Means and method for updating databases supporting local telephone number portability
First Claim
1. Apparatus for updating call connection information in both tiers of a two tiered telecommunications system supporting local number portability using call connection information sets, each call connection information set related to a subscriber, various pieces of information making up each call connection information set each associated with a determined array field, the telecommunications system including, as part of the first tier of the telecommunications system, a centralized database containing each call connection information set in the telecommunications system, with the various pieces of information making up each call connection information set stored in the associated determined array field, and including as part of the second tier of the telecommunications system a plurality of switches each particular switch served by a dedicated database containing a limited number of the call connection information sets dynamically maintained based upon recency and frequency of query by the particular switch served by the dedicated database to the dedicated database for the call connection information sets, the dedicated database being the first database queried by the particular switch served by the dedicated database, the apparatus comprising:
- a means for providing update information to the telecommunications system for at least one of the call connection information sets, the update information comprised of the various pieces of information for the at least one call connection information set;
a first means for providing the update information first to the centralized database; and
a second means for providing the update information from the centralized database to each switch dedicated database, said second means for providing the update information including administering software which(i) determines if the update information is to a call connection information see resident on the centralized database and if so, updates the various pieces of information in the determined array fields in the centralized database;
(ii) determines if the update information is to a call connection information see absent from the centralized database and if so, adds the absent call connection information set in the centralized database; and
(iii) establishes and administers for each of the call connection information sets a call count file, a time stamp file and a switch identification file, the administering software recording, in the switch identification file, switch identification information for each switch querying the centralized database for each respective call connection information set;
tallying, in the call count file, the number of queries from each switch for each respective call connection information set, the tally representing the frequency of query by each switch; and
recording, in the time stamp file, the date and time of each query from each switch, representing the recency of query of each switch, the tally in the call count file correlated to the date and time in the time stamp file and the switch identification information in the switch identification file.
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Accused Products
Abstract
This invention provides a means and method for updating two-tiered databases in a telecommunications system which support local number portability through call connection information sets stored on the databases. Pro-active updating is accomplished by tracking location, time and frequency of each switch querying the first tier centralized database for each stored call connection information set. At the time an update is made to a call connection information set at the first tier database, the set is offered to all second tier databases supporting individual switches which have queried the centralized database for that set. Second tier databases accept the set as an update, a new set or reject. Acceptance of a new set or rejection is dependent upon the set achieving a ranking based on recency and frequency of query above the threshold for storage. The second tier databases provide confirmation of set acceptance and rejection to the first tier database.
97 Citations
18 Claims
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1. Apparatus for updating call connection information in both tiers of a two tiered telecommunications system supporting local number portability using call connection information sets, each call connection information set related to a subscriber, various pieces of information making up each call connection information set each associated with a determined array field, the telecommunications system including, as part of the first tier of the telecommunications system, a centralized database containing each call connection information set in the telecommunications system, with the various pieces of information making up each call connection information set stored in the associated determined array field, and including as part of the second tier of the telecommunications system a plurality of switches each particular switch served by a dedicated database containing a limited number of the call connection information sets dynamically maintained based upon recency and frequency of query by the particular switch served by the dedicated database to the dedicated database for the call connection information sets, the dedicated database being the first database queried by the particular switch served by the dedicated database, the apparatus comprising:
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a means for providing update information to the telecommunications system for at least one of the call connection information sets, the update information comprised of the various pieces of information for the at least one call connection information set; a first means for providing the update information first to the centralized database; and a second means for providing the update information from the centralized database to each switch dedicated database, said second means for providing the update information including administering software which (i) determines if the update information is to a call connection information see resident on the centralized database and if so, updates the various pieces of information in the determined array fields in the centralized database; (ii) determines if the update information is to a call connection information see absent from the centralized database and if so, adds the absent call connection information set in the centralized database; and (iii) establishes and administers for each of the call connection information sets a call count file, a time stamp file and a switch identification file, the administering software recording, in the switch identification file, switch identification information for each switch querying the centralized database for each respective call connection information set;
tallying, in the call count file, the number of queries from each switch for each respective call connection information set, the tally representing the frequency of query by each switch; and
recording, in the time stamp file, the date and time of each query from each switch, representing the recency of query of each switch, the tally in the call count file correlated to the date and time in the time stamp file and the switch identification information in the switch identification file. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for updating call connection information in a telecommunications system having a two-tiered database system using call connection information sets, each such call connection information set including call connection information to translate from a dialed number to associated connection data, and in which the first tier of the telecommunications system includes a centralized database having first memory containing all the call connection information sets existing in the telecommunications system;
- and in which the second tier of the telecommunications system includes a plurality of switches and a plurality of dedicated databases having second memory, a particular switch of the plurality of switches served by a particular dedicated database of the plurality of databases, and the particular database containing in the second memory less than all the call connection information sets existing in the telecommunications system, based upon a storage limit for call connection information sets, the particular switch first requesting a particular call connection information set from the particular dedicated database and second requesting the particular call connection information set from the centralized database if the particular call connection set is not found in the particular dedicated database, the method comprising the steps of;
identifying within the telecommunications system update information to at least one call connection information set; first providing the update information to the centralized database which includes the steps of determining whether the update information affects a call connection information set contained in the centralized database or is for a call connection information set absent from the centralized database; when the determination is that the update information affects a call connection information set contained in the centralized database, retrieving the affected call connection information set from the first memory;
modifying the affected call connection information set with the update information, and returning the call connection information set to the first memory;when the determination is that the update information affects a call connection information set absent from the centralized database, adding the absent call connection information set to the centralized database in the first memory;
establishing in the first memory a switch identification file, a call count file in which a tally is kept of the number of requests by each of the plurality of switches to the centralized database for the added call connection information set, the tally representing the frequency of request by each of the plurality of switches, and a time stamp file for the added call connection information set in which is kept the date and time of the most recent request by each of the plurality of switches for the added call connection information set, the date and time representing the recency of request by each of the plurality of switches; andselectively providing the update information from the centralized database to the particular dedicated database in the second tier. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
- and in which the second tier of the telecommunications system includes a plurality of switches and a plurality of dedicated databases having second memory, a particular switch of the plurality of switches served by a particular dedicated database of the plurality of databases, and the particular database containing in the second memory less than all the call connection information sets existing in the telecommunications system, based upon a storage limit for call connection information sets, the particular switch first requesting a particular call connection information set from the particular dedicated database and second requesting the particular call connection information set from the centralized database if the particular call connection set is not found in the particular dedicated database, the method comprising the steps of;
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18. Apparatus for updating call connection information in both tiers of a two tiered telecommunications system supporting local number portability using call connection information sets each related to a subscriber, various pieces of information making up each call connection information set each associated with a determined array field, the telecommunications system including, as part of the first tier of the telecommunications system, a centralized database containing all the call connection information sets existing in the telecommunications system with the various pieces of information making up each such call connection information set stored in the associated determined array field, and including as part of the second tier of the telecommunications system a plurality of switches a particular switch of the plurality of switches having a dedicated database containing less than all the call connection information sets existing in the telecommunications system dynamically maintained based upon recency and frequency of request by the particular switch for each of the call connection information sets existing in the telecommunications system, the dedicated database being the first database queried by the particular switch for call connection information sets, the apparatus comprising:
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(a) update information for one or more call connection information sets; (b) an administrator'"'"'s workstation including; a central processing unit; a monitor; a keyboard; and service management software for providing the update information first to the centralized database and for changing the information in the determined array fields for each call connection information set to which the update information relates; in which the service management software displays on the monitor the various pieces of information making up each call connection information set to which the update information relates and displays changes to the various pieces of information entered through the keyboard; and
in which the service management software provides the changes to the centralized database as an update;the service management software including administering software which determines if the update is to a call connection information set contained in the centralized database and if so, updates the information in the determined array fields for the call connection information set in the centralized database; the administering software determines if the update is to a call connection information set absent from the centralized database and if so, adds the absent call connection information set in the centralized database; the administering software establishes and administers for each call connection information set contained in the centralized database a call count file, a time stamp file and a switch identification file, the administering software recording, in the switch identification file, switch identification information for each switch querying the centralized database for the call connection information set;
tallying, in the call count file, the number of queries from each switch for the call connection information set, the tally representing the frequency of query; and
recording, in the time stamp file, the date and time of each query from each switch, the date and time representing the recency of query, the tally in the call count file correlated to the corresponding date and time in the time stamp file and the corresponding switch identification in the switch identification file; and(c) means for providing the update information from the centralized database to the dedicated database.
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Specification