Automatic termination path configuration
AssigneeLevel 3 Communications, LLC
InventorMichael F. DeConcilis
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
There is provided herein a system and method for automatic configuration of data routings for use with electronic data such as phone calls, faxes, etc. In the preferred embodiment, when more than one carrier might potentially terminate the transmission, the carriers are ordered based on some screening criterion (e.g., transmission price). Data transmissions are then assigned to the carriers based on the sorting order, with the second place and lower carriers (e.g., the higher priced carriers) not being selected unless the first carrier cannot complete the transaction. The switch instructions necessary to implement this scheme are generated automatically.
Claims6
A method of configuring a signal path between a customer entry point and a termination destination, comprising the steps of:
- a. selecting a carrier that can provide access to said termination destination;
- b. negotiating a rate structure with said selected carrier, wherein the rate structure is based at least in part on the cost of access to said termination destination provided by the carrier,
- c. determining a routing for a signal path between said customer entry point and a carrier exit point accessible by said selected carrier, wherein said signal path passes through at least one switching device;
- d. encoding at least a portion of said routing in machine readable form, thereby producing machine readable routing information;
- e. within a computer program, using said machine readable routing information to create a plurality of electronic switching instructions for use with each of said at least one switching devices, wherein step e. further comprises:
- e.1 activating a computer program;
- e.2 entering said routing structure into said computer program;
- and
- e.3 within said computer program, translating said routing structure into a plurality of switch instructions;
- f. automatically programming each of said at least one switching devices through which said routing passes according to at least one of said plurality of switching instructions, thereby creating said signal path between said customer entry point and said carrier exit point;
- g. updating at least one routing table on each of said at least one switching devices in said signal path in accordance with the at least portion of said plurality switch instructions;
- h. receiving a voice transmission from a customer via said customer entry point;
- i. transmit a signal representative of said voice transmission from said customer entry point to said carrier exit point via said created signal path;
- j. provide said signal representative of said transmitted voice transmission to said selected carrier at said carrier exit point for termination at said predetermined termination destination;
- k. using at least said negotiated rate structure to determine a charge for said transmission of step h.;
- and
- l. assessing said charge against said customer.
A system configured to obtain a signal path between a customer entry point and a termination destination, the apparatus comprising one or more computer based controllers configured to:
- select a carrier that can provide access to said termination destination;
- negotiate a rate structure with said selected carrier, wherein the rate structure is based at least in part on the cost of access to said termination destination provided by the carrier;
- determine a routing for a signal path between said customer entry point and a carrier exit point accessible by said selected carrier, wherein said signal path passes through at least one switching device;
- encode at least a portion of said routing in machine readable form, to provide machine readable routing information;
- within a computer program loaded on the controller, use said machine readable routing information to create a plurality of electronic switching instructions for use with each of said at least one switching devices;
- activate said computer program;
- enter said routing structure into said computer program;
- within said computer program, translate said routing structure into the plurality of switch instructions;
- automatically program each of said at least one switching devices through which said routing passes according to at least one of said plurality of switching instructions, thereby creating said signal path between said customer entry point and said carrier exit point;
- update at least one routing table on each of said at least one electronic switching devices in said signal path in accordance with the at least portion of said plurality of switch instructions;
- receive a voice transmission from a customer via said customer entry point;
- transmit a signal representative of said voice transmission from said customer entry point to said carrier exit point via said created signal path;
- provide said signal representative of said transmitted voice transmission to said selected carrier a said carrier exit point for termination at said predetermined termination destination;
- use at least said negotiated rate structure to determine a charge for said transmission;
- and
- assess said charge against said customer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.