System and method for determining characteristics for international calls

• US 9,025,754 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2006
• Issued: 05/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Halpern, Jackie A., Berelian, Elias, Baker, Lesley A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Joseph T
• Application Number:
  US11/466,984
• Publication Number:
  US 20070064893A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,176 Days
• Field of Search: 37922102-22114, 379/355.08
• US Class Current: 379/220.01
• 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 15/06 Recording class or number of calling , i.e. A-party or called party , i.e. B-party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/16 according to connection obtained
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/43 Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/206 composed of PSTN and wireless network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0152 General billing plans, rate plans, e.g. charge rates, numbering plans, rate centers, customer accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0164 Billing record, e.g. Call Data Record [CDR], Toll Ticket[TT], Automatic Message Accounting [AMA], Call Line Identifier [CLI], details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/00 Arrangements for interconnection between switching centres
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13097 Numbering, addressing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13102 Common translator
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13141 Hunting for free outlet, circuit or channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/66 Traffic distributors

Abstract

A system for providing termination information for an international telephone number includes a centralized database of terminating characteristics. The system may also include request processing logic that receives an international telephone number from a user. In response to receiving the telephone number, the request processing logic may automatically query the centralized database to obtain information that indicates whether the telephone number uses wireless termination. In response to obtaining the information from the centralized database, the request processing logic may automatically transmit to the user a response that indicates whether the telephone number uses wireless termination. The system may also include a database engine that uses a tree structure of linked nodes to perform a longest matching prefix search on the telephone number in response to the request processing logic querying the centralized database.

Claims

1. An automated method for handling a call to a terminating telephone number, the method comprising:

receiving a request for termination information associated with the terminating telephone number;

determining, from a first table, a longest matching prefix for the terminating telephone number, wherein the longest matching prefix includes a prefix containing the greatest number of digits matching the terminating telephone number;

consulting a second table to determine termination information, indicative of a location associated with the longest matching prefix, wherein the termination information includes;

city information indicative of the name of a city;

wireless information indicative of whether the terminating telephone number is associated with wireless termination; and

carrier information indicative of a name of a carrier associated with the terminating telephone number; and

providing, in a response to the request, the termination information to a caller associated with the request wherein the response enables the caller to distinguish between calls with wireline termination and calls with wireless termination for rating purposes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the termination information includes a country identifier indicative of a country associated with the terminating telephone number.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first table includes a portion of a centralized database wherein the centralized database includes prefixes for telephone numbers for multiple nations outside the North American Numbering Plan.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a preferred routing, associated with the location, from a set of possible routings.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the preferred routing includes determining a routing preference based at least in part on a time of day.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the preferred routing includes determining a routing preference based at least in part on a day of week.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the preferred routing includes selecting from the set of possible routings based at least in part on relative availabilities of the possible routings.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

consulting a third table to determine a routing preference, wherein the third table is specific to a caller associated with the call; and

routing the call based on the routing preference.

9. A call processing system, comprising:

a prefix table including a plurality of telephone number prefixes;

a prefix engine operable to identify, from the prefix table, a longest matching prefix for a terminating telephone number indicated in a request associated with a caller, wherein the longest matching prefix includes a prefix containing the greatest number of digits matching the terminating telephone number;

a location engine operable to identify, from a location table, a termination information indicative of a location associated with the longest matching prefix, wherein, the location information includes;

the name of a city associated with the location;

wireless information indicative of whether the terminating telephone number is associated with wireless termination; and

carrier information indicative of a name of a carrier associated with the terminating telephone number; and

a routing engine operable to identify, from a translation table, a routing preference suitable for the location;

wherein the call processing system is configured to provide the termination information to the caller wherein the termination information enables the caller to distinguish between calls with wireline termination and calls with wireless termination for rating purposes.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the termination information includes a country identifier associated with the location.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the prefix table includes prefixes for telephone numbers for multiple nations outside the North American Numbering Plan.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the translation table includes a set of routings and wherein the routing engine identifies the routing preference from the set of routings.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein each set of routings is associated with a particular caller.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the routing engine is operable to determine the routing preference based at least in part on a time of day of the call.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the routing engine is operable to determine the routing preference based at least in part on a day of week of the call.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the routing engine is operable to determine the routing preference based on availability of routes associated with each routing preference.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium including processor executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving an international telephone number dialed by a caller and including a plurality of digits;

responding to receiving the international telephone number by automatically querying a centralized database of characteristics to obtain termination information about the international telephone number, wherein the termination information is indicative of a location associated with a longest matching prefix, wherein the longest matching prefix comprises a prefix containing the greatest number of digits matching the international telephone number and wherein the termination information includes;

the name of a city associated with the location;

wireless information indicative of whether the international telephone number is associated with wireless termination; and

carrier information indicative of a name of a carrier associated with the international telephone number;

sending the termination information to the caller wherein the termination information enables the caller to distinguish between calls with wireline termination and calls with wireless termination for rating purposes;

responding to obtaining the termination information by obtaining from a translation table, based on the termination information, a routing, wherein obtaining the routing includes selecting a routing from a set of routings; and

routing the call based at least in part on the routing selected.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the translation table includes a plurality of sets of routings, wherein a set of routings is associated with a corresponding caller and wherein obtaining the translation table includes obtaining a routing from the set of routings associated with the caller.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein routing the call is further based on a factor selected from:

a time of day of the call, a day of week of the call, and an availability of at least one of the sets of routings.