Virtual private network dialed number nature of address conversion

• US 7,672,443 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2004
• Issued: 03/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Karnalkar, Anup D., Hendricks, Thomas Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang; Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): BEZUAYEHU, SOLOMON G
• Application Number:
  US11/016,355
• Publication Number:
  US 20060147022A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,901 Days
• Field of Search: 379/221, 379/14, 379/93.07, 379/100.12, 379/112.06, 379/220.01, 379/221.08, 379/222.15, 379/221.15
• US Class Current: 379/221.08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/009 in systems involving PBX or KTS networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13097 Numbering, addressing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13102 Common translator
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13345 Intelligent networks, SCP
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13384 Inter-PBX traffic, PBX networks, e.g. corporate networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13399 Virtual channel/circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

A method and system for handling identical VPN numbers assigned to multiple companies using a nature of address/number identifier initiated as public. The method includes receiving a query from a switch module to determine routing information for a call initiated by a calling party, the query including dialed digits with a nature of address identifier, and a calling party identifier updating the nature of address identifier associated with dialed digits to a private type code if a VPN coding identifier is determined present, looking up routing information associated with the dialed digits in a look-up table corresponding to the calling party identifier if the nature of address identifier includes the private type code, and transmitting the routing information to the switch module.

Claims

1. A method for determining routing for virtual private network (VPN) numbers, comprising:

receiving a query from a switch module to determine routing information for a call initiated by a calling party, the query including dialed digits, a nature of address (NoA) attribute, and a calling party identifier;

determining whether the dialed digits include a VPN coding identifier;

modifying the NoA attribute to a private type code when the dialed digits include the VPN coding identifier;

selecting a private VPN number look-up table from a plurality of private VPN number look-up tables based on the calling party identifier, the plurality of private VPN number look-up tables associated with different VPN groups;

looking up the routing information associated with the dialed digits in the selected private VPN number look-up table when the NoA attribute comprises the private type code; and

transmitting the routing information to the switch module, the routing information comprising the NOA attribute.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the dialed digits include the VPN coding identifier comprises:

comparing a length of the dialed digits to a threshold; and

based on a result of the comparison and a portion of the dialed digits, selecting the VPN coding identifier.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the portion of the dialed digits is the leading three digits of the dialed digits and the VPN coding identifier comprises the digits “

7”

“

0”

“

0”

.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the calling party identifier is associated with a VPN group.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the selected private VPN number look-up table is associated with the VPN group.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising looking up the routing information associated with the dialed digits in a public number look-up table when the NoA attribute does not include the private type code.

6. An apparatus for determining routing for virtual private network (VPN) numbers, comprising:

a receiving module to receive a query from a switch module to determine routing information for a call initiated by a calling party, the query including dialed digits, a calling party identifier, and a nature of address (NoA) attribute;

a look-up module to determine whether the dialed digits including a VPN coding identifier, to modify the NoA attribute to a private type code when the dialed digits include the VPN coding identifier, select a private VPN number look-up table from a plurality of private VPN number look-up tables based on the calling party identifier, and to perform a lookup within the selected private VPN number look-up table based on a portion of the dialed digits, the lookup to identify the routing information associated with the dialed digits, the plurality of private VPN number look-up tables associated with different VPN groups; and

a transmitting module to transmit the routing information to the switch module.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the calling party identifier is associated with a VPN group.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the private VPN number look-up table is associated with the VPN group.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein performing the lookup of the routing information associated with the dialed digits in the selected private VPN number look-up table comprises performing a query of the selected private VPN number look-up table based on a portion of the dialed digits.

9. An article of manufacture storing machine accessible instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to:

receive a query from a switch module to determine routing information for a call initiated by a calling party, the query including dialed digits, a nature of address (NOA) attribute, and a calling party identifier;

determine whether a VPN coding identifier is present in the dialed digits;

modify the NOA attribute to a private type code when the VPN coding identifier is determined present;

select a private VPN number look-up table from a plurality of private VPN number look-up tables based on the calling party identifier, the each of the plurality of private VPN number look-up tables associated with a respective VPN group;

lookup routing information in the selected private VPN number look-up table based on the dialed digits when the NOA attribute comprises the private type code; and

transmit the routing information to the switch module.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 9, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to lookup the routing information based on a portion of the dialed digits.