Method and system for routing phone calls based on voice and data transport capability

• US 5,533,108 A
• Filed: 03/18/1994
• Issued: 07/02/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: American Telephone & Telegraph Company (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Harris, Rosemary H., Bruno, Richard F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dharia, Parag
• Application Number:
  US08/215,069
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 379/93, 379/94, 379/96, 379/97, 379/201, 379/207, 379/220, 379/221, 370/60, 370/60.1, 370/84, 370/110.1, 370/94.1, 370/79, 348/14, 348/15, 348/16
• US Class Current: 379/211.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/50 Telephonic communication in combination with video communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/158 Call-type dependent routing route determination based on the nature of the carried application in packet switching networks H04L45/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2066 Call type detection of indication, e.g. voice or fax, mobile of fixed, PSTN or IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/08 ISDN systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/203 composed of PSTN and data network, e.g. the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4228 in networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42306 Number translation services, e.g. premium-rate, freephone or vanity number services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0033 Notification or handling of incoming calls by a computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0428 Integrated services digital network, i.e. systems for transmission of different types of digitised signals, e.g. speech, data, telecentral, television signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13512 800 - freefone
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13541 routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

A method and system for routing phone calls from a caller to a selected destination based on voiceband (voice) and digital services (data) transport capabilities is disclosed. The selected destination is one of a plurality of destinations identified by a common telephone number such as an 800 number. A plurality of discriminators common to both voice and data calls are associated with the phone call. An additional data rate discriminator is also associated for a data call corresponding to a requested data rate from the calling party. A database, such as a direct services dialing database, is accessed in response to receiving the common telephone number from the calling party for obtaining a destination number for a voice call based on the common discriminators, and a separate destination number for a data call. The separate destination number for the data call is based on the common discriminators and the desired data rate. The call is completed by directing the call to the selected destination number.

Claims

1. A method for routing a phone call from a caller through a public switched telephone network to a destination number selected by a network subscriber based on voice and data transport capability, wherein the phone call is one of either a voice or data call and wherein the destination number is one of a plurality of destination numbers selected by the subscriber identified by a common telephone number, comprising

associating with a phone call a plurality of discriminators common to both voice and data calls and an additional data rate discriminator for a data call corresponding to the data rate used by the calling party,

accessing a first database in response to receiving the common telephone number from the calling party to obtain a routing number,

selecting a second database based on the routing number,

accessing the second database for obtaining a destination number selected by the subscriber for a voice call based on the common discriminators and a separate destination number selected by the subscriber for a data call, wherein the separate destination number selected by the subscriber for a data call is based on the common discriminators and the data rate used by the caller, and

completing the phone call by directing the phone call to the destination number selected by the subscriber.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein said common telephone number is an INWATS telephone number and said first database is an INWATS database.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein said second database is accessed via a data network comprising signal transfer points.

4. The method according to claim 1 including the step of querying the accessed second database to determine if the common telephone number is provisioned for the requested data rate capability and terminating the call if the number has no such data rate provision.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the second database comprises a direct services dialing database.

6. The method according to claim 1 including the step of routing the voice call along a voice trunkline and the data call along a data trunkline from a local exchange carrier to an originating network switch.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein said data rate discriminator is implied by the data capacity of the data trunkline.

8. The method according to claim 1 including the step of reading the data rate from a call setup message when the caller has an ISDN connection.

9. A system for routing a phone call from a caller through a public switched telephone network to a destination number selected by a network subscriber based on voice and data transport capability, wherein the phone call is one of either a voice or data call, and wherein the destination number is one of a plurality of destination numbers selected by the subscriber identified by a common telephone number, comprising

means for associating with a phone call a plurality of discriminators common to both voice and data calls and an additional data rate discriminator for a data call corresponding to the data rate used by the calling party,

means for accessing a database in response to receiving the common telephone number from the calling party for obtaining a destination number selected by the network subscriber for a voice call based on the common discriminators and a separate destination number selected by the network subscriber for a data call, wherein the separate destination number selected by the network subscriber for a data call is based on the common discriminator and the data rate used by the caller, and

means for completing the phone call by directing the phone call to the selected destination number.

10. The system according to claim 9 including means for routing the voice call along a voice trunkline and a data call along the data trunkline from a local exchange carder to an originating network switch.

11. The system according to claim 9 wherein said data rate discriminator is implied by the data capacity of the data trunkline.

12. The system according to claim 9 wherein the database comprises a direct services dialing database.

13. The system according to claim 12 including means for translating the common telephone number in an originating switch with the discriminators to determine the direct services dialing database to be accessed.

14. The system according to claim 9 including means for reading the data rate from a call setup message when the caller has an ISDN connection.

15. The system according to claim 9 including means for querying the database to determine if the common telephone number is provisioned for the requested data rate capability and means for terminating the phone call if the number has no such data rate provision.

16. The method according to claim 9 including a data network comprising signal transfer points for accessing said second database.

17. A system for routing a phone call from a caller through a public switched telephone network to a destination number selected by a network subscriber based on voice and data transport capability, wherein the phone call is One of either a voice or data call, and wherein the destination number is one of a plurality of destination numbers selected by the network subscriber identified by a common telephone number, comprising

means for associating with a phone call a plurality of discriminators common to both voice and data calls and an additional data rate discriminator for a data call corresponding to the data rate used by the calling party,

means for accessing a first database in response to receiving the common telephone number from the calling party to obtain a routing number,

means for selecting a second database based on the routing number,

means for accessing the second database for obtaining a destination number selected by the network subscriber for a voice call based on the common discriminators and a separate destination number selected by the network subscriber for a data call, wherein the separate destination number selected by the network subscriber for a data call is based on the common discriminator and the data rate used by the caller, and

means for completing the phone call by switching the phone call to the destination number selected by the network subscriber.

18. The system according to claim 17 wherein said common telephone number is an INWATS telephone number and said first database is an INWATS database.

19. The system according to claim 17 including a data network comprising signal transfer points for accessing said second database.

20. The system according to claim 17 including means for querying the accessed second database to determine if the common telephone number is provisioned for the requested data rate capability and means terminating the phone call if the number has no such data rate provision.

21. The system according to claim 17 wherein the second database comprises a direct services dialing database.

22. The system according to claim 17 including means for muting the voice call along a voice trunkline and a data call along the data trunkline from the local exchange carder to an originating network switch.

23. The system according to claim 17 wherein said data rate discriminator is implied by the data capacity of a data trunkline.

24. The system according to claim 17 including means for reading the data rate from a call setup message when the caller has an ISDN connection.