Method and system for providing answer supervision in a switched telephone network
First Claim
1. A method of providing answer supervision for calls in a switched telephone network, comprising the steps of:
- monitoring common channel signaling links using a signaling link monitor to detect call set-up messages exchanged over a common channel signaling system of the switched telephone network to determine whether a call answer message is sent from a terminating end of the call before a predetermined criteria respecting the call is satisfied; and
generating at least one common channel signaling message to control the call in an instance when the call answer message is not received before the predetermined criteria respecting the call is satisfied.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and system for providing answer supervision in a switched telephone network are described. The method involves monitoring signaling links in a common channel signaling system to track call progress. If a called number is determined to be suspect with respect to providing call answer indications, the system may route calls to monitored facilities which measure the commencement of payload traffic. When payload traffic is detected, a call answer message can be sent through the signaling network to initiate billing, or call release messages may be sent in each direction to cancel the call. Both inter-network and intra-network calls can be monitored to provide answer supervision and ensure that toll calls are properly billed in accordance with actual toll facility usage.
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Citations
38 Claims
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1. A method of providing answer supervision for calls in a switched telephone network, comprising the steps of:
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monitoring common channel signaling links using a signaling link monitor to detect call set-up messages exchanged over a common channel signaling system of the switched telephone network to determine whether a call answer message is sent from a terminating end of the call before a predetermined criteria respecting the call is satisfied; and generating at least one common channel signaling message to control the call in an instance when the call answer message is not received before the predetermined criteria respecting the call is satisfied. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of providing answer supervision for toll calls in a switched telephone network, comprising the steps of:
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monitoring common channel signaling links to detect call control messages; copying call control messages to a data processing unit which tallies the messages to track the progress of individual calls; determining at the data processing unit when the progress of an individual toll call fails to conform to an expected call pattern because the switched telephone network does not recognize the call as having been answered; and acting to control the individual call or acting to ensure that other calls to a same called number as the individual call are routed to ensure that they may be controlled. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A system for providing answer supervision for toll calls in a switched telephone network, comprising:
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a signal link monitor for monitoring at least one common channel signaling link in a common channel signaling system for controlling the switched telephone network to track the progress of individual calls having control messages carried by the at least one common channel signaling link; and means for generating common channel signaling messages and transmitting the common channel signaling messages into the common channel signaling network to control the progress of calls determined by the means for monitoring to be calls which do not conform to an expected call pattern respecting call answer. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A system for providing answer supervision for calls switched through gateway switches that interconnect switched telephone networks, comprising:
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monitors for monitoring signaling links carrying call control messages for calls switched through the gateway switches, the monitors being enabled to copy at least a portion of the call control messages to a data processor connected to a data network; the data processor being enabled to track the progress of individual calls switched through the gateway switches by analyzing the call control messages; and means for generating signaling messages to control individual calls switched through the gateway switches if a call does not conform to an expected call pattern. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38)
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Specification