System and method that allows a telephone data repository to communicate with an external system

• US 6,415,028 B1
• Filed: 10/06/1998
• Issued: 07/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MCI Communications Corporation (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Button, Ross Edward, Sauve, Steve, Sommers, Francis Cornelius, Holmes, Ralph, Cavanagh, Mike, Germann, Kevin, Howlette, Samuel S., Kayln, William, Bauer, Deborah, Ernst, Susan Jane McQuigge
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Harry S.
• Application Number:
  US09/167,956
• Time in Patent Office: 1,365 Days
• Field of Search: 379/112, 379/113, 379/207, 379/219, 379/220, 379/221, 379/229, 379/230, 379/112.01, 379/201.01, 379/211.02, 379/220.01, 379/221.13, 707/7, 707/523
• US Class Current: 379/221.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/005 Personal communication services, e.g. provisions for portability of subscriber numbers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/951 Calendar or scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

The present invention allows a telephone data repository to communicate with an external system, the interface system comprising a first communications link connecting the telephone data repository to an interface, a second communications link connecting the interface to the external system, and the interface configured to retrieve a plurality of telephone data from the telephone data repository via the first communications link, format the plurality of telephone data into a plurality of formatted telephone data that is compatible with the external system, and to send the plurality of formatted telephone data to the external system via the second communications link. The present invention also provides a method that allows a telephone data repository to communicate with an external system, comprising the steps of connecting to the telephone data repository via a first communications link, connecting the external system via a second communications link, retrieving a plurality of telephone data from the telephone data repository via the first communications link, formatting the plurality of telephone data into a plurality of formatted telephone data that is compatible with the external system, and sending the plurality of formatted telephone data to the external system via the second communications link.

Claims

1. An interface system that allows a telephone data repository to communicate with a separate external system, the interface system comprising:

a first communications link connecting the telephone data repository to an interface;

a second communications link connecting the interface to the external system; and

the interface configured to retrieve a plurality of telephone data from the telephone data repository via the first communications link, format the plurality of telephone data into a plurality of formatted telephone data that is compatible with the external system, and to send the plurality of formatted telephone data to the external system via the second communications link, wherein the plurality of telephone data includes a plurality of activated telephone numbers, a plurality of deactivated telephone numbers, and a plurality of local number portability requests.

2. The interface system as recited in claim 1, wherein the first communications link comprises:

a data distribution subsystem;

a third communications link connecting the interface to the data distribution subsystem; and

a fourth communications link connecting the data distribution subsystem to the telephone data repository.

3. The interface system as recited in claim 1, wherein the external system is an ANI Reference Information System.

4. The interface system as recited in claim 1, wherein the external system is a Metro Intelligent Network Administration Service Management System.

5. The interface system as recited in claim 1, wherein the external system is a Network Control System.

6. The interface system as recited in claim 1, wherein the external system is a Provisions Voice Network.

7. The interface system as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of telephone data comprises a plurality of telephone porting data defining how to route a call from a first service provider to a second service provider.

8. The interface system as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of telephone data comprises:

a plurality of telephone network data; and

a plurality of subscription information.

9. The interface system as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of telephone data further comprises:

a plurality of modified telephone numbers.

10. The interface system as recited in claim 1, further comprising an application for updating an internal transaction table in the telephone data repository to reflect current status of processed data messages.

11. The interface system as recited in claim 1, wherein the interface is further configured to recover unprocessed data messages from the telephone data repository.

12. The interface system as recited in claim 1, wherein the interface is further configured to perform read and write operations on a plurality of interface sockets communicably coupled to the telephone data repository.

13. The interface system as recited in claim 1, and further comprising a plurality of second communications links connecting the interface to a plurality of differing external systems each having a differing format for said plurality of telephone data.

14. An interface system that allows a telephone data repository to communicate with a separate external system, the interface system comprising:

a first communications link connecting an interface to the external system;

a second communications link connecting the interface to a data distribution subsystem;

a third communications link connecting the data distribution subsystem to the telephone data repository; and

the interface configured to retrieve a plurality of telephone data from the telephone data repository via the first communications link, format the plurality of telephone data into a plurality of formatted telephone data that is compatible with the external system, and to send the plurality of formatted telephone data to the external system via the second communications link, wherein the plurality of telephone data includes a plurality of activated telephone numbers, a plurality of deactivated telephone numbers, and a plurality of local number portability requests.

15. The interface system as recited in claim 14, wherein the external system is a Metro Intelligent Network Administration Service Management System.

16. The interface system as recited in claim 14, wherein the external system is a Network Control System.

17. The interface system as recited in claim 14, wherein the external system is a Provisions Voice Network.

18. The interface system as recited in claim 14, wherein the plurality of telephone data comprises a plurality of telephone porting data defining how to route a call from a first service provider to a second service provider.

19. The interface system as recited in claim 14, wherein the plurality of telephone data comprises:

a plurality of telephone network data; and

a plurality of subscription information.

20. The interface system as recited in claim 14, wherein the plurality of telephone data further comprises:

a plurality of modified telephone numbers.

21. The interface system as recited in claim 14, further comprising an application for updating an internal transaction table in the telephone data repository to reflect current status of processed data messages.

22. The interface system as recited in claim 14, wherein the interface is further configured to recover unprocessed data messages from the telephone data repository.

23. The interface system as recited in claim 14, wherein the interface is further configured to perform read and write operations on a plurality of interface sockets communicably coupled to the telephone data repository.

24. The interface system as recited in claim 14, and further comprising a plurality of second communications links connecting the interface to a plurality of differing external systems each having a differing format for said plurality of telephone data.

25. A method that allows a telephone data repository to communicate with a separate external system, said method comprising:

connecting to the telephone data repository via a first communications link;

connecting the external system via a second communications link;

retrieving a plurality of telephone data from the telephone data repository via the first communications link;

formatting the plurality of telephone data into a plurality of formatted telephone data that is compatible with the external system; and

sending the plurality of formatted telephone data to the external system via the second communications link, wherein the plurality of telephone data includes a plurality of activated telephone numbers, a plurality of deactivated telephone numbers, and a plurality of local number portability requests.

26. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein:

connecting the external system comprises connecting a plurality of differing external systems via a corresponding plurality of second communications links; and

formatting the plurality of telephone data comprises formatting said plurality of telephone data into a plurality of differing formats that are each compatible with a respective one of the plurality of differing external systems.

27. An interface for communicating telephone data between a telephone data repository and a separate external system, said interface comprising:

means for retrieving a plurality of telephone data from the telephone data repository via the first communications link;

means for formatting the plurality of telephone data into a plurality of formatted telephone data compatible with the external system; and

means for sending the plurality of formatted telephone data to the external system via a second communications link, wherein the plurality of telephone data comprises a plurality of telephone porting data defining how to route a call from a first service provider to a second service provider, wherein the plurality of telephone data includes a plurality of activated telephone numbers, a plurality of deactivated telephone numbers, and a plurality of local number portability requests.

28. The interface system as recited in claim 27, wherein said interface is connected to a plurality of external systems by a corresponding plurality of second communications links, wherein:

said means for formatting comprises means for formatting said plurality of telephone data into a plurality of differing formats; and

said means for sending comprises means for sending said plurality of telephone data to said plurality of external systems in said plurality of differing formats.