Mci Communications Corporation

Mci, Inc.

Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc.

George M Kult

Sharadha Vijay

Timothy E Darland

Robert Frank Dickerman

Lee C Seydel

Padmanabhan Vijay

Gary W Leopold

Daniel W Foelker

David Alan Everett

Sridhar Krishnaswamy

Michael C Kirchner

Greg Young

Patty Marie Bartels

Shawn Paul Furgason

Jeff Sackett

The present invention is an intelligent services network that uses a switch controller. The switch controller controls the operation of one or more programmable switches to accept calls from a public switched telephone network. The intelligent service network comprises intelligent service network components that are used for enhanced service processing, interconnection to external networks, and other call functions. Communication between the components allows for call set-up, connection to a terminating party, transfer to an alternate intelligent service network component, and termination of the call.

Intelligent services network using a switch controller

A system and method of resource management is described. Within a telecommunications network, resources are sources of assistance in performing functions needed to process calls. The present invention is a system-wide approach to resource management that provides controlled access to information about resources. A resource management routine is described that comprises electronic libraries residing in memory of a computer system that store information about resources and resource management application programmer interfaces that are used to access the stored information.

System and method for resource management

Switch controller application programmer interfaces (SCAPIs) are described herein. The SCAPIs allow for communication with routines of an application program that resides in memory of a switch controller. The switch controller is a component within a telecommunications network that provides an interface between a public switched telephone network via programmable switches and intelligent service network components. Intelligent service network components may provide an interface to other networks and/or perform enhanced service call processing. Functions performed using SCAPI procedures include interface with the programmable switches, health monitoring, requesting processes to perform tasks, interface with intelligent service network components, and enhanced service call processing. SCAPIs are procedures that reside in memory of the switch controller and, when performed by processing computer program commands, cause SCAPI messages to be sent that provide communication with routines within the switch controller application program.

Switch controller application programmer interface

The present invention is a switch controller that provides an interface between a public switched telephone network and intelligent services network components. The switch controller controls the operation of one or more programmable switches that accept calls from the public switched telephone network. Intelligent service network components are used for enhanced service processing, interconnection to external networks, and other call functions. The switch controller includes a switch controller application program. Within the switch controller application program are multiple routines that perform call processing. The design of the switch controller application program hides vendor-specific processing and service-specific processing from routines not needing the vendor-specific and service-specific details.

Switch controller for a telecommunications network

A system and method for providing operator and customer services for automated telecommunications services on an intelligent overlay network (,) is disclosed. Operator and customer services are provided by an intelligent network (,). The intelligent network (,) comprises an automated call distributor (,); an application processor (,); an advanced intelligent network gateway (AIN Gateway) (,); a validation gateway (,); and enhanced operator consoles (,). The AIN Gateway provides the intelligent network with an interface to the intelligent overlay network. This allows components within the intelligent network to communicate with components in the intelligent overlay network, and vice-versa. The validation gateway provides the intelligent network with an interface to credit card validation systems (,), and is used to apply charges to customer credit cards. Enhanced operator consoles provide for efficient and seamless integration of operator and customer services to automated services running on the intelligent overlay network. Such enhanced operator consoles are provided in the form of customized application programs that are executed by the operator consoles based on the context of calls that are transferred from the intelligent overlay network.

System and method for providing operator and customer services

Communication between telecommunications networks and computer systems used by financial institutions to allow processing customer requests to pay for telecommunication services with credit cards is described. In particular, communication that allows both real-time authorization and settlement of charges needed to bill the customer is explained. In addition, a system and method for protocol conversion between a client server protocol used by telecommunications networks and a packet switching network protocol used by financial institutions is provided. Client server protocols include protocols used by caller interaction processes such as UDP/IP. Packet switching network protocols include protocols used by financial processors such as X.25. The system method of the present invention may be used for communication between other networks and computer systems that use UDP/IP in X.25.

Validation gateway

The invention provides a generic session layer protocol that enables many generic complex transactions and exchanges between a client and a service/server. The generic session layer transactions and exchanges are available via a set of programming language functions. The functions reside in the Network Information Distribution Service (NIDS) Application Program Interface (API) of an operator services network. To introduce a new service on an operator services network, only the functions are need to be used. Accordingly, each time a new service is created, new functions calls, new protocols and a new session layer do not need to be created.

System and method for accessing a service on a services network

The present invention telecommunications system provides validation of authorization codes input by a user for placing a call from a service area of a first telecommunications service provider with a calling card issued by another telecommunications service provider. The present invention allows the subscriber to place a special service call irrespective of whether the signaling protocol of the first service provider is different from the service provider to which the subscriber is a customer of. If the protocol of one telecommunications service provider is indeed different from the other service provider, a gateway residing in an intelligent service network node would convert the signaling protocol of the first service provider into a signaling protocol that is compatible with the other service provider. Consequently, the first service provider can quickly validate the authorization code provided by the subscriber by sending a query to the service provider that issued the calling card to the caller by referencing the LIDB database of the latter service provider. To achieve the conversion of one protocol to another, a system that includes an ISN node having gateways, file servers, a monitoring system, and mainframes is used. The gateway inside the ISN node has a client application program interface (API) component, a translate/convert component, a transaction capabilities part (TCAP) component and a SS7 API component. These various components, together with other controlling and interface components, are able to convert a first signaling protocol, for example a SS7 protocol, into a second protocol, for example a network information distributed service (NIDS) sequenced packet protocol.

Growing community of inventors

Fairfield, IA, United States of America

George M Kult