Automatic termination path configuration

• US 20080101235A1
• Filed: 10/31/2006
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: DeConcilis, Michael F.
• Granted Patent: US 8,406,221 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/034 Codec; PCM compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/05 Software aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13 Charging
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1305 Software aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1313 Metering, billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13138 Least cost routing, LCR
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13141 Hunting for free outlet, circuit or channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13353 Routing table, map memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13514 quality of service - inc. grade of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13524 cost management least cost H04Q2213/13138
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13541 routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13567 negotiation, management policy, goals
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/138 Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/06 for group or trunk group selectors
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/66 Traffic distributors

Abstract

There is provided herein a system and method for automatic configuration of data routings for use with electronic data such as phone calls, faxes, etc. In the preferred embodiment, when more than one carrier might potentially terminate the transmission, the carriers are ordered based on some screening criterion (e.g., transmission price). Data transmissions are then assigned to the carriers based on the sorting order, with the second place and lower carriers (e.g., the higher priced carriers) not being selected unless the first carrier cannot complete the transaction. The switch instructions necessary to implement this scheme are generated automatically.

Claims

1. A method of obtaining an international termination of a voice transmission from a customer to a predetermined termination destination, comprising the steps of:

a. obtaining said predetermined termination destination from the customer;

b. selecting a carrier that can provide access to said termination destination;

c. determining a routing for a signal path between a customer entry point accessible by the customer and a carrier exit point accessible by said selected carrier, wherein said signal path passes through at least one electronic switching device;

d. activating a computer program;

e. entering said routing structure into said computer program;

f. within said computer program, translating said routing structure into a plurality of switch instructions;

g. electronically communicating at least a portion of said plurality of switch instructions from said computer program to each of said at least one electronic switching devices in said signal path to in order to implement said routing;

h. receiving said voice transmission from said customer via said customer entry point;

i. transmitting said voice transmission from said customer entry point to said carrier exit point via said implemented routing according to said transmitted plurality of switch instructions; and

,

j. providing said transmitted voice transmission to said selected carrier at said carrier exit point.

2. A method of obtaining an international termination of a voice transmission from a customer to a predetermined termination destination according to claim 1, wherein said voice transmission is selected from a group consisting of an audio transmission, a video transmission, a fax transmission, and a data transmission.

3. A method of obtaining an international termination of a voice transmission from a customer to a predetermined termination destination according to claim 1, wherein step (b) comprises the steps of:

(b1) selecting a carrier that can provide access to said termination destination, and,

(b2) negotiating a rate structure with said selected carrier,

and, wherein claim 1 further comprises the step of;

(k) using at least said negotiated rate structure to determine a charge for said transmission of step (f), and,

(l) assessing said charge against said customer.

4. A method of obtaining an international termination of a voice transmission from a customer to a predetermined termination destination according to claim 1, wherein step (i) comprises the steps of:

(i1) compressing said voice transmission to produce a compressed signal,

(i2) transmitting said compressed signal from said customer entry point to said carrier exit point via said implemented routing according to said transmitted plurality of switch instructions,

(i3) expanding said transmitted compressed signal to produce an expanded voice transmission, and,

wherein step (j) comprises the step of;

(j1) providing said expanded voice signal to said selected carrier at said carrier exit point.

5. A method of configuring a signal path between a customer entry point and a termination destination, comprising the steps of:

a. selecting a carrier that can provide access to said termination destination;

b. determining a routing for a signal path between said customer entry point and a carrier exit point accessible by said selected carrier, wherein said signal path passes through at least one switching device;

c. encoding at least a portion of said routing in machine readable form, thereby producing machine readable routing information;

d. within a computer program, using said machine readable routing information to create a plurality of electronic switching instructions for use with each of said at least one switching devices;

e. automatically programming each of said at least one switching devices through which said routing passes according to at least one of said plurality of switching instructions, thereby creating said signal path between said customer entry point and said carrier exit point;

f. receiving a voice transmission from a customer via said customer entry point;

g. transmitting a signal representative of said voice transmission from said customer entry point to said carrier exit point via said created signal path; and

,

h. providing said signal representative of said transmitted voice transmission to said selected carrier at said carrier exit point for termination at said predetermined termination destination.

6. A method of obtaining an international termination of a voice transmission from a customer to an international termination destination, comprising the steps of:

a. selecting a carrier that can provide access to said international termination destination;

b. determining a network routing between a customer entry point and a carrier exit point, wherein said routing passes through at least one electronic switching device;

c. converting at least a portion of said determined network routing to machine readable form;

d. using at least said converted machine readable routing information to automatically generate a plurality of switch commands, wherein said plurality of switch commands when applied to each of said at least one electronic switching devices creates a signal path between said customer entry point and said carrier exit point;

e. communicating at least a portion of said plurality of switch commands to each of said at least one electronic switching devices;

f. applying said communicated switch commands to each of said electronic switching devices, thereby creating said signal path between said customer entry point and said carrier exit point;

g. receiving said voice transmission from said customer via said customer entry point;

h. transmitting said a signal representative of said voice transmission along at least a portion of said signal path;

i. using said transmitted signal representative of said voice signal to obtain a signal substantially equivalent to said voice transmission; and

,

j. providing said signal substantially equivalent to said voice transmission to said carrier at said carrier exit point for termination at said international termination destination.

7. A method of obtaining an international termination of a voice transmission from a customer to a predetermined termination destination according to claim 6, wherein said voice transmission is selected from a group consisting of an audio transmission, a video transmission, a fax transmission, and a data transmission.

8. A method of obtaining an international termination of a voice transmission from a customer to a predetermined termination destination according to claim 6, wherein step (a) comprises the steps of:

(a1) selecting a carrier that can provide access to said international termination destination, and,

(a2) negotiating a rate structure with said selected carrier,

and, wherein claim 6 further comprises the step of;

(k) using at least said negotiated rate structure to determine a charge for said transmission of step (f), and,

(l) assessing said charge against said customer.

9. A method of obtaining an international termination of a voice transmission from a customer to an international termination destination, comprising the steps of:

a. accessing a computerized database;

b. reading from said computerized database a plurality of carriers that can provide access to said international termination destination, wherein

(b1) each of said plurality of carriers has at least one screening variable value associated therewith, and,

(b2) each of said plurality of carriers is in electronic communication with at least one of a matching plurality of carrier exit points;

c. ordering said plurality of carriers according to said at least one screening variable values, thereby producing an ordered plurality of carriers;

d. determining a network routing between a customer entry point and each of said matching plurality of carrier exit points, wherein each of said network routings passes through at least one electronic switching device;

e. converting at least a portion of said determined network routings to machine readable form;

f. using at least said converted machine readable routing information and said ordered plurality of carriers to automatically generate a plurality of switch commands, wherein,

(f1) said plurality of switch commands when applied to each of said at least one electronic switching devices creates a signal path between said customer entry point and each of said matching plurality of carrier exit points, and,

(f2) said plurality of switch commands includes commands for automatically switching in order between said ordered plurality of carriers;

g. communicating at least a portion of said plurality of switch commands to each of said at least one electronic switching devices;

h. applying said communicated switch commands to each of said at least one electronic switching devices, thereby creating said signal path between said customer entry point and said carrier exit point;

i. receiving said voice transmission from said customer via said customer entry point;

j. determining whether a first of said ordered plurality of carriers can accept said voice transmission;

k. if said first of said ordered plurality of carriers will accept said voice transmission, selecting said first of said ordered plurality of carriers;

l. if said first of said ordered plurality of carriers will not accept said voice transmission, selecting a second of said ordered plurality of carriers;

m. utilizing at least a portion of said plurality of switch instructions to provide said voice transmission to said selected carrier; and

,

n. transmitting said voice transmission to said international termination destination via said selected carrier.

10. A method of obtaining an international termination of a voice transmission from a customer to an international termination destination according to claim 9, wherein step (l) comprises the steps of:

(l1) if said first of said ordered plurality of carriers will not accept said voice transmission, sequentially determining in order a next of said plurality of ordered carriers that will accept said voice transmission, and,

(l2) selecting next of said plurality of ordered carriers that will accept said voice transmission.

11. A method of obtaining an international termination of a voice transmission from a customer to a predetermined termination destination according to claim 9, wherein said voice transmission is selected from a group consisting of an audio transmission, a video transmission, a fax transmission, and a data transmission.

12. A method of obtaining an international termination of a voice transmission from a customer to a predetermined termination destination according to claim 9, wherein said at least one screening variable value is a transmission cost from a selected one of said matching carrier exit point to said international termination destination.