Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04Q—SELECTING
  • H04Q3/00—Selecting arrangements
  • H04Q3/0016—Arrangements providing connection between exchanges
  • H04Q3/0029—Provisions for intelligent networking
  • H04Q3/005—Personal communication services, e.g. provisions for portability of subscriber numbers
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04M3/00—Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
  • H04M3/42—Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers
  • H04M3/4228—Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers in networks
  • H04M3/42297—Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers in networks with number portability
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04Q—SELECTING
  • H04Q2213/00—Indexing scheme relating to selecting arrangements in general and for multiplex systems
  • H04Q2213/13097—Numbering, addressing
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04Q—SELECTING
  • H04Q2213/00—Indexing scheme relating to selecting arrangements in general and for multiplex systems
  • H04Q2213/13102—Common translator
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04Q—SELECTING
  • H04Q2213/00—Indexing scheme relating to selecting arrangements in general and for multiplex systems
  • H04Q2213/13103—Memory
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04Q—SELECTING
  • H04Q2213/00—Indexing scheme relating to selecting arrangements in general and for multiplex systems
  • H04Q2213/13349—Network management
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04Q—SELECTING
  • H04Q2213/00—Indexing scheme relating to selecting arrangements in general and for multiplex systems
  • H04Q2213/13513—UPT - personal as opposed to terminal mobility, inc. number portability
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04Q—SELECTING
  • H04Q2213/00—Indexing scheme relating to selecting arrangements in general and for multiplex systems
  • H04Q2213/13547—Indexing scheme relating to selecting arrangements in general and for multiplex systems subscriber, e.g. profile, database, database access

Definitions

• This invention relates to a system and a method for handling telephone calls, in a way which allows the introduction of number portability. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART
• the name server is used to translate the logical number into a physical network address.
• a signal is sent from the node which serves the relevant address to the name server, and can then be transferred to name caches in the other nodes.
• a disadvantage of such a system is that changes in number correspondences, which are to be stored in a node, may originate in another node, for example owned by a different service provider. This means that personnel must be authorised by all operators to alter data stored at their nodes, which increases complexity and expense. Moreover, searching the large name caches can be time-consuming.
• the present invention seeks to overcome these disadvantages.
• the present invention seeks to overcome the disadvantages associated with the known methods of providing number portability. This is achieved by providing a name cache structure which allows more rapid searching, and only allows updating originating at a central location.
• the object of the invention therefore is to allow number portability, without the disadvantages of the prior art .
• a method of operation of a telecommunications system comprising: a central node, having a master number translation database, and having a service management system associated therewith; and a plurality of exchanges connected to the central node, each of the exchanges having a local number translation database; wherein the master number translation database and the local number translation databases can only be updated following a command through the service management system.
• a communications system comprising a plurality of interconnected exchanges, to which subscribers are connected, each exchange comprising a local name cache, for storing data relating to number translations, and each exchange being connected to a central name cache, wherein information relating to alterations in the stored data may be input only through the central name cache.
• a communications exchange comprising a number translation database, the number translation database storing, for each number translation, a logical number of a called party, a physical number of the called party, and an identification of a calling party associated with that number translation.
• Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a telephone system in accordance with the invention.
• Figure 2 is a flow chart showing the progress of a dialled call using the system in accordance with the invention.
• Figure 3 is a schematic representation of the structure of a local database.
• Figure 4 is a flow chart showing how a local database is updated.
• FIG. 1 shows a telephone system, in which a telephone 2 is connected to a first exchange 4, which contains a local database 6.
• the exchange 4 is connected to a master database 8, which has a service management system 10 attached to it .
• a second exchange 12 is also shown connected to the master database 8 for the purposes of illustration, and it will be appreciated that, in practice, many such exchanges may be so connected.
• the second exchange 12 has its own local database 14.
• step SIO when a number is dialled, a check is first made in step SIO as to whether the dialled number is in a category for which the local database, associated with the exchange through which the call is made, may contain an entry. This check is made because some numbers, for example international numbers, may not be stored in the local database. If the dialled number is in a category which is never stored in the local database, then the procedure passes to step S12 , and the call is handled in a conventional way.
• step S14 the local database is interrogated to check whether it in fact contains an entry for the dialled number.
• step S16 the indicated number translation is performed
• step S18 in which the call is routed to the indicated physical location.
• the local database is not automatically updated with information relating to changes in location or service provider for the called subscribers, the entry contained in the local database may no longer be correct. In that case, the attempt to route the call to the physical location indicated in the local database will not succeed.
• step S20 of the process it is determined whether the call was successful, for example by testing for standard signalling indicating that the called number is vacant.
• step S22 If the call is successful, the process ends at step S22. On the other hand, if the call is not successful, the process proceeds to step S40. Similarly, if step S14 indicates that the local database contains no entry for the dialled number, the process also proceeds to step S40, in which a query is sent to the master database, to which the exchange is connected. As shown in Figure 1, the master database 8 is connected to a service management system 10, and so it will have been updated with any required changes, for example relating to altered location or service provider for a particular subscriber. The correct physical location can then be retrieved from the master database. The local database 6 is then updated with this new information, as illustrated in step S42 in Figure 2.
• step S44 in which the appropriate number translation is performed
• step S46 in which the call can be routed to the physical location indicated by the number translation.
• step S48 proceeds to step S48, where it ends.
• the local database can be controlled so that it automatically stores number translation information relating to frequently dialled numbers, which may be defined in any desired way.
• the local database may contain number translation information relating to all of the numbers which terminate at the local exchange with which the local database is associated.
• Figure 3 shows, schematically, the structure of a local database. Specifically, for each number translation with which the database is concerned, the database or cache contains an indication of the physical number of a particular called party, the logical number of that party, a global priority value, a subscriber specific priority value, and also allows an identification of the particular calling subscriber, with which the number translation is associated.
• the structure of the database is such that it is possible to translate from a physical number into a logical number, and from a logical number into a physical number.
• the local database which necessarily stores the logical and physical numbers for each number translation which is to be performed, should also store at least one priority or a time stamp with each stored pair of numbers. Since the local database will have a maximum capacity set at some particular level, it is possible that the updating step, step S42 in Figure 2, may require that a pair of numbers be deleted from the stored pairs, if the database is full. For example, the pairs of numbers may be stored in the local database such that, whenever an already stored pair is queried, its time stamp is updated, to represent the time at which the pair was most recently queried.
• the pair of numbers with the oldest time stamp may be the one which is chosen to be discarded.
• the arrangement shown in Figure 3 stores two priority values in connection with each number translation. Firstly, there is a global priority value, which forms part of a single set of priority values, one value of which is associated with every number translation. This priority value is then updated every time a number translation is queried or entered into the database. Secondly, there is a subscriber specific priority value, which forms part of a set of priority values associated with stored data for number translations in respect of numbers which are dialled by a specific individual subscriber. The structure of the database may then be such that, when it is desired to enter a new pair of numbers, the pair which are to be discarded may be the pair with the lowest global priority value, or the lowest priority value in the set of priority values specific to that particular calling subscriber.
• This feature together with the presence of a subscriber identifier, corresponding to the calling subscriber who originated the entry of that number translation, means that each subscriber effectively has an individual local database of frequently dialled numbers. This may be used to facilitate the searching process, by only searching, in the first instance, for number translations having the subscriber identifier associated with the particular calling subscriber in any given case. Also, it may be arranged that, where a subscriber identifier is set, that entry may only be deleted by the identified subscriber, irrespective of the global priority value at any time.
• Figure 4 is a flow chart showing how a stored pair of numbers is updated, for example following a change in a subscriber's physical number.
• the alteration must be initiated through the service management system, and a command is sent to the master database.
• the master database is updated, although, at this stage, the information is not transmitted to the local databases.
• the call is unsuccessful, and a query is then sent to the master database, as shown in step S86.
• the local database is updated in step S88, as described previously. This completes the process, as shown in step S90.
• Updating the system in this way means that the system security, for example the authorisation of the various personnel, can be handled in a centralised way, which avoids the disadvantages associated with personnel being authorised by one operator to alter data stored at the exchanges of other operators, or needing to be authorised by all operators.
• an arrangement which allows number portability to be provided, while greatly reducing the number of queries which must be made to a master database, and increasing the system security. Moreover, it is not necessary to connect a management system to each local database. In addition, this arrangement can be used in any network, since the system is not dependent on the use of any specific signalling protocol. Existing protocols can be used for updating the local database.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
• Telephonic Communication Services (AREA)
• Telephone Function (AREA)
• Exchange Systems With Centralized Control (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=10789068

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Families Citing this family (4)

Family Cites Families (10)

• 1996
  • 1996-02-20 GB GB9603538A patent/GB2310566A/en not_active Withdrawn
• 1997
  • 1997-02-10 EP EP97904410A patent/EP0883966A2/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1997-02-10 AU AU17235/97A patent/AU734410B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 1997-02-10 WO PCT/EP1997/000609 patent/WO1997031489A2/en not_active Application Discontinuation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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