Two way transmission of subscriber provisional data for an intelligent peripheral in an advanced intelligent network (AIN)

• US 6,240,174 B1
• Filed: 05/14/1998
• Issued: 05/29/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Silver, Jonathan J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Deane, Jr., William J.
• Application Number:
  US09/079,663
• Time in Patent Office: 1,111 Days
• Field of Search: 379/219, 379/220, 379/225, 379/229, 379/201, 379/207, 379/112, 379/900, 379/901, 379/230, 379/231
• US Class Current: 379/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• 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: H04M 3/487 Arrangements for providing information services, e.g. recorded voice services or time announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

An Automated Intelligent Network (AIN) telephone system with a central office switching system. The AIN system includes a service provider system for providing customizable subscriber services based upon subscriber-specific data stored in an EMS database. The subscriber-specific data is selectively updated by a service provider. The AIN system further includes an intelligent peripheral system coupled with the central office switching system. The intelligent peripheral system includes a regional relational database for storing regional subscriber-specific data. The intelligent peripheral system further includes: (1) voice peripherals for providing voice announcements and for receiving updates to the regional subscriber-specific data stored on the regional relational database using one or more end user telephones; (2) a direct-dial communications interface for receiving updates to the regional subscriber-specific data on the regional relational database using one or more end-user data entry devices coupled to the intelligent peripheral system; and (3) a bidirectional data path connected between the intelligent peripheral system and the service provider system for transferring at least part of the regional subscriber-specific data from the regional relational database of the intelligent peripheral system to correspondingly update the subscriber-specific data in stored in the EMS database of the service provider system.

Claims

1. An Automated Intelligent Network (AIN) telephone system comprising at least one central office switching system, a system comprising:

a service provider system for providing customizable subscriber services based upon subscriber-specific data stored in an EMS database, wherein said subscriber-specific data is selectively updated by a service provider;

at least one intelligent peripheral system coupled with a central office switching system wherein said intelligent peripheral system includes a regional relational database for storing regional subscriber-specific data said intelligent peripheral system further comprises;

one or more voice peripherals for providing voice announcements and for receiving updates to said regional subscriber-specific data stored on said regional relational database using one or more end user telephones;

at least one direct-dial communications interface for receiving updates to said regional subscriber-specific data on said regional relational database using one or more end-user data entry devices coupled to said intelligent peripheral system; and

a bidirectional data path connected between said intelligent peripheral system and said service provider system for transferring at least part of said regional subscriber-specific data from said regional relational database of said intelligent peripheral system to correspondingly update said subscriber-specific data in stored in said EMS database of said service provider system.

2. The AIN telephone system of claim 1 wherein said service provider system further comprises:

a communication interface to said service provider system for selectively updating said subscriber-specific data on said EMS database using one or more client data entry devices; and

store-forward application for sending at least part of said subscriber-specific data stored in said EMS database of said service provider system to said regional relational database of said intelligent peripheral systems so as to correspondingly update said regional subscriber-specific data.

3. The AIN telephone system of claim 1 further comprising an application for transferring updates of said regional subscriber-specific data that are packaged together into a related set of commands based on transaction-ids from said regional subscriber-specific data from said regional relational database of said intelligent peripheral system to correspondingly update said subscriber-specific data in stored in said EMS database of said service provider system.

4. The AIN telephone system of claim 3 wherein said regional relational database of said intelligent peripheral system further comprises settable update triggers, wherein said update triggers are set to indicate said subscriber-specific data has been updated.

5. In an Automated Intelligent Network (AIN) telephone system a method of updating subscriber-specific data comprising the steps of:

providing customizable subscriber services based upon subscriber-specific data stored in an EMS database as part of a service provider system, wherein said subscriber-specific data is selectively updated by a service provider;

coupling at least one intelligent peripheral system with a central office switching system, wherein said intelligent peripheral system includes a regional relational database for storing regional subscriber-specific data, said intelligent peripheral including one or more voice peripherals and at least one direct-dial communications interface, said intelligent peripheral system configured to carry out the sub-steps of;

using said one or more voice peripherals for providing voice announcements and for receiving updates to said regional subscriber-specific data stored on said regional relational database using one or more end user telephones;

using said at least one direct-dial communications interface for receiving updates to said regional subscriber-specific data on said regional relational database using one or more end-user data entry devices coupled to said intelligent peripheral system; and

coupling a bidirectional data path between said intelligent peripheral system and said service provider system for transferring at least part of said regional subscriber-specific data from said regional relational database of said intelligent peripheral system to correspondingly update said subscriber-specific data in stored in said EMS database of said service provider system.

6. The method of updating subscriber-specific data of claim 5, wherein said step of providing customizable subscriber services based upon subscriber-specific data stored in an EMS database as part of a service provider system includes a service provider system with a communication interface to one or more client systems and further comprising the steps of:

selectively updating said subscriber-specific data on said EMS database using said one or more client systems through said communication interface; and

storing into said EMS database and forwarding at least part of said subscriber-specific data from said EMS database of said service provider system to said regional relational database of said intelligent peripheral system so as to correspondingly update said regional subscriber-specific data.

7. The method of updating subscriber-specific data of claim 5 wherein said sub-step of coupling a bidirectional data path further comprises an application running on said intelligent peripheral system for transferring updates of said regional subscriber-specific data that are packaged together into related set of commands based on transaction-ids from said regional subscriber-specific data from said regional relational database of said intelligent peripheral system to correspondingly update said subscriber-specific data in stored in said EMS database of said service provider system.

8. The method of updating subscriber-specific data of claim 7 wherein said sub-step of coupling further comprises coupling said intelligent peripheral system including regional relational database with settable update triggers, wherein said update triggers are set to indicate said subscriber-specific data has been updated.

9. An Automated Intelligent Network (AIN) telephone system comprising at least one central office switching system, a system comprising:

at least one EMS service provider system comprising;

an EMS server;

an EMS database;

at least one EMS client attached to the EMS server; and

at least one customer EMS system attached to the EMS server;

wherein the EMS service provider system provides subscriber-specific data stored in the EMS database that can be selectively updated by the at least one EMS client and the at least one customer EMS system and the subscriber-specific data is used to provide customizable subscriber services; and

at least one intelligent peripheral system coupled with a central office switching system and coupled over a bidirectional link with the EMS service provider system, each of the one or more intelligent peripheral systems comprising;

a regional relational database for storing regional subscriber-subscriber-specific data;

one or more voice peripherals for providing voice announcements and for receiving updates to the regional subscriber-specific data stored on the regional relational database using one or more end user telephones; and

at least one direct-dial communications interface for receiving updates to the regional subscriber-specific data on the regional relational database using one or more end-user data entry devices coupled to the intelligent peripheral system;

wherein at least part of the regional subscriber-specific data from the regional relational database of the intelligent peripheral system is transferred via the bidirectional link to correspondingly update the subscriber-specific data in stored in the EMS database of the service provider system.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the bidirectional link is a TCP/IP link.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein the regional relational database contains triggers that a predefined database record in the regional relational database is being altered so as to automatically forward these updates to the EMS database of the EMS service provider system.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein the regional relational database packages together updatates related by transaction-ids so as to reduce the amount of traffic over the bidirectional link.