U.S. patent application number 10/719418 was filed with the patent office on 2004-06-24 for system and method for using intelligent peripheral to supply telephone service.
Invention is credited to Brush, Wesley A., Carnazza, James M., Khan, Romel.
Application Number | 20040120499 10/719418 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 29736053 |
Filed Date | 2004-06-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040120499 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Brush, Wesley A. ; et
al. |
June 24, 2004 |
System and method for using intelligent peripheral to supply
telephone service
Abstract
A method for providing communication service in an Advanced
Intelligent Network environment comprises receiving an alert
message the originates from a database, the alert message including
a protocol parameter; identifying a protocol that controls
communication between the intelligent peripheral and the database
in a protocol identifying by the protocol parameter, the protocol
being stored in a database in the IP containing a plurality of
protocols and a plurality of protocol parameters, each protocol in
the plurality of protocols being correlated with a unique protocol
parameter from the plurality of protocol parameters; and executing
the protocol.
Inventors: |
Brush, Wesley A.; (Brick,
NJ) ; Carnazza, James M.; (Rumson, NJ) ; Khan,
Romel; (Eatontown, NJ) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Henry T. Brendzel
P.O. Box 574
Springfield
NJ
07081
US
|
Family ID: |
29736053 |
Appl. No.: |
10/719418 |
Filed: |
November 24, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10719418 |
Nov 24, 2003 |
|
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09371811 |
Aug 11, 1999 |
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6674851 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
379/221.08 ;
379/201.01; 379/230 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04Q 3/0029
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
379/221.08 ;
379/201.01; 379/230 |
International
Class: |
H04M 003/42; H04M
007/00 |
Claims
1. A method for providing communication service comprising the
steps of: (a) an intelligent peripheral receiving an alert message
from a database unit, which message specifies a communication
protocol parameter; (b) with reference to a database within said
intelligent peripheral, establishing a connection between said
database unit and said intelligent peripheral to operate in accord
with a protocol pointed to by said protocol parameter, (c)
communicating information between said database unit and said
intelligent peripheral; and (d) communicating information between a
switch and said intelligent peripheral over a bearer connection
between them.
2. A method for providing communication service comprising the
steps of: a switch sending information to a database unit; in
response thereto, said database unit sending a message to an
intelligent peripheral specifying a communication protocol; said
intelligent peripheral perusing an internal database to determine
parameters for establishing a connection in accord with said
protocol; said intelligent peripheral establishing a connection,
and communicating, with said database unit pursuant to said
protocol; and said intelligent unit communicating with said switch
over a bearer connection.
3. The method of claim 2 where said specification of said
communication protocol by said database unit takes the form of
specifying a parameter of a protocol that uniquely specifies a
protocol, and operating parameter of said protocol.
4. The method of claim 2 where the connection between the
intelligent peripheral and the database unit is via a signaling
network.
5. The method of claim 2 where the connection between the database
and the switch is over a signaling network
6. The method of claim 2 where said bearer connection is
established following the establishment of said connection between
the database and the intelligent peripheral
7. The method of claim 6 where said bearer connection is
established in response to a message send by said switch to said
intelligent peripheral.
8. The method of claim 7 where said message sent by said switch to
said intelligent peripheral is following a message sent by said
database unit to said switch.
9. The method of claim 6 where establishment of said bearer is
initiated by said intelligent peripheral after receipt of said
message from said database unit.
10. The method of claim 2 where said communicating between said
intelligent peripheral and said database unit occurs after
establishment of said bearer connection.
11. The method of claim 2 where said communicating between said
intelligent peripheral and said database unit comprises said
database unit informing said intelligent peripheral to perform a
specified service.
12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of said
intelligent peripheral performed said specified service and sending
results to appropriate destination.
13. The method of claim 12 where said appropriate destination is
said database unit.
14. The method of claim 12 where said appropriate destination is
said switch.
15. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of said
intelligent peripheral performed said specified service and sending
results to said database unit via said switch.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to using an Intelligent
Peripheral in a network. In particular, the present invention
relates to systems and methods for using applications and features
that are driven by an Intelligent Peripheral in a telephone-network
environment.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Intelligent Peripherals (IP) are devices that perform
services such as playing an announcement, collecting digits,
recognizing voice commands, converting text to speech, recording
and deleting a user-specific announcement, and verifying digits,
for example, for callers who connect to a network through a switch.
IP's can have bearer and signaling communication paths to switches,
and have signaling communication paths to databases. FIG. 1 is an
example of how an IP might be configured within a network. In this
figure, IP 101 is connected to switch 102 via a signaling and
bearer connection. Switch 102 is connected to database 103 via a
signaling connection. The signaling connection can, for example, be
part of the GR1129 protocol. Calling party 104 can dial a telephone
number. This can result in a call-request received by switch 102,
which can then signal database 103 with information about the
caller. If database 103 determines that certain services are
required (e.g., play announcement and collect caller digits), then
database 103 can contact IP 101, via switch 102, asking IP 101 to
perform the services. For example, the database can cause the IP to
perform its particular function.
[0003] The capabilities of this embodiment are limited in that the
switch and IP must use the same protocol (typically, the GR1129 and
the GR1299 protocol). Additionally, in this embodiment, database
103 can only talk to IP 101 through switch 102, unnecessarily tying
up switch 102.
[0004] FIG. 2 is another example of how an IP might be configured
within a network. In this figure, IP 201 is connected to switch 202
for connection control only, but is connected directly to database
203 via a signaling connection for service control. The features of
this embodiment are extremely limited, however, because a switch
that uses the ITU-T protocol can not be an advanced intelligent
network (AIN) switch. Thus, the services offered by the embodiment
in FIG. 2 are limited to ITU-T services.
[0005] Regardless of the protocols used, it is thought that network
performance might be improved if the IP-database-switch interaction
were implemented in a way that is substantially protocol
independent, and in a way that allows for direct communication
between various components.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] To alleviate the shortcomings in known systems, an
embodiment of the present invention provides IP-database-switch
interaction in a substantially protocol-independent way, while
allowing for direct communication between the IP and the
database.
[0007] In one embodiment of the present invention, a method
provides communication service in an Advanced Intelligent Network
environment, the communication service utilizing at least a
database, an AIN switch and an intelligent peripheral (IP). An
alert message is sent from the database to the IP. The alert
message includes a parameter identifying an arbitrary protocol that
is used for the IP and the database to communicate. The IP can have
the ability to understand multiple protocols so that the AIN
switch, the database and the IP can communicate in an efficient and
flexible way. Once the IP is contacted, and a protocol is decided
upon, the IP can establish a bearer connection with the switch. The
IP can then receive instructions from the database to perform a
service. Alternatively, the database and IP can send and receive
instructions to perform the service prior to creating the bearer
connection.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 is an overview of a known system featuring an
intelligent peripheral, a switch, a network and a database.
[0009] FIG. 2 is another overview of a known system featuring an
intelligent peripheral, a switch, a network and a database.
[0010] FIG. 3 is a system overview of an embodiment of the present
invention having an intelligent peripheral, an advanced intelligent
network switch and a database.
[0011] FIG. 4 is a data flow diagram of an embodiment of the
present invention in which a database and an intelligent peripheral
interact.
[0012] FIG. 5 is a flow chart depicting a method embodiment of the
present invention.
[0013] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an apparatus according to an
embodiment of the present invention featuring a processor, a port
and a memory.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] The present invention relates to systems and methods for
performing telephony services. In particular, the present invention
relates to using an advanced-intelligent-network (AIN) switch with
a database and an intelligent peripheral (EP) in a way that is not
limited by protocol constraints.
[0015] FIG. 3 is a system overview of an embodiment of the present
invention. In this embodiment, AIN switch 302 can receive a call
from party 304. AIN switch can also, via signaling network 305,
send signaling messages to and receive signaling messages from
database 303. Additionally, AIN switch 302 can send information to
and receive information from IP 301.
[0016] Database 303 can send signaling messages to and receive
signaling messages from AIN switch 302. Additionally, database 303
can send signaling messages to and receive signaling messages from
IP 301, again via signaling network 305.
[0017] Finally, IP 301 can send information to and receive
information from AIN switch 302, and can send signaling messages to
and receive signaling messages from database 303. The interaction
between EP 301 and AIN switch 302 can be via any combination of
signaling and bearer connections.
[0018] As a contextual example, and still referring to FIG. 3,
assume party 304 places a call that is routed through AIN switch
302. When AIN switch 302 receives the call, switch 302 sends
information to database 303 regarding the call. Database 303 can
then, using the received information, determine whether services
are to be performed for that caller, and if so, what those services
are.
[0019] Once database 303 determines the services to be performed,
database 303 contacts IP 301 to request the IP to perform the
service. The data flow between database 303 and IP 301 typically
begins with an alert message, shown in FIG. 4 as step 401. This
alert message can contain information as to what protocol database
303 will use to interact with IP 301. IP 301 is protocol
independent in the sense that, once database 303 informs it which
protocol is to be used, IP 301 can use and understand that
protocol.
[0020] At step 402, IP 301 can respond to the alert message,
acknowledging receipt. At step 403, a signaling message is sent to
AIN switch 302, informing switch 302 that it should connect with IP
301. Switch 302 can then send a setup signaling message to IP 301,
requesting that IP 301 establish a bearer connection with switch
302. IP 301 then, based on this prompt from switch 302, establishes
the bearer connection by sending a connect-signaling message to the
AIN switch (step 403).
[0021] In the above embodiment, IP 301 establishes a bearer
connection based on a prompt by switch 302. Alternatively, IP 301
can create a bearer connection without prompting from the switch.
The establishment of the bearer connection can be based on
information received from database 303.
[0022] At step 404, a message is sent from IP 301 to database 302
informing database 302 that a bearer connection has been
established with switch 302. Then, at step 405, database 303 sends
IP 301 a message requesting that IP 301 perform a task or tasks
that make up the service. Once the task or tasks are performed, the
database is informed at step 406, and the connection is closed
between the database and the IP. This task-complete message is
acknowledged at step 407. At step 408, IP 301 can then close the
bearer connection with switch 302, and switch 302 can send a
"resource clear" message to database 303.
[0023] FIG. 5 is a flow chart depicting a method according to an
embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is described
from the perspective of the IP. It should be noted that the order
in the flow chart is not meant to imply an explicit order to the
steps; the steps of the method embodiments can be performed in any
order that is practicable.
[0024] At step 501, the IP receives an alert message that includes
a protocol parameter. The protocol parameter identifies the message
as being sent from a database that uses a specific and known
protocol. The IP has previously stored software modules that can be
used to interact with the database; each software module includes
instructions to interact with the database in a specific protocol.
Each software module is stored in a database in the IP and
correlated with a stored protocol parameter. Thus, when the IP
receives from a database an alert message that includes a specific
protocol parameter, the IP can select, using the database, the
proper software module to interact with the database. For
example,if the database requires interaction with the IP using the
ITU-T protocol, the alert message sent by the database will include
a parameter that allows the IP to understand that it is to use the
ITU-T protocol in its interactions with the database. Thus, at step
502, a software component that correlates with the protocol
parameter is identified. The IP can respond to the alert message by
sending an acknowledgment signal.
[0025] At step 503, the software component is executed. That is,
the IP is initialized to receive instructions from, and to report
to, the database, using the desired protocol. Examples of some
known protocols include SR3511 and ITU-T CS2SRF-SCF operations.
[0026] At step 504, a first bearer connection is established with
an AIN switch. At step 505, the IP receives instructions from the
database to perform a service. In one embodiment of the present
invention, the instructions are sent from the database directly to
the IP. In another embodiment of the present invention, the
instructions are sent to the IP via the AIN switch.
[0027] The IP can interact with the AIN switch using any known
protocol. For example, the IP can interact with the AIN switch
using existing GR1129 procedures. In one embodiment of the present
invention, the AIN switch can prompt the IP to establish the bearer
connection. The AIN switch can first send a setup-signaling message
containing a correlation ID parameter. The IP then can send a
connect-signaling message to establish a bearer connection. The IP
can correlate the bearer connection to the signaling connection
between the database and the IP by matching the correlation the ID
parameter received in the setup signaling message from the AIN
switch and the correlation ID parameter received from the
database.
[0028] In another embodiment of the present invention, the IP can
request establishment of the bearer connection unprompted, or
prompted by the database. This bearer connection can be to a new
party (this is equivalent to the IP dialing a new number) or the IP
can request the AIN switch to bridge the bearer connection to the
original party. The AIN switch is capable of bridging based on
certain information such as a circuit identification code parameter
received in a signaling message from the IP. Once the service is
performed, then at step 506, the IP sends to the database the
results of the performed service.
[0029] The services performed by the IP can include, but are not
limited to, playing an announcement, collecting dual-toned
multi-frequency (DTMF) signals, cancel playing an existing
announcement, disconnecting the call, voice recognition,
text-to-speech analyzing, collecting digits against a set of
criteria or rules. It should be appreciated that, in known systems,
the database would have to send distinct instruction packets to (I)
request that a task be performed, (ii) cancel performance of the
task, and (iii) perform a new task. In embodiments of the present
invention, however, these distinct instructions can be merged into
one package or message from the database to the IP. For example, in
known systems, the database would have to send to the IP three
distinct instruction packets to (I) cancel the performance of an
ongoing task, (ii) perform a new task, and (iii) disconnect the
call. In embodiments of the present invention, however, the IP can
receive these three instructions in one package or message, and the
IP has the intelligence to perform the service.
[0030] The IP can receive and perform any number of services. For
example, the IP can receive, in one package or message,
instructions to play a plurality of announcements, at least two of
which will require the calling party to input DTMF signals. In
response, the IP can send to the database, in a single package or
message, multiple sets of collected DTMF signals from a calling
party.
[0031] In addition to receiving and forwarding DTMF signals, the IP
can analyze the DTMF signals based on rules received from the
database. For example, assume the IP is to collect a ten-digit DTMF
signal with the proviso that the caller not input "900" in the
first 3 digits. If the caller does, in fact, input "900" as a DTMF
signal, the IP can realize this and take an action such as, but not
limited to, playing an error announcement or disconnecting the
call. Likewise, the IP can receive an instruction from the database
to play an announcement a predetermined number of times, or to play
an announcement until a DTMF signal is received.
[0032] In one embodiment of the present invention, once a bearer
connection is established between the IP and the AIN switch, the IP
can create a plurality of second bearer connections with the switch
based on instructions from the database. In this embodiment, the IP
initiates a call-setup message to the AIN switch, and the calls are
bridged through the IP to create a conference call. In one
embodiment, a connection can be made to a IP peripheral for a first
subset of the parties in an active multiparty call, and a bearer
connection can be made to a second IP for a second subset of the
parties in an active multiparty call.
[0033] The IP can receive instructions from the database such that,
once the plurality of calls are bridged through the IP, the IP can
perform a task or service for the first party, and perform a task
or service for a second party who is part of the plurality of
calls. The results of these performed services can be reported to
the database. Once the IP has performed its services or tasks, it
can pass the calls back to the switch and drop the bearer
connection, freeing up the IP for other uses.
[0034] In one embodiment, while a multiparty call is in an active
stage, the database can send to the AIN switch instructions in one
package to cause the AIN switch to request establishment of bearer
connections to different IPs for different subsets of the parties
in the call.
[0035] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an apparatus embodiment of the
present invention. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes
processor 601, port 602 coupled to processor 601, and memory 603,
also coupled to processor 601. Memory 603 can store instructions
adapted to be executed by processor 601 to perform any method
embodiment of the present invention. For example, memory 603 can
store instructions adapted to be executed by a processor to receive
an alert message that contains a protocol parameter, identify a
protocol that correlates with the protocol parameter, and then
execute the protocol.
[0036] For the purposes of this application, memory includes any
medium capable of storing instructions adapted to be executed by a
processor. Some examples of such media include, but are not limited
to, RAM, ROM, floppy disks, CDROM, magnetic tape, hard drives,
optical storage units, and any other device that can store digital
information. In one embodiment, the instructions are stored on the
medium in a compressed and/or encrypted format. As used herein, the
phrase "adapted to be executed by a processor" is meant to
encompass instructions stored in a compressed and/or encrypted
format, as well as instructions that have to be compiled or
installed by an installer before being executed by the
processor.
[0037] The present invention has been described in terms of several
embodiments solely for the purpose of illustration. Persons skilled
in the art will recognize from this description that the invention
is not limited to the embodiments described, but may be practiced
with modifications and alterations limited only by the spirit and
scope of the appended claims.
* * * * *