Method and communication network for offering announcements

• US 6,496,570 B1
• Filed: 08/23/1999
• Issued: 12/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Nimphius, Klaus
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoosain, Allan
• Application Number:
  US09/367,961
• Time in Patent Office: 1,212 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67.1, 379/68, 379/88.17, 379/88.22, 379/88.25, 379/201.01, 379/201.02, 379/207.13, 379/210.02, 379/219, 379/220.01, 379/221.01, 379/88.05, 379/88.06, 379/821.08, 379/221.09, 379/88.16, 379/88.18, 379/221.11
• US Class Current: 379/88.25
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/487 Arrangements for providing information services, e.g. recorded voice services or time announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/00 Arrangements for interconnection between switching centres
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A method and communication network wherein one or more announcement texts are established in a service control point. A message initiated on the basis of a call of the subscriber wherein information about the supportability of announcements by an announcement unit are contained is received and interpreted by the service control point. Given support of an announcement by an announcement unit, a message in which the announcement text is contained is sent from the service control point. The announcement unit converts a received announcement text into an announcement that is then transmitted to the calling subscriber on a voice channel.

Claims

1. A method for offering announcements in a communication network, the method comprising the steps of:

providing network switching equipment;

providing communication terminal equipment which is connectable to the network switching equipment;

enabling both access of subscribers to the communication network and transitions to at least one further network via the communication terminal;

controlling the announcements via at least one service control point;

offering the announcements for a calling subscriber via at least one service switching point;

the service switching point being connectable to an announcement unit;

establishing at least one announcement text in the service control point;

receiving and interpreting by the service control point a first message initiated on the basis of a call of the calling subscriber, the first message containing information on the supportability of announcements by the announcement unit;

determining support of an announcement by the announcement unit;

transmitting a second message from the service control point to the announcement unit if the announcement unit supports the announcement, the second message containing the at least one announcement text and additional language information for identifying national language properties of the announcement, wherein the additional language information includes at least a language code for identifying a language in which the announcement of the received announcement text occurs via the announcement unit;

converting the announcement text into the announcement at the announcement unit; and

transmitting the announcement via the announcement unit to the calling subscriber on a voice channel.

2. A method for offering announcements in a communication network as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

generating the first message by a first service switching point servicing the calling subscriber; and

transmitting the first message to the service control point.

3. A method for offering announcements in a communication network as claimed in claim 2, further comprising the step of:

routing the second message via the first service switching point to the announcement unit.

4. A method for offering announcements in a communication network as claimed in claim 2, further comprising the step of:

selecting a second service switching point with the service control point via which the second message is routed to another announcement unit connected to the second service switching point.

5. A method for offering announcements in a communication network as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second message is directly sent from the service control point to the announcement unit.

6. A method for offering announcements in a communication network as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication network is a mobile radio telephone network.

7. A method for offering announcements in a communication network as claimed in claim 6, wherein the service switching point and the service control point belong to spatially separate communication networks.

8. A method for offering announcements in a communication network as claimed in claim 6, wherein, given a call of the calling subscriber that is residing in a visitor network and not in the calling subscribers home network, the first message is transmitted to the service control point in the home network and the second message is transmitted to a service switching point in the visitor network in network-overlapping fashion, and wherein the announcement is generated by an announcement unit in the visitor network.

9. A communication network for offering announcements, comprising:

network switching equipment;

communication terminal equipment connectable to the network switching equipment, the communication terminal equipment enabling both access of subscribers to the communication network and transitions to at least one further network via the communication terminal equipment;

at least one service control point for controlling the announcements, the service control point storing at least one announcement text, the service control point further receiving and interpreting a first message initiated on the basis of a call of a calling subscriber which includes information on the supportability of announcements by an announcement unit, the service control point also transmitting a second message to the announcement unit if the announcement unit supports an announcement, the second message containing the at least one announcement text and additional language information for identifying national language properties of the announcement, wherein the additional language information includes at least a language code for identifying a language in which the announcement of the received announcement text occurs via the announcement unit;

at least one service switching point connectable to the announcement unit for offering announcements for the calling subscriber; and

an announcement unit for converting the received announcement text into the announcement and for transmitting the announcement to the calling subscriber on a voice channel.

10. A communication network for offering announcements as claimed in claim 9, wherein the service control point further comprises:

means for storing the at least one announcement text;

means for storing and evaluating the first message; and

means for sending the second message to the announcement unit.

11. A communication network for offering announcements as claimed in claim 9, wherein the service switching point further comprises:

means for receiving the second message from the service control point; and

means for sending the announcement text to the announcement unit.

12. A communication network for offering announcements as claimed in claim 9, wherein the announcement unit further comprises:

means for receiving the second message; and

means for converting the announcement text in the announcement.