Communication system and method of routing calls to a terminating end point

• US 7,702,092 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2005
• Issued: 04/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Johnson, Jeffrey Paul, Sheth, Niral, Ku, Bernard Siu-Man
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar; Ahmad F
• Assistant Examiner(s): GAY, SONIA L
• Application Number:
  US11/120,142
• Publication Number:
  US 20060245573A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,814 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 379/221.01, 379/221.13, 455/445
• US Class Current: 379/221.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4557 Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42297 with number portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/128 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables

Abstract

A method of determining a telephony network node for routing a call is disclosed. The method includes receiving a call request at a service provider node, the call request including a called number to reach a called party. The method further includes sending a combined telephone number mapping (ENUM) and local number portability (LNP) query from the service provider node to a remote ENUM database, the combined ENUM/LNP query including the called number. The method further includes receiving a response to the combined ENUM/LNP query at the service provider node. The response includes one of an internet protocol address that identifies a node of an internet protocol network, a local routing number (LRN) to be used to route the call to a uniquely identified switching node of a circuit-switched network, or a return of the called number to indicate that the called number can be used to route the call to the called party.

Claims

1. A method of routing a call, comprising:

receiving a combined telephone number mapping (ENUM) and local number portability (LNP) query from a service provider node at an ENUM database, the combined ENUM and LNP query including a called number;

accessing the ENUM database using the called number to identify an internet protocol address that is associated with the called number;

when the access to the ENUM database does not identify an internet protocol address, indicating that the called number is not an internet protocol terminating call, sending a query to a local number portability (LNP) database directly from the ENUM database to the LNP database; and

receiving a response from the local number portability database, the response from the local number portability database including either a ported number or an indication that the called number is not a ported number.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the called number is returned by the local portability number database to indicate that the called number is not a ported number.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a response to the combined ENUM and LNP query to the service provider node after accessing the ENUM database.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising sending the response to the combined ENUM and LNP query after receiving the response from the LNP database at the ENUM database.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the response to the combined ENUM and LNP query includes one of an internet protocol address that identifies a node of an internet protocol network, a local routing number (LRN) associated with detection of a ported number, or an indication that the called number is not a ported number such that the called number can be used to route the call.

6. A communication systems comprising:

a local number portability (LNP) database including a plurality of stored local routing numbers that correspond to ported numbers;

a combined telephone number mapping (ENUM) database coupled to the LNP database via a data connection, wherein when an access to the ENUM database does not identify an internet protocol address, the ENUM database can send a query directly to the LNP database to retrieve at least one of the stored local routing numbers; and

a service provider node to receive a response to a combined ENUM and LNP query, the response including one of an internet protocol address that identifies a node of an internet protocol network, a local routing number (LRN) to be used to route the call to a uniquely identified switching node of a circuit-switched network, or a return of a called number to indicate that the called number can be used to route the call to the called party.

7. The communication system of claim 6, wherein the ENUM database includes logic to receive a combined telephone number mapping (ENUM) and local number portability (LNP) query from a service provider node, the combined query including a called number, and wherein the ENUM database includes logic to initiate a query to the local number portability database.

8. The communication system of claim 7, wherein the ENUM database further includes logic to receive a response from the local number portability database, the response from the local number portability database including either a ported number or an indication that the called number is not a ported number.

9. The communication system of claim 8, wherein the ENUM database further includes logic to send a response to the combined ENUM and LNP query to the service provider.

10. The communication system of claim 9, wherein the ENUM database sends the response to the combined ENUM and LNP query after receiving the response from the LNP database.

11. The communication system of claim 6, wherein the data connection is a signaling system seven (SS7) link.

12. The communication system of claim 6, wherein the data connection is an Internet Protocol (IP) connection.