Caller directed routing of a telephone call based on a dialed suffix

• US 5,465,295 A
• Filed: 12/20/1994
• Issued: 11/07/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T IPM Corp. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Furman, Daniel S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hunter, Daniel S.
• Application Number:
  US08/360,182
• Time in Patent Office: 322 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67, 379/89, 379/196, 379/207, 379/210, 379/211, 379/212, 379/216, 379/220, 379/221, 379/233
• US Class Current: 379/221.14
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/002 Applications of echo suppressors or cancellers in telephonic connections in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/08, echo suppressors or cancellers per se H04B3/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/47 using translators

Abstract

The routing of telephone calls in a telecommunications network is enhanced by providing a method for associating a plurality of telephone numbers assigned to a particular subscriber with respective codes such that a caller may dial one of the subscriber'"'"'s telephone numbers and a code associated with another one of the subscriber'"'"'s telephone number in order to direct the routing of the call to the latter telephone number.

Claims

1. A method of processing a telephone call in a public telecommunications system comprising a plurality of interconnected switches, said method comprising the steps of

responsive to receipt of said telephone call at an originating one of said switches, receiving a sequence of telephone keypad digits associated with said telephone call, in which said sequence of telephone keypad digits represents a caller dialed telephone number and suffix code, said suffix code immediately following said telephone number and being distinguishable from said telephone number,

translating said received dialed telephone number and said received suffix into another telephone number, and

forwarding the telephone call to a destination identified by the other telephone number.

2. The method set forth in claim 1 wherein said code includes at least one dialed non-numeric character and at least one dialed digit, and wherein said method further comprises the step of using said at least one character to distinguish said code from said telephone number and using said at least one dialed digit to associate said other telephone number with said dialed number.

3. The method set forth in claim 2 wherein said non-numeric character is a star (*) sign or a pound (#) sign.

4. The method set forth in claim 1 further comprising the steps of

storing said dialed telephone number as a root telephone number in a list of telephone numbers and associating other telephone numbers in said list with said root telephone number as a function of respective codes such that said other telephone number and said dialed code form one entry in said list.

5. The method set forth in claim 4 further comprising the step of arranging at least one other entry in said list so that said one other entry implements a call forwarding functionality.

6. The method set forth in claim 5 further comprising the step of partitioning said one other entry into first and second fields, said first field containing a call forwarding telephone number and said second field containing a predetermined locator code operative for associating said received telephone number with said call forwarding number.

7. The method set forth in claim 1 wherein said received code is a standardized code associating said other telephone number with said dialed telephone number.

8. The method set forth in claim 6 wherein said other telephone number is a cellular telephone number.

9. The method set forth in claim 1 wherein said other telephone number is associated with a voice mail service and wherein said step of forwarding includes the step of forwarding the telephone call to the voice mail service identified by the other telephone number, rather than to the dialed telephone number.

10. A method of routing a telephone call in a public telecommunications system, said method comprising the steps of

receiving from a caller a sequence of dialed digits representing a dialed telephone number and a suffix code distinguishable from said telephone number by a delimiter interposed between said telephone number and said suffix,

identifying one of a plurality of stored lists of telephone numbers as a function of said received telephone number and selecting one of said telephone numbers from said one list as a function of said suffix code, and

forwarding said telephone call to a destination identified by said one telephone number.

11. The method set forth in claim 10 further comprising the steps of

storing said received telephone number in said list as a root telephone number, and associating other telephone numbers in said list with said root telephone number as functions of respective codes.

12. The method set forth in claim 10 further comprising the step of arranging at least one entry in said list so that said at least one entry implements a call forwarding functionality.

13. The method set forth in claim 12 further comprising the step of partitioning said at least one entry into at least first and second fields, said first field containing a call forwarding number and said second field containing a predetermined locator code operative for associating said received telephone number with said call forwarding number.

14. A method of routing a telephone call in a public telecommunications system formed from a plurality of switching equipments, said method comprising the steps of

creating at least one database common to said switching equipments and storing a plurality of lists of telephone numbers in said one database, said lists being associated with respective telephone numbers,

associating each of the telephone numbers in a list with a respective code,

responding, at one of said switching equipments, to receipt of a telephone call associated with a called telephone number and a respective code entered by a caller by sending said called telephone number and said code to said one database, said entered telephone number and said respective code being separated from one another by a predetermined delimiter, and

arranging said one database so that it (a) identifies the associated one of said lists as a function of the called telephone number, (b) reads from the associated one of said lists a telephone number associated with the received code and (c) sends the read telephone number to said one switching equipments so that said one switching equipment may forward said call to a destination identified by said read telephone number.