Generalized telecommunications customer signaling arrangement
AssigneeAT&T Bell Laboratories
InventorStuart M. Garland
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for signaling telecommunications customer requests to a switching system. The basic signaling arrangement consists of a series of function calls, including a function type specifier and an optional parameter of the function. Function calls are separated by delimiters which are strings of characters, such as ** or *#, that are unique and not to be confused with function type specifiers or parameters. Strings of function calls can be stored in a switching system and can be called by a speed calling request. The function types include types wherein a customer supplies a parameter, such as a personal identification code in an otherwise prespecified string of function calls.
Claims36
In a telecommunications switch, a method of interpreting a substring of characters to said telecommunications switch comprising the steps of:
- a. interpreting initial characters of a substring as a function type;
- b. interpreting subsequent characters of the substring as one or more function parameters for function types of a class requiring parameters;
- and
- c. interpreting a predefined delimiter character substring as the end of a function call;
- whereby a substring of characters is interpreted as a function call.
In a telecommunication switching system, apparatus for processing customer signals comprising:
- means responsive to customer signals for interpreting a first set of said signals as a function type, a second set of said signals as a function parameter for function types requiring parameters, and a third set of said signals as a delimiter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.