Method and apparatus for providing automated processing of a switched voice service alarm

• US 9,118,544 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2012
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bajpay, Paritosh, Bienfait, Roberta, Dardashti, Mojgan, Liu, Jackson, Plattner, Timothy, Qian, Zhiqiang, Zinnikas, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Harper, Kevin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rose, Derrick V
• Application Number:
  US13/708,536
• Publication Number:
  US 20130176863A1
• Time in Patent Office: 991 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0613 based on the type or category of the network elements

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing automated processing of a switched voice alarm on a switched and/or Internet Protocol (IP) network are disclosed. For example, the method receives an alarm associated with a switched voice service, and retrieves a Local Routing Number (LRN) or Primary Inter-exchange Carrier (PIC) information from a switch serving a call associated with a caller'"'"'s telephone number. The method determines if the alarm is due to one or more service degradations, and notifies a work center responsible for one or more of the service degradations if the alarm is due to the one or more service degradations.

Claims

1. A method for processing an alarm, comprising:

receiving, by a processor, the alarm associated with a switched voice service;

retrieving, by the processor, a local routing number or primary inter-exchange carrier information from a switch serving a call associated with a caller'"'"'s telephone number;

determining, by the processor, whether the alarm is due to a service degradation based on the local routing number or the primary inter-exchange carrier information; and

notifying, by the processor, a work center responsible for the service degradation based on the local routing number or the primary inter-exchange carrier information when the alarm is due to the service degradation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the alarm is due to a provisioning error when the alarm is not due to the service degradation; and

notifying a work center responsible for the provisioning error when the alarm is due to the provisioning error.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining whether a called number is an internet protocol network telephone number of an internet protocol network.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining whether the called number is a toll free number when the called number is not an internet protocol number.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining whether the alarm is due to a toll free service of a customer when the called number is the toll free number; and

notifying the customer of a trouble with the toll free service.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining whether the alarm is due to a dialing capability associated with an automatic number identification when the called number is not a toll free number.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the automatic number identification is associated with at least one of:

a switched digital data only service, a switched digital data and voice service, a dedicated software defined network service on a class 4 switch, or a dedicated software defined network service on a class 5 switch.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the service degradation comprises at least one of:

a cut-off condition, a noise condition, a static condition, a crosstalk condition, a low volume condition, or an echo condition.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations for processing an alarm, the operations comprising:

receiving the alarm associated with a switched voice service;

retrieving a local routing number or primary inter-exchange carrier information from a switch serving a call associated with a caller'"'"'s telephone number;

determining whether the alarm is due to a service degradation based on the local routing number or the primary inter-exchange carrier information; and

notifying a work center responsible for the service degradation based on the local routing number or the primary inter-exchange carrier information when the alarm is due to the service degradation.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, further comprising:

determining whether the alarm is due to a provisioning error when the alarm is not due to the service degradation; and

notifying a work center responsible for the provisioning error when the alarm is due to the provisioning error.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, further comprising:

determining whether a called number is an internet protocol network telephone number of an internet protocol network.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising:

determining whether the called number is a toll free number when the called number is not an internet protocol number.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, further comprising:

determining whether the alarm is due to a toll free service of a customer when the called number is the toll free number; and

notifying the customer of a trouble with the toll free service.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, further comprising:

determining whether the alarm is due to a dialing capability associated with an automatic number identification when the called number is not a toll free number.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the automatic number identification is associated with at least one of:

a switched digital data only service, a switched digital data and voice service, a dedicated software defined network service on a class 4 switch, or a dedicated software defined network service on a class 5 switch.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the service degradation comprises at least one of:

a cut-off condition, a noise condition, a static condition, a crosstalk condition, a low volume condition, or an echo condition.

17. An apparatus for processing an alarm, comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable medium storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

receiving the alarm associated with a switched voice service;

retrieving a local routing number or primary inter-exchange carrier information from a switch serving a call associated with a caller'"'"'s telephone number;

determining whether the alarm is due to a service degradation based on the local routing number or the primary inter-exchange carrier information; and

notifying a work center responsible for the service degradation based on the local routing number or the primary inter-exchange carrier information when the alarm is due to the service degradation.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising:

determining whether the alarm is due to a provisioning error when the alarm is not due to the service degradation; and

notifying a work center responsible for the provisioning error when the alarm is due to the provisioning error.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

determining whether a called number is an Internet protocol network telephone number of an internet protocol network.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

determining whether the called number is a toll free number when the called number is not an internet protocol number.