Method and system for providing calling number restoral

• US 7,664,244 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2003
• Issued: 02/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bedingfield, James C.
• Primary Examiner(s): ADDY, THJUAN KNOWLIN
• Application Number:
  US10/642,403
• Publication Number:
  US 20050259804A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,374 Days
• Field of Search: 379/211.02, 379/142.15, 379/246, 379/88.25, 379/201.11, 379/210.03, 379/201.01, 379/212.01, 379/242, 709/225, 726/11
• US Class Current: 379/201.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

A system and method for restoring the original calling number in a call routed through an out-of-network enhanced service provider to a forwarding destination. The system comprises a service control point, a service switching point in communication with the service control point, and an enhanced service provider service node in communication with the service switching point, wherein the service node is located outside of a network while the remaining components reside within the network, and wherein the service switching point is provisioned with two triggers: an incoming trigger for calls to the service node and an outgoing trigger for calls from the service node. According to the method, the service control point, in response to the incoming trigger, removes and stores the private call information of a call exiting the network and, in response to the outgoing trigger, restores that private call information to the call once the call re-enters the network.

Claims

1. A method for a communications network to restore private communication information to a communication that is redirected to an out-of-network entity, comprising:

receiving a request from an in-network calling number for a communication directed to an in-network called number;

determining that the communication is to be redirected to an out-of-network entity;

removing the private communication information from the communication and storing the private communication information after determining that the communication is to be redirected to the out-of-network entity;

redirecting the communication originally directed to the called number to the out of network entity;

receiving, into the network, an outgoing communication from the out-of-network entity;

retrieving private communication information and adding the private communication information into the outgoing communication; and

sending the outgoing communication including the private communication information to a destination in the network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein removing and storing the private communication information comprises:

receiving the communication at a routing module and activating, a trigger provisioned on the routing module;

sending a query to a database at a control module in communication with the routing module;

recognizing, at the control module, that the communication is to the out-of-network entity; and

removing the private communication information using the control module, and storing the private communication information in a database in communication with the control module.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving the private communication information and adding the private communication information into the outgoing communication comprises:

generating a transaction identification, storing the transaction identification with the private communication information, and attaching the transaction identification to the communication, before forwarding the communication outside the network;

activating trigger provisioned on a routing module;

sending a query to a control module in communication with the routing module;

recognizing, at the control module, that the outgoing communication is from the out-of-network entity; and

locating, the private communication information using the transaction identification, and inserting the private communication information in the outgoing communication.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the outgoing communication is a call and the call includes a customized dialing plan code and the trigger is a customized dialing plan trigger.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the out-of-network entity provides an enhanced service selected from the group consisting essentially of a call forwarding service, a call screening service, and an announcement service.

6. A method for a network to restore private communication information to an outgoing communication from an entity external to the network, comprising:

receiving a request from a calling number hr an incoming communication directed to a called number;

determining that the incoming communication is to be redirected to the entity external to the network;

removing and storing the private communication information of the incoming communication due to determining that the incoming communication is to be redirected to the entity external to the network;

associating a transaction identification with the private communication information and the incoming communication;

redirecting the incoming communication originally directed to the called number to the entity external to the network;

receiving the outgoing communication with the transaction identification from the incoming communication;

retrieving the private communication information using the transaction identification; and

inserting the private communication information into the outgoing communication.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the private communication information is a calling number and a privacy indicator of the incoming communication.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the entity external to the network determines a forwarding destination according to an enhanced service that the external entity provides and initiates the outgoing communication to the forwarding destination.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

sending the outgoing communication to the forwarding destination; and

terminating the incoming communication to the outgoing communication.

10. A system for providing, calling number restoral, comprising:

a routing module provisioned, with an incoming trigger and an outgoing trigger;

an out-of-network entity in communication with the routing, module; and

a control module in communication with the routing module,

wherein, the system determines that a call originally directed to an in-network called number is to be redirected to an out-of-network entity, removes and stores the private call information from the call after determining that the call is to be redirected to the out-of-network entity, redirects the call originally directed to the in-network called number to the out-of-network entity after removing and storing the private call information, and restores the stored private call information to the call when the call re-enters the network from the out-of-network entity.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the incoming trigger sends a first query to the routing module in response to receiving the call to the out-of-network entity.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the first query prompts the routing module to remove and store the private call information from the call, to generate a transaction identification, to store the transaction identification with the stored private call information, to attach the transaction identification to the call, and to redirect the call to the out-of-network entity.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the outgoing trigger sends a second query to the routing module in response to receiving the call from the out-of-network entity.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the second query prompts the routing module to locate the private call information and insert the private call information into the call based on the transaction identification.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the out-of-network entity serves an enhanced service provider.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the out-of-network entity receives an incoming call, places an outgoing call, and terminates the incoming call to the outgoing call to complete a call connection.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the out-of-network entity communicates with the routing module through an integrated services digital network basic rate interface.

18. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a database provisioned at the control module; and

a service package application provisioned at the control module.

19. A routing module residing within a network for removing, storing, and restoring private communication information of an out-of-network communication, comprising:

means for communication with a control module residing within the network for determining that a communication is to be redirected to an out-of-network entity based on a called number, for removing and storing, the private communication information from the communication, for redirecting the communication originally directed to the called number to the out-of-network entity and for restoring the private communication information to the out-of-network communication from the out-of-network communication entity prior to forwarding the out-of-network communication to a network entity;

means for communicating with an out-of-network entity;

an incoming trigger that sends a first query to the control module in response to receiving the communication; and

an outgoing trimmer that sends a second query to the control module in response to receiving the out-of-network communication from the out-of-network entity destined for the network entity.

20. The routing module of claim 19, wherein the out-of-network entity provides an enhanced service.

21. The routing module of claim 19, wherein the control module removes and stores the private communication information in response to the first query and restores the private communication information in response to the second query.

22. A control module for preventing private communication information from exiting a network, comprising:

means for determining that a communication originally directed to an in-network called number is to be redirected to an out-of-network entity;

means for removing the private communication information from the communication after the determining means has determined that the communication is to be redirected to the out-of-network entity;

means for storing the private communication information removed by the removing means;

means for redirecting the communication to the out-of-network entity after the private communication information has been removed by the removing means and stored by the storing means;

means for retrieving the private communication information stored by the storing means when the communication re-enters the network from the out-of-network entity; and

means for restoring the private communication information retrieved by the retrieving means to the communication.

23. The control module of claim 22, wherein the means for removing, the means for restoring, and the means for retrieving comprise a service package application.

24. The control module of claim 22, wherein the means for storing the private communication information comprises a database.

25. The control module of claim 22, wherein the means for retrieving the private communication information comprises a transaction identification.