Switch controller for a telecommunications network

• US 6,480,597 B1
• Filed: 06/12/1998
• Issued: 11/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MCI Communications Corporation (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Kult, George, Vijay, Sharadha
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Armad F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUI, BING Q
• Application Number:
  US09/096,938
• Time in Patent Office: 1,614 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201, 379/207, 379/210, 379/242, 379/244, 379/211, 379/221.08, 379/221.11, 379/201.03, 379/221.09, 379/231.05
• US Class Current: 379/242
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4228 in networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

The present invention is a switch controller that provides an interface between a public switched telephone network and intelligent services network components. The switch controller controls the operation of one or more programmable switches that accept calls from the public switched telephone network. Intelligent service network components are used for enhanced service processing, interconnection to external networks, and other call functions. The switch controller includes a switch controller application program. Within the switch controller application program are multiple routines that perform call processing. The design of the switch controller application program hides vendor-specific processing and service-specific processing from routines not needing the vendor-specific and service-specific details.

Claims

1. A switch controller, comprising:

a programmable switch support providing an interface to a programmable switch;

a call control establishing a connection between two ports on said programmable switch;

a service control interfacing with an intelligent service network component;

a resource control monitoring the state of a call and service related resources; and

a management interface providing an interface to external management systems wherein the switch controller provides external commands to the programmable switch to control call processing.

2. The switch controller of claim 1, wherein said call control comprises:

one or more protocol state machines; and

a call state machine.

3. The switch controller of claim 1, wherein said call control comprises:

an originating state machine, wherein said originating state machine tracks an originating state of one or more possible originating states for an originating leg of a call; and

a terminating state machine, wherein said terminating state machine tracks a terminating state of one or more possible terminating states for a terminating leg of a call.

4. The switch controller of claim 1, wherein said service control comprises:

a switch service process; and

one or more service logic programs.

5. The switch controller of claim 4, wherein one of said one or more service logic programs is one of:

a group select module;

a call queuing module;

an operator service logic module;

a network service logic module;

a prepaid service logic program;

or

an automatic trunk routing service logic program.

6. The switch controller of claim 1, wherein said resource control comprises:

a resource management process; and

a system control process.

7. The switch controller of claim 1, wherein said management interface comprises:

a process manager.

8. The switch controller of claim 7, wherein said management interface further comprises one of:

a system management interface;

a force management interface;

or

a switch configuration utility.

9. A method for processing a call by a switch controller, comprising:

processing a switch controller application programmer interface message by a call control function within a switch controller application program, wherein said call control function comprises a call state machine, wherein the call has a call state which is one of a plurality of possible call states of said call state machine; and

modifying a value of a global state variable associated with said call state to identify groups of ports enabling processing of the call, wherein the switch controller interfaces with an intelligent service network component.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein processing further comprises:

(i) identifying an event associated with receipt of said switch controller application programmer interface message;

(ii) identifying a detection point associated with said event and said state of the call; and

(iii) determining whether said detection point is armed.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein processing further comprises the of:

(iv) performing processing by said call control function if said detection point is armed.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising the following to be performed before processing:

receiving a programmable switch application programmer interface message by a programmable switch support function within said switch controller application program; and

sending said switch controller application programmer interface message from said programmable switch support function to said call control function.