Method and system for routing service calls made from resold lines

• US 7,394,897 B1
• Filed: 11/04/1998
• Issued: 07/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: At&T Delaware Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bedingfield, James C. Sr., LaPierre, Stephen R., Holt, Scott C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar; Ahmad F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, KAREN L
• Application Number:
  US09/530,723
• Time in Patent Office: 3,527 Days
• Field of Search: 379/120, 379/220.01, 379/221.01, 379/221.12, 379/221.08
• US Class Current: 379/221.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4228 in networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

A method and system for routing service calls made from lines resold to a competitive service provider includes advanced intelligent network and standard switching functionality. The call may be made into an AIN service switching point (60) or a non-AIN switch (62-64). All calls are routed to an AIN hub (190), such as a service switching point, via a trunk group. The AIN or non-AIN switch may access a line class code table (160-164) to determine the proper routing information. Calls made from resold lines are routed to the AIN hub (190). Once the call is routed to the AIN hub, a trigger (187) provisioned on the AIN hub and assigned to the incoming trunk group causes the hub to suspend the call and launch a query to a service control point (200). The query includes the directory number of the resold calling line and the originally dialed number. The SCP (670) accesses a data-base (675) containing directory numbers for resold lines and identifiers for competitive service providers. Once the carrier is located, additional tables may be accessed to determine the routing information specified by the carrier for handling the call. The routing information is transmitted by the SCP (670) back to the SSP (610). The SSP (610) then routes the call to the specified location.

Claims

1. A system for routing a call made from a calling line resold to a carrier, the system comprising:

a switch coupled to the resold line, the switch being operative to determine at the switch whether the call is from the resold line and to route the call to a hub without any query to a service control point based on determining the call is from the resold line;

the hub having a trigger provisioned thereon to cause the hub to launch a query to the service control point upon receiving the call from the switch wherein the trigger is assigned to the hub on a per-trunk basis so that the hub suspends all calls from a trunk group to the hub prior to launching the query to the service control point the trunk group including the resold line; and

the service control point operative to receive the query from the hub and to provide routing instructions to the hub based upon resold line routing information stored in the service control point, the routing information identifying a location specified by the carrier for handling the call, wherein the routing information comprises a single set of line class codes assigned to all resold lines, wherein the line class codes reference a trunk group to the hub,

wherein the hub is operative to utilize tabular information in the service control point to make routing decisions based on an area in which a caller making the call from the resold line is located.

2. The system for routing a call, as recited in claim 1, wherein the switch comprises a service switching point.

3. The system for routing a call, as recited in claim 1, wherein the switch includes a line class code database stored in the switch, the line class code database storing a line class code corresponding to a class of service of the resold line and information specifying that calls be routed to the hub.

4. The system for routing a call, as recited in claim 3, wherein the switch accesses the line class code database to route the call to the hub.

5. The system for routing a call, as recited in claim 1, wherein the query comprises a directory number of the calling line and a called party number.

6. The system for routing a call, as recited in claim 1, wherein the trigger comprises an off-hook delayed trigger.

7. The system for routing a call, as recited in claim 1, wherein the resold line routing information stored in the at least one database further comprises:

an identifier for the directory number of the resold calling line; and

an identifier for the carrier.

8. The system for routing a call, as recited in claim 1, wherein the resold line routing information comprises routing information specifying the location for handling the call.

9. In an intelligent network, a system for routing a call made from a calling line resold to a carrier, the system comprising:

a first network element operative, without querying any service control points, to determine at the first network element whether the call is from the calling line resold to the carrier and to route the call to a second network element based on determining the call is from the calling line resold to the carrier, the second network element operative to launch a query;

the second network element operative to launch a query to a third network element upon receiving the call from the first network element wherein the second network element is provisioned with a trigger to cause the second network element to launch the query wherein the trigger is assigned to an AIN hub on a per-trunk basis so that the hub suspends all calls from a trunk group to the hub prior to launching the querv to the third network element the trunk group including the resold line; and

the third network element operative to receive the query from the second network element and to provide routing instructions to the second network element based upon resold line routing information stored in a storage device coupled to the third network element, the routing information comprising a single set of line class codes assigned to all resold lines, wherein the line class codes reference the trunk group to the AIN hub;

in response to receiving the routing instructions from the third network element, the second network element being further operative to route the call to the location for handling the call,

wherein the second network element is further operative to utilize tabular information in the third network element to make routing decisions based on an area in which a caller making the call from the resold line is located.

10. The system for routing a call, as recited in claim 9, wherein the first network element comprises a switch.

11. The system for routing a call, as recited in claim 9, wherein the first network element comprises a switching point.

12. The system for routing a call, as recited in claim 9, wherein the second network element comprises a service switching point.

13. The system for routing a call, as recited in claim 9, wherein the third network element comprises a service control point.

14. The system for routing a call, as recited in claim 9, wherein the resold line routing information stored in the storage device further comprises:

an identifier for the directory number of the calling line; and

an identifier for the service provider.

15. The system for routing a call, as recited in claim 14, wherein the resold line routing information includes a routing index specifying the location for handling the call.

16. The system for routing a call, as recited in claim 9, wherein a line class code table is stored in the switch, the line class code table storing a line class code corresponding to a class of service of the line and information specifying that calls be routed to the service switching point.

17. A method for routing a call made from a calling line resold to a service provider, the method comprising:

routing the call to a switch wherein the switch is operative to determine at the switch without querying any service control points whether the call is made from the calling line resold to the service provider and whether to route the call to a service switching point, wherein routing the call comprises referencing a single set of line class codes assigned to all resold lines, wherein the line class codes reference a trunk group to an AIN hub;

routing the call from the switch to the service switching point in response to the switch determining, without querying any service control points, that the call is made from the calling line resold;

transmitting a query from the service switching point to a service control point to determine a location specified by the carrier for handling the call, the query including a directory number of the resold calling line and a called number;

encountering a trigger at the service switching point, thereby causing the service switching point to launch the query, wherein the trigger is assigned on a per-trunk basis so that all calls from a trunk group including the resold line are suspended prior to launching the query;

accessing a database containing an identifier for the service provider and an identifier for the location for handling the call;

transmitting the identifier for the location to the service switching point;

routing the call from the service switching point to the location for handling the call; and

utilizing tabular information in the service control point to make routing decisions based on an area in which a caller making the call from the resold line is located.

18. The method for routing a call, as recited in claim 17, wherein routing the call from the switch to the service switching point comprises:

accessing a table containing a line class code for the calling line and an identifier for the location of a trunk group coupled to the service switching point; and

routing the call to the trunk group based upon the identifier for the location of the trunk group.