Method and apparatus for processing multiple services per call

• US 8,787,360 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2012
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brown, John C., Chong, Koan S., Peters, Robert, Ratcliffe, Mark A., Samarasinghe, Harish
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Hemant
• Application Number:
  US13/400,507
• Publication Number:
  US 20120147756A1
• Time in Patent Office: 883 Days
• Field of Search: 370351-357, 370259-271, 379/201.02, 379/207.02, 379/207.11, 379/221.05, 379/221.08, 379/243, 4555501-560, 4554121-4262, 4555751-5759, 455 901- 903, 4554561-560, 709201-207, 709217-248, 348 1401- 1416, 704270-278
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1096 Supplementary features, e.g. call forwarding or call holding systems providing special services or facilities to telephony subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4217 Managing service interactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0041 involving techniques for avoiding interaction of call service features

Abstract

A method and apparatus for enabling multiple services to be invoked in a specific precedence per call are disclosed. For example, the present method allows a subscriber to interact with a plurality of services provided by a service provider on a single call.

Claims

1. A method for providing a plurality of services on a single call in a communication network, comprising:

receiving, via a processor of a service broker, a request for the plurality of services in the single call from a subscriber;

determining, via the processor, an application server for servicing one of the plurality of services; and

providing, via the processor, the plurality of services to the subscriber in accordance with a precedence level associated with each one of the plurality of services in the single call, wherein the precedence level indicates an order for providing the plurality of services, wherein the processor receives an indication from the application server disallowing the one of the plurality of services, wherein the precedence level of the one of the plurality of services is used to determine whether the one of the plurality of services is to be disallowed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication network comprises an internet protocol network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the application server distributes the request to a service and customer logic in accordance with a signaling history.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the request comprises a session initiation protocol invite message.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a failure report when the providing the plurality of services to the subscriber fails.

6. A tangible computer-readable medium storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by a processor of a service broker, cause the processor to perform operations for providing a plurality of services on a single call in a communication network, the operations comprising:

receiving a request for the plurality of services in the single call from a subscriber;

determining an application server for servicing one of the plurality of services; and

providing the plurality of services to the subscriber in accordance with a precedence level associated with each one of the plurality of services in the single call, wherein the precedence level indicates an order for providing the plurality of services, wherein the processor receives an indication from the application server disallowing the one of the plurality of services, wherein the precedence level of the one of the plurality of services is used to determine whether the one of the plurality of services is to be disallowed.

7. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the communication network comprises an internet protocol network.

8. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the application server distributes the request to a service and customer logic in accordance with a signaling history.

9. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the request comprises a session initiation protocol invite message.

10. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 6, further comprising:

generating a failure report when the providing the plurality of services to the subscriber fails.

11. An apparatus for providing a plurality of services on a single call in a communication network, comprising:

a processor of a service broker; and

a computer-readable medium storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

receiving a request for the plurality of services in the single call from a subscriber;

determining an application server for servicing one of the plurality of services; and

providing the plurality of services to the subscriber in accordance with a precedence level associated with each one of the plurality of services in the single call, wherein the precedence level indicates an order for providing the plurality of services, wherein the processor receives an indication from the application server disallowing the one of the plurality of services, wherein the precedence level of the one of the plurality of services is used to determine whether the one of the plurality of services is to be disallowed.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the request comprises a session initiation protocol invite message.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

generating a failure report when the providing the plurality of services to the subscriber fails.