System and method to notify subscribers of call terminating treatment

• US 6,826,397 B1
• Filed: 08/20/1999
• Issued: 11/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Vasa, Yojak
• Primary Examiner(s): Gary, Erika
• Assistant Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Application Number:
  US09/378,140
• Time in Patent Office: 1,929 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/415, 455/417, 455/433, 455/560, 455/412--41, 455/406, 455/455, 455/428, 455/432.1, 455/460, 455/459, 455/461, 379/81, 379/221.08, 379/221.09, 379/211.02, 379/93.35, 379/90.01
• US Class Current: 455/417
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/551 Call history recording a computer conference H04L12/1831
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/48 Arrangements for recalling a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor

Abstract

A telecommunications system and method is disclosed for notifying a called subscriber of call terminating treatment applied by the network to calls unable to be completed to the called subscriber at the terminal associated with the originally dialed called party number. When a call to a called subscriber is not completed to the called subscriber, the network logs call information, such as the calling party number, calling party name (if available) and the date and time the call was received. In addition, the network also logs call treatment information, such as the called party number that the call was forwarded to, an indication of whether or not the call was completed to the forwarded to number, an indication that the network was busy or an indication that the called mobile subscriber could not be located. This call information and call treatment information is later provided to the called subscriber.

Claims

1. A telecommunications system for notifying a called subscriber of call terminating treatment, comprising:

a node for applying call terminating treatment to an incoming call to the called subscriber if said incoming call cannot be completed to said called subscriber and

a database for housing a notification service associated with said called subscriber, said notification service for accumulating call treatment information associated with the call terminating treatment and sending an instruction message to said node, said instruction message requesting said call treatment information be provided to said called subscriber.

2. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said node comprises a home location register associated with said called subscriber, wherein the home location register sends the call treatment information to the called subscriber responsive to the instruction message.

3. The telecommunications system of claim 2, wherein said database is a subscriber record associated with said called subscriber within said home location register.

4. The telecommunications system of claim 2, wherein said call terminating treatment includes not connecting said call to said called subscriber due to routing information associated with said called subscriber not being stored within said home location register or due to a call forwarding service being subscribed to by said called subscriber.

5. The telecommunications system of claim 4, wherein said call treatment information includes a forwarding number when said call cannot be completed due to said called subscriber subscribing to said call forwarding service.

6. The telecommunications system of claim 5, wherein said call treatment information further includes an indication of whether or not said incoming call was successfully transferred to said forwarding number.

7. The telecommunications system of claim 2 further comprising a mobile switching center in wireless communication with a mobile station associated with said called subscriber.

8. The telecommunications system of claim 7, wherein said call treatment information is sent from said home location register to said mobile station via said mobile switching center in a short message to be displayed on said mobile station.

9. The telecommunications system of claim 8, wherein said short message is a Short Message Service message.

10. The telecommunications system of claim 9, further comprising:

a Short Message Service center for receiving said Short Message Service message from said home location register and transmitting said Short Message Service message to said mobile station.

11. The telecommunications system of claim 2, further comprising:

a service control point for providing said call treatment information to said notification service within said database and sending the instruction message from said notification service to said home location register.

12. The telecommunications system of claim 11, wherein said home location register includes a notification flag for triggering the sending of a Transactions Capabilities Application Part message to said service control point to access said database if said incoming call cannot be completed to said called subscriber.

13. The telecommunications system of claim 11 further comprising a mobile switching center in wireless communication with a mobile station, said mobile switching center having a notification flag for triggering the sending of a Transactions Capabilities Application Part message to said service control point to access said database if said incoming call cannot be completed to said mobile station.

14. The telecommunications system of claim 13, wherein said call terminating treatment includes not connecting said incoming call to said mobile station due to difficulties with said mobile switching center, said mobile station being busy or said mobile station not answering said incoming call.

15. The telecommunications system of claim 13, wherein the service control point sends the instruction message from the notification service to the home location register via the mobile switching center.

16. The telecommunications system of claim 15 further comprising a home location register associated with the called subscriber, wherein the mobile switching center forwards the instruction message to the home location register, and further wherein the home location register sends the call treatment information to the called subscriber responsive to the instruction message.

17. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said node is an end office associated with said called subscriber.

18. The telecommunications system of claim 17, further comprising:

a voice mail box associated with said called subscriber, wherein the instruction message instructs said end office to record a message containing said call treatment information in said voice mail box.

19. The telecommunications system of claim 17, further comprising:

a service control point in communication with said database, said end office sending a Transactions Capabilities Application Part message to said service control point to access said database, said notification service sending the instruction message to said end office via said service control point.

29. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein the notification service also accumulates call information associated with the incoming call, and further wherein the instruction message also requests the call information be provided to the called subscriber.

30. The telecommunications system of claim 29, wherein said call information includes a calling party number or a date and time the incoming call was receivd at the node.

31. The telecommunications system of claim 29, wherein the instruction message includes the call treatment information and the call information.

32. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein the node is a mobile switching center.

20. A method for notifying a called subscriber of call terminating treatment, comprising the steps of:

at a node of a telecommunications system, applying call terminating treatment to an incoming call to the called subscriber if said incoming call cannot be completed to said called subscriber;

accumulating call treatment information associated with said call terminating treatment;

providing the call treatment information from the node to a notification service stored in a database, said notification service being associated with the called subscriber; and

receiving an instruction message at the node from the notification service, said instruction message requesting the call treatment information be provided to the called subscriber.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said step of applying call terminating treatment further comprises the steps of:

retrieving a forwarding number for said called subscriber; and

forwarding said incoming call to said forwarding number.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said step of accumulating said call treatment information further comprises the steps of:

logging said forwardind number; and

logging an indication of whether or not said incoming call was successfully transferred to said forwarding number.

23. The method of claim 20 further comprising the steps of:

responsive to the instruction message, transmitting said call treatment information from a home location register associated with said called subscriber to a mobile station associated with said called subscriber via a mobile switching center in wireless communication with said mobile station in a short message.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said step of transmitting comprises the step of:

transmitting said short message to the mobile switching center via a Short Message Service center.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein said steps of providing and receiving involve a service control point in communication with and between said node and said database.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein said node includes a notificaion flag, said step of providing said call treatment information to said database comprising the steps of:

triggering said notification flag if said incoming call cannot be completed to said call subscriber, and

in response to said step of triggering, sending a Transactions Capabilites Application Part message to said database.

27. The method of claim 20 futher comprising the step of:

recording a message containing said call treatment information within a voice mail box associated with said called subscriber responsive to the instruction message.

28. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of accumulating includes accumulating call information associated with the incoming call, further wherein the step of providing includes providing the call information to the database, and further wherein the instruction message also requests the call information be provided to the called subscriber.