Method and system for reporting events in telecommunication networks

• US 6,922,465 B1
• Filed: 10/14/1999
• Issued: 07/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GTE Wireless LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: GTE Mobilnet Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Howe, Walter Wesley
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anwah, Olisa
• Application Number:
  US09/418,436
• Time in Patent Office: 2,112 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.22, 379/201.01, 379/201.02, 379/114.29, 379/76, 379/207.05, 379/213.01, 455/458, 455/417, 455/528
• US Class Current: 379/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2061 Language aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42391 where the subscribers are hearing-impaired persons, e.g. telephone devices for the deaf
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/487 Arrangements for providing information services, e.g. recorded voice services or time announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13058 Interrupt request
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13141 Hunting for free outlet, circuit or channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13162 Fault indication and localisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13288 Closed user groups, CUG
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13396 Signaling in general, in-band signalling

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for reporting to subscribers network events in a plurality of formats and languages depending upon the particular subscriber group to which a subscriber belongs. When a subscriber requests a call, a switching node in the network invokes a trigger that identifies a signaling node for routing the call and sends a route request to the signaling node. While processing the route request, if the signaling node detects an event that would prevent the call from being routed, the signaling node identifies the subscriber group of the subscriber and determines a directory number associated with the identified subscriber group and the detected event. The signaling node then returns the determined directory number to the switching node. Using the determined directory number, the switching node establishes the call to a message node, where a message associated with the determined directory number is executed. Accordingly, the network reports the detected event in a format and language that the subscriber or its device can recognize.

Claims

1. A method for reporting events in a network based on messages that are available in a plurality of formats, said method comprising the steps of:

identifying a group associated with a calling subscriber in response to a trigger that is invoked when an event that indicates an error in routing a call from the calling subscriber is detected, wherein the group receives messages through the network in one of the plurality of formats;

determining a directory number associated with the identified group and the detected event; and

reporting to the calling subscriber a message associated with the directory number in the format of the identified group.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying step comprises the step of:

identifying a subscriber group associated with the calling subscriber when the event is detected.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying step comprises the step of:

identifying the group when the detected event is associated with a call that is requested by the calling subscriber and that cannot be established in the network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying step comprises the step of:

retrieving from a subscriber services database in the network a group identifier associated with the calling subscriber.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining step comprises the step of:

selecting the directory number from a table that includes one or more predetermined directory numbers indexed by event identifiers and group identifiers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the reporting step comprises the step of:

establishing a call from the calling subscriber to a message node in the network using the determined directory number.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the reporting step comprises the step of:

executing the message in a voice format.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the reporting step comprises the step of:

executing the message in a telecommunication device for deaf (TDD) format.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the reporting step comprises the step of:

executing the message in a data format.

37. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying step comprises the step of:

invoking the trigger based on a table that indexes the trigger by a variable number of digits in a directory number of the calling subscriber.

10. A method for reporting events that indicate at least one error with calls requested by calling subscribers in a network based on messages that are available in a plurality of formats, wherein the calling subscribers are members of subscriber groups and each of the subscriber groups receives messages in one of the plurality of formats, said method comprising the steps of:

associating one or more directory numbers with the events and the subscriber groups;

storing, in a message node in the network, messages corresponding to the associated directory numbers in a plurality of formats; and

establishing calls to the message node for providing the stored messages in formats respectively corresponding to the subscriber groups of the calling subscribers using at least one of said associated one or more directory numbers when the network detects the events that indicate at least one error in establishing calls from the calling subscribers and when the network determines the subscriber groups for the calling subscribers in response to a trigger.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the storing step comprises the step of:

storing the messages in a plurality of predetermined formats.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the storing step comprises the step of:

storing the messages in a plurality of predetermined languages.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the establishing step comprises the step of:

establishing the calls to the message node when a signaling node in the network detects the events.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the establishing step comprises the step of:

requesting a route from a signaling node in the network when one of the subscribers requests a call to another one of the subscribers.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the establishing step comprises the step of:

requesting a route from a signaling node in the network when said one of the calling subscribers requests a call to another one of the subscribers.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the establishing step comprises the step of:

invoking the trigger to identify a signaling node in the network when said calling subscribers requests a call to another one of the subscribers.

17. A method for reporting events associated with calls requested in a network based on messages that are available in a plurality of formats, wherein the network comprises a switching node and a message node, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving, at the switching node, a request for establishing a call from a first subscriber to a second subscriber in the network;

identifying a signaling node in the network for routing the call;

receiving from the identified signaling node a first directory number for the message node when a trigger is invoked in response to an event that indicates an error associated with the call;

determining a group associated with the first subscriber in response to the trigger, wherein the group receives messages through the network in one of the plurality of formats;

establishing the call from the first subscriber to the message node using the first directory number; and

sending from the message node a message associated with the event in the format that corresponds to the group of the first subscriber.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of:

terminating the call established from the first subscriber to the message node when a request for disconnect is received from the first subscriber or the message node.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the identifying step comprises the step of:

invoking the trigger that is indexed based on an area code in the second directory number of the first subscriber.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the identifying step comprises the step of:

invoking the trigger that is indexed based on an area code and an office code in the second directory number of the first subscriber.

21. A method for reporting events associated with calls requested in a network based on messages that are available in a plurality of formats, wherein the network comprises a switching node, a signaling node, and a message node, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving, at the signaling node, a request from the switching node for routing a call from a first subscriber to a second subscriber in the network;

identifying a group associated with the first subscriber in response to a trigger that is invoked when an event that indicates an error associated with the call is detected, wherein the group receives messages through the network in one of the plurality of formats;

selecting a directory number based on the identified group; and

sending the second directory number to the switching node such that the call is established from the first subscriber to the message node and a message associated with the detected event is reported to the first subscriber in the format of the identified group.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the selecting step comprises the step of:

selecting the second directory number from a plurality of predetermined directory numbers that are indexed by event identifiers and group identifiers.

23. A switching node, comprising:

a memory including

a structure for identifying a signaling node in a network when the switching node receives a request for establishing a call from a first subscriber to a second subscriber in the network and for including a trigger that is invoked when an event that indicates an error associated with the call is detected; and

code for establishing the call from the first subscriber to a message node in the network when the event associated with the call is detected such that a message associated with the detected event is reported to the first subscriber in a format of a group associated with the first subscriber; and

a processor for executing the code.

24. The switching node of claim 23, wherein the trigger is indexed by an area code in the directory number of the first subscriber.

25. The switching node of claim 23, wherein the trigger is indexed by an area code and an office code in the directory number of the first subscriber.

38. The switching node of claims 23, wherein the structure includes a trigger that is indexed by a variable number of digits in a directory number of the first subscriber.

26. A signaling node, comprising:

a memory including

a structure for storing predetermined directory numbers associated with events that indicate at least one error and groups in a network, wherein the predetermined directory numbers correspond, respectively, to messages stored in a plurality of formats in a message node in the network and wherein each of the groups receives the messages in one of the plurality of formats; and

code for detecting at least one of the events when a calling subscriber requests a call to another subscriber, for invoking a trigger, for identifying a group associated with the calling subscriber based on the trigger, and for selecting one of the stored predetermined directory numbers based on the detected event and the identified group such that messages corresponding to the selected predetermined directory numbers are reported to the calling subscriber in a format of the identified group; and

a processor for executing the code.

27. A message node, comprising:

a storage module for storing messages in a plurality of formats, the messages respectively associated with predetermined directory numbers that correspond to events that indicate an error in a network and correspond to groups associated with subscribers, wherein each of the groups receives messages through the network in one of the plurality of formats;

a memory including code for playing one of the messages in a format of a group associated with calling subscribers when the network detects at least one of the events based on a trigger and code for establishing the call to one of the predetermined directory numbers; and

a processor for executing the code.

28. The message node of claim 27, wherein the messages are stored in a plurality of formats.

29. The message node of claim 27, wherein at least one of the messages is stored in a voice format.

30. The message node of claim 27, wherein at least one of the messages is stored in a telecommunications for deaf (TDD) format.

31. The message node of claim 27, wherein at least one of the messages is stored in a data format.

32. The message node of claim 27, wherein the messages are stored in a plurality of languages.

33. A computer-readable medium capable of configuring a computer to perform a method for reporting events in a network based on messages that are available in a plurality of formats, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request for establishing a call from a first subscriber to a second subscriber in the network, wherein the first subscriber is associated with a group that receives messages in one of the plurality of formats;

requesting a route from a signaling node in the network;

receiving from the signaling node a directory number for a message node in response to a trigger that is invoked based on an event that indicates an error associated with the call;

determining the group associated with the first subscriber in response to the trigger; and

establishing the call from the first subscriber to the message node in the network using the directory number such that a message associated with the event is reported in the format of the group associated with the first subscriber.

34. A computer-readable medium capable of configuring a computer to perform a method for reporting events associated with calls requested in a network based on messages that are available in a plurality of formats, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request from a switching node in the network for routing a call from a first subscriber to a second subscriber in the network;

identifying a group associated with the first subscriber based on a trigger when an event that indicates an error is detected in the network, wherein the group receives messages in one of the plurality of formats;

selecting a second directory number based on the identified group and the detected event; and

sending the selected second directory number to the switching node such that the call is established from the first subscriber to a message node in the network and a message associated with the detected event is reported to the first subscriber in a format of the identified group.

35. A method for reporting events in a network to subscribers based on messages that are available in a plurality of formats, said method comprising the steps of:

identifying groups associated with calling subscribers based on triggers when events that indicate at least one error are detected in the network, wherein each of the groups receive messages through the network in one of the plurality of formats; and

reporting to the calling subscribers messages in formats corresponding to the identified groups of the respective calling subscribers based on the detected events.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the reporting step comprises the step of:

reporting the messages in a plurality of languages based on the identified groups and the detected events, respectively.