Methods, systems and computer program products for accessing number portability (NP) and E.164 number (ENUM) data using a common NP/ENUM data locator structure

• US 20070286379A1
• Filed: 11/29/2006
• Published: 12/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tekelec, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Tekelec
• Inventors: Wiatrowski, Maria A., Marathe, Rohini, Marsico, Peter J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,184,798 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/201.10
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4557 Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42297 with number portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0075 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables

Abstract

According to one aspect, the subject matter described herein comprises methods, systems, and computer program products for accessing number portability (NP) and E.164 number (ENUM) data in a combined NP/ENUM database. One method includes receiving a query including a telephone number (TN). A common NP/ENUM data locator structure is accessed to locate a pointer corresponding to the TN. In response to the query being a NP query, the pointer is used to locate NP data, and the NP data is returned. In response to the query being an ENUM query, the pointer is used to locate at least one URI and returning at least one uniform resource locators (URIs).

Claims

1. A method for accessing number portability (NP) and E.164 number (ENUM) data in a NP/ENUM database system, the method comprising:

(a) receiving a query including a telephone number (TN);

(b) accessing a common NP/ENUM data locator structure to locate a pointer corresponding to the TN;

(c) in response to the query being a NP query, using the pointer to locate NP data, and returning the NP data; and

(d) in response to the query being an ENUM query, using the pointer to locate at least one uniform resource indicator (URI), and returning at the least one URI.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing a common NP/ENUM data locator structure includes accessing a common NP/ENUM data locator structure located on the same hardware platform as the LNP and ENUM data.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing a common NP/ENUM data locator structure includes accessing a common ENUM/NP data locator structure located on a different hardware platform from at least one of the LNP and ENUM data.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing a common NP/ENUM data locator structure includes accessing a common ENUM/NP data locator structure located on a signal transfer point (STP).

5. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing a common NP/ENUM data locator structure includes accessing a common ENUM/NP data locator structure located on a server.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing a common NP/ENUM data locator structure includes accessing a common ENUM/NP data locator structure located on a service control point (SCP).

7. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing a common NP/ENUM data locator structure includes using the TN to traverse a plurality of tables corresponding to digits in the TN, wherein each of the tables corresponds to ranges of TN digits.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein accessing the plurality of tables includes determining whether ranges of digits in the TN correspond to ranges of TN digits for entries in each of the tables.

9. A method for accessing E.164 number (ENUM) data in a hierarchical ENUM database system, the method comprising:

(a) receiving an ENUM query;

(b) accessing an ENUM data structure to locate data corresponding to the query;

(c) in response to the located data including a uniform resource locator (URI), returning the URI; and

(d) in response to the located data including an location routing number (LRN), using the LRN to access a numbering plan area code and exchange number (NPA-NXX) data structure.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein using the LRN to access the NPA-NXX data structure includes:

(a) locating data corresponding to the LRN;

(b) in response to the data located in the NPA-NXX data structure including a URI, returning the URI; and

(c) in response to the data located in the NPA-NXX data structure including an operator carrier number (OCN), using the OCN to access an OCN data structure.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein accessing the OCN data structure includes locating a URI corresponding to the OCN and returning the URI.

12. A method for accessing peering agreement data in a NP/ENUM database system, the method comprising:

(a) maintaining an ENUM database including voice over IP (VoIP) peering agreement data;

(b) receiving an query for which VoIP peering agreement data is needed;

(c) locating VoIP peering agreement data in the ENUM database based on the ENUM query; and

(d) returning the located peering agreement data as a response to the query.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein maintaining an ENUM database including VoIP peering agreement data includes maintaining a first table mapping operator carrier numbers (OCNs) of different carriers to each other.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein maintaining an ENUM database including VoIP peering agreement data includes maintaining a second table mapping calling party source IP address information to calling party carrier OCN information.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein locating VoIP peering agreement data in the ENUM database includes querying the second table using a calling party IP address to locate a calling party carrier OCN and performing a lookup in the first table the calling party carrier OCN to locate an OCN of a carrier with which the carrier serving the calling party has a VoIP peering agreement.

16. A method for accessing number portability (NP) and E.164 number (ENUM) data, the method comprising:

(a) receiving a query including a telephone number (TN);

(b) accessing ENUM data to locate at least one uniform resource indicator (URI) corresponding to the TN;

(c) in response to locating at least one URI corresponding to the TN, returning the at least one URI to an originator of the query;

(d) in response to failing to locate at least one URI, accessing NP data using the TN to locate a routing number corresponding to the query; and

(e) in response to locating a routing number, returning the routing number to the originator of the query.

17. A combined number portability (NP)/E.164 number (ENUM) database system comprising:

(a) common NP/ENUM data locator structure including a plurality of range tables linked using pointers, wherein one of the tables includes a pointer to data corresponding to the pointer; and

(b) an access engine for receiving a query, for determining whether the query is an NP or an ENUM query, for accessing the combined NP/ENUM data locator structure and locating a pointer corresponding to the TN in the query, for in response to the query being an NP query, using the pointer to access NP data to locate an LRN corresponding to the query, and, for, in response to the query being an ENUM query, using the pointer to access ENUM data and locate a URI corresponding to the query.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the common NP/ENUM data locator structure is located on a signal transfer point (STP).

19. The system of claim 17 wherein the common NP/ENUM data locator structure is located on a service control point (SCP).

20. The system of claim 17 wherein the common NP/ENUM data locator structure is located on a server.

21. A hierarchical ENUM database system comprising:

(a) a first tier ENUM data structure including uniform resource identifiers (URIs) and location routing numbers (LRNs) accessible using telephone numbers (TNs);

(b) a second tier ENUM data structure including URIs accessible using the LRNs located in the first data structure; and

(c) an ENUM data access engine for accessing the first tier ENUM data structure and, in response to locating a URI, returning the URI, and in response to locating an LRN, using the LRN to access a second tier ENUM data structure.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the second tier ENUM data structure includes operator carrier numbers (OCNs).

23. The system of claim 22 comprising a third tier ENUM data structure comprising uniform resource indicators (URIs) accessible using the OCNs.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the ENUM data access engine is adapted to use the LRN to access the second tier data structure, and, in response to locating a URI in the second tier ENUM data structure, to return the URI.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein, in response to failing to locate a URI in the second tier ENUM data structure and locating an OCN in the second tier data structure, the ENUM data access engine is adapted to access the third tier ENUM data structure using the OCN and to return a URI corresponding to the OCN.

26. The system of claim 23 comprising at least one VoIP peering structure for identifying an OCN of a carrier serving a calling party and for mapping the OCN of the carrier serving the calling party to an OCN of a carrier that has an agreement with the carrier serving the calling party.

27. A computer program product comprising computer executable instructions embodied in a computer readable medium for performing steps comprising:

(a) receiving a query including a telephone number (TN);

(b) accessing a common NP/ENUM data locator structure to locate a pointer corresponding to the TN;

(c) in response to the query being a NP query, using the pointer to locate NP data, and returning the NP data; and

(d) in response to the query being an ENUM query, using the pointer to locate at least one uniform resource indicator (URI), and returning at the least one URI.

28. A computer program product comprising computer executable instructions embodied in a computer readable medium for performing steps comprising:

(a) receiving an ENUM query;

(b) accessing an ENUM data structure to locate data corresponding to the query;

(c) in response to the located data including a uniform resource locator (URI), returning the URI; and

(d) in response to the located data including an location routing number (LRN), using the LRN to access a numbering plan area code and exchange number (NPA-NXX) data structure.

29. A computer program product comprising computer executable instructions embodied in a computer readable medium for performing steps comprising:

(a) maintaining an ENUM database including voice over IP (VoIP) peering agreement data;

(b) receiving an query for which VoIP peering agreement data is needed;

(c) locating VoIP peering agreement data in the ENUM database based on the ENUM query; and

(d) returning the located peering agreement data as a response to the query.