System and method for manipulating data fields in a call structure for synchronizing billing information and retaining original calling party information

• US 5,991,377 A
• Filed: 08/11/1997
• Issued: 11/23/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Malik, Dale W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US08/909,417
• Time in Patent Office: 834 Days
• Field of Search: 379/111-115, 379/121, 379/126, 379/127, 379/134, 379/226, 379/229, 379/230, 379/207, 379/220, 379/221
• US Class Current: 379/114.05
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0104 Augmented, consolidated or itemised billing statement, e.g. additional billing information, bill presentation, layout, format, e-mail, fax, printout, itemised bill per service or per account, cumulative billing, consolidated billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/72 Finding out and indicating number of calling subscriber

Abstract

A system and method for synchronizing billing information and maintaining original calling party information when providing an enhanced communication service. A communication is received from a first network element and directed to a feature access code. In connection with the communication, a string of data is received containing call information for correction of parameters of a call structure. In response to receiving the communication directed to the feature access code, the string of data is manipulated within the parameters of the call structure based on instructions provided by a database, whereby original calling party information located in the call structure is retained and billing information is ultimately synchronized with an associated subscriber. Advantageously, the tasks of synchronizing billing information and maintaining call origination are accomplished by providing a standard format for processing long strings of data representing information on how a call is to be configured and by reformatting the data fields based on this information so that the final call structure resembles that of the original call structure.

Claims

1. A method for maintaining an original calling party number associated with a communication as the communication is routed through a telecommunications system including routine through a network device, which routing would otherwise change the original calling party number, so the original calling party number appears as a calling party number at an ultimate network element serving an ultimate destination of the communication, comprising:

receiving communication information for parameters of a call structure associated with the communication, the communication information including the original calling party number and an original called party number;

in response to receiving the communication information, using the communication information to change information within the parameters of the call structure to effectuate routing of the communication through the telecommunications system to a network element serving the original called party number;

as a result of the routing of the communication to the network element serving the original called party number, receiving call data related to the communication; and

in response to receiving the call data, effectuating inclusion of the original calling party number as a calling party number within the parameters of the call structure as the communication is routed to the ultimate network element serving the ultimate destination of the communication,

whereby the use of the communication information to change the information in the call structure retains the original calling party number with the communication and receipt of the call data enables the inclusion of the original calling party number with the communication at the ultimate network element serving the ultimate destination.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication information comprises a redirect number, and a billing party number.

3. With respect to a communication that is routed from a network device that otherwise would cause substitution of a number of the network device for an original calling party number associated with the communication, a method for making the original calling party number available as a calling party number at an ultimate network element serving an ultimate destination of the communication, comprising:

causing the communication to be routed from a network device to a network element, the communication being associated with call data including a data manipulation identifier;

receiving the call data associated with the communication from the network element, the call data including the data manipulation identifier;

in response to the data manipulation identifier, effectuating inclusion of the original calling party number as the calling party number in a call structure of the communication at the ultimate network element serving the ultimate destination of the communication,

whereby the receipt of the call data including the data manipulation identifier results in inclusion of the original calling party number as the calling party number at the ultimate destination as if the communication had not been routed from the network device.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the call data comprises a billing party number;

wherein the billing party number comprises the data manipulation identifier; and

wherein the data manipulation identifier comprises an identification for the network device from which the communication is routed.

5. With respect to a communication being routed through a telecommunications system including routing through a network device, which routing would otherwise chance the original calling party number, a system for maintaining original calling party information when providing an enhanced communication service, comprising:

the first network element operative to assemble a string of data containing a feature access code and call information for correction of parameters within a call structure of the communication;

the first network element being further operative to transmit the string of data to a second network element;

the second network element operative to receive the string of data including the feature access code and to recognize the feature access code;

in response to recognizing the feature access code, the second network element being further operative to populate the call information into the parameters of the call structure so as to effectuate routing of the communication through the telecommunications system to a third network element serving the original called party number;

as a result of the routing of the communication to the third network element causing the second network element to receive call data related to the communication; and

in response to receiving the call data, causing the second network element to effectuate inclusion of the original calling party information as a calling party information within the parameters of the call structure as the communication is routed to an ultimate network element serving an ultimate destination of the communication,

whereby use of the call information in populating the parameters of the call structure and the use of the call data retains original calling party information located in the call structure associated with the communication.

6. In a telecommunications system having functionally interconnected network elements including service switching points (SSPs), a service control point (SCP), and a service node (SN), a method to retain an original calling party number associated with a communication as a calling party number at an ultimate destination of the communication, even when the communication, prior to the communication being routed to the ultimate destination, is routed from an original called party number to a called party number associated with the SN, the method comprising:

A. causing the SN, in response to receipt of the communication directed to the called party number associated with the SN, to make a call by dialing a feature access code (FAC) followed by the SN dialing a string of digits, the string of digits including call information for parameters of call structure of the communication;

B. causing an SSP serving the SN, in response to receiving the call dialed to the FAC and dialed to the string of digits from the SN, to send a first query to the SCP, the first query including the FAC and the string of digits;

C. causing the SCP, in response to receiving the first query including the FAC and the string of digits, to provide parameter instructions with respect to the parameters of the call structure of the communication, the parameter instructions being provided to the SSP serving the SN, the parameter instructions instructing the SSP serving the SN to;

i. cause a calling party number parameter of the call structure of the communication to include the original calling party number associated with the communication, and

ii. cause a billing party number parameter of the call structure of the communication to include an identification of the SN;

D. causing the SSP serving the SN, in response to the parameter instructions from the SCP, to carry out the parameter instructions, and then to route the communication to the original called party number;

E. causing an SSP serving the original called party number, in response to receiving the communication from the SSP serving the SN, to make a second query of the SCP, the second query including the identification of the SN in the billing party number parameter of the call structure of the communication;

F. causing the SCP, in response to the second query including the identification of the SN in the billing party number parameter of the call structure of the communication, to provide the SSP serving the original called party number with routing instructions to route the communication to the ultimate destination; and

G. causing the SSP serving the original called party number, in response to the routing instructions, to route the communication to the ultimate destination,

whereby the original calling party number is retained as the calling party number at the ultimate destination by causing the SN to provide the call information in the string of data provided to the SCP so the SCP may provide the parameter instructions so as to cause the call structure of the communication to reflect the original calling party number as the calling party number at the ultimate destination of the communication.

7. The method of claim 6,

wherein in action C, the parameter instructions instructing the SSP serving the SN further instruct the SSP serving the SN to:

iii. cause a called party number parameter of the call structure of the communication to include the original called party number; and

wherein in action D, the SSP is caused to carry out the parameter instructions, and caused to route the communication to the original called party number on the basis of the called party number parameter including the original called party number.

8. The method of claim 7,

wherein in action C, the parameter instructions instructing the SSP serving the SN further instruct the SSP serving the SN to:

iv. to cause a redirect number parameter of the call structure of the communication to include the ultimate destination of the communication; and

wherein in action D, the SSP is caused to carry out the parameter instructions.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the ultimate destination comprises a forwarded destination.

10. The method of claim 6,

wherein action F comprises causing the SCP, in response to the second query including the identification of the SN in the billing party number parameter of the call structure of the communication, to provide more parameter instructions with respect to the parameters of the call structure of the communication, the more parameter instructions being provided to the SSP serving the original called party number, the more parameter instructions instructing the SSP serving the original called party number to:

a. cause the called party number parameter of the call structure of the communication to include a number of the ultimate destination, so as to provide the routing instructions to the SSP serving the original called party number to route the communication to the ultimate destination; and

wherein in action G, the SSP serving the original called party number is caused to route the communication to the number of the ultimate destination on the basis of the called party number parameter including the number of the ultimate destination.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein action F comprises:

causing the SCP, in response to the second query including the identification of the SN in the billing party number parameter of the call structure of the communication, to provide more parameter instructions with respect to the parameters of the call structure of the communication, the more parameter instructions being provided to the SSP serving the original called party number, the more parameter instructions instructing the SSP serving the original called party number to;

a. cause a redirect number parameter of the call structure of the communication to include the original called party number; and

wherein action G comprises causing the SSP serving the original called party number, in response to the more parameter instructions, to include the original called party number in the redirect number parameter of the call structure of the communication,

whereby, on the basis of inclusion of the original called party number in the redirect number parameter of the call structure of the communication as the communication is routed to the ultimate destination, billing information related to the communication may be synchronized to an associated subscriber of the original called party number.

12. In a telecommunications system having functionally interconnected network elements including a service control point (SCP) and a service node (SN), a method to retain an original calling party number associated with a communication as a calling party number at an ultimate destination of the communication, even when the communication, prior to the communication being routed to the ultimate destination, is routed from an original called party number to a called party number associated with the SN, the method comprising:

A. causing the SN, in response to receipt of the communication directed to the called party number associated with the SN, to dial a string of digits, the string of digits including call information for the communication;

B. causing the string of digits to be provided to the SCP;

C. causing the SCP to use the call information included in the string of digits to effectuate routing of the communication to the original called patty number;

D. as a result of the routing of the communication to the original called party number, causing the SCP to receive an identification of the SN in association with a query related to the communication;

E. causing the SCP, in response to the query associated with the identification of the SN, to effectuate routing of the communication to the ultimate destination, and to cause the communication to reflect the original calling party number as the calling party number at the ultimate destination of the communication,

whereby the original calling party number is retained as the calling party number at the ultimate destination by causing the SN to provide the call information in the string of data received by the SCP so the SCP may cause the communication to reflect the original calling party number as the calling party number at the ultimate destination of the communication.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein action E comprises;

causing the SCP, in response to the query associated with the identification of the SN,

a. to effectuate routing of the communication to the ultimate destination,

b. to cause the communication reflect the original calling party number as the calling party number at the ultimate destination of the communication, and

c. to cause the communication be associated with the original called party number,

whereby, on the basis of association of the original called party number with the communication as the communication is routed to the ultimate destination, billing information related to the communication may be synchronized to an associated subscriber of the original called party number.