Service and information management system for determining, replicating or correcting failed calls in a telecommunications network

• US 6,775,375 B1
• Filed: 03/20/2002
• Issued: 08/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bhusri, Gurcharan S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): AGDEPPA, HECTOR A
• Application Number:
  US10/101,313
• Time in Patent Office: 874 Days
• Field of Search: 379/221-8-2, 379/229
• US Class Current: 379/221.08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2254 in networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/36 Statistical metering, e.g. recording occasions when traffic exceeds capacity of trunks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

A system for service control and operations for a telecommunications network. In particular, an architecture and method for a service control and operations element system. The system communicates with a plurality of interconnected telecommunications network elements via a switching and signaling subsystem. The system provides and controls the various functions of the telecommunications network, such as call processing and routing, automatic fault detection and correction, providing services to customers in an interactive manner, fraud detection and control, identification of patterns of abuse of the network, collecting data regarding call activity at each network element, and producing a record of each call placed within the network.

Claims

1. A method of recording information generated by a plurality of interconnected telecommunications network elements in response to a call traversing the network elements, comprising:

transmitting to an originating network element a message generated by one of the plurality of interconnected network elements;

copying the transmitted message;

forwarding the message to a succeeding interconnected network element;

appending transaction information to the copied message having an error signal indicating whether an error was detected in the transmitted message, so that the transaction information and the copied message form an information packet;

forwarding the information packet to a communications unit in communication with the first network element; and

storing the forwarded information packet in a database so that a record of each call is formed.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring the information packet forwarded by the originating network element to detect the presence of the error signal, the error signal indicating that the call failed;

determining a called number associated with the failed call;

appending a prefix to the called number so that the communications unit becomes a called party instead of a party associated with the original called number, the communications unit providing for answering and release of the call;

redialing the prefixed called number, a test call initiated and answered by the communications unit thereby being placed;

traversing by the test call of the same network elements which were traversed by the failed call;

embedding a signal into the messages generated by each one of the plurality of interconnected network elements traversed by the test call, indicating to a next succeeding network element that the test call associated with the failed call is being placed; and

forwarding to the communications unit by each one of the plurality of interconnected network elements traversed by the test call a representation of all generated and received messages, so that a complete set of data about each failed call used for identifying a problem which resulted in call failure is formed.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the prefixed called number is redialed automatically by the communications unit.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the prefixed called number is redialed by a case worker.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the prefixed called number is redialed by computer test equipment which verifies transmission quality of the call.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

extracting the error signal from the message forwarded to the communications unit to determine a cause of the problem resulting in call failure;

identifying at least one of the plurality of interconnected network elements associated with the error signal; and

instructing the identified element to correct the error.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining a called number associated with the call;

appending a prefix to the called number so that the communications unit becomes a called party instead of a party associated with the original called number, the communications unit providing for answering and release of the call;

redialing the prefixed called number by a case worker, a test call initiated and answered by the communications unit thereby being placed;

traversing by the test call of the same plurality of interconnected network elements which were traversed by the failed call;

embedding a signal into the messages generated by each of the plurality of interconnected network elements traversed by the test call, indicating to a next succeeding network element that the call is the test call; and

forwarding to the communications unit by each of the plurality of interconnected network elements traversed by the test call a representation of all generated and received messages associated with the network elements, so that a complete set of data about the call used for demonstrating the accuracy of the billing process to a customer is formed.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

utilizing the information packets associated with the calls placed from a particular phone number to detect patterns of abuse of the telecommunications network.

9. A method of establishing a through path for a call which traverses a plurality of interconnected network elements within a telecommunications network, comprising:

detecting by an originating network element a request message indicating that the call has been initiated;

copying the request message;

forwarding the request message to succeeding interconnected network elements in the through path;

appending a set of transaction information to the copied request message, so that the transaction information and the copied request message form an information packet;

including in the information packet an indication that the originating network element desires instructions regarding processing and routing of the call;

forwarding the information packet from the originating network element to a communications unit; and

utilizing a database in communication with the communications unit to determine the required processing and routing of the call based on the contents of the information packet.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

transmitting a message from the communications unit to the originating network element indicating how to process and route the call.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

transmitting a message from the communications unit to a second network element indicating that the second network element should notify the originating network element how to process and route the call.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

extracting a calling party'"'"'s phone number from the information packet forwarded to the communications unit;

looking up the calling party'"'"'s number in a database which contains phone numbers which have been marked for fraud to determine whether the calling party'"'"'s number has been marked for fraud; and

forwarding a message requesting call termination to the originating network element if the calling party'"'"'s number has been marked for fraud.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

extracting a calling party'"'"'s phone number from the information packet forwarded to the communications unit;

looking up the calling party'"'"'s number in a data table which contains numbers which have been marked for accumulated billing charges exceeding a threshold; and

forwarding a message requesting call termination to the originating network element if the calling party'"'"'s number has been marked for accumulated billing charges exceeding the threshold.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the accumulated billing charges are associated with an abnormally long call being served by the telecommunications network.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the through path terminates at the communications unit, so that a customer of the telecommunications network may subscribe to new services automatically by communicating directly with the communications unit.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

routing the call to the communications unit;

connecting the customer to a speech recognition and voice response unit in communication with the communications unit;

recording of the customer'"'"'s request for subscription to new services by the speech recognition and voice response unit;

extracting the customer'"'"'s phone number from the information packet forwarded to the communications unit;

looking up the customer'"'"'s phone number in a data table to determine whether the calling party'"'"'s number has been marked for fraud or non-payment; and

informing the customer of the status of the request for subscription to new services.

17. A method of establishing a through path for a call which traverses a plurality of interconnected network elements within a telecommunications network, the method comprising:

detecting by a first network element a request message indicating that the call has been initiated;

copying the request message;

forwarding the request message to a succeeding network element;

appending a set of transaction information to the copied request message detected by the first network element, so that the transaction information and the copied request message form an information packet;

including in the information packet an indication that a second network element is seeking instructions regarding processing and routing of the call;

forwarding the information packet from the first network element to a communications unit in communication with the first network element;

utilizing a database in communication with the communications unit to determine required processing and routing of the call based on the contents of the forwarded information packet;

transmitting a message from the communications unit to the second network element indicating how to process and route the call; and

correlating the request message with the transmitted message indicating the processing and routing instructions for the call by the second network element.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the second network element comprises an originating network element responsible for controlling the call set-up.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

transmitting messages generated by each of the plurality of interconnected network elements traversed during the call set-up to the originating network element;

copying the transmitted messages;

appending a set of transaction information to the copied messages, so that the transaction information and the copied messages form information packets;

forwarding the information packets from the originating network element to the communications unit;

correlating the information packet associated with the request message forwarded from the first network element with the information packets associated with the messages forwarded from the originating network element; and

storing the information packets pertaining to a particular call in a database so that a set of data about each call used for supporting the functions of the telecommunications network is formed.

20. A method for determining a failed call, in a telephone communications network, comparison the steps of:

a. receiving at an originating switch node a request message from a local exchange carrier serving a calling party;

b. validating the request message at the originating switch node and appending appropriate transaction information to form an information packet that, includes an error code field noting whether an error was detected in validating the requests message;

c. sending the information packet to a network operations element to request message routing;

d. receiving instructions from the network operations element for routing the requests message and sending the request message to a terminating switch node, via a signal transfer point using the received routing instructions;

e. sending a release message to the local exchange carrier when the originating switch does not receive any one of an address complete message, an answer message and a release message from the terminating switch;

f. appending the information packet to the release message, including an entry in the error code field of the information packet indicating that a time-out error occurred and forwarding the information packet to the network operations element; and

g. activating a fault management application that proactively correlates message copies received to audit message traces for each call and to check error codes determining that a call has failed.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

h. checking for an incomplete message trace and the entry in the error code field to determine if a call failed before replicating the Request Message and sending the call.

22. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

i. receiving messages at the network operations element from all network elements that provided a path through the network for the call.

23. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

j. storing information packets from all networks elements that provided a path for the call, the packets providing a complete message trace and data about each call in which an error was detected, the packets being accessible to the fault management application for determining whether and how a call failed.

24. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

k. determining whether a network element has a corrupted routing table if the request message is sent to the wrong terminating switch node.

25. A method of replicating a failed call made in a telephone communication network, comprising the steps of:

forwarding an information packet containing an error code to a network operations element upon detecting a failed call in an originating switch node;

a. formulating and launching a Request message from the network operations element through a switching network to the originating switch node to replicate the failed call;

b. sending a second information packet to the network operations element from the originating switch node requesting processing and routing instructions for the replicated call;

c. providing a response message to the originating switch node indicating the replicated call is a test call requiring sent and receive messages to be forwarded to the network operations element and providing instructions to process and route the replicated call;

d. sending a request message to a terminating switch node, via network elements, and embedding within the message a signal indicating that the call is a test call;

e. sending network element information packet to the network operations element from each network element traversed by the call, the network element information packet containing a copy of each message sent or received by the traversed network element;

f. determining from the network element information packet from each network element providing a path for the call an indication whether any one of an address complete message, an answer message and a release message was received by the originating switch node; and

g. correlating the messages, forming a message trace and examining the network element information packet received from the originating switch node and the terminating switch node receiving a misdelivered one of the address complete message, an answer message and a release message to determine the network element causing a routing error;

h. determining from the misdelivered message the identification of the switch, which should have received the message if there was no routing error.

26. The method of claim 25 further comprising;

i. modifying a routing table of the network element causing the failed call to correct the routing error.

27. The method of claim 25 further comprising:

j. receiving at the network operations element a full complement of messages received and transported by each element network traversed by the test call.

28. The method of claim 25 further comprising:

k. assigning different test call prefixes for different types of test calls.

29. The method of claim 25 further comprising:

l. verifying the transmission performance of a path between switch nodes traversed by the test call.

30. A method for providing address translation for all calls in a telephone network, including those without a physical destination, comprising:

a) receiving a request message at an originating switch from a local exchange carrier, the request message containing a call address;

b) generating at the originating switch node an information packet that contains the received request message which contains a called number which may be the address of a physical location or a number requiring translation to a physical address for transmission to a network operations element

c) storing the information packet in a database accessible by the network operations element;

d) translating the call address to a destination address having a physical location using at least one of an automatic number identification table and a dialed number table;

e) providing the originating switch node instructions for routing the call to the destination address via the network elements;

f) generating at the network elements traversed by the call and transmitting to the originating switch node a network element information packet descriptive of the call processing at the network element; and

g) forwarding to the network operations element for storage in the database the network element information packets received from the network elements traversed by the call.

31. The method of claim 30 further comprising:

h) employing the dialed number table for processing and routing the call.

32. The method of claim 30 further comprising:

i) employing a network map table to provide the originating switch node with information regarding servicing signal transfer points.

33. The method of claim 30 further comprising:

j) sending all call received by the originating switch node to the network operations element for translation.

34. The method of claim 30 further comprising:

k) translating the call to any destination address provisioned in the dialed number table.

35. The method of claim 30 further comprising:

l) requesting another network element to provide instructions to a designated switch.

36. The method of claim 30 further comprising:

m) provisioning the network operations element and the service control points for call routing at the option of the network operations element.