Apparatus method and system for providing call progress information for multiple leg telecommunication sessions for intelligent network services

• US 6,574,325 B1
• Filed: 07/09/1999
• Issued: 06/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Baiyor, Robert John, Strom, Thomas Dale, Smith, Harold Robert Jr., Earl, Deborah Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Harry S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUI, BING Q
• Application Number:
  US09/350,577
• Time in Patent Office: 1,425 Days
• Field of Search: 379/211.01, 379/202.01, 379/211.02, 379/211.03, 379/211.04, 379/219, 379/233, 379/49
• US Class Current: 379/211.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/22 Arrangements for supervision, monitoring or testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices

Abstract

An apparatus, method and system are disclosed for providing call progress and status information for multiple leg telecommunication sessions, such as for flexible alerting, for intelligent network services. The preferred wireless system embodiment includes a home location register and a mobile switching center. The home location register stores a plurality of secondary directory numbers associated with a pilot directory number. The mobile switching center differentially processes and routes each outgoing call leg associated with each secondary directory number, to form a plurality of outgoing call legs. As the various outgoing call legs may be answered, not answered, released, have routing failures, or return busy signals, the mobile switching center generates corresponding call progress and status information. In the preferred embodiment, such call progress and status information includes parameters, for each outgoing call leg, such as time to answer, answer reason, no answer reason, busy reason, page response reason, no page response reason, and routing failure reason. The mobile switching center transmits the call progress and status information to the home location register, for subsequent dynamic utilization in providing intelligent network services, preferably utilizing a modified, ANSI-41 compatible information directive.

Claims

1. A method for providing call progress information for multiple leg telecommunication sessions, the method comprising:

(a) receiving an incoming call leg designating a primary directory number;

(b) determining a list of secondary directory numbers associated with the primary directory number;

(c) unless a previously routed outgoing call leg has been answered, differentially processing and routing each outgoing call leg associated with each secondary directory number, of the plurality of secondary directory numbers, to form a plurality of outgoing call legs;

(d) when an outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing call legs has been answered, connecting a first answering outgoing call leg for communication with the incoming call leg and releasing remaining outgoing call legs of the plurality of outgoing call legs;

(e) when an outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing call legs has not been answered, alerting each outgoing call leg until expiration of its corresponding no answer time parameter and then treating each outgoing call leg according to its corresponding no answer termination trigger;

(f) collecting supplemental call progress information for each outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing call legs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a list of secondary directory numbers comprises retrieving the list from a database and the method further comprises transmitting the call progress information to the database.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the call progress information is transmitted as a modified ANSI-41 Information Directive.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step (f) further comprises:

when an outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing call legs has not been routed, determining a routing failure reason or a no page response reason.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein step (f) further comprises:

when an outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing legs has been answered, determining a time to answer and an answer reason.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein step (f) further comprises:

when an outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing legs is wireless, determining a page response reason or a no page response reason.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein step (f) further comprises:

when an outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing legs has returned a busy signal, determining a busy reason.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein step (f) further comprises:

when an outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing legs has not been answered, determining a no answer reason.

9. A system for providing call progress information for multiple leg telecommunication sessions, the system comprising:

a database, the database having stored in a memory a plurality of secondary directory numbers associated with a primary directory number; and

a switching center coupled to the database, the switching center further having an interface for receiving an incoming call leg designating the primary directory number and, unless a previously routed outgoing call leg has been answered, for differentially processing and routing each outgoing call leg associated with each secondary directory number, of the plurality of secondary directory numbers, to form a plurality of outgoing call legs;

when an outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing call legs has been answered, the switching center having instructions for connecting a first answering outgoing call leg for communication with the incoming call leg and releasing remaining outgoing call legs of the plurality of outgoing call legs;

when an outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing call legs has not been answered, the switching center having instructions for alerting each outgoing call leg until expiration of its corresponding no answer time parameter and then treating each outgoing call leg according to its corresponding no answer termination trigger; and

the switching center having further instructions for determining supplemental call progress information for each outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing call legs and transmitting the call progress information to the database.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the call progress information is transmitted as a modified ANSI-41 Information Directive.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the switching center has further instructions, when an outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing call legs has not been routed, for determining a routing failure reason or a no page response reason.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the switching center has further instructions, when an outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing legs has been answered, for determining a time to answer and an answer reason.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the switching center has further instructions, when an outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing legs is wireless, for determining a page response reason or a no page response reason.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the switching center has further instructions, when an outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing legs has returned a busy signal, for determining a busy reason.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the switching center has further instructions, when an outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing legs has not been answered, for determining a no answer reason.

16. An apparatus for providing call progress information for multiple leg telecommunication sessions, the apparatus comprising:

a network interface for reception of an incoming call leg designating a primary directory number and for transmission of an outgoing call leg;

a memory having a plurality of secondary directory numbers associated with the primary directory number; and

a processor coupled to the memory and the network interface, wherein the processor, when operative, includes program instructions to differentially process and route each outgoing call leg associated with each secondary directory number, of the plurality of secondary directory numbers, to form a plurality of outgoing call legs;

the processor having further instructions, when an outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing call legs has been answered, to connect a first answering outgoing call leg for communication with the incoming call leg and release remaining outgoing call legs of the plurality of outgoing call legs;

the processor having further instructions, when an outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing call legs has not been answered, to alerting each outgoing call leg until expiration of its corresponding no answer time parameter and then treat each outgoing call leg according to its corresponding no answer termination trigger; and

the processor having further instructions to determine supplemental call progress information for each outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing call legs and transmit the call progress information to the memory.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the call progress information is transmitted as a modified ANSI-41 Information Directive.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor has further instructions, when an outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing call legs has not been routed, to determine a routing failure reason or a no page response reason.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor has further instructions, when an outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing legs has been answered, to determine a time to answer and an answer reason.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor has further instructions, when an outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing legs is wireless, to determine a page response reason or a no page response reason.

21. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor has further instructions, when an outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing legs has returned a busy signal, to determine a busy reason.

22. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor has further instructions, when an outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing legs has not been answered, to determine a no answer reason.

23. A system for providing call progress information for outgoing call legs for flexible alerting service, the system comprising:

a home location register, the home location register having stored in a memory a plurality of secondary directory numbers associated with a pilot directory number; and

a mobile switching center coupled to the home location register, the mobile switching center further having an interface for receiving an incoming call leg designating the pilot directory number and for differentially processing and routing each outgoing call leg associated with each secondary directory number, of the plurality of secondary directory numbers, to form a plurality of outgoing call legs;

when an outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing call legs has been answered, the mobile switching center having instructions for connecting a first answering outgoing call leg for communication with the incoming call leg and releasing remaining outgoing call legs of the plurality of outgoing call legs;

when an outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing call legs has not been answered, the mobile switching center having instructions for alerting each outgoing call leg until expiration of its corresponding no answer time parameter and then treating each outgoing call leg according to its corresponding no answer termination trigger; and

the switching center having further instructions for determining supplemental call progress information for each outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing call legs and transmitting the call progress information to the home location register.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the call progress information is transmitted as a modified ANSI-41 Information Directive.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the mobile switching center has further instructions, when an outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing call legs has not been routed, for determining a routing failure reason or a no page response reason.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the mobile switching center has further instructions, when an outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing legs has been answered, for determining a time to answer and an answer reason.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein the mobile switching center has further instructions, when an outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing legs is wireless, for determining a page response reason or a no page response reason.

28. The system of claim 23, wherein the mobile switching center has further instructions, when an outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing legs has returned a busy signal, for determining a busy reason.

29. The system of claim 23, wherein the mobile switching center has further instructions, when an outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing legs has not been answered, for determining a no answer reason.

30. A method for improving network efficiency in multiple leg telecommunication sessions, the method comprising:

receiving an incoming call leg designating a primary directory number;

determining a list of secondary directory numbers associated with the primary directory number;

unless a previously routed outgoing call leg has been answered, processing and routing each outgoing call leg associated with each secondary directory number, of the plurality of secondary directory numbers, to form a plurality of outgoing call legs;

when an outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing call legs has been answered, connecting a first answering outgoing call leg for communication with the incoming call leg and releasing remaining outgoing call legs of the plurality of outgoing call legs;

when an outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing call legs has not been answered, alerting each outgoing call leg until expiration of its corresponding no answer time parameter and then treating each outgoing call leg according to its corresponding no answer termination trigger;

collecting supplemental call progress information for each outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing call legs;

updating the list of secondary directory numbers based on the collected supplemental call progress information.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein determining a list of secondary directory numbers comprises retrieving the list from a database and the method further comprises transmitting the call progress information to the database, and updating the list of secondary directory numbers comprises at least one of adding, deleting and changing a secondary directory number in the database based on the transmitted information.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the call progress information is transmitted as a modified ANSI-41 Information Directive.