Method and system for implementing number portability service

• US 8,498,400 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2009
• Issued: 07/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apex Net LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Wen, Changcheng
• Primary Examiner(s): DEANE JR, WILLIAM J
• Application Number:
  US12/638,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20100091977A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,323 Days
• Field of Search: 379/221.13, 379/220.01, 379/221.01, 370/352
• US Class Current: 379/221.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42297 with number portability

Abstract

A method for implementing a number portability (NP) service includes: by a local NP database, receiving a called user number from a switching device; determining an NP database storing NP data of the callee according to a preset correspondence between the called number and identifiers (IDs) of NP databases storing the NP data of the callee; and obtaining the NP data of the callee from the determined NP database and returning the obtained NP data to the switching device so that the switching device routes a call to the callee according to the returned NP data. In addition, a system for implementing an NP service is provided, including an NP database and a switching device. Two types of NP databases are also provided. With the present invention, each NP database only needs to store partial NP data, which lessens the load of each NP database in storing and updating NP data.

Claims

1. A method for implementing an Number Portability (NP) service, comprising:

receiving, by a local NP database, a called user number from a switching device, wherein the local NP database is one of NP databases storing NP data of users according to a preset correspondence between called user numbers and identifiers (IDs) of the NP databases storing the NP data of users;

determining, by the local NP database, an other NP database storing NP data of a callee according to the preset correspondence between the called user number and IDs of the NP databases storing the NP data of users; and

obtaining, by the local NP database, the NP data of the callee from the determined other NP database and returning the obtained NP data to the switching device so that the switching device routes a call to the callee according to the returned NP data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, before receiving a called user number from a switching device, the method further comprises:

receiving, by an NP delivery database, NP data;

determining, by the NP delivery database, at least one of NP databases storing the NP data of the users according to preset correspondences between the called number and IDs of NP databases storing the NP data of users; and

sending, by the NP delivery database, the NP data to the determined at least one of NP databases.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by an NP delivery database, NP data;

determining, by the NP delivery database, at least one of NP databases storing the NP data of the users according to preset correspondences between the called number and IDs of NP databases storing the NP data of users; and

sending, by the NP delivery database, the NP data to the determined at least one of NP databases so that the NP databases storing the NP data may provide an NP service.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, before receiving NP data by an NP delivery database, the method further comprises:

numbering, by a NP number management center, all NP databases;

selecting, by a NP number management center, the NP delivery database according to the serial number of the NP databases; and

sending, by a NP number management center, the valid NP data to the selected NP delivery database.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein, the NP data comprises:

a user number and the current routing number of the user.

6. A system for implementing an Number Portability (NP) service, comprising an NP database and a switching device, wherein the NP database comprises an NP delivery database and a local NP database, wherein the local NP database is one of NP databases storing NP data of users according to a preset correspondence between called user numbers and identifiers (IDs) of the NP databases storing the NP data of users;

the NP database is in communication with a switching device,

the NP delivery database receives NP data selects at least one of NP databases storing the received NP data according to a user number in the NP data, and sends the received NP data to at least one of the selected NP databases;

the local NP database receives a called user number from a telephone exchange, determines an NP database storing the NP data of a callee according to the received called number, obtains the NP data of the callee from the determined NP database, and sends the obtained NP data to the switching device; and

the switching device receives a call from a caller, sends the called number to the local NP database where the caller resides, and routes the call to the callee according to the NP data returned from the local NP database.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the system further comprising a service applying and managing unit and an NP number management center, wherein:

the service applying and managing unit is capable of communicating with a NP number management center;

the service applying and managing unit sends the NP data received from the user to the NP number management center; and

the NP number management center sends the NP data received from the service applying and managing unit to the NP delivery databases.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein,

the switching device is further adapted to receive the NP data from the user, and send the received NP data to the local database;

the local database is further adapted to receive NP data form the switching device, select at least one of NP databases storing the received NP data according to a user number in the NP data, and send the NP data to at least one of the selected NP database.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the quantity of the NP delivery databases is more than one, and

the NP number management center further selects an current valid NP delivery database from all the NP delivery databases, and sends the NP data received from the service applying and managing unit to the selected NP delivery database.

10. An Number Portability (NP)database, comprising an NP data storing module, an NP data transceiving module and an NP data storage determining module, wherein,

the NP data storing module stores NP data of users according to a preset correspondence between called user numbers and identifiers (IDs) of the NP databases storing the NP data of users;

the NP data transceiving module is capable of communicating with an NP data storage determining module;

the NP data transceiving module receives NP data sends an user number in the received NP data to the NP data storage determining module, receives the NP database ID from the NP data storage determining module, and sends the NP data to at least one of the NP databases corresponding to the received NP database ID; and

the NP data storage determining module calculates the NP database ID storing the NP data of the user according to the received user number from the NP data transceiving module and sends the calculated NP database ID to the NP data transceiving module.

11. The NP database of claim 10, further comprising an NP data querying module, wherein:

the NP data storing module is capable of communicating with an NP data querying module;

the NP data storing module receives the NP data from the NP data transceiving module of the NP delivery database or other NP databases;

the NP data transceiving module further sends the received NP data to the NP data storing module after determining the NP database ID from the NP data storage determining module is the same as the ID of the NP delivery database; and

the NP data querying module receives a query request carrying an user number from the other NP database, queries the NP data corresponding to the user number from the NP data storing module, and sends the queried NP data to the other NP database.

12. The NP database of claim 10, further comprising an NP data querying and receiving module, wherein:

the NP data querying and receiving module is capable of communicating with an NP data querying module;

the NP data querying and receiving module receives a called user number from a switching device, sends the received called number to the NP data storage determining module, receives an NP database ID from the NP data storage determining module, obtains the NP data corresponding to the user number from the NP database corresponding to the received NP database ID, and sends the obtained NP data to the switching device so that the switching device may route the call to the callee according to the received NP data; and

the NP data storage determining module receives the called number from the NP data querying and receiving module, calculates the NP database ID storing the NP data of the callee according to the called number, and sends the calculated NP database ID to the NP data querying and receiving module.

13. The NP database of claim 12, further comprising:

an NP data storing module, adapted to receive the NP data from other NP databases; and

an NP data querying module, adapted to receive a query request carrying an user number from the other NP database, query the NP data corresponding to the user number from the NP data storing module, and send the queried NP data to the other NP database.

14. The NP database of claim 12 , further comprising:

an NP data transceiving module, adapted to receive the NP data, send a called user number in the received NP data to the NP data storage determining module, receive an NP database ID from the NP data storage determining module, and send the received NP data to the NP database corresponding to the received NP database ID.

15. The database of claim 14, wherein the NP data transceiving module further receives the NP data from the switching device, sends the user number in the received NP data to the NP data storing and determining module, receives the NP database ID from the NP data storing and determining module, and sends the NP data to the NP database corresponding to the NP database ID.