Inter-exchange carrier access selection feature for a PBX user
AssigneeAmerican Telephone and Telegraph Company, AT&T Information Systems
InventorsFrank J. Bogart, Nancy K. S. Modisette
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This feature provides the telephone communication system with the capability to automatically select one of a plurality of inter-exchange carriers to serve an inter-exchange call originated by a telephone communication system user. In response to an inter-exchange call origination, the telephone communication system selects the appropriate and most economical inter-exchange carrier and then outpulses the inter-exchange carrier access code, the user's personal identification code and the called party number dialed by the user to complete the call.
Claims12
In a telephone communication system which serves a plurality of stations and which provides access to a plurality of inter-exchange carriers via a telephone central office, a method of providing a calling station with access to one of said inter-exchange carriers, without requiring said calling station to have pre-specified one of said inter-exchange carriers or to have selected one of said inter-exchange carriers at time of inter-exchange call origination, comnprising the steps of:
- scanning a database in said telephone communication system in response to a calling party at a calling station dialing a called party number on an inter-exchange call origination to select one of said inter-exchange carriers to serve said call origination;
- retrieving from said database access code data associated with said one of said inter-exchange carriers and user authorization code associated with said telephone communication system;
- and
- completing a call connection via said telephone central office from said calling party to said selected one of said inter-exchanges carrier using said dialed number and said access code data and said user authorization code.
In a telephone communication system which serves a plurality of stations and which provides access to a plurality of inter-exchange via a telephone central office, apparatus for providing a calling station with access to one of said inter-exchange carriers without requiring said calling station to have pre-specified one of said inter-exchange carriers or to have preselected one of said inter-exchange carriers at time of inter-exchange call origination, comprising:
- means responsive to a calling party at a calling station dialing a called party number on an inter-exchange call origination for scanning a database in said telephone communication system to select one of said inter-exchange carriers to serve said inter-exchange call origination;
- means responsive to said scanning means for retrieving from said database, inter-exchange carrier access data associated with said selected one of said inter-exchange carriers and user authorization code associated with said telephone communiction system;
- and
- means responsive to said retrieving means for completing a call connection via said telephone central office from said calling party to said selected one of inter-exchange carriers using said inter-exchange carrier access and said user authorization code data and said called number.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.