Mci Communications Corporation

Mci, Inc.

Norman Reed

Sridhar Krishnaswamy

Michael C Kirchner

Padmanabhan Vijay

Greg Young

Samuel Mullins

The invention provides a mechanism for acknowledging in a NSPP environment when a data packet has been received at a destination. The invention provides an Ack Bit in the NSPP header of a data packet. If acknowledgment of receipt is not received, the data packet is resent. A timer may be used to determine the length of time to wait for acknowledgment.

Protocol extension in NSPP using an acknowledgment bit

The present invention effects optimal handling of validation requests from a telecommunications or data communications network by focusing on the process that needs to be done instead of estimating how long the processing will take based on the frequency of incoming validation requests. This is achieved by enabling the front end processor of a server, which receives the requests from a client, to look at each of the incoming messages to determine its message type. Once a message type is assigned to an incoming message, that message is routed to a queue assigned to that particular type of message. Processing is performed sequentially on each of the message waiting in the queue. And by adjusting the number of process modules available to each particular queue, the required end-to-end response time for that particular type of message requests is controlled. The number of queues is determined by the perceived number of message type requests forwarded to the server. Respective types of process modules are provided for processing the different types of messages. Respective response are sent by the different types of process modules to the client who requests the responses. A gateway for converting the different types of protocols associated with the incoming messages and outgoing responses is interposed between the server and the network.

System and method of efficiently evaluating different messages by a

A system and method provide prepaid telecommunication services using credit or debit cards in a telecommunication network including a central data base. The system monitors card balances while blocking multiple use of card balances and sends warning messages to subscribers on card balances which approach a threshold amount. Upon initiation of a telephone call, a subscriber card balance corresponding to the subscriber's credit or debit account is retrieved from the central data base. Status flags are set in the central database indicating that a telephone call is in progress for that account. A switching station monitors the telephone call and initiates an alarm when the call time approaches a threshold amount specified for the card balance. The system announce to the subscriber and/or blocks the termination of the call when the threshold amount has been exceeded and a further limit specified for the card balance has been reached. The card balance in the central data base and the status flags are changed upon completion or termination of the call.

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Cedar Rapids, IA, United States of America

Norman Reed