System and method for forwarding call from disconnected telephone number to new telephone number

• US 6,718,028 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2002
• Issued: 04/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SBC Technology Resources, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SBC Technology Resources, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Coronado, M. Lourdes, Simino, John E., Tamasi, Mark, Kolker, Michael E., Culli, Laura
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, DUC MINH
• Application Number:
  US10/155,169
• Publication Number:
  US 20020172343A1
• Time in Patent Office: 679 Days
• Field of Search: 379/114.01, 379/114.05, 379/114.27, 379/115.01, 379/120, 379/121.01, 379/127.01, 379/127.05, 379/133-134, 379/201.01, 379/207.15, 379/219-221, 379/229-230, 379/243
• US Class Current: 379/221.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/54 Arrangements for diverting calls for one subscriber to another predetermined subscriber based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; to voice mail H04M3/53308
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/005 Personal communication services, e.g. provisions for portability of subscriber numbers

Abstract

A new destination number determination switching system is provided for a telecommunications environment in which a called party has discontinued an old called party destination number and obtained a new called party destination number. The new destination number determination switching system is used to obtain the new called party destination number when a calling party places a call to the old called party destination number. The switching system includes a hub switch that receives a rerouted call from a corresponding original destination switch. The hub switch corresponds to a routing number prefix used to reroute calls from the corresponding original destination switch to the hub switch. The routing number prefix causes the hub switch to initiate a trigger to a network platform that obtains the new called party destination number.

Claims

1. A new destination number determination switching system for a telecommunications environment in which a called party has discontinued an old called party destination number and obtained a new called party destination number, the switching system comprising:

a hub switch that receives at least one call, to the old called party destination number, rerouted from at least one original destination switch associated with the old called party destination number, based on a routing number prefix associated with the hub switch, the routing number prefix causing the hub switch to initiate a trigger to a network platform that obtains the new called party destination number.

2. The new destination number determination switching system of claim 1, the hub switch further receiving a determination from the network platform indicating whether the called party has authorized payment for forwarding the call.

3. The new destination number determination switching system of claim 2, the hub switch further forwarding the call to the new called party destination number when the hub switch receives a determination that the called party has authorized payment for forwarding the call.

4. The new destination number determination switching system of claim 1, the hub switch further forwarding the routing number prefix and a code identifying the at least one original destination switch to the network platform to be used to determine a number plan area (NPA) of the old called party destination number.

5. The new destination number determination switching system of claim 1, wherein the routing number prefix is determined based on a number plan area (NPA) corresponding to an area served by the at least one original destination switch.

6. The new destination number determination switching system of claim 1, further comprising a database that stores the old called party destination number in association with the new called party destination number, the network platform obtaining the new called party destination number from the database and forwarding the new called party destination number to the hub switch.

7. The new destination number determination switching system of claim 1, the hub switch further receiving a determination from the network platform whether the called party has authorized forwarding the call, and forwarding the call to the called party using the new called party destination number when the called party has authorized forwarding the call.

8. A new destination number determination switching system for a telecommunications environment, in which a called party has discontinued an old called party destination number, the switching system comprising:

a first switch that receives a call from a calling party to the old called party destination number and determines that the old called party number is discontinued, and that changes a routing number prefix of the old called party destination number to a predetermined rerouting number prefix; and

a second switch that receives the call from the first switch, the second switch associated with the rerouting number prefix, the rerouting number prefix causing the second switch to initiate a trigger to a network platform that obtains a new called party destination number associated with the old called party destination number.

9. The new destination number determination switching system of claim 8, the second switch further receiving from the network platform a determination indicating whether the called party has authorized payment for forwarding the call.

10. The new destination number determination switching system of claim 9, the second switch further forwarding the call to the called party using the new called party destination number when the second switch receives a determination that the called party has authorized payment for forwarding the call.

11. The new destination number determination switching system of claim 8, the second switch further forwarding the rerouting number prefix and a code identifying the first switch to the network platform to be used to determine a number plan area (NPA) of the old called party destination number.

12. The new destination number determination switching system of claim 8, wherein the first switch determines the predetermined rerouting number prefix based on a number plan area (NPA) corresponding to at least one area served by the first switch.

13. The new destination number determination switching system of claim 8, further comprising a database that stores the old called party destination number in association with the new called party destination number, the network platform obtaining the new called party destination number from the database and forwarding the new called party destination number to the second switch.

14. The new destination number determination switching system of claim 8, the second switch further receiving from the network platform a determination whether the called party has authorized forwarding the call, and forwarding the call to the called party using the new called party destination number when the called party has authorized forwarding the call.

15. A method for determining a new destination number in a telecommunications environment in which a called party has discontinued an old called party destination number and obtained a new called party destination number, and in which a calling party places a call to the old called party destination number, the method comprising:

receiving the call rerouted from at least one corresponding original destination switch at a hub switch, the hub switch associated with a routing number prefix used to reroute calls; and

initiating a trigger to a network platform to obtain the new called party destination number based upon the routing number prefix.

16. The method for determining a new destination number of claim 15, further comprising receiving at the hub switch a determination from the network platform indicating whether the called party has authorized payment for forwarding the call to the new called party destination number.

17. The method for determining a new destination number of claim 16, further comprising forwarding the call from the hub switch to the new called party destination number when the determination received from the network platform indicates that the called party has authorized payment for forwarding the call.

18. The method for determining a new destination number of claim 15, further comprising forwarding from the hub switch the routing number prefix and a code identifying the at least one original destination switch to the network platform to be used to determine a number plan area (NPA) of the old called party destination number.

19. The method for determining a new destination number of claim 15, wherein the routing number prefix is determined based on a number plan area (NPA) corresponding to an area served by the original destination switch.

20. The method for determining a new destination number of claim 15, further comprising storing at a database the old called party destination number in association with the new called party destination number, the network platform obtaining the new called party destination number from the database and forwarding the new called party destination number to the second switch.

21. The method for determining a new destination number of claim 15, further comprising receiving at the hub switch a determination from the network platform whether the called party has authorized forwarding the call, and forwarding from the hub switch the call to the called party using the new called party destination number when the called party has authorized forwarding the call.