High capacity information forwarding system

• US 4,953,203 A
• Filed: 07/26/1989
• Issued: 08/28/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: American Telephone & Telegraph Company (AT&T, Inc.), Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T, Inc.
• Inventors: Shepard, James B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dwyer, James L.
• Application Number:
  US07/385,127
• Time in Patent Office: 398 Days
• Field of Search: 379/112, 379/113, 379/233, 379/222, 379/224, 379/219, 379/207, 379/201, 379/229, 379/230, 379/284, 379/280
• US Class Current: 379/211.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4228 in networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13256 Call screening
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13282 Call forward, follow-me, call diversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13512 800 - freefone
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13547 subscriber, e.g. profile, database, database access
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

A high capacity information forwarding system for use with originating screening offices of a telephone network. Apparatus periodically accesses a centralized data base within the telephone network and translates a predefined telephone number dialed by a calling telephone station into a destination telephone number of a called telephone station. The apparatus, upon determining the information forwarding service capability of the called telephone station, stores the predefined and translated destination telephone numbers at the originating screening office. Upon subsequent receipt of the dialed predefined telephone number, the originating screening office accesses the information stored therein and establishes a telephone connection between a calling telephone station and a called telephone station identified by the stored destination telephone number and forwards information of the calling telephone station thereto.

Claims

1. A high capacity information forwarding system for use in a telephone network comprising

means for periodically accessing a centralized data base of the telephone network and translating a predefined telephone number dialed by a call originating telephone station into a destination telephone number of a called telephone station and upon determining an information forwarding service capability of said called telephone station for storing said predefined and translated destination telephone numbers at originating screening offices of the telephone network, and

means enabled upon subsequent receipt of said dialed predefined telephone number at said originating screening offices for accessing said predefined and translated telephone numbers and establishing a telephone connection between said calling telephone station and said called telephone station identified by said stored destination telephone number and forwarding information associated with said calling telephone to said called telephone station.

2. The high capacity information forwarding system set forth in claim 1 wherein said accessing and storing means comprises

storage means located at said originating screening offices of the telephone switching network for storing both said predefined telephone number and said translated destination telephone number associated with said predefined telephone number.

3. The high capacity information forwarding system set forth in claim 2 wherein said accessing and storing means comprises

means located at said originating screening offices and enabled upon an originating screening office receiving said dialed predefined telephone number from a calling telephone station for formulating a query data message including said predefined telephone number and transmitting said query data message to said telephone network centralized data base.

4. The high capacity information forwarding system set forth in claim 3 wherein said accessing and storing means comprises

means located at said telephone network centralized data base and responsive to receipt of said query data message for translating said predefined telephone number into said destination telephone number, and

means for determining said information forwarding service capability of said called telephone station identified by said translated destination telephone number.

5. The high capacity information forwarding system set forth in claim 4 wherein said accessing and storing means comprises

means located at said telephone network centralized data base for formulating a reply data message including said predefined and translated destination telephone numbers with said determined information forwarding service capability of said called telephone station and transmitting said reply data message to said originating screening office having received said dialed predefined telephone number.

6. The high capacity information forwarding system set forth in claim 5 wherein said accessing and storing means comprises

means located at said originating screening offices and enabled upon receipt of said reply data message identifying said information forwarding service capability for storing said predefined telephone number and said translated destination telephone numbers in said storage means.

7. The high capacity information forwarding system set forth in claim 6 wherein said accessing and forwarding means comprises

means enabled upon each subsequent receipt of said telephone dialed predefined telephone number at said originating screening office for searching said storage means and upon locating said stored predefined telephone number for establishing a connection with said called telephone station and forwarding said calling telephone station information thereto.

8. The high capacity information forwarding system set forth in claim 7 wherein said originating screening offices comprises

timing means for periodically removing said predefined telephone number and said translated destination telephone number from said storage means.

9. A high capacity information forwarding system for use in a telephone network wherein said system comprises

storage means located at originating screening offices of the telephone network for storing both a predefined telephone number and translated destination telephone number associated therewith,

means enabled upon an originating screening office receiving said dialed predefined telephone number from a calling telephone station for searching said storage means and upon failure to locate said predefined telephone number in said storage means for accessing a centralized data base of the telephone network and translating said dialed predefined telephone into a destination telephone number identifying a called telephone station and upon determining an information forwarding service capability of said called telephone station for storing said predefined and translated destination telephone numbers in said storage means, and

means enabled by storage of said predefined and translated destination telephone numbers and upon subsequent locating said predefined and translated destination telephone numbers in said storage means upon receipt of said dialed predefined telephone number at said originating screening offices for establishing a telephone connection between said calling telephone station and said called telephone station identified by said stored destination telephone number and forwarding information associated with said calling telephone station to said called telephone station.

10. A high capacity information forwarding system for use in a telephone network wherein said system comprises

storage means located at originating screening offices of the telephone switching network for storing both a predefined telephone number and a translated destination telephone number associated with said predefined telephone number,

means located at said originating screening offices and enabled upon an originating screening office receiving said predefined telephone number dialed from a calling telephone station for searching said storage means and upon failure to locate said dialed predefined telephone number in said storage means formulating a query data message including said predefined telephone number and transmitting said query data message to a telephone network centralized data base,

means located at said telephone network centralized data base and responsive to receipt of said query data message for translating said predefined telephone number into said destination telephone number identifying a called telephone station,

means for determining an information forwarding service capability of said called telephone station,

means located at said telephone network centralized data base for formulating a reply data message including said predefined and translated destination telephone numbers with said determined information forwarding service capability of said called telephone station and transmitting said reply data message to said originating screening office having received said dialed predefined telephone number,

means located at said originating screening offices and enabled upon receipt of said reply data message identifying said information forwarding service capability for storing said predefined and said translated destination telephone numbers in said storage means,

means enabled upon each subsequent receipt of said telephone dialed predefined telephone number at said originating screening office for searching said storage means and upon locating said stored predefined telephone number for establishing a connection with said called telephone station and forwarding said calling telephone station information thereto, and

timing means for periodically removing said predefined and said translated destination telephone numbers from said storage means of each originating screening office.

11. A high capacity information forwarding system for use with an originating screening office of the telephone network wherein said system comprises

means for periodically accessing a centralized telephone network data base and translating a predefined telephone number dialed by a calling telephone station into a destination telephone number and upon determining an information forwarding service capability of a called telephone station identified by said destination telephone number for storing said predefined and translated destination telephone numbers in a storage device of the originating screening office, and

means enabled upon subsequent receipt of said dialed predefined telephone number for accessing said originating screening office storage device and establishing a telephone connection between said calling telephone station and said called telephone station identified by said stored destination telephone number and forwarding information of said calling telephone station thereto.

12. A method of operating a high capacity information forwarding system in an originating screening office of a telephone network wherein said method comprises the steps of

periodically accessing a telephone network centralized data base upon receipt of a predefined telephone number dialed by a calling telephone station and translating said dialed predefined telephone number into a destination telephone number of a called telephone station,

storing said predefined telephone number and said translated destination telephone number in storage at said originating screening office upon determining said called telephone station has calling telephone station information forwarding service capability, and

accessing said stored predefined telephone number at said originating screening office upon subsequently receiving said predefined telephone number dialed by calling telephone stations and establishing a connection between said calling telephone stations and said called telephone station in accordance with said translated destination telephone number and forwarding calling telephone station information thereto.

13. The method of operating the high capacity information forwarding system set forth in claim 12 wherein said step of periodically accessing said telephone network centralized data base comprises the step of

formulating a query data message upon first receiving said predefined telephone number wherein said formulated query data message includes said predefined telephone number and transmitting said query data message to said telephone network centralized data base.

14. The method of operating the high capacity information forwarding system set forth in claim 13 wherein said step of storing said predefined telephone and destination telephone numbers comprises the step of

receiving a reply data message from said telephone network centralized data base wherein said reply data message includes said predefined and translated destination telephone numbers with a determined information forwarding service capability of said called telephone station.

15. The method of operating the high capacity information forwarding system set forth in claim 13 wherein said operating method further comprises the step of

periodically removing said predefined and translated destination telephone numbers from said originating screening office storage.

16. A method of operating a high capacity information forwarding system in an originating screening office of a telephone network wherein said method comprises the steps of

storing both a predefined telephone number and a translated destination telephone number associated with said predefined telephone number and identifying a called telephone station of a customer having information forwarding service capability in storage means of said originating screening offices,

searching said storage means when said originating screening office receives said predefined telephone number dialed from a calling telephone station,

formulating a query data message including said dialed predefined telephone number and transmitting said query data message to a telephone network centralized data base upon failure to locate said dialed predefined telephone number in said storage means of said originating screening office,

translating said predefined telephone number at said telephone network centralized data base into said destination telephone number,

determining an information forwarding service capability of said called telephone station identified by said translated destination telephone number,

formulating a reply data message including said predefined and translated destination telephone numbers with said determined information forwarding service capability of said called telephone station and transmitting said reply data message to said originating screening office having received said dialed predefined telephone number,

identifying said information forwarding service capability of said called telephone station upon receipt of said reply data message and storing said predefined telephone and translated destination telephone numbers in said originating screening office storage means,

searching said storage means upon each subsequent receipt of said dialed predefined telephone number at said originating screening office and upon locating said stored predefined telephone number establishing a connection with said called telephone station identified by said translated destination telephone number and forwarding information associated with said calling telephone station thereto, and

periodically removing said predefined telephone and translated destination telephone numbers from said storage means of said originating screening office.