Apparatus, method and system for providing variable alerting patterns for multiple leg telecommunication sessions

Abstract

A system, apparatus and method are disclosed which provide variable alerting patterns for multiple leg telecommunication sessions, such as for providing concurrent alerting, sequential alerting, pyramid alerting or cascade alerting, of outgoing call legs for a flexible alerting service. The preferred system includes a home location register coupled to a mobile switching center. The home location register has, stored in a memory, a plurality of secondary directory numbers associated with a primary directory number, such as an ANSI compatible pilot directory number, and for each secondary directory number of the plurality of secondary directory numbers, further stored in the memory a corresponding timing delay parameter, a corresponding no answer time parameter, and a corresponding no answer termination trigger. Variation of the various corresponding timing delay parameters and no answer time parameters produces the variable alerting patterns. The mobile switching center has an interface for receiving an incoming call leg designating the primary directory number and for differentially processing and routing each outgoing call leg associated with each secondary directory number, of the plurality of secondary directory numbers, according to its corresponding timing delay parameter, to form a plurality of outgoing call legs; and unless an outgoing call leg of the plurality of outgoing legs has been answered, for alerting each outgoing call leg for a time period of its corresponding no answer time parameter and, upon an expiration of the time period, for treating each outgoing call leg according to its corresponding no answer termination trigger.