Intelligent customer care support using network CAMEL subscription information

• US 7,463,889 B1
• Filed: 08/10/2005
• Issued: 12/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cingular Wireless II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hursey, John Thomas, DiPrima, Kenneth James
• Primary Examiner(s): Gary; Erika A
• Application Number:
  US11/200,743
• Time in Patent Office: 1,217 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 455/445
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

A mobile communications system stores an address of an external control component and a service indicator indicating a service to be performed by the external control component. The service indicator and address of the external control component may be Network CAMEL Subscription Information (N-CSI) stored by the switching center. In response to detecting a customer care call from a mobile communications device, the switching center suspends call processing and queries the external control component utilizing the stored address. The external control component performs the service indicated by the service indicator and determines how to continue processing the customer care call in accordance therewith. The service performed by the external control component determines a translation for the customer care call and the external control component returns information to the switching center for routing the call according to the translation. In an embodiment the translation is determined at least in part according to an International Mobile Subscriber Identifier (IMSI) associated with the mobile communications device. The translation may also be determined, at least in part, according to one or more of time of day, day of week, and location of the switching center.

Claims

1. A method for use in a mobile communications system comprising:

storing in a storage associated with a switching center an address of an external control component and a service indicator indicating a service to be performed by the external control component;

in response to detecting a customer care call from a mobile communications device in the switching center according to a sequence of dialed digits of the customer care number, suspending call processing and querying the external control component utilizing the address;

at the external control component performing the service indicated by the service indicator and determining how to continue processing the customer care call in accordance therewith; and

communicating call control information from the external control component to the switching center regarding how to continue call processing, and

wherein the address and the service indicator are associated with the switching center and not the mobile communications device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the sequence of dialed digits for the customer care call is 611.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the switching center sending the service indicator to the external control component.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the service performed by the external control component determines a translation for the customer care call and the external control component returns information to the switching center for routing the call according to the translation.

5. The method as recited in claim 4 wherein the translation is determined at least in part according to an International Mobile Subscriber Identifier (IMSI) associated with the mobile communications device.

6. The method as recited in claim 4 wherein the translation is determined at least in part according to one or more of time of day and day of week.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the service indicator and address of the external control component are Network CAMEL Subscription Information (N-CSI) stored by the switching center.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

the external control component maintaining a storage associating IMSI information with respective customer care numbers;

the external control component translating the customer care number according to, at least in part, the IMSI information; and

returning the translation of the customer care number to the switching center in a connect operation.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

the external control component returning one of an Establish Temporary Connection (ETC) operation, a Continue operation, and a release operation to the switching center as call control information.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

the external control component maintaining a storage associating IMSI information with respective customer care numbers;

the external control component translating the customer care number according to, at least in part, the IMSI information; and

returning the translation of the customer care number to the switching center in a connect operation.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the customer care call is processed at least partially based on a Dialed CAMEL Subscription Information (D-CSI) trigger event, the processing being at least partially based on the D-CSI trigger event having priority over a Network CAMEL Subscription Information (N-CSI) trigger event.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a service control point (SCP) coupled to receive information from at least one switching center remote to the SCP, the information related to a customer care call from a mobile telecommunications device, the service control point comprising a storage maintaining respective customer care numbers and the service control point being responsive to the received information to determine a translation for the customer care call; and

at least one switching center and wherein the information from the at least one switching center includes a service key indicative of a service to be performed by the SCP,

wherein the service control point determines the translation of the customer care call further based on at least one of time of day and day of week.

13. The apparatus as recited in claim 12 wherein the storage maintains a correspondence between respective customer care numbers and IMSI information.

14. The apparatus as recited in claim 12 wherein the service control point is further responsive to supply the translation of the customer care call to the switching center as part of a connect operation.

15. The apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein the service key is included in Network CAMEL Subscription Information (N-CSI) associated with the switching center.

16. The apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein the service key is included in Dialed CAMEL Subscription Information (D-CSI) stored by a Home Location Register.

17. The apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein the customer care call is processed at least partially based on a Dialed CAMEL Subscription Information (D-CSI) trigger event, the processing being at least partially based on the D-CSI trigger event having priority over a Network CAMEL Subscription Information (N-CSI) trigger event.

18. A method for use in a mobile communications system comprising:

invoking a service control point (SCP) having translation capability for customer care calls when a customer care call from a mobile communications device is received by a switching center, wherein a switching center invoking the SCP uses a service key and address of the service control point associated with the switching center without being associated with the mobile communications device,

wherein the service key and address of the service control point are Network CAMEL Subscription Information (N-CSI) stored by the service control point.

19. The method as recited in claim 18 further comprising:

determining a translation for a customer care number in the SCP based, at least in part, on an International Mobile Subscriber Identifier (IMSI) associated with the mobile communications device.

20. The method as recited in claim 19 wherein the SCP determines the translation for the customer care number further based on at least one of time of day and day of week.