System and method for selecting a destination number upon receiving a dialed number from a calling party

• US 7,382,870 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2006
• Issued: 06/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Buell, Donald W, Gruchala, Carol Shifrin, Bloom, Ronald Michael, Michalski, Robert Anthony, Brand, Rodney T
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong; Harry S.
• Application Number:
  US11/538,633
• Publication Number:
  US 20070121875A1
• Time in Patent Office: 608 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201.01, 379/207.12, 379/211.01, 379/211.02, 379/220.01, 379/221.08, 379/221.14, 379/45
• US Class Current: 379/211.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/14 with services dependent on location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42229 Personal communication services, i.e. services related to one subscriber independent of his terminal and/or location diverting calls from one subscriber to another subscriber, i.e. two different subscriptions H04M3/54; selecting arrangements in intelligent networks H04Q3/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0025 Provisions for signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

A method and system are provided for routing a call to a common number from a calling party, where the common number corresponds to a plurality of users. The method and system determine whether availability of unique identification information for the calling party in response to receiving an indication of the call to the common number, and correlate the unique identification information when it is available to a destination number associated with one of the plurality of users in order to route the call to the destination number.

Claims

1. A method for routing a call to a common number from a calling party, corresponding to a plurality of users, the method comprising:

determining whether unique identification information is available for the calling party in response to receiving an indication of the call to the common number;

correlating the unique identification information when it is available to a destination number associated with one of the plurality of users; and

routing the call to the destination number.

2. The method according to claim 1, in which no identification information is available for the calling party, further comprising sending a calling party number request command to an end office from which the indication of the call was received.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

playing an interactive announcement to the calling party; and

receiving one of telephone number and community information from the calling party.

4. The method according to claim 3, in which playing the interactive announcement and receiving the one of the telephone number and the community information are performed by at least one of the end office and a host office.

5. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

determining whether the end office has a trigger set responsive to the common number; and

selecting one of routing the call to a host office and sending a query.

6. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

accessing table information that correlates information with associated destination numbers of the plurality of users based upon the received one of the telephone number and community information; and

routing the call based upon the table information.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining a time when the common number was generated; and

routing the call further based upon the determined time.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising generating a report to aide in trouble shooting.

9. The method according to claim 5, in which the trigger is one of an N11 PODP and a 3/6/10 Digit trigger.

10. A computer readable medium storing a computer program for routing a call to a common number from a calling party, the common number corresponding to a plurality of users, the computer readable medium comprising:

a determining code segment for determining whether unique identification information is available for the calling party in response to receiving an indication of the call to the common number;

a correlating code segment for correlating the unique identification information to a destination number associated with one of the plurality of users when the determining code segment determines that the unique identification information is available; and

a routing code segment for routing the call to the destination number.

11. The computer readable medium according to claim 10, further comprising:

a command send code segment for sending a calling party number request command to the end office.

12. The computer readable medium according to claim 11, further comprising:

a playing code segment for causing an interactive announcement to be played to the calling party; and

a receiving code segment for receiving one of telephone number and community information from the calling party.

13. The computer readable medium according to claim 12, in which an end office or a host office from which the indication of the call was received plays the interactive announcement and receives the one of the telephone number and the community information from the calling party.

14. The computer readable medium according to claim 10, further comprising:

a trigger determining code segment for determining whether an end office from which the indication of the call was received has a trigger set responsive to the common number; and

a selecting code segment for selecting one of routing the call to a host office and sending a query.

15. The computer readable medium according to claim 12, further comprising:

an accessing code segment for accessing table information that correlates information with associated destination numbers of the plurality of users based upon the received one of the telephone number and community information; and

a table information routing code segment for routing the call based upon the table information.

16. The computer readable medium according to claim 10, further comprising:

a time determining code segment for determining a time at which the common number was generated;

in which the routing code segment routes the call further based upon the determined time.

17. The computer readable medium according to claim 10, further comprising a generating code segment for generating a report to aide in trouble shooting.

18. A system for routing a call from a calling party to a common number corresponding to a plurality of users, the system comprising:

an identification determiner for determining whether unique identification information is available for the calling party based on information indicating the common number was received by an end office; and

a database that determines whether the unique identification information, when it is available, is associated with one destination number or a plurality of destination numbers corresponding to the common number;

wherein, when the unique identification information is associated with one destination number, the database correlates the unique identification information to the one destination number and provides the destination number to the identification determiner for call routing.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the identification determiner sends a command to the end office to play an interactive announcement to the calling party and receives one of a telephone number and community information from the calling party.

20. The system according to claim 18, wherein the end office comprises a trigger for providing the information indicating the common number.