At+t Corp.

AT&T Intellectual Property I, LP

Gary A Munson

Dominic M Ricciardi

David L Basore

Wesley A Brush

Edite M Hanlon

Jeffri Frontz

Peter L Ng

Valentine C Matula

Siroos K Afshar

James Ibezim

Rajeev B Patil

Thomas Michael Bauer

Barry S Seip

Jiayu Chen

Promod Kumar Bhagat

Jennifer H Chen

Fang Wu

Romel R Khan

Gautham Natarajan

James M Carnazza

Pamela Lilly DeFazio

Hwey Chang

Esther L Davenport

Christopher Hefele

Robert Stokey, Jr

Gerard Conn

Barbara Leslie Banner

Maura Elizabeth Marcus

Teresa L Russell

Warren R Moe

Elaine I Sze

Belkacem Manseur

Charles M Jankowitz

Thomas J Dietrich

Sarah T Fischell

Jay Dobin

James William Murphy

Mayra F Caceres

Brian Andrew Postlewait

Dale Paul Lifson

Michael C Lamb

Patricia S Marchiano

Alfred Nater

Chia-Fang Shih

Cory Gimourginas

David Burhans

Roberto S Freire

Chung-Man Lee

Elaine G Burns

Kathy Lowther

Sita Menon

A method and system for providing unified location and presence information of and intercommunication among a plurality of networked users is disclosed, where the users may be real world people or virtual world personae. Generally, after receiving data representative of a first and second user's presence or location in the real or a virtual world over a communications network, the users are permitted to view each other's presence in a virtual network. The users are identified by endpoint addresses, and may intercommunicate using various types of media via the communications network.

Unified location and presence communication across real and virtual worlds

Unified location and presence, communication across real and virtual worlds

A method and system for providing unified location and presence information of and intercommunication among a plurality of networked users is disclosed, where the users may be real world people or virtual world personae. Generally, after receiving data representative of both a first and second user's presence or location in the real or a virtual world over a communications network, the users are permitted to view each other's presence in a virtual network. The users are identified by endpoint addresses, and may intercommunicate using various types of media via the communications network.

A telecommunications system uses an external application gateway (EAG) in communication with a network call control element and external server systems for controlling calls. The telecommunications system further includes a session initiation protocol (SIP) proxy, an intelligent application proxy, and an intelligent application call control. The EAG communicates with a network call control element of a packet network and a third party application server for controlling calls. The external application gateway controls the flow of information between the network call control element and the third party application server, performing such functions as modifying or stripping out network-proprietary information with delivery of the modified messages to the third party application server, keeping track of call state information and associating messages with specific calls, verifying that the third party application server is making only allowed requests, and limiting traffic volumes.

External application gateway

Methods of managing media server resources that may be used for VoIP calls are disclosed. In an embodiment, a media server resource broker receives a request for a set of media server resources from an application server. The media server resource broker determines the service request should be handled by a first media server based on the type of request and the availability of the first media server and provides the address of the first media server to the application server. The media server resource broker updates records regarding an assignment level of the first media servers to reflect the most recent request. When the call is complete and the resources become idle, the media server resource broker can update the assignment level to reflect the increase in availability of resources in the first media server.

Managing media server resources in a VoIP network

Telecommunications systems for providing third party service support and call control in using a packet network are disclosed. The telecommunications systems for providing a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) are based interface for third party service call control and communication connections and support via an external application gateway in communication with a call control element of a packet network. The external application gateway signals a third party application server that controls the call via the SIP interface. The systems include border elements located between the call control elements of the packet network and the media servers of communication systems for providing SIP and media interfaces for the third party media servers or endpoints, which can be located inside or outside of the packet network. The systems include the reuse of existing network architectural elements to provide third party communications support and call control.

Third party service support with a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) network

A method of completing a call is disclosed. A call is received in a communications network from a first communication device subscribed to a communications carrier for a called party using a second communication device. A determination is made as to whether the first communication device subscribes to a Same Subscriber Service (SSS). If the first communication device does subscribe to SSS, a second determination is made as to whether the second communication device subscribes to the same communications carrier as the first communication device. If the second communication device subscribes to the same communications carrier as the first communication device, an announcement is provided to the first communication device. Special call treatment is applied to the call, and the call is routed to the second communication device.

Method of announcing information pertaining to a called party to a calling party during call set-up

An AIN system having a service switching point (SSP), a service control point (SCP) and an intelligent peripheral (IPe) is disclosed. A calling party makes a call to a called party which results in a trigger signal at the originating SSP. The trigger signal causes the SSP to access the SCP which, in turn, sends a Send_to_Resource message to the SSP. In response to the Send_to_Resource message, the SSP establishes a first connection to an IPe, whose functionality is required. The IPe establishes a second connection carrying a second call to the called party, the first and second calls being connected at the IPe. The IPe subsequently requests that the SSP merge the first and second calls. In response, the call between the called party and the calling party is connected via the SSP, thereby releasing the IPe connections formerly used to connect calling and called parties.

System and method for call merge to an AIN SSP from an intelligent peripheral

This invention provides a telecommunications routing system and method that allows a switch (e.g., an intelligent peripheral) to control the routing to a special applications device, which results in savings of time, cost and capacity throughout the entire network. Control of the routing lies within the Service Switching Point (SSP) which reduces the need to requery a Service Control Point (SCP) in error situations. This invention incorporates into the SSP a remote IP routing table containing routing instructions for IPs. The SSP will know if an alternate route is possible, based on the error from the IP. The SSP will have a rudimentary intelligence about routing which allows it to reroute when necessary, without requerying back to the SCP. The remote IP routing table will also allow the SSP to route to a successive IP if the local IP, although operative, cannot process the request.

Remote intelligent peripheral routing method and apparatus

A method for improved resource utilization and increased call completion rates at a telecommunication application platform is disclosed for use in a telecommunication network. The telecommunication application platform includes a plurality of nodes including resource nodes and a global resource manager (GRM). The GRM receives a message identifying an idle communication channel for completing the user's call from a host switch in the telecommunication network. The idle communication channel being connected to a resource node in the application platform. The GRM determines whether the node connected to the idle communication channel has sufficient resources available to complete the call. If sufficient resources are available, the GRM completes the call at the resource node. If sufficient resources are not available at the resource node, the GRM identifies an alternative node to complete the call. If an alternative node is identified, the GRM initiates channel negotiation procedures with the host switch to redirect the call to the alternative node.

Method for improved resource management in a telecommunication application platform

The invention provides an automated caller interaction system that interacts with an operator service system via both a telephone network and a data network. When a call is received, the service provider device interacts with the caller to receive information until the service provider determines that operator assistance is required. When an operator is required, the service provider device generates an operator request and sends the request to an operator service system through the telephone network. The operator service system identifies an available operator and the available operator is connected via a voice connection to the calling party through a bridge provided by the service provider device. The operator interacts with the caller, obtains any needed information, and provides such information to the service provider device via the data network. The operator disengages with the caller when the operator assistance is no longer needed and the service provider device resumes control of the interaction with the caller and completes the call.

Method and apparatus for an automated caller interaction system

A communications network includes plural intelligent peripherals, a single announcement management system, a service provisioning platform and plural service control points controlled by corresponding application programs. A method of provisioning a service in the network includes recording an announcement at an intelligent peripheral, receiving an ID number associated with the announcement from the announcement management system at the intelligent peripheral, sending the ID number from the intelligent peripheral through a switch to a service control point, distributing the ID number from the service control point to all other service control points, and distributing the announcement and the ID number from the intelligent peripheral to all other intelligent peripherals.

Subscriber announcement system

Prior to completing a telephone call, a database is accessed within a telecommunications network to determine whether the call should be completed. The billing number to which the call is to be charged is compared to a customer record assigned to the billing number and stored in the database. The customer record is checked against a treatment category code which combines geographic call restrictions and thresholding. A call may be identified as potentially fraudulent and blocked if the customer record associated with the billing number indicates that the account is in arrears. In addition, at predetermined intervals during the progress of the call and at the end of each allowed call to be charged to that billing number, the time and/or cost of each call is estimated and added to the total stored in a user-defined threshold counter in the database. When the total stored in the counter exceeds a predetermined threshold limit, a potentially fraudulent call is identified. In this manner, call authorization is performed on a per call basis to prevent fraudulent telephone calls.

Call handling method for credit and fraud management

A method is described for completing calls to wireless communications customers. A database is queried to determine whether to bill the calling party or the called party for communication charges (e.g., airtime charges) associated with the wireless communication service. When the query indicates that the calling party is to be billed for those communications charges, a telecommunications switch which received the call from the calling party is instructed to record information to be used in billing the calling party for the charges. At the same time, the wireless switch that normally would bill the called party for the charges is instructed to suppress billing of the called party for the charges. The billing instruction is sent to the wireless switch in a signaling message using a message parameter that is unaffected by intermediate (e.g., local exchange carrier) switches.

Calling party-paid wireless telephone service

Growing community of inventors

Little Silver, NJ, United States of America

Gary A Munson