Telecommunications network routing

• US 5,812,654 A
• Filed: 04/06/1995
• Issued: 09/22/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Russo, Dino Remo, Anderson, Kathleen Lynn
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Harry S.
• Application Number:
  US08/417,703
• Time in Patent Office: 1,265 Days
• Field of Search: 379/94, 379/97, 379/112, 379/113, 379/201, 379/207, 379/213, 379/214, 379/219, 379/220, 379/221, 379/265, 379/266, 379/309, 379/93.01, 379/127, 395/349, 395/974
• US Class Current: 379/221.15
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13109 Initializing, personal profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13141 Hunting for free outlet, circuit or channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13376 Information service, downloading of information, 0800/0900 services
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/66 Traffic distributors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/974 Slider control as on-screen object in operator interface

Abstract

In a telecommunications network operable for routing calls such as 800 calls, to a plurality of customer destinations, a system allows the customer to configure the routing of calls by entering selected call routing criteria at a computer at the customer site. Selected information representative of the call routing criteria is then transmitted to a central processor system which then composes a set of call handling statements, also called time features, which the network then compiles into an executable routing scheme for routing calls.

Claims

1. A method for operating a telecommunications network wherein the network is operable to route calls from origination regions to a plurality of user associated destinations for calls directed to a user associated number, the calls being routed according to call-handling statements, the method comprising:

(a) generating images depicting a user'"'"'s routing criteria at a criteria-handling device, wherein depicting the user'"'"'s routing criteria comprises depicting images of geographic areas and wherein the criteria-handling device comprises a user'"'"'s computer work station;

(b) receiving in the user'"'"'s work station changes to the user routing criteria and modifying in the user'"'"'s work station the displayed images depicting the changes to the user'"'"'s routing criteria wherein the routing criteria represents generalized inputs specifying a user routing plan and is not configured for compilation and use by the network to route calls;

(c) transmitting the routing criteria over the network to a routing statement composition processor before the routing criteria is composed into a format configured for compilation and use by the network to route calls; and

(d) composing at least one call-handling statement in the routing statement composition processor based on the routing criteria wherein the call-handling statement is configured for compilation and use by the network to route calls.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the network includes switches and a database operable to route calls according to the call-handling statements, and the method further comprises transmitting the call-handling statements from the routing statement composition processor to the network for compilation and storage in the database.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the routing statement composition processor includes a computer.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the routing statement composition processor includes a mainframe computer.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

(a) transmitting routing criteria over the network from the routing statement composition processor to the criteria-handling device;

(b) storing the routing criteria in the criteria-handling device; and

(c) displaying images of the stored routing criteria in the criteria-handling device.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

(a) determining whether the routing criteria in the routing statement composition processor is more recent than the routing criteria stored in the criteria-handling device; and

(b) transmitting routing criteria to the criteria-handling device from the routing statement composition processor only if the routing criteria in the routing statement composition processor is more recent.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein determining the most recent routing criteria comprises marking changes in the routing criteria with a time stamp.

8. A method for operating a telecommunications network wherein the network is operable to route calls from origination regions to a plurality of user associated destinations for calls directed to a user associated number, the calls being routed according to call-handling statements, the method comprising:

(a) receiving user routing criteria into a plurality of criteria-handling devices, wherein the criteria handling devices is comprised of user workstations that generate and display images representing a user'"'"'s routing criteria at each user workstation, wherein the displayed images comprise images of geographic areas associated with the user'"'"'s routing criteria, wherein the routing criteria represents generalized inputs specifying a user routing plan and is not configured for compilation and use by the network to route calls;

(b) transmitting the routing criteria over the network from the criteria-handling devices to a routing statement composition processor before the routing criteria is composed into a format configured for compilation and use by the network to route calls; and

(c) composing call-handling statements in the routing statement composition processor based on the routing criteria wherein the call-handling statements are configured for compilation and use by the network to route calls.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the network includes switches and a database operable to route calls according to the call-handling statements, and the method further comprises transmitting the call-handling statements from the routing statement composition processor to the network for compilation and storage in the database.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the routing statement composition processor includes a mainframe computer and the criteria-handling devices each include a micro-processor based workstation.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

(a) transmitting routing criteria over the network from the routing statement composition processor to the criteria-handling devices;

(b) storing the routing criteria in the criteria-handling devices; and

(c) displaying images of the stored routing criteria in the criteria-handling devices.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

(a) determining whether the routing criteria in the routing statement composition processor is more recent than the routing criteria stored in a particular criteria-handling device; and

(b) transmitting routing criteria to the particular criteria-handling device from the routing statement composition processor only if the routing criteria in the routing statement composition processor is more recent.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein determining the most recent routing criteria comprises marking changes in the routing criteria with a time stamp.

14. A telecommunications network wherein the network is operable to route calls from origination regions to a plurality of user associated destinations for calls directed to a user associated number, the calls being routed according to call-handling statements, the network comprising:

(a) a plurality of criteria-handling devices, wherein the criteria-handling devices are operable to receive user routing criteria wherein the routing criteria are associated with geographical areas and represent generalized inputs specifying a user routing plan and are not configured for compilation and use by the network to route calls, wherein the criteria handling devices are operable to generate and display images representing a user'"'"'s routing criteria at each criteria-handling device, wherein the displayed images comprise images of geographic areas associated with the user'"'"'s routing criteria;

(b) a routing statement composition processor operable to compose call-handling statements based on the routing criteria wherein the call-handling statements are configured for compilation and use by the network to route calls; and

(c) a first transmission means for transmitting the routing criteria over the network from the criteria-handling devices to the routing statement composition processor before the routing criteria is composed into the call-handling statements configured for compilation and use by the network to route calls.

15. The network of claim 14 wherein the network further comprises:

(a) switches and a database operable to route calls according to the call-handling statements; and

(b) a second transmission means for transmitting the call-handling statements from the routing statement composition processor to the network for compilation and storage in the database.

16. The network of claim 14 wherein the routing statement composition processor includes a mainframe computer and the criteria-handling devices each include a micro-processor based workstation.

17. The network of claim 14 wherein the network further comprises a third transmission means for transmitting routing criteria over the network from the routing statement composition processor to the criteria-handling devices.

18. The network of claim 17 further comprising a means for determining whether the routing criteria in the routing statement composition processor is more recent than the routing criteria stored in a particular criteria-handling device, and wherein the third transmission means transmits routing criteria to the particular criteria-handling device from the routing statement composition processor only if the routing criteria in the routing statement composition processor is more recent.

19. The network of claim 18 wherein the means for determining the most recent routing criteria comprises a means for marking changes in the routing criteria with a time stamp.