Telephone interexchange call routing
First Claim
1. A method of finding a route for a telephone call, comprising the steps of:
- selecting a plurality of possible call routes on the basis of a carrier designated to carry the call;
selecting one of the selected plurality of routes on the basis of characteristics associated with the call; and
attempting to establish the selected route for the call.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Disclosed are schemes for selecting an interexchange telephone call carrier, selecting a route to the selected carrier, and establishing a call path on the selected route to the selected carrier in a multicarrier environment. To select a call route from a local telephone company switching office to a carrier switching office, first a route identifier is generated which comprises a set of keys to a data base for identifying therein a default route to the selected carrier. Then alternative sets of keys are obtained from data base by translating the class of service characteristics of the call and the called number. The set of keys identifying the default route is modified with those keys of the alternative key sets that are defined, to obtain alternative route identifiers, and the keys of the various route identifiers are modified by the carrier identification code. Route identifiers are then sequentially selected from the alternative and default route identifiers to obtain one route identifier that identifies in the data base a descriptor of a route that is defined. The defined route is then established, if possible.
154 Citations
45 Claims
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1. A method of finding a route for a telephone call, comprising the steps of:
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selecting a plurality of possible call routes on the basis of a carrier designated to carry the call; selecting one of the selected plurality of routes on the basis of characteristics associated with the call; and attempting to establish the selected route for the call. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method of finding a route for a telephone call, comprising the steps of:
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selecting a plurality of possible routes for the call on the basis of a carrier designated to carry the call; identifying a default route among the selected plurality of possible routes; selecting at least one alternative route from the selected plurality of possible routes on the basis of characteristics associated with the telephone call; determining whether a route sequentially selected from the at least one alternative and the default routes is defined; and attempting to establish the sequentially selected route for the telephone call if the sequentially selected route is determined to be defined. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of finding an interexchange route for a telephone call at a switching office, comprising the steps of:
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generating a route identifier comprising a plurality of keys to a data base for identifying in the data base a descriptor of a default call route to a carrier designated to carry the call; obtaining from data-base contents, associated with class-of-service characteristics of the call and with a called number associated with the call, an alternative key set comprising at least one alternative key; modifying the keys of the default route identifier with defined keys of the alternative key set to obtain at least one alternative route identifier for identifying in the data base at least one descriptor of an alternative call route to the designated carrier; accessing in the data base a route descriptor identified by a route identifier sequentially selected from the at least one alternative and the default route identifiers; determining whether the accessed route descriptor defines a route; and attempting to establish the route for the telephone call, if the accessed route descriptor is determined to define the route. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of finding an interexchange route for a telephone call at a switching office, comprising the steps of:
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generating a route identifier comprising a plurality of keys to a data base for identifying in the data base a descriptor of a default call route to a carrier designated to carry the call; obtaining from data-base contents, associated with at least one of class-of-service characteristics of the call and a called number associated with the call, a first alternative key set comprising at least one alternative key; obtaining from data base contents, associated with an incoming path of the call, a second alternative key set comprising at least one alternative key; modifying the keys of the default route identifier with defined keys of the first alternative key set to obtain at least one alternative route identifier for identifying in the data base at least one descriptor of an alternative call route to the designated carrier; modifying the keys of the at least one alternative route identifier with defined keys of the second alternative key set to obtain the least one preferred route identifier for identifying in the data base at least one descriptor of a preferred route to the designated carrier; accessing in the data base a route descriptor identified by a route identifier sequentially selected from the at least one preferred, the at least one alternative, and the default route identifiers; determining whether the accessed route descriptor defines a route; and attempting to establish the route for the telephone call if the accessed route descriptor is determined to define the route. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method of finding an interexchange route for a telephone call at a switching office, comprising the steps of:
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analyzing information identifying a carrier designated to carry the telephone call to obtain a first key identifying one of a plurality of first relations in a data base; obtaining from the one first relation identified by the first key a second key identifying one of a plurality of second relations in the data base, each of the second relations having a plurality of entries; analyzing information specifying first characteristics associated with the call to obtain a third key identifying one of the plurality of entries of the one second relation identified by the second key; obtaining from the one second relation entry identified by the third key a fourth key identifying one of a plurality of third relations in the data base, each third relation having a plurality of entries; analyzing information specifying second characteristics associated with the call to obtain a fifth key identifying one of the plurality of entries of the one third relation identified by the fourth key; and attempting to route the telephone call on a route defined by the one third relation entry identified by the fifth key. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A telephone switching system for finding a route for a telephone call, comprising
first operational means, for selecting a plurality of possible call routes on the basis of a carrier designated to carry the call; -
second operational means, cooperative with the first means, for selecting one of the selected plurality of routes on the basis of characteristics associated with the call; and third operational means, cooperative with the second means, for establishing the selected route for the call. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32)
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33. A telephone switching system for finding a route for a telephone call, comprising:
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first operational means, for selecting a plurality of possible routes for the call on the basis of a carrier designated to carry the call; second operational means, cooperative with the first means, for identifying a default route among the selected plurality of possible routes; third operational means, cooperative with the first means, for selecting at least one alternative route from the selected plurality of possible routes on the basis of characteristics associated with the telephone call; fourth operational means, cooperative with the second and the third means, for selecting a route sequentially from the at least one alternative and the default routes; fifth operational means, cooperative with the fourth means, for determining whether the sequentially selected route is defined; and sixth operational means, cooperative with the fifth means, for establishing the sequentially selected route for the telephone call if the sequentially selected route is determined to be defined. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35)
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36. A telephone switching system for finding an interexchange route for a telephone call at the switching system, comprising:
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first operational means, for storing a data base; second operational means, cooperative with the first means, for generating a route identifier comprising a plurality of keys to the data base for identifying in the data base a descriptor of a default call route to a carrier designated to carry the call; third operational means, cooperative with the first means, for obtaining from data base information, associated with class-of-service characteristics of the call and with a called number associated with the call, a first and a second plurality of alternative keys; fourth operational means, cooperative with the second and the third means, for modifying the keys of the default route identifier with defined keys of the first and the second pluralities of alternative keys to obtain at least one alternative route identifier for identifying in the data base at least one descriptor of an alternative call route to the designated carrier; fifth operational means, cooperative with the second and the fourth means, for selecting a route identifier sequentially from the at least one alternative and the default route identifiers; sixth operational means, cooperative with the first means and the fifth means, for accessing in the data base the route descriptor identified by the sequentially selected route identifier; seventh operational means, cooperative with the sixth means, for determining whether the accessed route descriptor defines a route; and eighth operational means, cooperative with the seventh means, for establishing the route for the telephone call if the accessed route descriptor is determined to define the route. - View Dependent Claims (37)
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38. A telephone switching system for finding an interexchange route for a telephone call at the switching system, comprising:
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first operational means, for storing a data base; second operational means, cooperative with the first means, for generating a route identifier comprising a plurality of keys to the data base for identifying in the data base a descriptor of a default call route to a carrier designated to carry the call; third operational means, cooperative with the first means, for obtaining from data base information, associated with at least one of class-of-service characteristics of the call and a called number associated with the call, a first plurality of alternative keys; fourth operational means, cooperative with the third means, for obtaining from data base information, associated with an incoming path of the call, a second plurality of alternative keys; fifth operational means, cooperative with the second and the third means, for modifying the keys of the default route identifier with defined keys of the first plurality of alternative keys to obtain at least one alternative route identifier for identifying in the data base at least one descriptor of an alternative call route to the designated carrier; sixth operational means, cooperative with the fourth and the fifth means, for modifying the keys of the at least one alternative route identifier with defined keys of the second plurality of alternative keys to obtain at least one preferred route identifier for identifying in the data base at least one descriptor of a preferred route to the designated carrier; seventh operational means, cooperative with the second, the fifth, and the sixth means, for selecting a route identifier sequentially from the at least one preferred, the at least one alternative, and the default route identifiers; eighth operational means, cooperative with the first means and the seventh means, for accessing in the data base the route descriptor identified by the sequentially selected route identifier; ninth operational means, cooperative with the eighth means, for determining whether the accessed route descriptor defines a route; and tenth operational means, cooperative with the ninth means, for establishing the route for the telephone call if the accessed route descriptor is determined to define the route. - View Dependent Claims (39)
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40. A telephone switching system for finding an interexchange route for a telephone call at the switching system, comprising:
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first operational means, for storing a data base; second operational means, cooperative with the first means, for analyzing information identifying a carrier designated to carry the telephone call to obtain a first key identifying one of a plurality of first relations in a data base; third operational means, cooperative with the first means and the second means, for obtaining from the first relation identified by the first key a second key identifying one of a plurality of second relations in the data base, each of the second relations having a plurality of entries; fourth operational means, cooperative with the first means, for analyzing information specifying first characteristics associated with the call to obtain a third key identifying one of the plurality of entries of the one second relation identified by the second key; fifth operational means, cooperative with the first means and the fourth means, for obtaining from the second relation entry identified by the third key a fourth key identifying one of a plurality of third relations in the data base, each third relation having a plurality of entries; sixth operational means, cooperative with the first means, for analyzing information specifying second characteristics associated with the call to obtain a fifth key identifying one of the plurality of entries of the third relation identified by the fourth key; and seventh operational means, cooperative with the first means and the sixth means, for routing the telephone call on a route defined by the one third relation entry identified by the fifth key. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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Specification