Service and information management system for a telecommunications network

• US 7,369,650 B1
• Filed: 06/04/2004
• Issued: 05/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bhusri, Gurcharan S.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, QUYNH H
• Application Number:
  US10/860,787
• Time in Patent Office: 1,432 Days
• Field of Search: 379/114.14, 379/219, 379/221.08, 379/229, 379/230, 379/221.14
• US Class Current: 379/114.14
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP

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 originating network element;

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

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 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.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the prefixed called number is redialed automatically by the communications unit.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the prefixed called number is redialed by a case worker.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the prefixed called number is redialed by computer test equipment which verifies transmission quality of the call.

5. 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 originating network element;

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

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 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 an accuracy of the billing process to a customer is formed.

6. 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, 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;

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

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;

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

extracting a 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 a calling party'"'"'s number has been marked for fraud or non-payment; and

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