Method of and an arrangement for forwarding a customer order

• US 4,897,867 A
• Filed: 03/15/1988
• Issued: 01/30/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: American Telephone & Telegraph Company (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: American Telephone & Telegraph Company (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Foster, Robert W., Hirschman, Charles B., Todd, Marie L.
• Primary Examiner(s): George, Keith E.
• Application Number:
  US07/170,561
• Time in Patent Office: 686 Days
• Field of Search: 358/84-86, 455/2, 455/4, 455/5, 379/91-94, 379/101, 379/102, 379/104, 379/105, 379/127, 379/142, 379/201, 379/246
• US Class Current: 379/93.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/00 Telephonic communication systems specially adapted for combination with other electrical systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals

Abstract

A method and an arrangement are disclosed for forwarding a customer order received from a requesting customer line to a vendor data link. For use with a telecommunications switching system, the order entry arrangement includes a customer signal receiver for receiving customer signals from a requesting customer line and a processor for sending the orders received from the receiver to the vendor data link. The processor normally controls the operation of the switching network of the switching system but also sends received customer orders and the identity of the requesting line to a vendor data link in response to a customer entered order entry request code. Optional vendor identification information may be entered by the customer for selecting a desired vendor. Customer identification information may also be entered by the customer for billing and order security purposes. After the order is received, the order entry arrangement returns an order confirmation signal to the requesting line.

Claims

1. For use in a telephone switching system having a switching network for serving a plurality of customer lines and also having processor means for controlling establishment of connections through said network, an order entry arrangement for forwarding to a vendor data link a customer order received from a requesting one of said lines, said order indicating a desired selection, comprising:

receiver means for receiving customer signals including said customer order from said requesting line, and

wherein said processor means is responsive to said customer order received by said receiver means for sending said customer order to said vendor data link for the provision of said desired selection in response thereto without establishing a connection through said network to said vendor data link.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein each of said lines has an identity, wherein said processor means includes means for driving the identity of said requesting line, and wherein said processor means is for sending the derived identify of said requesting line and said customer order to said vendor data link.

4. The invention of claim 1 further comprising means for returning to said requesting line a configuration signal indicating the receipt of said customer order.

5. The invention of claim 1 wherein said processor means includes means for sending said customer order to a designated one of a plurality of vendor data links.

3. For use in a telephone switching system having a switching network for serving a plurality of customer lines and also having processor means for controlling establishment of connections through said network, an order entry arrangement for forwarding to a vendor data link a customer order received from a requesting one of said lines, said order indicating a desired selection, comprising:

receiver means for receiving customer signals including said customer order from said requesting line, and

wherein said processor means is responsive to said customer order received by said receiver means for sending said customer order to said vendor data link for the provision of said desired selection in response thereto without establishing a connection through said network to said vendor data link and wherein said processor means includes means responsive to a predetermined algorithm for detecting an incorrectly entered customer order received from said requesting line.

6. For use in a telephone switching system having a switching network serving a plurality of lines, an order entry arrangement for forwarding to a data link a customer order entered on a requesting one of said lines, said order indicating a desired section, comprising:

processor means of said switching system for controlling said network to establish a connection for a signal from said requesting line to said processor means; and

wherein said processor means includes means responsive to a customer order signal including said customer order received from said requesting line via said network for sending said customer order from said processor means to said data link for the provision of said desired selection in response thereto without establishing a connection through said network to said data link.

7. The invention of claim 6 wherein each of said lines has an identity, wherein said processor means further includes means for deriving the identity of said requesting line, and wherein said processor means is for sending the derived identity of said requesting line and said customer order to said data link.

8. For use in a telephone switching system having a switching network serving a plurality of customer lines, an order entry arrangement for forwarding to a vendor data link a customer order received from a requesting one of said lines, said order indicating a desired selection, comprising:

receiver means for receiving customer signals including said customer order from said requesting line via said network;

processor means of said switching system for controlling said network to interconnect said requesting line and said receiver means; and

wherein said processor means includes means responsive to said customer order received from said receiver means for sending said customer order from said processor means to said vendor data link for the provision of said desired selection in response thereto without establishing a connection through said network to said vendor data link.

9. The invention of claim 8 wherein each of said lines has an identity, wherein said processor means further includes means for deriving the identity of said requesting line, and wherein said processor means is for sending the derived identity of said requesting line and said customer order to said vendor data link.

10. The invention of claim 8 wherein said processor means further includes means for sending said customer order to said vendor data link over a path independent of said network and said receiver.

11. For use with a telephone switching system having a processor for controlling a switching network serving a plurality of lines and also having a customer signal receiver for serving said lines, a method of forwarding to a vendor data link a customer order received from a requesting one of said lines, said order indicating a desired selection, comprising the steps of:

collecting at said processor said customer order received from said requesting line via said network and said receiver in response to a customer order entry request received from said requesting line via said network and said receiver,

deriving at said processor the identity of said requesting line, and

sending said customer order and the identity of said requesting line from said processor to said vendor data link for the provision of said desired selection in response thereto without establishing a connection through said network to said vendor data link.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of designating one of a plurality of vendor data links for carrying said customer order and the derived identity of said requesting line in response to a vendor code received from said requesting line via said network and said receiver indicating said designated vendor data link.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of sending a confirmation signal to said requesting line indicating the receipt of said customer order.

12. For use with a telephone switching system having a processor for controlling a switching network serving a plurality of lines and also having a customer signal receiver for serving said lines, a method of forwarding to a vendor data link a customer order received from a requesting one of said lines, said order indicating a desired selection, comprising the steps of:

collecting at said processor said customer order received from said requesting line via said network and said receiver in response to a customer order entry request received from said requesting line via said network and said receiver,

deriving at said processor the identity of said requesting line,

checking with a predetermined algorithm said customer order for entry errors, and

sending said customer order and the identity of said requesting line from said processor to said vendor data link for the provision of said desire selection in response thereto without establishing a connection through said network to said vendor data link, only if no entry errors are detected.

15. A switching system comprising:

switching means serving a plurality of lines and operable for establishing a call connection for a requesting one of said lines,

processor means responsive to a call on said requesting line for controlling the operation of said switching means, and

an order entry arrangement comprising,

a vendor data link, and

said processor means including

means responsive to said call for deriving a number identification for said requesting line, and

means responsive to the receipt of customer order entry request and order signals indicative of a desired selection received via said requesting line and said call connection during said cell for sending customer order information including said derived number identification from said processor means to said vendor data link for the provision of said desired selection in response thereto without establishing a connection through said switching means to said vendor data link.

16. The invention of claim 15 wherein said number identification comprises a directory number and said deriving means comprises means for storing said directory number and means responsive to said call on said line for retrieving said directory number from said storing means.

17. The invention of claim 16 wherein said customer order information comprises order data signified by said customer order signals and said directory number and said sending means sends said customer order data and said retrieved directory number directly from said processor means to said data link.

18. The invention of claim 17 further comprising receiver means connected to said switching means via said call connection to said line in response to said call for receiving said customer order entry request and order signals and

means for communicating said request and order signals to said sending means and

wherein said sending means sends said order data and said retrieved directory number from said processor means to said data link over a path independent of said receiver means.

19. The invention of claim 16 further comprising receiver means connected to said switching means via said call connection to said line in response to said call for receiving said customer order entry request and order signals and

means for communicating said request and order signals to said sending means and

wherein said sending means sends said order data and said retrieved directory number from said processor means to said data link over a path independent of said receiver means.

20. The invention of claim 15 further comprising receiver means connected to said switching means via said call connection to said line in response to said call for receiving said customer order entry request and order signals and

said customer order information comprises said directory number and order data signified by said customer order data and said sending means sends said customer order signals and said retrieved directory number directly from said processor means to said data link over a path independent of said receiver means.

21. An order entry arrangement for use in a telephone switching system having a switching network and processor means for controlling said network, receiver means for receiving customer order entry and order signals, and data link, means for communicating customer order data entry signified by said order signals;

the invention comprising;

said processor means including means responsive to said request and order signals received by said receiver means for deriving a customer identification number, and

said processor means including means responsive to said derived customer identification number for sending said derived number plus said customer order data to said data link means without establishing a connection through said network to said data link means.

22. For use in a telephone switching system having a switching network for serving a plurality of customer lines and also having processor means for controlling establishment of connections through said network, an order entry arrangement for forwarding to a vendor data link a customer order received from a requesting one of said lines, said order indicating a desired selection, comprising

receiver means for receiving customer signals including said customer order from said requesting line, and

wherein said processor means is responsive to said customer order received by said receiver means for sending said customer order to said vendor data link for the provision of said desired selection in response thereto without establishing a completed call connection through said network interconnecting said requesting line and said vendor data link.

23. For use in a telephone switching system having a network for establishing connections, an order entry arrangement for sending to a data link an order indicating a desired selection and received from a requesting one of a plurality of lines, comprising:

processor means of said switching system responsive to a call from said requesting line for controlling establishment of a completed call connection through said network for connecting said requesting line and another of said lines, and

wherein said processor means includes means responsive to said order received from said requesting line via said network for sending said order from said processor means to said data link for the provision of said desired selection in response thereto without establishing a completed call connection through said network interconnecting said requesting line and said data link.

24. For use in a telephone switching system having a switching network serving a plurality of customer lines, an order entry arrangement for forwarding to a vendor data link a customer order received from a requesting one of said lines, said order indicating a desired selection, comprising:

receiver means for receiving customer signals including said customer order from said requesting line via said network;

processor means of said switching system for controlling said network to interconnect said requesting line and said receiver means; and

wherein said processor means includes means responsive to said customer order received from said receiver means for sending said customer order from said processor means to said vendor data link for the provision of said desired selection in response thereto without establishing a completed call connection through said network interconnecting said requesting line and said vendor data link.

25. For use with a telephone switching system having a processor for controlling a switching network serving a plurality of lines and also having a customer signal receiver for serving said lines, a method of forwarding to a data link an order received from a requesting one of said lines, said order indicating a desired selection, comprising the steps of:

collecting at said processor said order received from said requesting line via said network and said receiver in response to an order entry request received from said requesting line via said network and said receiver,

deriving at said processor the identity of said requesting line, and

sending said order and the identity of said requesting line from said processor to said data link for the provision of said desired selection in response thereto without establishing a completed cell connection through said network interconnecting said requesting line and said vendor data link.

26. An order entry arrangement for use in a telephone switching system having a switching network and processor means for controlling said network, receiver means for receiving customer order entry request and order signals, and data link means for communicating customer order data signified by said order signal;

the invention comprising;

said processor means including means responsive to said request and order signals received by said receiver means for deriving a customer identification number, and

said processor means including means responsive to said derived customer identification number for sending said derived number plus said customer order data to said data link means without establishing a completed call connection through said network to said data link means.

27. For use in a telephone switching system having a network for establishing connections and also having processor means for controlling establishment of completed call connections through said network for selectively interconnecting a plurality of customer lines, an order entry arrangement for sending to a data link an order indicating a desired selection and received from a requesting one of said lines, comprising:

receiver means for receiving signals including said order from said requesting line, and

wherein said processor means is responsive to said order received by said receiver means for sending information indicative of said desired selection to said data link for provision of said desired selection in response thereto without establishing a completed call connection through said network interconnecting said requesting line and said data link.

28. A telephone system comprising:

switching means for establishing connections and

processor means responsive to a call from a requesting one of a plurality of lines for controlling said switching means for establishing a completed call connection for interconnecting said requesting line and another one of said lines, wherein said processor means is responsive to an order for a desired selection from said requesting line, for sending information indicative of said desired selection from said processor means to a data link for provision of said desired selection in response thereto without establishing a completed call connection through said switching means interconnecting said requesting line and said data link.