Apparatus and method for routing communications
First Claim
1. Apparatus for routing telephone calls comprising:
- input means operable to receive an input signal representative of a user generated call number defining a user selected call destination;
signal generating means operable to prefix the input signal with a prefix signal representative of a selected prefix code defining at least a network connection route selected from a plurality of available routes to the user selected call destination;
memory means operable to store a decision table containing predetermined data for determining prefix codes corresponding to a plurality of respective call destinations;
selecting means operable to obtain said selected prefix code corresponding to said user selected call destination by addressing the memory means;
output means operable to output an output signal corresponding to the input signal prefixed by the prefix signal;
receiving means operable to receive a wireless broadcast signal of updating information; and
updating means operable to update the predetermined data stored in the decision table in accordance with the received updating information, wherein the updating means is operable to update the predetermined data in the decision table with updating information comprising network ID data identifying for a respective call destination a preferred route calculated by a control center from which the updating information is broadcast in use, and wherein the memory means further comprises a network table for obtaining the prefix code from the network ID.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A routing device is used to route telephone calls. The device prefixes user generated call numbers with a prefix code which determines the network connection route and provides billing and customer identification information. The device determines the preferred route by addressing a lookup table which is periodically updated with updating information transmitted by radio broadcast from a control center. The device may be a standalone device connected through a telephone in a local exchange connection or may be formed unitarily with a telephone facsimile machine or a mobile telephone. The broadcast updating information is transmitted by a message pager transmitting system during off peak message handling times. The device is provided with two memory areas for first and second lookup tables so that one of the tables remains addressable while the other table is being updated. The most recently updated table being subsequently used as the decision table.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. Apparatus for routing telephone calls comprising:
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input means operable to receive an input signal representative of a user generated call number defining a user selected call destination;
signal generating means operable to prefix the input signal with a prefix signal representative of a selected prefix code defining at least a network connection route selected from a plurality of available routes to the user selected call destination;
memory means operable to store a decision table containing predetermined data for determining prefix codes corresponding to a plurality of respective call destinations;
selecting means operable to obtain said selected prefix code corresponding to said user selected call destination by addressing the memory means;
output means operable to output an output signal corresponding to the input signal prefixed by the prefix signal;
receiving means operable to receive a wireless broadcast signal of updating information; and
updating means operable to update the predetermined data stored in the decision table in accordance with the received updating information, wherein the updating means is operable to update the predetermined data in the decision table with updating information comprising network ID data identifying for a respective call destination a preferred route calculated by a control center from which the updating information is broadcast in use, and wherein the memory means further comprises a network table for obtaining the prefix code from the network ID. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method of controlling routing of telephone calls comprising:
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collecting route information from a plurality of service providers having respective network connection facilities;
compiling a set of preferred routes between call originating terminals and call destinations based on the collected route information;
preparing for a group of user terminals in a common geographical area a set of predetermined prefix codes for use in prefixing user generated call numbers to define the preferred network connection routes;
broadcasting to the routing apparatus associated with said terminals the predetermined data by means of a wireless broadcast signal;
storing the predetermined data in the routing apparatus, and operating the terminals and the routing apparatus in accordance with the predetermined data to make telephone connection between the terminals and the call destinations via the preferred route, wherein the predetermined data prepared at the control center and broadcast to the routing apparatus comprises network ID data identifying for a respective call destination a preferred route calculated by the control center, and wherein the routing apparatus obtains a prefix code for routing the telephone connection by using a network table to obtain the prefix code from the network ID. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25)
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26. A control center for use in controlling the routing of telephone calls comprising:
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means for collecting route information from a plurality of service providers having respective network connection facilities;
means for compiling a set of preferred routes between call originating terminals and call destinations based on the collected route information;
means for preparing a set of predetermined data for a group of user terminals in a common geographical area for use in prefixing user generated call numbers to define the preferred network connection routes; and
means for broadcasting to the routing apparatus associated with said terminals the predetermined data by means of a wireless broadcast signal, wherein the control center prepares the predetermined data in the form of network ID data identifying for a respective call destination a preferred route calculated by the control center on the basis of the collected route information.
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27. A method of routing telephone calls, comprising:
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inputting, to a routing apparatus, an input signal representative of a user generated call number defining a user selected call destination;
selecting a prefix code corresponding to said user selected call destination by addressing a memory means storing a decision table containing predetermined data for determining prefix codes corresponding to a plurality of respective call destinations;
generating a prefix signal representative of the selected prefix code defining at least a network connection route selected from a plurality of available routes to the user selected call destination and prefixing the input signal with the prefix signal;
outputting an output signal corresponding to the input signal prefixed by the prefix signal, the routing apparatus further receiving a wireless broadcast signal of updating information comprising updated prefix codes and updating the predetermined data stored in the decision table with the received updated prefix codes.
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28. A mobile telephone comprising apparatus for determining preferred network routing of telephone calls made using the mobile telephone, wherein the apparatus comprises:
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input means operable to receive an input signal representative of a user generated call number defining a user selected call destination;
signal generating means operable to prefix the input signal with a prefix signal representative of a selected prefix code defining at least a network connection route selected from a plurality of available routes to the user selected call destination;
memory means operable to store a decision table containing predetermined data for determining prefix codes corresponding to a plurality of respective call destinations;
selecting means operable to obtain said selected prefix code corresponding to said user selected call destination by addressing the memory means;
output means operable to output an output signal corresponding to the input signal prefixed by the prefix signal;
receiving means operable to receive a wireless broadcast signal of updating information; and
updating means operable to update the predetermined data stored in the decision table in accordance with the received updating information. - View Dependent Claims (29)
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30. A computer program comprising processor implementable instructions for controlling a processor of a routing apparatus to perform a method comprising:
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inputting, to the routing apparatus, an input signal representative of a user generated call number defining a user selected call destination;
selecting a prefix code corresponding to said user selected call destination by addressing a memory means storing a decision table containing predetermined data for determining prefix codes corresponding to a plurality of respective call destinations;
generating a prefix signal representative of the selected prefix code defining at least a network connection route selected from a plurality of available routes to the user selected call destination and prefixing the input signal with the prefix signal;
outputting an output signal corresponding to the input signal prefixed by the prefix signal; and
updating the predetermined data stored in the decision table with updated prefix codes received by the routing apparatus in a wireless broadcast signal of updating information comprising said updated prefix codes.
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Specification