At+t Corp.

At&t Intellectual Property I, LP

Nicholas D De Trana

Craig L DeCaluwe

Hossein Eslambolchi

James J Gallagher

Paul Greendyk

Richard J Bruno

John D Brandt

Gary A Martyn

Arthur G Deacon

Patricia Klink

Martin Corso, Iii

David C McChristian

Clayton Lockhart

Joseph C Kohler

Robert G Demmert

William Charles Leach

Patrick H Fischer

Beverly A McKinney

Gene R Turek

Lockhart M Clayton

Ellen D Walbridge

Diana L Stipo

Craig L Decaluwe

Clayton M Lockhart

Telecommunications switching systems that require real-time computer control can be controlled using remotely located computers coupled to the switching systems via data links. By coupling several switching systems to one or more centrally located control computers, maintenance staffing can be reduced while increasing overall system reliability by providing back up control computers in multiple centralized locations. Centrally located control computers can be backed up with redundant computers at the central control site.

Method and apparatus for a remote signaling and call processing in a telecommunications network

In an ATM network, data loss caused by pre-programmed network optimizations can be reduced or avoided if a record of such optimizations is made, and if, prior to another optimization, some event occurs. The detection of some external event should indicate that another optimization is warranted.

Method for reducing data loss in automatically re-configured ATM networks

The present invention is a method and apparatus for providing prepaid card service to customers for placing telephone calls without relying on a post-service billing model. A service management computer having access to a card database is connected to the network only by out-of-band connections. A voice response unit or a tone receiver and announcement player in the network are the voice interface with the customer and are provided at the originating switch in the network to eliminate multiple switches from the call path.

Platform for prepaid calling card calls

The invention allows a customer to self-provision the routing of non-geographic calls along a communication network. The customer is allowed to interface a computer with terminating switches and network control point databases so that routing information regarding the transmission of non-geographic calls across the communication network can be added, edited or reconfigured according to the customer's calling requirements. First, the customer accesses the communications network and requests a non-geographic number. Second, if the non-geographic number is available, the customer can input information regarding internal routing numbers or implement various calling schemes such as time of day calling. Third, the customer can access trunk information on terminating switches and modify the trunk names as requirements in the customer's communication network change. The customer self-provisioning capability eliminates tasks performed by the service provider, such as routing translations and routing arrangements, and allows the customer greater control and quicker responses to the implementation of routing changes, reduces cycle time for the introduction of new services and reduces costs for service providers.

Method and apparatus for a customer self-provisioning of outpulsed digits in a telecommunication network

In a communication network, a method and apparatus is provided to detect the presence of loopback errors over facilities interconnecting switches of the network. According to the test protocol, an originating switch generates a tone on a forward trunk associated with the facility and monitors the return trunk for the presence of that tone. If the return trunk contains the tone, the originating switch fails the facility for a loopback condition. The loopback test protocol complements conventional continuity tests and results in greater reliability of communications networks.

Telephony Test Technique

A method of detecting and recovering from an out-of-band signaling failure in a telecommunications network involves the reprogramming of switching centers to utilize existent inband signaling capabilities to temporarily replace the failed out-of-band capability. A processor of an originating switching center recognizes the loss of out-of-band signaling capability, determines impacted trunks and switches to in-band signaling from out-of-band signaling. In an alternative embodiment, the switch may use maintenance data bits of impacted trunks to initiate a call. The terminating switching center is programmed to receive and recognize the change in bit value of the signaling data and initiates well known processes to seize the trunk in memory, check continuity and receive dialed number data, preferably in the form of tones, over the seized trunk. The terminal switching center for the trunk then attempts to complete the call in accordance with the received dialed number data. Preferably, the in-band signaling system reverted to comprises multi-frequency (MF) address and E and M wink start supervisory signaling. At the conclusion of the out-of-band outage, the signaling characteristic is restored to out-of-band from in-band.

Method and apparatus for providing back-up, in-band signaling in a communications network

The present invention provides an efficient recovery mechanism when a toll switch within a telephone network is inoperative. A telephone network management operating system and a network manager determines that a toll switch is sufficiently inoperative and invokes a trunk group reconfiguration mechanism. A cross connect system, such as a DCS (Digital Cross-connect System), links the toll-completing trunk groups coming into such an inoperative toll switch to intertoll trunk groups coming into such a toll switch. In this manner, an alternative toll switch within the telephone network replaces the inoperative toll switch for such toll-completing trunk groups thereby restoring operation to customers previously tied to the inoperative toll switch in an efficient and low-cost manner by using already existing components within the telephone network. In addition, the telephone network management operating system within the telephone network ensures that calls that previously would have been routed through that failed toll switch are now routed through the alternative toll switch.

Apparatus and method for fast automated recovery from toll switch

A switch architecture that permits maintenance of switch signaling interfaces in switches for communication networks. The architecture provides a spare switch signaling interface that is enabled when a regular switch signaling interface is disabled. A switch matrix routes signaling channels from their dedicated position in a trunk to the spare switch signaling interface when the spare is enabled. A control processor updates a memory log associating the signaling channel and the trunks from which they originate with the spare switch signaling interface.

Communications switch permitting transparent maintenance of switch

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Addison, IL, United States of America

Nicholas D De Trana