AU3690599A

AU3690599A - Parallel call delivery to several TC-network access points

Info

Publication number: AU3690599A
Application number: AU36905/99A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Lothar Krank; Wolfgang Lautenschlager; Uwe Stahl; Hartmut Weik
Original assignee: Alcatel CIT SA; Alcatel SA
Current assignee: Alcatel Lucent SAS
Priority date: 1998-07-01
Filing date: 1999-06-30
Publication date: 2000-01-20
Also published as: EP0969646A1; CA2276342A1; JP2000069176A; DE19829342A1; SG90055A1

Description

P/00/011l Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: Parallel call delivery to several TC-network access points The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: FHP.SYTlCF\NATPffl12IX991Xg14X CE\99168015.8 1 Parallel Call Delivery to Several TC-Network Access Points Field of the invention The invention concerns a method for call delivery to a called party in one or more telecommunications (TC) networks.

Background of the invention Such a method is for example known from US 5,592,541.

Because of generally increased mobility, TC subscribers today often can no longer be obtained mainly or permanently on only one TC terminal. Thus DE 44 40 500 for example proposes a communications system in which, after removal of a cordless 1 0 terminal from an associated receiver device, an automatic activation of a call diversion is provided from a cord-attached terminal to a cordless terminal. Particularly in connection with mobile radiotelephone systems, DE 38 43 870 provides a method for transmitting calls to a mobile radio station, in which method a call diversion takes place from a first mobile radio station (which at the time of the call is unattended or does not 1 5 wish to accept a call) to any other mobile radio station, when the mobile radio station or a TC-subscriber has transmitted the subscriber's own number and the diversion number of the other mobile radio station.

Furthermore, new technologies make it possible "to possess a terminal for oneself', e.g.

by means of a chip card, and to use a terminal as a separate connection for this period.

This can lead to a TC subscriber holding at any one time several access points to different networks. DE 37 32 109 Al proposes a telephone switching system for example in which the current whereabouts of a TC subscriber is determined by means of a code card and a call for that subscriber is forwarded to a terminal in his vicinity.

However, TC subscribers today also frequently have a connection to a mobile network, apart from a connection to one or more fixed networks as well. Methods for diverting calls between fixed and mobile networks are described for example in EP 0 683 589 A2 or DE 41 40 974 Al. Even in the case of TC networks of the same type (fixed or mobile networks), the networks of different operators can differ as far as the technology goes, 1.

CE\99168015.8 2 so that with an access point of the same subscriber to different networks, problems can arise with a redirected call.

DE 44 30 343 describes a method of calling a telephone subscriber in which a hunting group of telephone lines is defined for one telephone line and when receiving a call intended for that telephone line, one line of the hunting group is called and a wait occurs for a certain time of response. If the telephone concerned is not picked up within this time, the call will be passed on to another line of the hunting group until the called TC subscriber takes the call on one of the lines. Thus automatic call diversion occurs according to a predetermined sequence of called lines in a hunting group.

Finally, from US 5,592,541 cited at the beginning, a method is known in which incoming calls for a TC subscribers telephone number are redirected in succession, according to a list previously determined by the TC subscriber to be called, to other telephone numbers selected by him, certainly until the called TC subscriber takes the call on one of the TC terminals associated with the telephone numbers on the list or the calling party disconnects the call. As well, the routing list for the successive call delivery can also be configured for different time periods.

Common to the above-described known methods however is that a called party, who has several access points to one or more TC networks, cannot be reached simultaneously on .each of his network access points. At best, however, an incoming call is forwarded in ;o 20 succession to different network access points, which can lead to considerable time delays, particularly if the called party might have been contactable directly on the last °o .connection of the routing list, so that the calling party may have possibly already abandoned his intended call and disconnected the call before obtaining the called party.

Summary of the invention In contrast, the present invention presents a method of call diversion in which an incoming call is presented simultaneously to several different TC network access points of the called party so that relatively large time delays due to successive processing of the routing list do not occur.

CE\99168015.8 3 According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for call delivery to a called party in one or more telecommunications networks wherein the called party has at his disposal several different network access points, which can be obtained with the same telephone number by a calling party, and in that, when the calling party dials this same telephone number, a call is forwarded in parallel to several network access points of the called party.

As a result the availability of the called party is substantially improved, since he can be reached at all of his network access positions at all times because of the simultaneous call delivery. Compared with the successive processing of a given routing list, the call comes in to the called subscriber much more quickly.

In an especially preferred variant of the method according to the invention, on acceptance by the called party of the call on one of his network access points, the call simultaneously awaiting attention is released by means of a corresponding revertive communication, to one of his other network access points. As a result the lines to the 15 remaining network access points are once again clear.

In a further preferred variant of the method, provision is made for the called party to be o..able to choose, from all his network access points, one group in which parallel call delivery will occur when a calling party dials a common telephone. Therefore the called party can limit his availability via a particular common telephone number on all his 20 network access points according to criteria drawn up by himself. This group also could be chosen differently for different times, for example during the day and by night or working days and holidays.

In particular, the method according to the invention can be advantageously used if the called party is a service provider and, dependent on the service provided, a particular group, which actually supports the relevant service, is automatically dialled from all network access points of the called party for a parallel call delivery.

Parallel call delivery in accordance with the method according to the invention can advantageously be a service feature of an IN (intelligent network) service, which is CE\99168015.8 4 offered either by a network operator or a service provider acting in the network of the network subscriber.

In an advantageous development of this variant of the method, the "parallel call delivery" service feature is activated by dialling the usual telephone number of the called party. Thus the calling party needs to remember only the normal telephone number of the called party to make a connection with the latter or to extract this information from an information service or from the telephone book.

Alternatively the "parallel call delivery" service feature can be activated on dialling a compound telephone number consisting of an additional service code number as well as the usual telephone number of the called party. In this way the calling party himself can also choose between the "call delivery to a particular network access point" and "parallel call delivery". For the "parallel call delivery" service feature, additional charges could then possibly be incurred by the calling party.

.9o 9 The method according to the invention is especially advantageous if the TC networks, to which the called party has access, include technically different TC networks, particularly fixed networks and mobile networks. In this way the availability of the called party is also considerably enhanced, despite varying TC networks and different network technologies.

*•The method according to the invention will be constructed in an advantageous way so 9 that a call of a calling party to the called party is first established by a first "set-up message" as far as a point in the TC network, preferably an exchange, at which the necessary information for the parallel branching of the call to the different network access points of the called party is available or can be retrieved, and that the call is passed on in parallel from there also despite TC networks of different operators and varying network technologies to the network access points of the called party via an additional "set-up message".

In a further preferred variant of the method, finally the establishment of the call can be carried out according to the "call drop back" method and in particular a parallel call can CE\99168015.8 also be returned to an exchange already passed through, in order to optimise the call establishment tree.

Further advantages of the invention follow from the description and drawing. Likewise the previously mentioned and the still further listed features can be used according to the invention, each individually or in a plurality in any combination. The forms of implementation shown and described are not to be interpreted as a complete list but rather are given by way of example for the description of the invention.

Brief description of the drawings The invention is represented in the drawing and is explained in more detail with 0 reference to an example of implementation. The drawing shows: in Fig. ithe schematic representation by way of example of a network configuration using the method according to the invention; oe°• in Fig. 2aa possible variant of the established connection according to the invention in a network configuration according to Fig. 1; and in Fig. 2bthe release of the calls waiting at the remaining network access points on the acceptance of the call at one network access point using parallel call delivery according to Fig. 2a.

Detailed description of the embodiments a Fig. 1 shows a configuration example in which a called party B has respectively: a network access point to a fixed network 1 of an operator I by means of a terminal 11; to a fixed network 2 of an operator II by means of a terminal 12; and to a mobile network 3 of an operator 1I by means of a mobile telephone 13. The fixed network 1 is connected to the fixed network 2 and the mobile network 3 respectively via a signalling network, for example via a #7 circuit. Another TC subscriber A, who in the example shown has an access point to the fixed network 1, is attempting to establish a communication connection with TC subscriber B.

The further development in establishing the connection in accordance with the method according to the invention for parallel call delivery is represented in Fig. 2a. In the CE\99168015.8 6 process, the "parallel call delivery" service feature can be either permanently set for the called party B, whereby as a rule his "usual" telephone number should then be used, or he can be called explicitly via a service code number by the calling party A.

The call is established through a first "set-up message", set-up 1, as far as a point in the fixed network 1 at which the information required for branching the call to the various network access points of the called party B is available or at least can be retrieved. This will generally be an exchange LE or another network node. From there, the call is passed on, also despite networks of various other operators and different technologies, by means of another set-up message set-up 2 to the various network access points of the called party B.

The called party B can, however, also restrict the parallel call delivery only to a certain group of his network access points. In particular, in case the called party B is a service provider, he could allow the parallel call delivery to occur only to those terminals which 00 a also actually support that service, which should be requested by the telephone number :o oo• 15 that is dialled by the calling party A. This decision can be taken either automatically, or can occur in the network or even in the terminal of the called party B himself.

The parallel call delivery according to the invention can in particular be a service feature of an IN intelligent network) service and can include the options described above by •setting corresponding service parameters.

20 If the called party B has accepted the call on one of the existing or selected network access points, this is reported back, as shown in Fig. 2b, through the corresponding

CC..

"connect" message to the initiating unit, which started the "parallel call delivery". In the example shown, this was an exchange LE in the fixed network 1.

From there, the parallel waiting calls are now released to the other network access points, at which the called party B is not exactly located, by means of a release message to the terminals 11 and 12 in the example shown.

To optimise the call establishment tree, a call at a responding network access point, can also be returned using the call drop back method to exchanges LE which were already passed through for the first time during call establishment.

Claims

1. A method for call delivery to a called party in one or more telecommunications (TC) networks wherein the called party has at his disposal several different network access points which can be reached with the same telephone number by a calling party and in that a call is forwarded in parallel to several network access points of the called party when this common telephone number is dialled by the calling party.

2. A method according to Claim 1, wherein, when the called party accepts the call on one of his network access points the simultaneously queued call on his other 1 0 network access points is released by a corresponding revertive communication.

3. A method according to either one of the preceding claims, wherein the called party can select one group from among all of his network access points in which the parallel call delivery will occur after a calling party dials one common telephone number. 1 5

4. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the called party is a service provider, and in that, depending on the service offered, a certain group, which supports the corresponding service, is automatically selected from all the network access points of the called party for parallel call delivery. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein parallel call delivery is a service feature of an IN (intelligent network) service.

S

6. A method according to Claim 5, wherein the "parallel call delivery" service feature 0 is activated on dialling the usual telephone number of the called party.

7. A method according to Claim 5, wherein the "parallel call delivery" service feature is activated on dialling a compound telephone number consisting of the usual telephone number of the called party as well as an additional service code.

8. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the TC networks, to which the called party has access, comprise technically different TC networks. I i CE\99168015.8 8

9. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the TC networks, to which the called party has access is a fixed network.

A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the TC networks, to which the called party has access is a mobile network.

11. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a call from a calling party is established to the called party first via a first "set-up message" up to a point in the TC network at which the information necessary for the parallel branching of the call to the various network access points of the called party is available or can be retrieved, and in that the call is passed on in parallel from there also despite TC networks of different operators and varying network technologies to the network access points of the called party via an additional "set-up message".

12. A method according to claim 11 wherein the point in the TC network at which the *information necessary for the parallel branching of the call to the various network 0 0 o access points of the called party is available or can be retrieved is an exchange. 00 00

13. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein establishment of :Oo the call occurs in accordance with the "call drop back" method and in particular a parallel call can also be returned to an exchange already passed through.

14. A method for call delivery substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 0000 *000 lO°• JD S: 20 Dated this 30th day of June 1999 Alcatel by its attorneys Freehills Patent Attorneys