Target area calling system

• US 5,329,581 A
• Filed: 12/23/1991
• Issued: 07/12/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: American Telephone & Telegraph Company (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T, Inc.
• Inventors: Friedes, Albert, Sahni, Paramdeep S., Gaechter, Barbara I., Zoccolillo, Susan M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chan, Jason
• Application Number:
  US07/812,302
• Time in Patent Office: 932 Days
• Field of Search: 379/92, 379/216, 379/207, 379/201, 379/209, 379/265, 379/266, 379/93, 379/309, 379/142, 379/247
• US Class Current: 379/93.14
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4228 in networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/46 Arrangements for calling a number of substations in a predetermined sequence until an answer is obtained
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0016 Arrangements providing connection between exchanges

Abstract

A system for completing a series of calls from a calling party to a plurality of called parties served by a common terminating switch and located in the same general geographic area, is implemented by a) establishing a first communication path from the calling party to the terminating switch b) establishing a second communication path from the terminating switch to the the called party using routing information received from the calling party regarding the called party c) bridging those two communication paths to form a complete connection from the calling party to the called party d) preserving the first communication path and reusing it to complete all the calls in the series.

Claims

1. A method of completing each call in a series of telecommunications calls originated from a calling party and destined for a plurality of called parties served by a common terminating point switching complex, comprising the steps of:

(a) establishing an initial connection between said calling party and a first one of said called parties through a communication path extending from said calling party to said terminating point switching complex;

(b) inhibiting release of said communication path for the duration of said series of calls; and

(c) completing each call in said series of calls by establishing a connection between said calling party and a different one of said called parties, wherein said connection includes said communication path.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said terminating switching complex is a communication carrier switch which includes an attached prompting mechanism, and wherein said method further includes the step of soliciting from said calling party the telephone number of each of said called parties in response to a query from said prompting mechanism.

3. A method of completing each call in a series of telecommunications calls from a calling party to a plurality of called parties, each called party served by a common terminating point switching complex, wherein said method comprises the steps of:

(a) establishing an initial communication path between said calling party and said terminating point switching complex; and

(b) without releasing said communication path between calls, completing each call in said series by establishing a connection which includes at least a first segment and a second segment, wherein said first segment includes said communication path, and said second segment includes a path from said terminating point switching complex to a different one of said called parties.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said method further includes the steps of:

prompting said calling party to provide an authorization code indicative of permission to initiate said series of calls; and

verifying said authorization code before establishing said initial communication path.

5. In a communication switching complex which includes a terminating switching point arranged to release, at the end of each call routed through said switching point, a communication link seized to complete said call, a method of completing each call in a series of telecommunications calls from a caller to a plurality of called parties served by, and in geographic proximity of said terminating switching point, wherein said method comprises the steps of:

(a) establishing an initial connection between said calling party and a first one of said called parties, wherein said initial connection includes a communication link between said calling party and said terminating switching point;

(b) restraining said terminating switching point from releasing said communication link for all subsequent calls in said series; and

(c) completing each call in said series by establishing a connection which includes said communication link and a different link between said terminating switching point and other ones of said called parties.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said terminating switching point includes a premises voice switching equipment having a prompting mechanism, and wherein said method further includes the steps of:

in response to a signal from said prompting mechanism, soliciting an authorization code from said calling party before establishing said initial connection,

verifying said authorization code; and

soliciting from said calling party the telephone number of each said called party to complete each said call.

7. A method of completing each call in a series of telecommunications calls from a calling party to a plurality of called parties served by a common terminating switching point, comprising the steps of:

(a) establishing a first connection from said calling party to an adjunct processor attached to said terminating switching point;

(b) prompting said calling party to enter the telephone number of one of said called parties;

(c) establishing a second connection from said adjunct processor to said called party;

(d) bridging said first and said second connections to form a communication path between said calling party and said called party;

(e) monitoring said communication path for terminating supervisory signals;

(f) receiving said terminating supervisory signals in said adjunct processor at the end of each said call;

(g) upon reception of said signals, releasing said second connection while maintaining said first connection for subsequent calls in said series; and

(h) repeating steps (b), (c), (d), (e), (f) and (g) for each subsequent call in said series.

8. The method of claim 7 further including the step of releasing said first connection when said calling party terminates the last call in said series of calls.

9. A system of completing each call in a series of telecommunications calls originated from a calling party and destined for a plurality of called parties served by a common terminating point switching complex, comprising:

(a) means for establishing an initial connection between said calling party and a first one of said called parties through a communication path extending from said calling party to said terminating point switching complex;

(b) means for inhibiting release of said communication path for the duration of said series of calls; and

(c) means for completing each call in said series of calls by establishing a connection between said calling party and a different one of said called parties, wherein said connection includes said communication path.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said terminating switching complex is a communication carrier switch which includes an attached prompting mechanism, and wherein said system further includes means for soliciting from said calling party the telephone number of each of said called parties in response to a query from said prompting mechanism.

11. A system of completing each call in a series of telecommunications calls from a calling party to a plurality of called parties, each called party served by a common terminating point switching complex, wherein said system comprises:

(a) means for establishing an initial communication path between said calling party and said terminating point switching complex; and

(b) without releasing said communication path between calls, means for completing each call in said series by establishing a connection which includes at least a first and a second segment, wherein said first segment includes said communication path, and said second segment includes a path from said terminating point switching complex to a different one of said called parties.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said system further includes:

means for prompting said calling party to provide an authorization code indicative of permission to initiate said series of calls; and

means for verifying said authorization code before establishing said initial communication path.

13. In a communication switching complex which includes a terminating switching point arranged to release, at the end of each call routed through said switching point, a communication link seized to complete said call, a system of completing each call in a series of telecommunications calls from a caller to a plurality of called parties served by, and in geographic proximity of said terminating switching point, wherein said system comprises:

(a) means for establishing an initial connection between said calling party and a first one of said called parties, wherein said initial connection includes a communication link between said calling party and said terminating switching point;

(b) means for restraining said terminating switching point from releasing said communication link for all subsequent calls in said series; and

(c) means for completing each call in said series by establishing a connection which includes said communication link and a different link between said terminating switching point and other ones of said called parties.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said terminating switching point includes a premises voice switching equipment having a prompting mechanism, and wherein said system further includes:

in response to a signal from said prompting mechanism, means for soliciting an authorization code from said calling party before establishing said initial connection;

means for verifying said authorization code; and

means for soliciting from said calling party the telephone number of each said called party to complete each said call.

15. A system of completing each call in a series of telecommunications calls from a calling party to a plurality of called parties served by a common terminating switching point, comprising:

(a) means for establishing a first connection from said calling party to an adjunct processor attached to said terminating switching point;

(b) means for prompting said calling party to enter the telephone number of one of said called parties;

(c) means for establishing a second connection from said adjunct processor to said called party;

(d) means for bridging said first and said second connections to form a communication path between said calling party and said called party;

(e) means for monitoring said communication path for terminating supervisory signals;

(f) means for receiving said terminating supervisory signals in said adjunct processor at the end of each said call; and

(g) means responsive to said signals for releasing said second connection while maintaining said first connection for subsequent calls in said series.

16. The system of claim 15 further including means for releasing said first connection when said calling party terminates the last call in said series of calls.

17. A method of completing each call in a series of calls that are placed by a PBX and that are directed to a targeted geographical area comprising the steps of:

a) establishing a communications link having a plurality of channels between said PBX and a terminating switch serving subscribers in said geographical area;

b) retrieving a stored telephone number of one of said subscribers and dialing said number;

c) establishing a connection over an idle one of said channels between said PBX and one of said subscriber'"'"'s telephone set;

d) in response to a signal from one of said subscribers, retrieving profile data associated with said one of said subscribers;

e) bridging the established connection to an idle station connected to said PBX; and

f) repeating steps b), c), d), and e) until all channels in said link are used for connections for calls directed to said subscribers, and all stored telephone numbers associated with said target area have been dialed by said PBX.

18. A system of completing each call in a series of calls that are placed by a PBX and that are directed to a targeted geographical area comprising:

means for establishing a communications link having a plurality of channels between said PBX and a terminating switch serving subscribers in said geographical area;

means for retrieving a stored telephone number of each one of said subscribers and dialing said number;

means for establishing a connection over each idle one of said channels between said PBX and one of said subscriber'"'"'s telephone set;

means for retrieving profile data associated with one of said subscribers in response to an answer signal from said one of said subscribers; and

means for bridging each one of said connections when answered to an idle station connected to said PBX.