Dial-up telephone network equipment for requesting an identified selection
First Claim
1. A telecommunications network comprising:
- a first switching office responsive to a number from a calling station for controlling establishment of a call for requesting video programming identified by said number,a network routing database system serving at least one other switching office and said first office and responsive to said number for providing a routing message for said first office to route said call to network services equipment, andsaid network services equipment serving at least one other switching office and said first office and being responsive to said call for forwarding an identity of said identified video programming and information identifying said calling station to vendor equipment for supplying said identified programming to customer equipment identified by said calling station identifying information.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and an arrangement are disclosed for providing a nationwide dial-a-view service in which a caller desiring a given viewing selection dials an "800" dial-a-view number for ordering that selection through the telephone networking arrangement. The arrangement includes local and toll switching offices for accessing a centralized database system for providing routing instructions advantageously to network services equipment which acknowledges the request and processes the request to cable television distribution equipment. The dialed "800" number is recognized as a dial-a-view request, and the database system provides the originating toll office with routing instructions for sending the request to the network service equipment. Automatic number identification of the caller is requested from the originating toll office and forwarded along with requested programming to the vendor equipment. The vendor equipment supplies the requested programming to the calling customer via an addressable decoder at the calling customer'"'"'s television. The vendor equipment also perform customer order entitlement verification prior to supplying the calling customer with the requested programming.
293 Citations
50 Claims
-
1. A telecommunications network comprising:
-
a first switching office responsive to a number from a calling station for controlling establishment of a call for requesting video programming identified by said number, a network routing database system serving at least one other switching office and said first office and responsive to said number for providing a routing message for said first office to route said call to network services equipment, and said network services equipment serving at least one other switching office and said first office and being responsive to said call for forwarding an identity of said identified video programming and information identifying said calling station to vendor equipment for supplying said identified programming to customer equipment identified by said calling station identifying information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 44, 45)
-
-
10. A telecommunications network comprising:
-
a first switching office responsive to a number for controlling establishment of a call from a caller requesting video programming identified by said number, a network routing database system serving at least one other switching office and said first office and responsive to said number for providing a routing message for said first office to route said call to network services equipment, said network services equipment serving at least one other switching office and said first office and including means for requesting number information identifying said caller and means responsive to said identifying number information for compiling a data message including the identity of said identified programming and said identifying number information, means responsive to said data message for verifying entitlement of said caller to receive said identified programming. distribution means responsive to said data message for deriving a program delivery message and a charging message for said identified programming, means responsive to said program delivery message for supplying said identified programming to said caller, and means responsive to said charging message for compiling charge data for said identified programming. - View Dependent Claims (11)
-
-
12. A method of deriving call routing information from a network database system serving a plurality of switching offices for routing a dial-a-view call received by one of said offices to network services equipment serving said switching office and another switching office, comprising the steps of:
-
receiving at said database system from said one office a dial-a-view call message including a dial-a-view number for establishing said call and indicating a television program requested by a caller, translating at said database system said call message into a routing message for controlling the routing of said call indicating said requested program to said network services equipment, and transmitting said routing message from said database system to said one office. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
-
-
18. A telecommunications network comprising:
-
network services equipment serving a plurality of switching systems and including means responsive to a call routed thereto from one of said switching systems by a network routing database system serving said one switching system and at least one other switching system and initiated in response to service number signals from a caller served by said one switching system and requesting a selected service identified by said service number signals, means responsive to said service call for supplying an acknowledgment to said caller, and means responsive to number information identifying said caller for accessing service vendor equipment; and said service vendor equipment comprising means responsive to said service number signals and said identifying number information for compiling a service delivery message and a charging message, means for communicating said service delivery and charging messages to a local service facility serving said caller for enabling the delivery of said identified service, and means for verifying the entitlement of said caller to receive said identified service. - View Dependent Claims (19)
-
-
20. A method of ordering a selection through a telecommunications network comprising the steps of:
-
receiving at a first switching system serving said network a number for controlling establishment of a call to network services equipment serving said network and for identifying said selection, translating at a routing database system serving said first switching system and another switching system said number into a routing message including information for identifying said selection for said first switching system to route said call to said network services equipment. routing said call to said network services equipment in response to said routing message, obtaining information for identifying said caller, and compiling in response to said information for identifying said selection and said caller at said network services equipment serving another switching system and said first switching system a data message for vendor facilities to supply said selection to said caller. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23)
-
-
24. A method of charging for a call routed in response to a telephone number to network services equipment under control of a network database system serving a plurality of switching systems, said call for automatically requesting a selection specified by said telephone number, comprising:
-
deriving at said network services equipment in response to said call a charge for said call routed thereto under control of said network database system, and deriving at said network services equipment a charge for supplying selection supply facilities a message indicating said selection.
-
-
25. A method of charging for a call routed in response to a telephone number to network services equipment under control of a network database system serving a plurality of switching systems, said call for automatically requesting a selection specified by said telephone number, comprising:
-
deriving at said network services equipment a charge for said call routed thereto under control of said network database system , obtaining at said network services equipment caller identification for said call, and deriving at said network services equipment a charge for supplying selection supply facilities with said caller identification and said selection specified by said telephone number. - View Dependent Claims (26)
-
-
27. A call processing method comprising
extending a call ordering a video program from a calling station to network services equipment serving a plurality of switching office via one of said switching offices under control of a call routing database system serving said one switching office and at least one other switching office, supplying an advisory signal on said extended to call to said calling station, deriving at said network services equipment an identity of a chargeable entity for said call, verifying an entitlement of said chargeable entity to receive said video program in response to said derived identity, and supplying said video program to a designated station in response to said entitlement of said chargeable entity to receive said video program.
-
34. A telecommunications network responsive to a number identifying a video program from a telephone office for deriving routing information for a call identified by said number comprising
routing database means serving a plurality of switching offices for translating said number to routing information for said call, network services equipment for serving said switching offices and processing said call for video programming supply facilities, and one of said offices being responsive to said routing information for extending said call to said network services equipment, said equipment comprising means responsive to information identifying a caller for compiling a data message for said supply facilities to identify said video program and said caller.
-
38. Video suppy processing equipment comprising:
-
means responsive to a data message from network services equipment serving a plurality of switching systems of a telephone network, said data message specifying caller telephone number identification information for identifying a caller and also specifying number information for identifying a video service requested by said caller and for establishing a call to said network services equipment via said telephone network, for verifying whether or not said caller is entitled to receive said video service, and means responsive to a determination by said verification means that said caller is entitled to receive said video service for producing a service delivery message for a video supply facility to provide said video service to said caller. - View Dependent Claims (39, 42, 43)
-
-
40. Video supply processing equipment comprising:
-
means responsive to a data message specifying caller identification information and a dial-a-view number specifying a video service requested by a caller via a telephone network for verifying whether or not said caller is entitled to receive said video service, means responsive to a determination by said verification means that said caller is entitled to receive said video service for producing a service delivery message for a video supply facility to provide said video service to said caller, means responsive to a determination by said verification means that said caller is not entitled to receive said video service for supplying information advising said caller that said caller is not entitled to receive said requested service, and means responsive to billing information from said caller for verifying said billing information. - View Dependent Claims (41)
-
-
46. An arrangement for deriving call routing information from a network database system serving a plurality of switching offices for routing a call received by one of said offices to network services equipment serving said one switching office and another switching office, comprising:
-
means for receiving at said database system from said one office a call message including an identification number for establishing said call and identifying an order selection requested by a caller, means for translating at said data base system said call message into a routing message including information identifying said selection for routing said call from said one office to said network services equipment, and means for transmitting said routing message from said database system to said one office.
-
-
47. A telecommunications network comprising:
-
a switching system responsive to a number from a caller for controlling establishment of a call to network services equipment and for requesting a selection identified by said number, a database system serving said switching system and at least one other switching system and responsive to said number for providing a routing message for said switching system to route said call to said network services equipment, and said network services equipment serving said switching system and at least one other switching system and being responsive to said call for forwarding information identifying said selection and said caller to vendor equipment for supplying said selection to said caller.
-
-
48. Network services equipment for serving a plurality of switching systems comprising:
-
a network switching system responsive to a call from one of said systems for obtaining information identifying a calling station originating said call and a selection, database means or compiling a data message including said information identifying said calling station and said selection, and means for forwarding said data message to vendor equipment for supplying said identified selection. - View Dependent Claims (49)
-
-
50. An interconnect carrier switching system serving a plurality of local exchange switching systems comprising:
-
means responsive to a call from a calling station having an identity and servied by one of said local exchange systems, said call being originated with a number identifying an order selection requested from said calling station, for obtaining said calling station identity from either said one local exchange system or said calling station; and means responsive to said selection identifying number for extending said call, including forwarding said calling station identity and information identifying said selection specified by said selection identifying number, to network services equipment serving said interconnect carrier switching system and at least one other switching system.
-
Specification