Arrangement for converting telephone number formats for notification systems

• US 6,987,839 B1
• Filed: 06/29/2000
• Issued: 01/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lockwood, Robert James
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US09/605,855
• Time in Patent Office: 2,028 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.12, 379/142.06, 379/211.02, 379/88.15, 379/93.15, 379/221.1, 379/121.01, 379/100.13, 455/417, 455/433, 455/466, 455/432, 455/435
• US Class Current: 379/88.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/65 Telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2596 Translation of addresses of the same type other than IP, e.g. translation from MAC to MAC addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42297 with number portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5322 for recording text messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

A notification system includes a dial map configured for converting the destination telephone number within a notification message from an original format to another format recognizable by a messaging server, based on execution of a mapping rule selected based on a match between the mapping rule and the destination telephone number having the original format.

Claims

1. A method in a notification system for sending a notification message for a user to a messaging server configured for identifying the user based on a destination telephone number in a first format, the method including:

obtaining for the notification message a destination telephone number in a second format;

converting the destination telephone number in the second format to the destination telephone number in the first format based on execution of a mapping rule selected based on a match between the mapping rule and at least a portion of the destination telephone number in the second format; and

outputting the notification message having the destination telephone number having the first format,

wherein the converting step includes matching the mapping rule and the at least a portion of the destination telephone number in the second format based on a prescribed pattern within the destination telephone number in the second format.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the outputting step includes outputting the notification message to the messaging server according to Short Message Peer to Peer (SMPP) protocol.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the messaging server is a Short Message Service Center configured for sending the notification message to a wireless telephone corresponding to the destination telephone number having the first format.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first format is an international telephone format, and the second format is a national telephone format.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the matching step includes determining the prescribed pattern from a specified regular expression, within the matched mapping rule, that specifies the prescribed pattern.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the converting step further includes replacing the at least a portion of the destination telephone number in the second format with a replacement value specified in the matched mapping rule.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first format is an international telephone format, and the second format is a national telephone format.

8. A notification system configured for sending a notification message for a user to a messaging server, the messaging server configured for identifying the user based on a destination telephone number in a first format, the notification system including:

a message interface configured for receiving the notification message and having the destination telephone number in a second format;

a dial map configured for converting the destination telephone number in the second format to the destination telephone number in the first format, the dial map executing a selected mapping rule based on a match between the mapping rule and at least a portion of the destination telephone number in the second format; and

a output interface configured for outputting to the messaging server the notification message having the destination telephone number in the first format,

wherein the dial map is configured for storing a plurality of the mapping rules, each mapping rule specifying a corresponding first expression, and a corresponding second expression having the first format, the dial map selecting the selected mapping rule based on a match between the destination telephone number having the second format and the corresponding first expression.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the output interface is configured for outputting the notification message according to Short Message Peer to Peer (SMPP) protocol.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the dial map selects the selected mapping rule based on the corresponding first expression specifying a regular expression having a specified pattern that matches the at least a portion of the destination telephone number having the second format.

11. A computer readable medium having stored thereon sequences of instructions for sending a notification message for a user to a messaging server configured for identifying the user based on a destination telephone number in a first format, the sequences of instructions including instructions for performing the steps of:

obtaining for the notification message a destination telephone number in a second format;

converting the destination telephone number in the second format to the destination telephone number in the first format based on execution of a mapping rule selected based on a match between the mapping rule and at least a portion of the destination telephone number in the second format; and

outputting the notification message having the destination telephone number having the first format,

wherein the converting step includes matching the mapping rule and the at least a portion of the destination telephone number in the second format based on a prescribed pattern within the destination telephone number in the second format.

12. The medium of claim 11, wherein the outputting step includes outputting the notification message to the messaging server according to Short Message Peer to Peer (SMPP) protocol.

13. The medium of claim 12, wherein the messaging server is a Short Message Service Center configured for sending the notification message to a wireless telephone corresponding to the destination telephone number having the first format.

14. The medium of claim 13, wherein the first format is an international telephone format, and the second format is a national telephone format.

15. The medium of claim 11, wherein the matching step includes determining the prescribed pattern from a specified regular expression, within the matched mapping rule, that specifies the prescribed pattern.

16. The medium of claim 15, the converting step further includes replacing the at least a portion of the destination telephone number in the second format with a replacement value specified in the matched mapping rule.

17. The medium of claim 16, wherein the first format is an international telephone format, and the second format is a national telephone format.

18. A notification system configured for sending a notification message for a user to a messaging server, the messaging server configured for identifying the user based on a destination telephone number in a first format, the notification system including:

a message interface configured for receiving the notification message and having the destination telephone number in a second format;

means for converting the destination telephone number in the second format to the destination telephone number in the first format, the converting means executing a selected mapping rule based on a match between the mapping rule and at least a portion of the destination telephone number in the second format; and

a output interface configured for outputting to the messaging server the notification message having the destination telephone number in the first format,

wherein the converting means is configured for storing a plurality of the mapping rules, each mapping rule specifying a corresponding first expression, and a corresponding second expression having the first format, the dial map selecting the selected mapping rule based on a match between the destination telephone number having the second format and the corresponding first expression.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the output interface is configured for outputting the notification message according to Short Message Peer to Peer (SMPP) protocol.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the converting means selects the selected mapping rule based on the corresponding first expression specifying a regular expression having a specified pattern that matches the at least a portion of the destination telephone number having the second format.