Method and apparatus for providing combined communication services including local service and toll service
First Claim
1. A method for providing combined local service and toll service to a calling party through a switch connected to a communication network, comprising:
- (a) receiving at the switch a call including a dialed number from the calling party;
(b) associating with the call a billing number based on trunk group data identifying a connection through which the dialed number was received;
(c) querying a database to identify a first feature based on at least one from the group of the billing number and the dialed number;
(d) processing the first feature identified in querying step (c);
(e) classifying the call into a jurisdictional classification based on a calling party geographic location and a called party geographic location, the called party geographic location being determined from the dialed number;
(f) returning routing information based on the jurisdictional classification of the call from the database to the switch; and
(g) routing the call based on the jurisdictional classification of the call.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An interexchange carrier (IXC) switch and an associated database route qualified calls dialed to local service provider (LSP) subscribers onto interconnecting facilitiies with local access settlement rates, thereby allowing a local rather than toll cost structure. The IXC switch and associated database operate with existing toll features including those features which translate a private dialed number into a public number. The IXC switch and associated database classify the call into a jurisdictional classification from a customer billing and feature application perspective, and from a routing perspective independent of the customer billing and feature application classification. The jurisdictional classification can include, example, local, toll, interLATA toll or intraLATA toll.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. A method for providing combined local service and toll service to a calling party through a switch connected to a communication network, comprising:
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(a) receiving at the switch a call including a dialed number from the calling party; (b) associating with the call a billing number based on trunk group data identifying a connection through which the dialed number was received; (c) querying a database to identify a first feature based on at least one from the group of the billing number and the dialed number; (d) processing the first feature identified in querying step (c); (e) classifying the call into a jurisdictional classification based on a calling party geographic location and a called party geographic location, the called party geographic location being determined from the dialed number; (f) returning routing information based on the jurisdictional classification of the call from the database to the switch; and (g) routing the call based on the jurisdictional classification of the call. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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6. The method of clam 1, wherein the first feature is based on at least one from the group of the billing number, the dialed number and the jurisdictional classification of the call said step (d) being performed after step (e).
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21. A system for providing combined communication services including local service and toll service to a calling party, within a communication network, comprising:
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an originating switch connected to the communication network, said originating switch receiving a call including a dialed number from the calling party, said originating switch associating with the call a billing number based on trunk group data identifying a connection through which the dialed number was received; and a database connected to said originating switch, said database being queried to identify a first feature based on at least one from the group of the billing number and the dialed number, said database processing the first feature, said database classifying the call into a jurisdictional classification based on a calling party geographic location and a called party geographic location, the called party geographic location being determined from the dialed number. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
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24. An apparatus for providing combined communication services to a calling party, within a communication network, comprising:
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an originating switch connected to the communication network, said originating switch receiving a call including a dialed number from the calling party, said originating switch associating with the call a billing number based on trunk group data identifying a connection through which the dialed number was received, said originating switch including; a database, said database being queried to identify a first feature based on at least one from the group of the billing number and the dialed number, said database processing the first feature, said database classifying the call into a jurisdictional classification based on a calling party geographic location and a called party geographic locations the called party geographic location being determined from the dialed number. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26)
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27. An apparatus for providing combined communication services including local service and toll service to a calling party, within a communication network, comprising:
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means for receiving a call including a dialed number from the calling party; means for associating with the call a billing number based on trunk group data identifying a connection through which the dialed number was received; means for querying a database to identify a feature based on at least one from the group of the billing number and the dialed number; and means for classifying the call into a jurisdictional classification based on a calling party geographic location and a called party geographic location, the called party geographic location being determined from the dialed number.
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Specification