Method and system for an intelligent telephone prefix dialer

• US 20070121913A1
• Filed: 09/25/2006
• Published: 05/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: John Breckenridge
• Original Assignee: John Breckenridge
• Inventors: Breckenridge, John
• Granted Patent: US 8,374,335 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/355.50
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27485 Appending a prefix to or inserting a pause into a dialling sequence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/44 Additional connecting arrangements for providing access to frequently-wanted subscribers, e.g. abbreviated dialling at the subscriber's set H04M1/27; automatic redialling H04M3/424

Abstract

Method and system for an Intelligent Prefix Dialer eliminates the necessity for manually dialing an area code as a prefix to a call in telephone systems in which such action is a requirement. The Intelligent Prefix Dialer can be resident in a service provider'"'"'s Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) and is capable of analyzing the dialing sequence from the caller'"'"'s Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) to determine when the caller wishes to dial seven digits. In the event that the caller has dialed seven digits or less, the present invention can append the abbreviated digits the caller has dialed to a caller defined default prefix, in order to form a complete telephone number to be used by the telephone network to establish the connection to a called party.

Claims

1. A computer implemented telephone dialing method for call completion to

connect a subscriber to a called party, the method comprising the steps of:

accepting a default dialing prefix entered by the subscriber;

storing the default dialing prefix in non-volatile memory;

accepting a dial string on a telephone network, the dial string being initiated by the subscriber;

determining whether the subscriber initiated dial string has a required number of incomplete digits related to a number of digits of the default dialing prefix;

completing the call by using a complete dial string, the complete dial string being comprised of the subscriber initiated dial string appended to the default dialing prefix if the user initiated dial string was determined to have the required number of incomplete digits related to the number of digits of the default dialing prefix, and alternatively, the complete dial string being comprised of the subscriber initiated dial string without being appended to the default dialing prefix if the user initiated dial string was determined to not have the required number of incomplete digits related to the number of digits of the default dialing prefix; and

,

wherein the call is completed thereby connecting the subscriber to the called party.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the method steps

are executed within a service provider'"'"'s AIN elements.

3. The computer implemented method according to claim 1 wherein the step

of accepting a dial string initiated by the subscriber further comprises accepting only the subscriber entered dial string that occurs before a predetermined timeout value has been exceeded.

4. The computer implemented method according to claim 3 wherein the determining step further comprises subtracting a first number of digits captured in the subscriber initiated dial string from a pre-determined second umber wherein if the result is equal to a third number representing

the number of digits contained in the default dialing prefix, then the subscriber initiated dial string has the required number of incomplete digits.

5. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the step of accepting a default dialing prefix entered by the subscriber further comprises providing a user options interface capable of prompting the user entry and acknowledging correct entry of the default dialing prefix.

6. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the step of storing the default dialing prefix in non-volatile memory further comprises storing the default prefix dial string in a user options database.

7. The computer implemented method according to claim 2, wherein the step of storing the default dialing prefix in non-volatile memory further comprises storing the default prefix dial string in a user options database.

8. The computer implemented method according to claim 7, wherein the user options database is provided in a Service Control Point (SCP) element of the AIN.

9. The computer implemented method according to claim 2, wherein the step of accepting a default dialing prefix entered by the subscriber further comprises providing a user options interface capable of prompting the user entry and acknowledging correct entry of the default dialing prefix.

10. The computer implemented method according to claim 9, wherein the

user options interface is implemented within a Service Switch Point (SSP) element of the AIN.

11. The computer implemented method according to claim 9, wherein the

user options interface is implemented within an Intelligent Peripheral (IP) element of the AIN.

12. The computer implemented method according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the AIN elements provides a call control function capable of timing interdigit delays produced by the caller when entering a digit sequence from a customer premise equipment (CPE).

13. The computer implemented method according to claim 12, wherein the

at least one of the AIN elements provides a timeout feature to close the caller entered digit sequence based on a predetermined timeout value.

14. The computer implemented method according to claim 12, wherein the

at least one of the AIN elements communicates the caller initiated digit sequence to a Service Control Point (SCP).

15. The computer implemented method according to claim 2, wherein the

determining step is performed by a Service Control Point (SCP).

16. The computer implemented method according to claim 15, wherein the

Service Control Point (SCP) sends the complete dial string to a Service Switching Point (SSP).

17. The computer implemented method according to claim 16, wherein the

Service Switching Point (SSP) establishes the call connection using the complete dial string.

18. A system for call completion within a service provider'"'"'s Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) comprising:

a Service Switching Point (SSP);

a Service Control Point (SCP) in operable communication with the Service Switching Point;

the SSP being operable in conjunction with computer executable code to provide the capability of capturing, counting, and timing an interdigit delay time of a subscriber initiated dial string entered from a customer premise equipment (CPE);

the SCP being operable in conjunction with computer executable code to provide the capability of storing a default dialing prefix in a user options database, determining whether the subscriber initiated dial string has a required number of incomplete digits related to a number of digits of the default dialing prefix, appending the subscriber initiated dial string to the default dialing prefix only if the user initiated dial string was determined to have the required number of incomplete digits, sending the complete dial string to the SSP; and

, wherein the SSP has the capability of establishing call connection based on the complete dial string.

19. The system for call completion according to claim 18, further comprising:

an Intelligent Peripheral (IP) in operable communication with the SSP to provide voice interaction between the subscriber and the call completion system during the process of storing the default dialing prefix in the user options database.

20. The system for call completion according to claim 19, further comprising:

an Adjunct in operable communication with the SSP;

the Adjunct having the capability to perform the same intelligent prefix dialing functions as the SCP in an independent manner.