Advanced interactive voice response service node

• US 6,427,002 B2
• Filed: 05/07/1998
• Issued: 07/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: WorldCom, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Campbell, Jeffrey W., Fly, Henry N., Holmes, Allen, Santa, Phyllis D., Moldenhauer, Judy A., Hutton, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoosain, Allan
• Application Number:
  US09/073,880
• Publication Number:
  US 20010046278A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,545 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.01, 379/88.13, 379/67.1, 379/88.17, 379/88.19, 379/91.01, 379/93.21, 379/100.12, 379/100.15, 379/115, 379/133, 379/144, 379/158, 379/196, 379/219, 379/220, 379/265, 379/201.03, 379/201.12, 379/207.11, 379/221.02, 379/221.03, 379/221.04, 379/9.02, 379/9.03, 379/9.04, 379/9.05, 379/14.01, 379/15.01, 379/15.02, 379/15.03, 379/15.04, 379/15.05, 379/201.01, 379/265.01, 379/266.01, 455/403, 455/415, 455/461, 340/825.7, 340/825.8, 340/826, 709/234, 709/236, 709/237
• US Class Current: 379/88.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals

Abstract

A next generation service node (NGSN) for providing advanced interactive voice response (IVR) services within a telecommunications network. The NGSN includes intelligent peripherals implemented as network audio servers, and application servers which execute customer application files to perform IVR services. The NGSN provides reliability through redundancy of application servers, including automatic application server failover within a node, and automatic node failover between NGSNs. The NGSN features include modular software and hardware architecture with internal function encapsulation. This allows multiple vendors products to be used and provides a common signaling interface to be used to any switch network. Other NGSN features include an open systems architecture with improved scaleability and increased application processing capability.

Claims

1. A method for providing advanced interactive voice response services for handling telephone calls within a telecommunication network through a service node, the method comprising:

interfacing a plurality of intelligent peripherals to a telephonic switch network;

assigning each of said plurality of intelligent peripherals to one of a plurality of redundant application servers;

receiving a call from said telephonic switch network on one of said plurality of intelligent peripherals;

retrieving customer application files from a shared disk array;

executing said customer application files on one of said plurality of redundant application servers to perform interactive voice response services on said call on one of said plurality of intelligent peripherals;

storing the call state data of said call on one of said plurality of redundant application servers;

detecting a failure in said one of said plurality of intelligent peripherals during said call;

transferring said call from said one of said plurality of intelligent peripherals to another of said plurality of intelligent peripherals, in response to detecting the failure; and

resuming execution of said customer application files on said one of the plurality of redundant application servers using the stored call state data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

collecting alarms from said application servers and said intelligent peripherals;

and

storing alarms from said application servers and said intelligent peripherals.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring said plurality of redundant application servers for failure; and

switching from one of said plurality of redundant application servers to another of said plurality of redundant application servers, in response to detecting a failure in said one of said plurality of redundant application servers.

4. A service node system for providing advanced interactive voice response services for handling telephone calls within a telecommunications network comprising:

interfacing means for interfacing a plurality of intelligent peripherals to a telephonic switch network;

assigning means for assigning each of said plurality of intelligent peripherals to one of a plurality of redundant application servers;

means for receiving a call from said telephonic switch network on one of said plurality of intelligent peripherals;

retrieving means for retrieving customer application files from a shared disk array;

executing means for executing said customer application files on one of said plurality of redundant application servers to perform interactive voice response services on said call on one of said plurality of intelligent peripherals;

storing means for storing the call state data of said call;

detecting means for detecting a failure associated with said one of said plurality of intelligent peripherals during said call;

transferring means for causing said telephonic switch network to transfer said call from said one of said plurality of intelligent peripherals to another of said plurality of intelligent peripherals, in response to detecting the failure; and

resuming means for resuming execution of said customer application files on said one of the plurality of redundant application servers using the stored call state data.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising:

collecting means for collecting alarms from said application servers and said intelligent peripherals; and

storing means for storing alarms from said application servers and said intelligent peripherals.

6. The system of claim 4, further comprising:

monitoring means for monitoring said plurality of redundant application servers for failure; and

switching means for switching from one of said plurality of application servers to another of said plurality of redundant application servers, in response to detecting a failure in said one of said plurality of application servers.

7. A system for providing interactive voice response services for handling telephone calls within a telecommunications network, the system comprising:

a plurality of intelligent devices configured to receive calls from a switch, a first intelligent device receiving a first one of the calls from the switch;

a memory device configured to store application files, the application files including information indicating how to process the calls; and

a plurality of application servers configured to execute the application files, a first one of the application servers storing call state data relating to the first call, wherein the first application server signals the switch to transfer the first call to another one of the plurality of intelligent devices in response to detecting a failure associated with the first intelligent device and resumes processing associated with the first call using the stored call state data.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

a monitoring device configured to;

store alarm information generated by the plurality of intelligent devices, the memory device and the plurality of application servers, and

provide a user interface to the stored alarm information.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a local area network coupling said plurality of intelligent devices, said plurality of application servers, said memory device and said monitoring device.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of intelligent devices is assigned to one of the application servers.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein when an application server experiences a failure associated with processing a call, another one of the application servers takes over processing relating to the call.