Lucent Technologies Inc.

At+t Corp.

Dorothy V Stanley

Carl Robert Posthuma

Promod Kumar Bhagat

Akinwale Ademola Akinpelu

Dana Lee Garoutte

James B Shepard

William Brohmer Paulson

Elbert Lee Sneed, Jr

Ali H Krisht

Robert Bruce Hirsch

Anthony Hatalla

Theodore Louis Stern

Chiu-Kai Lee

In an environment of competitive local and interexchange carriers, offering number portability between local carriers serving a common region and between switches serving that region, each local carrier accesses a regional database to determine the identity of the carrier and switch serving a local customer. In addition, interexchange carriers access a national database to determine the identity of the carrier and switch serving the customer specified by the number dialed by an originating customer. For customers requiring high reliability service, alternate carriers can be used to serve such customers in case the primary carrier is unavailable; the databases identify these alternate carriers. Advantageously, this arrangement allows a high degree of freedom of movement of customers between carriers and geographic relocation without requiring a number change.

Completing telecommunications calls in a competitive local and toll environment

An electronically controlled main distributing frame (ECMDF) establishes main distributing frame (MDF) type connection in response to control signals without requiring a craftsperson to connect a jumper wire. In accordance with one application of such ECMDF, a local switch can receive signals from a customer requesting connection to a specials service provider such as the Internet. In response to the receipt of such signals, the connection in the ECMDF is altered to provide a more direct connection to the service provider bypassing the local switch. Advantageously, such an arrangement allows the long holding times of Internet connections to be established through a bypass network while allowing the customers who have requested such a connection to be provided with normal telephone service when they are not on the Internet.

Electronically controlled main distributing frame

The invention provides the capability for creating local number portability, enabling a telephone service subscriber to retain a phone number when the local switch servicing the subscriber changes. A database acts as a centralized source of call connection information. Two tiers of databases are used; local databases dedicated to local switches are first queried for call connection information matching the dialed number, and a centralized database serving all switches is subsequently queried if local database response is not sufficient for call placement. Each dialed number is correlated to a call connection a information set containing augmenting information to provide the equivalent of the actual service number for the subscriber for call placement. Call connection information sets are dynamically maintained and updated between the centralized database and the local databases.

Means and method for providing local telephone number portability

This invention provides a means and method for updating two-tiered databases in a telecommunications system which support local number portability through call connection information sets stored on the databases. Pro-active updating is accomplished by tracking location, time and frequency of each switch querying the first tier centralized database for each stored call connection information set. At the time an update is made to a call connection information set at the first tier database, the set is offered to all second tier databases supporting individual switches which have queried the centralized database for that set. Second tier databases accept the set as an update, a new set or reject. Acceptance of a new set or rejection is dependent upon the set achieving a ranking based on recency and frequency of query above the threshold for storage. The second tier databases provide confirmation of set acceptance and rejection to the first tier database.

Means and method for updating databases supporting local telephone

An unbundling apparatus to permit competitive access providers access to telephone lines connected to a remote terminal, and the ability to control and test such lines. Such unbundling apparatus includes a switch fabric, a command module, and a testing module. The switch fabric provides all voice channel connections between all switches and the remote terminal and grooms the control channels. Control messages are switched into the command module, which performs any protocol translations necessary. All commands from switches are then multiplexed and sent back to the switch fabric, which routes them to the original command channel to the remote terminal. Control messages from the remote terminal are demultiplexed, translated (if necessary) and sent to the switch fabric for delivery to the appropriate switch. Testing of lines is also provided to all competitive service providers.

Apparatus for providing service to telephone subscribers connected to a

In an environment of competitive local and interexchange carriers, offering number portability between local carriers-serving a common region and between switches serving that region, each local carrier accesses a regional database to determine the identify of the carrier and switch serving a local customer. In addition, interexchange carriers access a national database to determine the identity of the carrier and switch serving the customer specified by the number dialed by an originating customer. For customers requiring high reliability service, alternate carriers can be used to serve such customers in case the primary carrier is unavailable; the databases identify these alternate carriers. Advantageously, this arrangement allows a high degree of freedom of movement of customers between carriers and geographic relocation without requiring a number change.

Growing community of inventors

Warrenville, IL, United States of America

Dorothy V Stanley