Messaging services for digital subscriber loop

• US 7,203,187 B1
• Filed: 06/26/2000
• Issued: 04/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Ramaswamy, Kumar, Richardson, John William
• Primary Examiner(s): To; Doris H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tsegaye; Saba
• Application Number:
  US10/089,714
• Time in Patent Office: 2,479 Days
• Field of Search: 370351-352, 370/395.1, 370/395.6, 370/395.61, 370/401, 370/397, 370/399, 370404-405, 370465-466, 370/535, 379/211.02, 455/416
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53308 Message originator indirectly connected to the message centre, e.g. after detection of busy or absent state of a called party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal

Abstract

System and method for providing a messaging service, such as a voice mail service over a digital subscriber loop are presented. An incoming call is first routed to a service processor. The incoming call is to be delivered over the digital subscriber loop to a receiving device. A determination is made as to whether or not the incoming call is answered by the receiving device. The incoming call is routed to a message processor if the incoming call is not answered by the receiving device. The incoming call is stored at the message processor for later retrieval.

Claims

1. A system for providing a messaging service comprising ATM virtual paths/virtual channels over a digital subscriber loop, the system further comprising:

a service control processor for monitoring and processing an incoming call via associated signaling from an ATM switch, the incoming call to be delivered over the digital subscriber loop to a receiving device for processing a first ATM virtual path/virtual channel corresponding to the incoming call; and

a message processor for receiving a message via a second ATM virtual path/virtual channel;

wherein the service control processor is for determining whether the incoming call is answered by the receiving device and routing the incoming call to the message processor via the second ATM virtual path/virtual channel when the incoming call is not answered by the receiving device;

wherein the second ATM channel routed from the service control processor directly to the receiving device is configured to signal to the receiving device for indicating when an awaiting voicemail message exists.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiving device is a customer premises equipment.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the message processor is part of the service control processor.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the determination of whether the incoming call is answered by the receiving device is by use of a timer.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the value of the timer is varied.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the message comprises a voice mail message.

7. A method for providing a messaging service comprising ATM virtual paths/virtual channels over a digital subscriber loop, the method comprising:

monitoring and processing an incoming call via associated signaling from an ATM switch, the incoming call to be delivered over the digital subscriber loop to a receiving device for processing a first ATM virtual path/virtual channel corresponding to the incoming call;

determining whether the incoming call is answerable by the receiving device; and

routing the incoming call to a message processor via a second ATM virtual path/virtual channel when the incoming call is not answerable by the receiving device based on the determining step;

wherein the second ATM channel routed from the service control processor directly to the receiving device is configured to signal to the receiving device when an awaiting voicemail message exists.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the receiving device is a customer premises equipment.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the message processor is part of the service processor.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the determination of whether an incoming call is answerable by the receiving device is by determining whether the receiving device is off-hook.