Telephone network control system and method

• US 8,767,938 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2009
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Wurster, John Herman, Hamilton, Barbara Ann
• Primary Examiner(s): AL AUBAIDI, RASHA S
• Application Number:
  US12/615,061
• Publication Number:
  US 20100054442A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,695 Days
• Field of Search: 379/207.02, 379/211.01, 379/215
• US Class Current: 379/207.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4281 when the called subscriber is connected to a data network using his telephone line, e.g. dial-up connection, Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53383 Message registering commands or announcements; Greetings
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/54 Arrangements for diverting calls for one subscriber to another predetermined subscriber based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; to voice mail H04M3/53308

Abstract

A method of providing a user the option to accept an incoming call, play a prerecorded message to the incoming party, ignore the incoming call or forward the incoming call to a separate telephone number is disclosed for use when the user is connected, via the same telephone line, to the Internet. The disclosed invention reduces the number of times the incoming call is transferred which reduces the number of reserves used in processing the incoming call. This reduction frees up system resources and allows overall system resources to be used more efficiently.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a telecommunications network comprising:

identifying a connection status of a subscriber line by;

recognizing a busy condition of said subscriber line;

initiating a first set-up call to said subscriber line in response to recognizing said busy condition, including transmitting a first call set-up message indicating a first special calling party number to said subscriber line, wherein the first set-up call is initiated automatically by a call manager in response to recognizing a busy condition;

detecting a trigger when said first call reaches a switching point in the telecommunications network;

in response to detecting said trigger, transmitting a first query message to a control point in the telecommunications network, said first query message including said special calling party number;

receiving said first query message at said control point; and

storing a status indicator of said condition in response to receiving said first special calling party number.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein recognizing a busy condition includes determining a service status associated with a subscriber telephone number and wherein initiating a first set-up call includes calling said subscriber telephone number.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting a trigger is performed at a terminating switch serving a subscriber telephone line.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein initiating said first set-up call includes calling a telephone number of said subscriber telephone line.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein storing a status indicator of said busy condition in response to receiving said first special calling party number includes setting a flag as part of a call processing record of an associated subscriber.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting a disconnect request.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said first call set-up message comprises an ISDN User Part (ISUP) message.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein:

transmitting a first query message includes transmitting a Transaction Capabilities Application Part (TCAP) message from said switching point to said control point;

said control point comprises a Service Control Point (SCP); and

said first special calling party number transmitted in a calling party identification portion of said TCAP message, said first special calling party number recognized as an invalid telephone number.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising processing, in response to said status indicator, a subsequent second call initiated to the same telephone number as said first set-up call.

10. A telecommunications system comprising:

a switched telephone network including a plurality of switching points interconnected by a plurality of communications links, and further including a number of subscriber lines associated with respective subscribers;

a database connected to said switched telephone network, said database storing call processing records associated with respective subscribers of said switched telephone network;

a server configured to identify a connection status of at least one of said subscriber lines by;

detecting a busy condition of a subscriber line associated with one of the respective subscribers and, in response to detecting said busy condition, initiating a set-up call to said subscriber line including a call set-up message indicating a special calling party number, wherein the call is automatically initiated at a call manager;

wherein said switching points are configured to receive said call set-up message and transmit a query message to said database in response to receiving said call set-up message, said query message including said special calling party number, and wherein said database is configured to receive said query message and to set a service status flag of a call processing record associated with said subscriber line in response to receiving said special calling party number.

11. The telecommunications system of claim 10 further comprising a server configured to detect a condition associated with said one subscriber and, in response, initiate said call to said one subscriber including said special calling party number, wherein said special calling party number being an invalid telephone number indicative of said condition.

12. The telecommunications system of claim 10 wherein said service status flag is also associated with said one subscriber.

13. The telecommunications system of claim 10 wherein said switching points are configured to selectively route an incoming call in response to a message from said database, said message reflecting a status of said service status flag.

14. The telecommunications system of claim 10 wherein said database comprises a Service Control Point (SCP), and said plurality of switching points comprise a plurality of Service Switching Points (SSPs).

15. A switched telephone network comprising:

a plurality of a Service Switching Points (SSPs) configurable to provision triggers associated with telephone lines of designated ones of subscribers served by respective ones of said SSPs;

a system configured to identify a connection status by detecting a busy condition associated with one of said telephone lines of one of the designated subscribers of the telephone network and, in response to said busy condition, initiating a set-up call to said telephone line using an ISDN User Part (ISUP) call set-up message including a special calling party number wherein said set-up call is initiated automatically at a call manager;

a service control point (SCP) connected to said plurality of SSPs and configured to store service status associated with each of said designated subscribers;

wherein said plurality of SSPs are further configured to receive said ISUP call set-up message including said special calling party number and, in response, transmit a TCAP query message including said special calling party number to said SCP, and wherein said SCP is configured to receive said query message, modify a service status indicator associated with the one of the designated subscribers based on said special calling party number, and supply call handling instructions based on the service status indicator associated with the one of the designated subscribers for subsequent calls to said telephone line.

16. The telecommunications system of claim 15 wherein said special party numbers are different invalid calling party numbers associated with respective conditions to be reflected by said service status indicators.

17. A system comprising:

a called service switching point configured to receive an incoming call from a calling party;

an application server in communication with said called service switching point and configured to identify a status of a subscriber line by;

detecting a busy condition on said subscriber line, said busy condition indicating that said subscriber line cannot receive said incoming call;

initiating a first set-up call to said subscriber line in response to recognizing said busy condition, including transmitting a first call set-up message indicating a first special calling party number to said subscriber line, wherein the first set-up call is initiated automatically by a call manager; and

wherein said application server is further configured to prompt a user with at least one option for handling said incoming call in response to said busy condition.

18. A system as set forth in claim 17, further comprising a service control point in communication with said application server, and wherein said application server is configured to communicate the presence of said busy condition to said service control point.

19. A system as set forth in claim 18, wherein said called service switching point is configured to query said service control point to determine whether said busy condition is present.

20. A system as set forth in claim 19, wherein said called service switching point is configured to query said service control point to determine whether said busy condition is present in response to a trigger implemented by said called service switching point, said trigger instructing said called service switching point to query said service control point upon receipt of said incoming call.

21. A system as set forth in claim 17, wherein said at least one option for handling said incoming call includes at least one of answering said call, playing a message to the caller, forwarding said call to a predetermined forwarding number, and ignoring said call.