System and method for local number portability for telecommunication networks

• US 6,438,223 B1
• Filed: 03/03/1999
• Issued: 08/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Open Telephone Network, Inc. (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Inventors: Eskafi, Farokh H., Kazerouni, Mohammad D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad
• Assistant Examiner(s): ADDY, THJUAN KNOWLIN
• Application Number:
  US09/261,897
• Time in Patent Office: 1,266 Days
• Field of Search: 379/211, 379/207, 379/219, 370/360
• US Class Current: 379/221.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/005 Personal communication services, e.g. provisions for portability of subscriber numbers

Abstract

One-Number-Service (ONS) allows a subscriber to keep a single Directory Number when relocating to a different access point among one or more interconnected telecommunication systems. According to one aspect of the invention, a signaling packet for a call setup to a ported number is intercepted at an improved signal transfer point where a query to a database returns a new address of the exchange the number has ported to. The new address is used to update the signaling packet at the improved signal transfer point in order to set up the call to the ported exchange. According to another aspect of the invention, an improved exchange triggers to do a query to obtain the new address of the exchange the number has ported to. The new address is used to update the signaling packet at the exchange in order to set up the call to the ported exchange. Yet other aspects of the invention include combination of query and signaling packet processing at the signal transfer point and the exchange.

Claims

1. In a telecommunication system having a group of interlinked, addressable exchanges, where a call is routed to a destination exchange therein, the call routing being setup in cooperation with a signaling packet containing an address of the destination exchange passed between exchanges routing the call, a method of porting a subscriber'"'"'s directory number from a first access point provisioned in a first exchange to a second acces point provisioned in a second exchange among said group of exchanges, comprising:

providing a database for obtaining an address of an exchange provisioning a given directory number, said database being accessible by said group of interlinked, addressable exchanges;

maintaining said database to reflect said subscriber'"'"'s directory number being provisioned by the second exchange instead of the first exchange; and

intercepting a signaling packet associated with a call to said subscriber'"'"'s directory number, wherein said intercepting results in additional steps, including;

querying said database with said subscriber'"'"'s directory number to obtain an address for the second exchange; and

modifying the address of the destination exchange contained in the intercepted signaling packet by substituting it with that of the second exchange; and

passing the modified signaling packet to an exchange among said group of exchanges so that said call to said subscriber'"'"'s directory number is routed to the second exchange accordingly.

2. A method of porting a subscriber'"'"'s directory number as in claim 1, wherein:

the first exchange includes one selected from a wireline, wireless, cable network, local-area network or wide-area network telecommunication system.

3. A method of porting a subscriber'"'"'s directory number as in claim 1, wherein:

the second exchange includes one selected from a wireline, wireless, cable network, local-area network or wide-area network telecommunication system.

4. A method of porting a subscriber'"'"'s directory number as in claim 1, wherein the first and second exchange are one and the same.

5. A method of porting a subscriber'"'"'s directory number as in claim 1-4, wherein said database is one of a plurality of databases accessible to said group of interlinked, addressable exchanges.

6. A method of porting a subscriber'"'"'s directory number as in claim 1-4, further comprising:

providing a signal transfer processor for performing the steps of intercepting a signaling packet, querying said database, and modifying the address of the designation contained in the intercepted signaling packet.

7. A method of porting a subscriber'"'"'s directory number as in claim 1-4, wherein:

said step of querying said database further including determining if said subscriber'"'"'s number is a ported number before performing the querying of said database.

8. A method of porting a subscriber'"'"'s directory number as in claim 1-4, wherein the steps of intercepting a signaling packet, querying said database, and modifying the address of the designation contained in the intercepted signaling packet are performed under an established Integrated Service Digital Network User Part protocol of a predefined signaling system network.

9. In a telecommunication system having a group of interlinked, addressable exchanges serviced by a service provider, where a call is routed to a destination exchange therein, the call routing being set up in cooperation with a signaling packet containing an address of the destination exchange passed between exchanges routing the call, a method of porting a subscriber'"'"'s directory number from a first access point provisioned in a first exchange to a second access point provisioned in a second exchange among said service provider, comprising:

providing a database for said group of interlinked, addressable exchanges to obtain an address of an exchange provisioning a given directory number;

maintaining said database to reflect said subscriber'"'"'s directory number being provisioned by the second exchange instead of the first exchange;

causing one of said interlinked addressable exchanges, in response to said subscriber'"'"'s directory number, to query said database with said subscriber'"'"'s directory number to obtain an address for the second exchange, said query including determining if said subscriber'"'"'s number is a ported number before performing the querying of said database;

using the address for the second exchange to construct the signaling packet for the call routing being set up; and

passing the signaling packet to another exchange among said group of exchanges so that said call to said subscriber'"'"'s directory number is routed to the second exchange accordingly.

10. A method of porting a subscriber'"'"'s directory number as in claim 9, wherein:

the first exchange includes one selected from a wireline, wireless, cable network, local-area network or wide-area network telecommunication system.

11. A method of porting a subscriber'"'"'s directory number as in claim 9, wherein:

the second exchange includes one selected from a wireline, wireless, cable network, local-area network or wide-area network telecommunication system.

12. A method of porting a subscriber'"'"'s directory number as in claim 9, wherein the first and second exchange are one and the same.

13. A method of porting a subscriber'"'"'s directory number as in claim 9-12, wherein said database is one of a plurality of databases accessible to said group of interlinked, addressable exchanges.

14. A method of porting a subscriber'"'"'s directory number as in claim 9-12, further comprising:

providing a signal transfer processor for performing the steps of querying said database in response to said subscriber'"'"'s directory number to obtain an address for the second exchange.

15. A method of porting a subscriber'"'"'s directory number as in claim 14, wherein said signal transfer processor performing the step of querying under an established Transaction Capable Application Part protocol of a predefined signaling system network.

16. In a telecommunication system having a group of interlinked, addressable exchanges, where a call is routed to a destination exchange therein, the call routing being setup in cooperation with a signaling packet containing an address of the destination exchange passed between exchanges routing the call, an improved exchange, comprising:

a first trigger responsive to one of a first set of directory numbers to cause a first query of a first database containing porting information of said one of a first set of directory numbers, said first query returning an address for the second exchange;

a second trigger responsive to another one of a second set of directory numbers to cause a second query of a second database containing porting information of said another one of a second set of directory numbers, said second query returning an address for the second exchange;

means for constructing the signaling packet for the call routing being set up using the address for the second exchange; and

means for passing the signaling packet to another exchange among said group of exchanges so that said call to said subscriber'"'"'s directory number is routed to the second exchange accordingly.

17. An improved exchange as in claim 16, wherein:

the first exchange includes one selected from a wireline, wireless, cable network, local-area network or wide-area network telecommunication system.

18. An improved exchange as in claim 16, wherein:

the second exchange includes one selected from a wireline, wireless, cable network, local-area network or wide-area network telecommunication system.

19. An improved exchange as in claim 16, wherein the first and second exchange are one and the same.

20. An improved exchange as in claim 16, wherein the first set of directory numbers is associated with Local Number Porting (LNP).