recorded announcement
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems

Abstract

A method and system for forwarding information, such as a message waiting indicator (MWI) message, to a telephone number corresponding to a foreign network (e.g., a wireless network) and a shared NPA/NXX—The invention evaluates individual telephone numbers of shared NPA/NXXs to determine to what networks to send messages. A representative embodiment of the invention uses a service control point and service package application to deliver an MWI message from a messaging service provider to a wireless (i e., foreign network) telephone number of a shared NPA/NXX, Shared NPA/NXXs are marked as “portable” in a signal transfer point for forwarding to the service control point, which determines whether the shared NPA/NXX telephone numbers require local number portability global title translation or should be forwarded to an inter-switch voicemail routing (ISVMR) service package application. The ISVMR service package application determines the point code to which the MWI message should be routed.

Claims

1. A method for routing a message waiting indicator message, the method comprising:

receiving the message waiting indicator message;

determining a network associated with a telephone number; and

routing the message waiting indicator message to the associated network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the network associated with a telephone number comprises:

consulting a database that associates the telephone number with a network identification corresponding to the associated network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the associated network is a wireless network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the message waiting indicator message is received from a unified messaging system, and wherein the message waiting indicator message comprises an indicator for indicating receipt of data in the integrated unified messaging system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the associated network comprises a global computer network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the global computer network comprises the Internet and the message waiting indicator message comprises an Internet-based message waiting indicator message.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the Internet-based message waiting indicator message generates a pop-up alert displayed over a graphical user interface.

8. A method for sending a message waiting indicator message, the method comprising:

receiving the message waiting indicator message;

determining a network associated with a telephone number; and

routing the message waiting indicator message to the associated network, wherein the associated network comprises the Internet and the message waiting indicator message comprises an Internet-based message waiting indicator message.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining a network associated with a telephone number comprises consulting the subscriptions database to determine a network identification associated with the telephone number.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the message waiting indicator message is received from a unified messaging system, and wherein the message waiting indicator message comprises an indicator for indicating receipt of data in the integrated unified messaging system.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the message waiting indicator message further includes the data.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the Internet-based message waiting indicator message generates a pop-up alert displayed over a graphical user interface.

13. A computer readable medium containing a computer program for routing an Internet-based message waiting indicator message, the computer readable medium comprising:

logic for receiving the Internet-based message waiting indicator message;

logic for determining a network associated with a telephone number; and

logic for routing the Internet-based message waiting indicator message to the associated network.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13 wherein the Internet-based message waiting indicator message generates a pop-up alert displayed over a graphical user interface.

15. A method for sending a message waiting indicator message to a destination, the method comprising:

receiving the message waiting indicator message;

determining a network associated with a telephone number; and

routing the message waiting indicator message to the associated network, wherein the message waiting indicator message is for use in generation of an alert display on a device in communication with the associated network.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the associated network is a wireless network.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the associated network is the Internet.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the device is a computer.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the device is a telephone.

20. The method of claim 15 further comprising translating the message waiting indicator message to a protocol compatible with the associated network.