Intelligent customer care support

• US 7,706,792 B1
• Filed: 08/10/2005
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility 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): Ly; Nghi H
• Application Number:
  US11/200,936
• Time in Patent Office: 1,721 Days
• Field of Search: 455/435.1, 455/415, 455/414.1, 455/445, 370/328, 370/338
• US Class Current: 455/435.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

In a mobile communications system a visiting location register (VLR) associated with a switching receives an address of an external control component and a service identifier identifying a service to be performed by the external control component from a home location register (HLR) associated with a mobile communications device. When a customer care call from the mobile communications device is received at the switching center, the switching center suspends call processing and queries the external control component utilizing the address from the VLR. The external control component performs the service indicated by the service indicator and determines a translation for the customer care call and returns information to the switching center for routing the call according to the translation. The translation may be determined at least in part according to the service performed by the external control component. The translation may be determined at least in part according to one or more of time of day, day of week, location of the switching center, or NPA-Nxx. The service indicator and address of the external control component may be provided by the HLR in Dialed CAMEL Subscription Information (D-CSI) associated with the mobile communication device.

Claims

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

supplying an address of an external control component and a service identifier identifying a service to be performed by the external control component to a visiting location register associated with a switching center from a home location register (HLR) associated with a mobile communications device;

receiving at the switching center a customer care call from the mobile communications device;

in response to detecting the customer care call according to a sequence of dialed digits of the customer care number, suspending call processing and querying the external control component utilizing the supplied address;

at the external control component performing the service indicated by the service identifier 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.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the service identifier and address of the external control component are provided by the HLR in Dialed CAMEL Subscription Information (D-CSI) associated with the mobile communication device.

3. 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.

4. The method as recited in claim 3

wherein the translation is determined at least in part according to an International Mobile Subscriber Identifier (IMSI) associated with the mobile communications device.

5. The method as recited in claim 3 wherein the translation is determined at least in part according to one or more of time of day, day of week, location of the switching center, and NPA-Nxx (Numbering Plan Area-Numbering Plan Exchange).

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

7. The method as recited in claim 6 further comprising the switching center sending the service identifier to the external control component.

8. The method as recited in claim 7 further comprising:

determining at the external control component a translation of the customer care number, at least in part, according to the service key; and

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

9. The method as recited in claim 7 further comprising:

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

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

receiving at a switching center a customer care call from a mobile communications device;

in response to detecting the customer care call, suspending call processing and sending information related to the customer care call from the switching center to a service control point;

at the service control point determining how to continue processing the call in accordance with the information related to the customer care call; and

communicating call control information from the service control point to the switching center regarding the call;

wherein the information related to the customer care call sent to the service control point includes a service identifier indicative of a service to be performed by the service control point; and

wherein the switching center uses the service identifier and an address of the service control point provided to a visiting location register associated with the switching center by a home location register associated with the mobile communications device, if available, and otherwise uses a service identifier and address of the service control point stored in the switching center without being associated with the particular mobile communications device.